Ladislav Sutnar collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: CSC-0109

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Ladislav Sutnar collection is comprised of correspondence, biographical files, bibliographic files and client files. Within these files are many examples of Sutnar's original art , artist's proofs, tear-sheets and finished projects.

Twelve additional items were added to the collection in April 1998 by a gift of Elaine Lustig Cohen. Each of these items have been interfiled with the original gift and are identified within this finding guide and as a separate list in the Addendum.

Thirty-three additional items were added to the collection in August 1999 by a gift of the Smithsonian Institution Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Each of these items has been interfiled with the original gift and are identified within this finding guide and as a seperate list in the Addendum. Gifts from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum are identified by the notation [Gift: C-HNDM].

Dates

Creation: 1940-1970

Creator

Sutnar, Ladislav (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers.

Biographical / Historical

An important designer and design theorist, Ladislav Sutnar was educated in Prague. He taught at the State School of Graphic Arts, Prague, from 1923-36. He was well-known for his work in the publishing community as well as for his work as a stage and exhibit designer. He travelled to New York as exhibition designer for the 1939 World's Fair Czech Pavilion. He remained in the United States and became one of the leading graphic design forces of the 1940s-1950s.

Notable among his contributions were his corporate identity work for Addox Business Machines and his conceptualization and implementation of "information design" for the Sweets Industrial Catalogs.

Sutnar published many articles and books but is perhaps best known for his books: Visual Design in Action and Package Design.

Extent

6 Linear Feet (2 Document Boxes 3 oversize boxes 9 unboxed pieces)

Language

English

Additional Description

Overview

The Ladislav Sutnar collection is comprised of correspondence, biographical files, bibliographic files and client files as well as gifts from Elaine Lustig Cohen, and the Smithsonian Institution, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.

Physical Location

Graphic Design Archives, Cary Collection Annex

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The main collection was donated in 1991 by Radoslav Sutnar with additions in April 1998 by Elaine Lustig Cohen and in July 1999 by the Smithsonian Institution Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

Accession number(s): 1991:001

Processing Information

Collection processed by Pei-Ying Wu, July 1996; addenda processed by Carole Ann Fabian, May 1998; and addenda by Christopher Kibler, August 1999.

Finding aid encoded by Lisa Witt, September, 2015.