Esphyr Slobodkina

Honoring the Life and Art of Esphyr Slobodkina

Esphyr Slobodkina was a pioneer of American abstract art. Her participation in the avant-garde activities and exhibitions of the 1930s & 40s helped achieve recognition for abstract art in the United States.

Research

Scholars and students interested in the early development of American abstraction or the history of children’s literature will find a wealth of primary source material at the Foundation, including:

  • promotional fliers created by Slobodkina for the American Abstract Artists group (AAA)
  • personal writings about Slobodkina’s experience with the AAA
  • AAA exhibition catalogs
  • Slobodkina’s three-volume autobiography, Notes for a Biographer (self-published in 1976 and of limited availability)
  • hundreds of original artworks dating from the 1920s to 2002
  • preliminary sketches, original illustrations, and out-of-print editions of Slobodkina’s children’s books
  • correspondence between notable figures in the art and literature world, including Margaret Wise Brown, William Scott, Ilya Bolotowsky, and Piet Mondrian.
  • articles and a library of books related to Slobodkina, American Abstraction, and children’s literature

Please contact us to schedule a research appointment or to learn more about our holdings:

Ann Marie Mulhearn Sayer
annmarie@slobodkinafoundation.org