Alexander Raoul Stavenitz (31 May 1901 – 11 February 1960) was a Russian Empire-born American visual artist and educator. He was known for his paintings, and printmaking. He also worked as an industrial designer and architectural designer in his early career.

Early life and education

Alexander Raoul Stavenitz was born on 31 May 1901, in Kiev, Russian Empire (now Ukraine). He attended Central High School (now Central Visual and Performing Arts High School) in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.. Stavenitz received a B.Arch. degree in 1925 from the

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

. In 1927, he studied at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

; followed by study at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study f ...

from 1928 until 1931.

Career

Stavenitz moved to New York City around 1925, and began working as architectural and industrial designer. During this time period he is associated with George Cooper Rudolph. In 1931, Stavenitz was awarded a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

. He was a member of the American Artists’ Congress, a

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

organization for writers and artists in New York City. He taught at

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 18 ...

between 1945 and 1947. In 1949, Stavenitz was appointed

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

of art at

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

. He also worked as an art instructor at MoMA’s People’s Art Center. He died at his home in Norwalk, Connecticut on 11 February 1960. Stavenitz's work is in museum collections, including the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM; formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds one of the world's lar ...

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) is an List of art museums#North America, art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at ...

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...

, Davison Art Center, and

Yale University Art Gallery The Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG) is an art museum in New Haven, Connecticut. It houses a major encyclopedic collection of art in several interconnected buildings on the campus of Yale University. Although it embraces all cultures and period ...

Exhibitions

* 1930, "Living American Etchers",

National Arts Club The National Arts Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and members club on Gramercy Park, Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1898 by Charles DeKay, an art and literary critic of the ''New York Times'', to "stimulate, foster, and promote publi ...

, New York City, New York * 1930, Brooklyn Society of Etchers, Brooklyn, New York City, New York * 1930, Chicago Society of Etchers, Chicago, Illinois * 1930, Philadelphia Society of Etchers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * 1931, Brooklyn Society of Etchers, Brooklyn, New York City, New York * 1931, Chicago Society of Etchers, Chicago, Illinois * 1931, Philadelphia Society of Etchers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * 1931, International Print Exhibition, Pasadena, California * 1931, International Print Exhibition, Cleveland, Ohio * 1931,

, New York City, New York * 1931, "Fifty Prints of the Year",

American Institute of Graphic Arts The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is a professional organization for design. Its members practice all forms of communication design, including graphic design, typography, interaction design, user experience, branding and identity. The ...

, New York City, New York * 1941, "Twenty Lithographs: Graphic Art Processes",

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

(MoMA), New York City, New York

References

External links

* Image
Alexander Stavenitz and Barbara Burrage with their cat
from Archives of American Art {{DEFAULTSORT:Stavenitz, Alexander 1901 births 1960 deaths Artists from Kyiv Artists from New York City Artists from St. Louis Art Students League of New York alumni Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts alumni School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni City College of New York faculty Pratt Institute faculty American Marxists Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States