Saul Baizerman papers
name: label: Creator
content: Baizerman, Saul, 1889-1957
label: Names
content: Baizerman, Eugenie, 1899-1949
topic: label: Occupation
content: Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Educators -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Scrapbooks
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Joan Hay Baizerman, Saul Baizerman's second wife, loaned the papers to the Archives of American Art for microfilming in 1964. She subsequently donated the papers in 1971 with the exception of circa 300 sketches and circa 50 photographs from the original loan.
creator: label: Creator
content: Baizerman, Saul, 1889-1957
setName: label: See more items in
content: Saul Baizerman papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of New York sculptor Saul Baizerman measure 3 linear feet and date from circa 1916-1963. The collection documents Baizerman's career through biographical information, writings by Baizerman including poems, lectures, plays, and writings on art, a few exhibition records, drawings and sketches, printed material, photographs of Baizerman and his work, and a dismantled scrapbook.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Born in Russia, New York sculptor Saul Baizerman (1889-1957) was known for his technique of hammering copper by hand to create relief sculptures. His deep sympathies for the labor movement and social causes informed his focus on the urban poor and manual worker as primary subjects for his work.

Baizerman came to the United States in 1910, settling in New York City, and subsequently trained as a sculptor at several art schools. In the 1920s he began shaping copper by hand in a process that involved forcefully hammering both sides of a copper sheet until an image appeared in relief. Two of Baizerman's most well-known works were a series of small-scale statuettes entitled "The City and the People" which he worked on throughout his life, and a "Labor" series. Baizerman also completed larger outdoor sculptures.

From 1934 to 1940 Baizerman taught sculpture, drawing, and anatomy classes at his own art institute, the Baizerman Art School. Thereafter, he continued to teach at the American Artists School and the University of Southern California, but focused primarily on his own artwork.


Baizerman was married to painter Eugenie Baizerman from 1920 until her death in 1949. Baizerman died of cancer at the age of 68.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 3 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1916-1963
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.baizsaul
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Due to prior arrangement on microfilm the papers are arranged as one series.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was microfilmed after receipt on reels N61001-N61006. The microfilm was described in a finding aid by Stephanie Ashley in 2023 and the microfilm was digitized in 2023 with provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: The collection has been microfilmed on reels N61-1 through N61-6. The microfilm has been digitized and is available on the Archives of American Art website.
originalsloc: label: Existence and Location of Originals
content: Circa 300 sketches and circa 50 photographs are in the possession of Joan Hay Baizerman.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of New York sculptor Saul Baizerman measure 3 linear feet and date from circa 1916-1963. The collection documents Baizerman's career through biographical information, writings by Baizerman including poems, lectures, plays, and writings on art, a few exhibition records, drawings and sketches, printed material, photographs of Baizerman and his work, and a dismantled scrapbook.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: The Archives of American Art also holds the Haim Mendelson correspondence with Saul Baizerman and others, 1946-1957 and the Julius Samuel Held papers relating to Saul Baizerman and Leonard Baskin, 1947-1976.