Gabo, Naum, 1890-1977

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Naum Gabo, born Naum Borisovich Pevsner, was a Russian sculptor. Gabo was educated in Russia and Munich before emigrating to Scandinavia in 1915. He then lived in Russia (1917-1922), Germany (19322-1932), France (1932-1935), and England (1936-1946) before emigrating to the United States in 1946 and settling in Connecticut. Gabo is known for his ties to the Constructivist movement. Gabo died in Waterbury, Connecticut, in 1977.

From the guide to the Naum Gabo papers, 1920-1980, (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library)

Correspondence to Lewis Mumford from Naum Gabo and his wife, Miriam Gabo.

From the description of Letters, 1935-1986, to Lewis Mumford. (University of Pennsylvania Library). WorldCat record id: 155868540

Naum Gabo was born Naum Pevsner in Russia, in 1890. He was the younger brother of the sculptor Antoine Pevsner. Gabo went to Munich University in 1910 to study medicine and natural sciences, but also attended art history lectures by Heinrich Wolfflin. In 1912 he transferred to an engineering school in Munich. In 1913 he joined Antoine, then a painter, in Paris and whilst there he met Kandinsky. After the outbreak of war, Gabo moved from Paris to Copenhagen and then to Oslo. From 1915 he began to make constructions under the name Naum Gabo. Between 1917 and 1922, Gabo was in Moscow with his brother. Whilst there, they jointly wrote and issued a 'Realistic Manifesto' on the tenets of pure Constructivism. In 1922 Gabo moved to Berlin, where he lived in contact with artists of the de Stijl group and the Bauhaus. In 1926 he co-designed with Antoine, costumes for Diaghilev's ballet 'La Chatte'. In 1932 Gabo moved back to Paris and became a member of Abstraction Creation. In 1936 he left Paris, moved to London and married Miriam Franklin (nee Israels) in 1937. Gabo edited 'Circle: International Survey of Constructivist Art' along with J.L. Martin and Ben Nicholson. Gabo became good friends with Nicholson, and in 1939 he moved to Carbis Bay, Cornwall, where Nicholson was also based. In 1944 Gabo joined the Design Research Unit and in 1946 he moved to the USA, settling in Conneticut in 1953. He became a US citizen in 1952. Between 1953 and 1954, he was a professor at the Graduate School of Architecture, Harvard University. From 1950 onwards, Gabo took a number of sculpture commmissions, including one for the Bijenkorf store in Rotterdam. In 1971 Gabo was awarded an Honorary KBE. He died in Conneticut in 1977.

From the guide to the The Printmaking Archive of Naum Gabo, 1940s-1970s, (Tate Gallery Archive GB 70)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Katharine Kuh papers, 1937-1964 (inclusive). Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
referencedIn Matter, Herbert, 1907-1984. Herbert Matter papers, circa 1937-1984. Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn Library Collection of Study Photographs and Clippings, ca. 1930-2000 Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, The Clark
creatorOf Robert Kostka papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Papers of John Coolidge and Agnes Mongan, 1909-2006 Harvard Art Museums. Archives
referencedIn Walter and Ise Gropius papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn John S. Monagan papers relating to Naum Gabo Archives of American Art
referencedIn Wassily Kandinsky papers, 1911-1940, 1921-1937 Getty Research Institute
creatorOf Gabo, Naum, 1890-1977. Artist file : miscellaneous uncataloged material. Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)
referencedIn Gropius, Walter, 1883-1969. Papers, 1925-1969 (bulk: 1937-1969) Houghton Library
referencedIn Herbert Matter papers, ca. 1937-1984 Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn Library Collection of Study Photographs and Clippings, ca. 1930-2000 Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, The Clark
creatorOf Gabo, Naum, 1890-1977. Naum Gabo : artist file : study photographs and reproductions of works of art with accompanying documentation 1920-2000 [graphic]. Frick Art Reference Library
referencedIn Read, Herbert Edward, Sir, 1893-1968. Sir Herbert Edward Read fonds. [1918-1965]. University of Victoria Libraries, UVic
creatorOf Schwitters, Kurt, 1887-1948. Letter : Hannover, to Naum Gabo, 1930 July, 1. Getty Research Institute
creatorOf Gabo, Naum, 1890-1977. Correspondence, 1957-1975, from Lewis Mumford. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Naum Gabo papers, 1920-1980 Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
creatorOf Gabo, Naum, 1890-1977. Letters, 1935-1986, to Lewis Mumford. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Naum Gabo research collection, 1936-1954. Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)
referencedIn Katharine Kuh papers, 1937-1964 (inclusive). Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
creatorOf The Printmaking Archive of Naum Gabo, 1940s-1970s Tate Gallery Archive
creatorOf Gyorgy Kepes papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Richard Lippold papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Pierre Matisse Gallery (New York, N.Y.). Pierre Matisse Gallery archives, 1903-1990 1931-1990. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Guggenheim, Peggy, 1898-1979. Letters, 1939-1940. Getty Research Institute
referencedIn Katherine S. Dreier papers / Société Anonyme archive, 1818-1952, 1920-1951 Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
referencedIn [Gyula Kosice] [graphic]. Archives of American Art
referencedIn Gabo, Naum : Biographical file. Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
referencedIn Howard D. Rothschild collection on, Ballets Russes, of Serge Diaghilev, 1909-1956 (inclusive), 1909-1914 (bulk). Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
referencedIn Gabo, Naum, 1890-1977 : [miscellaneous ephemeral material]. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library
creatorOf Gabo, Naum, 1890-1977. Letters to Bernard and Rebecca Reis, 1957 May 10-June 26. Getty Research Institute
referencedIn Stravinsky-Diaghilev Foundation research files, 1920-1989. Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
referencedIn Cleve Gray papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Westerdahl, Eduardo. Correspondence and papers relating to Gaceta de Arte, ca. 1932-1936. Getty Research Institute
creatorOf Delaunay, Sonia. Letters, 1923-1967. Getty Research Institute
creatorOf Gabo, Naum, 1890-1977. Naum Gabo : artist file : study photographs and reproductions of works of art with accompanying documentation 1930?-1990 [graphic] [compiled by staff of The Museum of Modern Art, New York]. Frick Art Reference Library of The Frick Collection
creatorOf Gabo, Naum, 1890-1977. [Naum Gabo : International Art & Artists File]. Libraries Australia
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Oral history interview with Richard Lippold Archives of American Art
Relation Name
associatedWith Bolotowsky, Ilya, 1907-1981 person
associatedWith Breuer, Marcel, 1902-1981. person
correspondedWith Coolidge, John, 1913-1995 person
associatedWith Delaunay, Sonia. person
associatedWith Dreier, Katherine Sophie, 1877-1952. person
associatedWith Frick Art Reference Library. corporateBody
associatedWith Gabo, Miriam. person
associatedWith Gray, Cleve person
associatedWith Gray, Cleve. person
associatedWith Gropius, Walter, 1883-1969. person
associatedWith Guggenheim, Peggy, 1898-1979. person
associatedWith Howard D. Rothschild. person
associatedWith Kandinsky, Wassily, 1866-1944 person
associatedWith Kepes, Gyorgy, 1906-2001. person
associatedWith Kostka, Robert, 1928- person
associatedWith Kuh, Katharine. person
associatedWith Lippold, Richard, 1915- person
associatedWith Matter, Herbert, 1907-1984. person
associatedWith Monagan, John S. person
associatedWith Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Pevsner, Antoine, 1886-1962 person
associatedWith Pierre Matisse Gallery (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Read, Herbert Edward, Sir, 1893-1968. person
associatedWith Reis, Bernard. person
associatedWith Schwitters, Kurt, 1887-1948. person
associatedWith Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Library. corporateBody
associatedWith Stravinsky-Diaghilev Foundation. corporateBody
associatedWith Westerdahl, Eduardo. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Harvard University
Netherlands
Subject
Architecture
Art
Artists
Art, Russian
Arts
Ballet
Constructivism (Art)
Sculptors
Sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture, Modern
Occupation
Artists
Sculptors
Activity

Person

Birth 1890-08-05

Death 1977-08-23

Americans

English

Information

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SNAC ID: 10301886