Robert Dell papers
name: label: Creator
content: Dell, Robert, 1950-
label: Names
content: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
label: Names
content: King, William, 1925-2015
topic: label: Occupation
content: Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Educators -- New York (State)
label: Occupation
content: Engineers -- New York (State)
label: Topic
content: Public art -- United States
label: Topic
content: Public art -- Iceland
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Robert Dell in 2013 and 2019.
creator: label: Creator
content: Dell, Robert, 1950-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Robert Dell papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The Robert Dell papers measure 0.5 linear feet and date from circa 1977 to 2013. The collection documents Dell's early career as an artist including key fellowships, residencies, and exhibitions. Correspondence is both professional and personal and relates to Robert Dell's public art projects in Iceland and the United States, grant applications, and personal matters. Noteworthy correspondents include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the sculptor William King, among others. Printed material includes broadsides, exhibition announcements, maps, posters, and clippings related to Dell's work, installations, and exhibitions. Also included is a drawing of Dell's sculpture Hitavaettur from April 1991.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Robert Dell (born 1950) is a sculptor and engineer living in New York City. As a visual artist Dell completed a formative residency at the MacDowell Colony in 1977 where he befriended the sculptor William King. In 1988 he was awarded a Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship to Iceland where he created his best-known sculpture Hitavaettur, which means "guardian of geothermal hot water" in Icelandic. This work epitomized Dell's combined engagement with earth sciences and sculpture and laid the foundation for his work as an engineer and inventor. In 1991 Dell completed a Research Artist Fellowship at the MIT Center for Advanced Visual Studies after exhibiting Hitavaettur at the MIT Museum the previous year. Robert Dell is the founding director of the Center for Innovation and Applied Technology and the Laboratory for Energy Reclamation and Innovation at the Cooper Union, where he is also Adjunct Professor of Mechanical Engineering. He is the primary author of ten patents as well as many peer-reviewed scientific articles.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.5 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1977-2013
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.dellrobe
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Drawings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Ryan Evans in 2019.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Robert Dell papers measure 0.5 linear feet and date from circa 1977 to 2013. The collection documents Dell's early career as an artist including key fellowships, residencies, and exhibitions. Correspondence is both professional and personal and relates to Robert Dell's public art projects in Iceland and the United States, grant applications, and personal matters. Noteworthy correspondents include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the sculptor William King, among others. Printed material includes broadsides, exhibition announcements, maps, posters, and clippings related to Dell's work, installations, and exhibitions. Also included is a drawing of Dell's sculpture Hitavaettur from April 1991.