Manuel Neri papers
name: label: Creator
content: Neri, Manuel, 1930-
topic: label: Occupation
content: Sculptors -- California
label: Topic
content: Latino and Latin American artists
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Material on reels 2290 & 2291 lent for microfilming by Neri through his agent, Anne Kohs, 1982. Material on reel 3161 was donated by Neri, 1977.
creator: label: Creator
content: Neri, Manuel, 1930-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Manuel Neri papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of sculptor Manuel Neri measure 0.01 linear feet and date from 1940 to 1980. The papers owned by the Archives of American Art consist of an exhibition poster and an exhibition announcement for shows at the Six Gallery in San Francisco.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Manuel Neri (1930-2021) was a sculptor recognized for his life-size figurative sculptures in plaster, bronze, and marble. Neri was born in Sanger, California in 1930 to immigrant parents from Jalisco, Mexico. Originally planning to study electrical engineering, Neri switched to ceramics after being inspired by an art class taught by Peter Voulkos. Neri completed his studies at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, and at California School of Fine Arts. 

In the late 1950s, Neri was a member of the artist-run cooperative gallery, Six Gallery in San Francisco, along with Joan Brown, Bruce Conner, Jay DeFeo, and other artists. In October 1955, he helped organize "6 Poets at 6 Gallery" Six Gallery reading, a landmark Beat era event where Allen Ginsberg gave the first public reading of Howl. In 1959, Neri was an original member of Bruce Conner's Rat Bastard Protective Association. In the 1960s, he was associated with the Bay Area Figurative Movement. He was married to Bay Area artist Joan Brown from 1962 to 1966, though their relationship and artistic collaboration dated back several years prior to this.

Neri taught sculpture and ceramics at California School of Fine Arts from 1959 to 1965, and taught classes in the art department at UC Berkeley in 1963–1964. He was a member of the art department faculty at the University of California, Davis from 1965 to 1990.

Neri died in 2021.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.01 Linear Feet
label: Extent
content: 3 Microfilm reels
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1940-1980
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.nerimanu
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Microfilm reels
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into one series.

Series 1: Manuel Neri papers, 1940-1980 (0.01 linear feet; Folder 1)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Ricky Gomez in 2023.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reels 2290, 2291 and 3161 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: Reels 2290 & 2291: Originals returned to the lender, Manuel Neri through his agent, Anne Kohs, after microfilming.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of sculptor Manuel Neri measure 0.01 linear feet and date from 1940 to 1980. The papers owned by the Archives of American Art consist of an exhibition poster and an exhibition announcement for shows at the Six Gallery in San Francisco.
label: Scope and Contents
content: REELS 2290-2291: Biographical material; personal and business correspondence; bills, receipts and other financial material; 2 sketches; teaching notes; a grant proposal for "Sculpture Materials in their Environment"; printed material, minutes and reports on the Benecia Art Center in Benecia, California; 32 postcards collected by Neri; and photographs of Neri, his friends, family, models and sculpture.