Abstract
The Robert Beckmann Professional Papers (approximately 1964-2020) include photographs, sketches, plans, and proposals for murals and art installations that Beckmann designed or painted in the Las Vegas, Nevada area. The collection also includes correspondence, awards, and promotional materials for art exhibitions featuring Beckmann and other artists.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
Extent
Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
The Robert Beckmann Professional Papers (approximately 1964-2020) include photographs, sketches, plans, and proposals for murals and art installations that Beckmann designed or painted in the Las Vegas, Nevada area. The collection includes photographic surveys of mural locations both before and after painting, and handwritten sketches and plans for the murals. The collection also includes correspondence with friends, art galleries, and museums throughout the United States and worldwide; promotional materials for art exhibitions; and invoices and contracts for artwork and other services.
Access Note
Collection is open for research, with the exception of materials that are restricted to protect personally identifiable information. Restrictions are noted at the box level of this inventory and will be open for research use January 1, 2079. Arrangements must be made in advance to access digital files; please contact UNLV Special Collections and Archives for additional information.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials remain as they were received.
Biographical / Historical Note
American artist Robert Beckmann was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1942, and grew up in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor's degree from the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio in 1964. He went on to earn a Master of Arts and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa. He taught at Northern Illinois University for four years, leaving in 1971 to pursue a career as a professional artist.
Robert Beckmann arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1977 and was selected as the project artist and director of the Las Vegas Community Murals Project, the first public art project of its kind in Las Vegas. The project involved Beckmann working with local high school students to paint murals on public buildings across Las Vegas.
Beckmann remained in Las Vegas while continuing his career. His work has been exhibited in museums around the world, and over 200 of his murals exist in both public and commercial spaces across the United States. He is best known for an exhibition of large-scale paintings entitled The Body of a House, which is permanently housed in the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, Nevada. Beckmann was awarded the Governor's Arts Award for Excellence in the Arts from the State of Nevada in 1996. As of 2020, Robert Beckmann resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sources:
Cling, Carol. “Artist Robert Beckmann Incorporates Las Vegas Into His Works.” Las Vegas Review-Journal, February 14, 2017. https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/arts-culture/artist-robert-beckmann-incorporates-las-vegas-into-his-works/
Robert Beckmann. "Robert Beckmann Biography." Accessed February 14, 2020. https://robertbeckmann.com/bio_full.html
Smallworks Press. “Robert Beckmann Biography.” Accessed February 14, 2020. http://www.smallworksgallery.com/beckmannbio.html
Preferred Citation
Robert Beckmann Professional Papers, approximately 1964-2020. MS-00606. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. http://n2t.net/ark:/62930/f1j02t
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 1977, 2014, 2018, 2021, and 2023 by Robert Beckmann; accession numbers T79, 2014-013, 2014-052, 2018-022, 2021-118, and 2023-059.
Processing Note
Materials were minimally processed at the time of accessioning by Tom Sommer in 2014. In 2015, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Lindsay Oden wrote the collection description in compliance with current professional standards. Subsequently Lindsay Oden entered the data into ArchivesSpace. In 2018, Maggie Bukowski accessioned the 2018 addition and subsequently entered it into ArchivesSpace. In 2020, Lauren Paljusaj added restricted materials to the inventory and revised the finding aid in ArchivesSpace. In 2021, Tammi Kim minimally processed the 2021 addition during accessioning and updated the finding aid. Tammi Kim also accessioned six optical discs. Files were successfully transferred off of two discs and four discs failed. In 2023, Sarah Jones rehoused the 2023 addition, created the inventory, and updated the finding aid.