Alfonso Ossorio papers
name: label: Creator
content: Ossorio, Alfonso, 1916-1990
label: Names
content: Dubuffet, Jean, 1901-1985
label: Names
content: Krasner, Lee, 1908-1984
label: Names
content: Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956
label: Names
content: Still, Clyfford, 1904-1980
topic: label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State)
label: Occupation
content: Assemblage artists -- New York (State)
label: Topic
content: Latino and Latin American artists
label: Topic
content: Filipino American artists
label: Topic
content: Art brut
label: Topic
content: Abstract expressionism
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was donated 1980-1981 by Alfonso A. Ossorio. An addition fron an unknown source was donated in 1985.
creator: label: Creator
content: Ossorio, Alfonso, 1916-1990
setName: label: See more items in
content: Alfonso Ossorio papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of painter and assemblage artist Alfonso Ossorio measure 0.7 linear feet and date from 1949 to 1985. The papers document Ossorio's career through correspondence, writings, printed material, and photographs.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Filipino American painter and assemblage artist Alfonso Ossorio (1916-1990) was based primarily in the New York area and was a key figure in the Abstract Expressionist and Art Brut movements.


Born in Manila, Philippines, in 1916, Ossorio immigrated to the United States with his family in 1930, settling in the Portsmouth area of Rhode Island and studying fine art at Harvard University and the Rhode Island School of Design. In 1950 Ossorio was commissioned by the parish of St. Joseph in Victorias City, Negros Occidental in the Philippines, to paint a mural which would be known as "The Angry Christ." In the late 1940s Ossorio settled in New York and later purchased the Creeks, an estate in East Hampton where he thereafter spent the majority of his time. From the late 1940s on Ossorio explored abstraction and formed crucial friendships with Jackson Pollock and Jean Dubuffet. In the 1960s he began to create assemblages that he called congregations, and his work was included in numerous exhibitions throughout the United States and elsewhere.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.7 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1949-1985
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.ossoalfo
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into four series.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1950-1982 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Writings, circa 1962-1978 (0.1 linear feet: Box 1)

Series 3: Printed Material, 1949-1985 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 1-2 OV 3)

Series 4: Photographic Material, 1962-1980 (0.1 linear feet; Box 2)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Portions of the collection were microfilmed on reels 2000 and 3888 after receipt and records on reel 2000 were returned. Records on reel 3888 were subsequently donated, and the collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Ricky Gomez in 2023.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Materials lent for microfilming on reel 2000 and portions of the collection microfilmed on reel 3888 are available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
originalsloc: label: Existence and Location of Originals
content: Letters from Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner are photocopies or transcripts. Location of the originals is unknown.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of painter and assemblage artist Alfonso Ossorio measure 0.7 linear feet and date from 1949 to 1985. The papers document Ossorio's career through correspondence, writings, printed material, and photographs.

Correspondence consists primarily of letters from Jean Dubuffet and Clyfford Still. Also included are xeroxed letters from Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner. Writings consist of notes and draft manuscripts for the "Fourteen Paintings" exhibition catalog essay, some notes on a list of Pollock artwork, a lecture on Pollock, and a lecture by Dubuffet. Printed material consists of clippings, exhibition announcements and posters, exhibition catalogs, and an article on Ossorio. Photographic material consists of  photographs of Ossorio and his colleagues, photographs of works of art, exhibitions and opening receptions, and photographs of works by Gregg Blasdel.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Alfonso Ossorio conducted by Forrest Selvig, November 19, 1968.
separatedmaterial: label: Separated Materials
content: Material on reel 2000 including correspondence with Thomas Gibson Fine Arts, Ltd., Morris J. Pinto, and Jackson Pollock;
correspondence, loan agreements, and clippings concerning Pollock's painting "Lavender Mist"; and cancelled
checks, bank statements and other financial material, were returned to Ossorio after microfilming and are not described in the collection Container Inventory.