Karl Gruppe papers
name: label: Creator
content: Gruppe, Karl, b. 1893
label: Names
content: Public Works of Art Project
topic: label: Occupation
content: Medalists -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Monuments -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Monuments -- Conservation and restoration
label: Topic
content: Sculpture -- Conservation and restoration -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Medals
label: Topic
content: Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Materials on reel N70-35 were lent for microfilming in 1970 by Karl Gruppe. The bulk of the microfilmed material and additional papers were donated in 1970-1973 by Karl Gruppe and by his daughter Elizabeth Gruppe Stover in 1986.
creator: label: Creator
content: Gruppe, Karl, b. 1893
setName: label: See more items in
content: Karl Gruppe papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of Karl Gruppe measure 3 linear feet and date from circa 1880-1985. They illustrate his career through biographical material, correspondence, project files, personal business records, and printed and photographic material.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Karl Gruppe (1893-1982) was a sculptor who worked mainly in New York City. 


Karl Heinrich Gruppe was born in Rochester, New York. He studied at the Royal Academy in Antwerp, Belgium with Franz Juris and with Karl Bitter at the Art Students League in New York.  He was a sculptor in marble and bronze and held the position of Chief Sculptor of the Monument Restoration Project for the New York City Parks Department as part of the Public Works of Art Project.


In 1980 he was awarded the National Sculpture Society's "Special Medal of Honor". He was a member of the National Academy of Design (1968-1971) and served on the National Council of the National Academy of Design from 1956 to 1959, serving as Vice President in 1957. In 1950 he was elected academician. In 1960 Gruppe served as President of the National Sculpture Society and was appointed a member of the New York City Art Commission from 1944 to 1947. Away from the city he shared a studio with his brother Emile Gruppe in Rocky Neck, Massachusetts.


Karl Gruppe died in 1982 in Southold, New York.
function: label: Function
content: Film festivals
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 3 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1880-1985
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.grupkarl
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: This collection consists of six series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1932-1979 (.1 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1914-1976 (.4 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 3: Project Files, circa 1929-1965 (.6 Linear feet: Boxes 1-2)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1901-1969 (.9 Linear feet: Box 2)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1893-1978 (.4 Linear feet: Box 3)

Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1880-1985 (.6 Linear feet: Box 3)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: This collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared, by Allessandra Liberati in 2023.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reels 104 and N70-35 at the 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.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Karl Gruppe papers measure 3 linear feet and date from circa 1880-1985.Biographical materials include a resume and family history of Gruppe and various biographical sketches of others. Correspondence is to and from Karl Gruppe and is with Karl Bitter and his family, the Society of Medalists, and David Oppenheim, and regards commissions and organizations. Project files consist of materials related to various projects completed by Gruppe including the Henry Hudson Memorial, the William Rufus King Memorial, and the Monument Restoration Project. Also included are projects for war memorials, a joint outdoor exhibition for the National Sculpture Society, and various Boroughs in New York City. Personal business records include those related to the National Academy of Design and National Sculpture Society including proceedings, financial material, business records, reports, and other materials. Also included are records relating to various other institutions and copyright records. 

Printed material consists of exhibition announcements and catalogs, news clippings, materials related to Karl Bitter and Eisenhower College, and a published copy of The Dream City: A Portfolio of Photographic Views of the World's Columbian Exposition (1893). Also included are materials related to Gruppe's time working with the Public Works of Art Project in New York City. Photographic material includes personal photographs of Gruppe's family, and friends, including Laura Gardin (Fraser), Anthony de Francisci, Karl Bitter and the Bitter family, photographs of Marcella Sembrich, and photographs of the interior, garden, and studio of Karl Bitter. Also included are photographs of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904) and photographs of Gruppe's artwork which include nitrate negatives stored separately.
separatedmaterial: label: Separated Materials
content: The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reel N70-35) including correspondence, clippings, and catalogs, 1920-1970, including items about the controversy over New York City's sculpture. Correspondents include Robert Moses, Edmond R. Amateis, Mary W. Harriman, Reginald Marsh, and Henry Wolf. Loaned materials were returned to the donor and are not described in the collection container inventory. Items were returned to Karl Gruppe after microfilming.