- unitid
-
{"value"=>"21771", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"*T-Vim 1987-012", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"b16345960", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1923-2000", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1923/2000"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Boris Aronson papers and designs"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"154 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"134.75 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"24 set models", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"24 items", "unit"=>"items"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Billy Rose Theatre Division</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Boris Aronson was primarily a set designer, remowned for his work in American theatre. He is best known for his work on <span class=\"title\">The Diary of Anne Frank</span> (1955),<span class=\"title\"> Bus Stop</span> (1957), <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span> (1964), <span class=\"title\">Cabaret</span> (1966), <span class=\"title\">Zorba</span>(1968), <span class=\"title\">Company</span>(1970), <span class=\"title\">Follies</span>(1971), and <span class=\"title\">Pacific Overtures</span> (1976). Aronson won eight Antoinette Perry (Tony) Awards for Best Scenic Design. The collection is made up mainly of designs, but also includes production materials, scripts, and other papers."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Aronson, Boris, 1900-1980", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Boris Solomon Aronson was a scenic designer, occasional costume designer, painter and sculptor. He was born around 1900 in Kiev (currently the independent Ukraine), the son of a rabbi, and came of age during the Russian Revolution. He studied art and design at the School of Modern Painting in Moscow, as well as studying with the avant-garde painter and stage designer <span class=\"persname\">Alexandra Exter</span>. He continued his education in Paris and Berlin, and in 1923 wrote a book about his friend, the artist <span class=\"persname\">Marc Chagall</span>. (Chagall's cubist-fantastic paintings based on Aleichem's stories would later inspire Aronson's sets for <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span>.) In 1923 he emigrated to the United States and began designing sets for New York's Jewish theaters, first with the experimental Unser Theater and later with the Yiddish Art Theater. These early designs clearly showed Aronson's rejection of naturalism in design. A good example of this is Aronson's depiction of Hell as the human mind in <span class=\"title\">The Tenth Commandment</span> (1926). It was during these years that Aronson developed his theories on stage design: the set should permit varied movement; each scene should contain the mood of the whole play; and that the setting should be beautiful in its own right.</p> <p>Aronson's first foray into English-speaking theater was the 1927 production, <span class=\"title\">2 x 2 = 5</span>. As the Great Depression progressed he worked diversely, designing productions for Radio City Music Hall, on Broadway, and joining the Group Theater. The Group Theater was founded in 1931 by <span class=\"persname\">Harold Clurman,</span><span class=\"persname\">Cheryl Crawford</span>and <span class=\"persname\">Lee Strasberg</span> and was based on the principles of ensemble acting, first seen in the Moscow Art Theater. Aronson and Clurman (who once called Aronson a \"master visual artist of the stage\") would eventually work together on 11 productions, including the Group Theater's <span class=\"title\">Awake and Sing!</span> (1935), <span class=\"title\">Paradise Lost</span>(1935), and <span class=\"title\">The Gentle People</span> (1939). Aronson's notable productions of the 1930s include <span class=\"title\">Walk A Little Faster</span> (1932, starring <span class=\"persname\">Bea Lillie</span>) which featured innovative use of curtains, for example, one was shaped like an iris lens.</p> <p>During the 1940s Aronson continued to innovate by using colored slides to create projected scenery. In 1947 the Museum of Modern Art exhibited these stage designs in the show Painting with Light (a phrase coined by Aronson to describe these collage like works). He used this technique for one of his first ballets, <span class=\"title\">The Great American Goof</span>(1940). Aronson would continue to design for ballets throughout his career. In 1943 <span class=\"persname\">Lisa Jalowetz</span>became his professional assistant and two years later they would marry. She continued to assist him throughout his career.</p> <p>1950-1951 brought greater recognition of Aronson's talents. That year he received the Antoinette Perry (Tony) Awards for Best Design for <span class=\"title\">Season in the Sun</span> (1950), <span class=\"title\">The Country Girl</span> (1950), and T<span class=\"title\">he Rose Tattoo</span> (1951). Other notable productions during the 1950s include <span class=\"title\">I Am a Camera</span> (1951, based on Christopher Isherwood's book that would later inspire the musical <span class=\"title\">Cabaret</span>), <span class=\"title\">The Crucible</span> (1953), <span class=\"title\">The Diary of Anne Frank</span> (1955), and <span class=\"title\">Bus Stop</span> (1955).</p> <p>If the 1950s was the decade of Aronson's association with earnest dramas, the 1960s brought him widespread acclaim as a designer for musical theater. His collaborations with <span class=\"persname\">Harold Prince</span>, beginning with <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span> in 1964, progressing to <span class=\"title\">Cabaret</span> (1966, renowned for his use of a lightweight mylar mirror that reflected the audience back to themselves) and <span class=\"title\">Zorba</span> (1968) were resounding successes. Prince and Aronson continued to work together in the 1970s on <span class=\"title\">Company</span> (1970), <span class=\"title\">Follies</span> (1971), <span class=\"title\">Great God Brown</span> (1973) and <span class=\"title\">Pacific Overtures</span> (1976). The designs for <span class=\"title\">Pacific Overtures</span>, in particular, brought together Aronson's love of innovation through his use of color copies in the design process, and his lifelong fascination with traditional art forms like Japanese printing.</p> <p>Aronson's final designs were for Baryshnikov's <span class=\"title\">The Nutcracker</span> (1976). By his death in 1980 Aronson had won eight Antoinette Perry (Tony) awards for Best Scenic Design. His designs were exhibited at the Library for the Performing Arts in 1981, as well as being exhibited at the Katonah Gallery in conjunction with The New York Times critic <span class=\"persname\">Frank Rich</span>'s book <span class=\"title\">The Theatre Arts of Boris Aronson</span>.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The majority of the Aronson collection is set designs, followed by production materials and scripts. Professional Papers (Series I) and General Research (Series VII) contain materials not directly associated with specific productions. Most of the other series – Scripts, Programs, Clippings, Production Materials, Designs, Elevations and Blueprints, and Set Models - are organized by production name. They illustrate Aronson's thought and work processes from beginning to end. Production Materials and Designs include Aronson's early work for the Jewish theater, a particularly interesting time in his career and unique to this collection. Amongst the designs for groundbreaking productions like <span class=\"title\">The Diary of Anne Frank</span> (1955) and <span class=\"title\">Cabaret</span> (1966), there is evidence of concepts that were eventually discarded like the Art Nouveau version of <span class=\"title\">Follies</span> (1970) and preliminary screens tried out in <span class=\"title\">Company</span> (1970). Production Materials boasts research materials for <span class=\"title\">Orpheus Descending</span> (1957) recommended to Aronson by <span class=\"persname\">Tennessee Williams</span> himself. Lisa Aronson's notes throughout provide additional information, and she also had a hand in constructing Boris Aronson's scrapbooks. Aronson's writings (in Series I) allow Mr. Aronson to speak directly about his work, including his short book about <span class=\"persname\">Marc Chagall</span>, a friend of Aronson's whose work inspired his designs for <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span> (1964). There is virtually no personal material in the collection.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Boris Aronson papers and designs are arranged in nine series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21771#c460438'>Series I: Professional Papers</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>circa 1925-1994, undated 1925</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>9 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Professional Papers contain documents not directly related to Aronson's theatrical designs. Art includes catalogues of paintings and drawings by Aronson as well as photographs of a mural he did for the Unser Theater. Awards & Recognitions contains mainly invitations to awards ceremonies that Aronson attended, including when he received his last Tony award (1976). The majority of Biographical Materials is information for, and drafts of, Frank Rich's biography of Aronson: <span class=\"title\">The Theatre Art of Boris Aronson</span>. Conferences & Committees includes Aronson's report on his 1965 cultural exchange trip to Moscow. Correspondence includes letters from <span class=\"persname\">Harold Clurman</span>, <span class=\"persname\">Elia Kazan</span>, and <span class=\"persname\">Hal Prince</span>. Throughout Aronson's life his art and designs were exhibited internationally, two of the most notable exhibitions that are represented in this series are his 1947-1948 show at the Museum of Modern Art (called <span class=\"title\">Painting with Light</span>) and a particularly thorough post-mortem exhibit at the Katonah gallery (1989). Financial and legal items include contracts and grant applications. There are transcripts of interviews with Aronson discussing his designs and collaborations. Finally, Aronson's writings include his short work on Marc Chagall, a personal friend whose work inspired the designs for <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span> (1964).</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21771#c460559'>Series II: Scripts</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1938-2000, undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>13 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Rarely do Aronson's scripts contain annotation or multiple drafts. Notable exceptions are <span class=\"title\">The Diary of Anne Frank</span>, <span class=\"title\">Dreyfus in Rehearsal</span>, <span class=\"title\">J.B.</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Zorba</span>.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21771#c460665'>Series III: Programs</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1911-1977, undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>3 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Programs spans Aronson's entire career - from his early work in Yiddish theater to his final works in theater and dance (<span class=\"title\">Pacific Overtures</span>and Baryshnikov's <span class=\"title\">The Nutcracker</span>).</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21771#c460688'>Series IV: Clippings</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>circa 1929-1990, undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>2 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Except for the final three \"General\" folders, Clippings pertain to and are organized by specific productions. Clippings that concern Aronson's artwork outside the theater are part of the files in Series I.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21771#c460746'>Series V: Scrapbooks</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1926-1958</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 box</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Scrapbooks were constructed by Aronson (and his wife) and only cover the first half of his career. They are not sequential, with years overlapping not only with each other, but with the two large scrapbooks (1924-1932, 1932-1935) in the Oversized Material series (Series IX).</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21771#c460751'>Series VI: General Research</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>3 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>General research is not identified with a particular show but rather organized by subject (for example, German Woodcuts or Tattoos). It is mainly reproductions of artwork and some photographs.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21771#c460793'>Series VII: Production Materials</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>circa 1924-1978, undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>3 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Production materials, organized by show. Includes: research (including research photos); notes on shows (including those to directors.); photographs of sets; prop lists.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21771#c460984'>Series VIII: Designs, Elevations and Blueprints</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>circa 1923-1976, undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>112 boxes</div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21771#c1602202'>Series IX: Set Models</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>circa 1935-1976</div>\n</li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Boris Aronson Papers and Designs were donated to the Billy Rose Theatre Division in 1987 by Lisa Aronson.</p>"}
- separatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p><span class=\"title\">Judith</span>, two plaster tiles painted with frescoes. 13\" x 17\" and 12 1/2\" x 11\"; <span class=\"title\">The Master Builder</span>, 1955; Marjorie Baldini discussing <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span>, 1989 (VHS); Stills, Tapes 1-4 (3/4\")</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by <span class=\"name\">Jennifer L. Winters</span>; Machine-readable finding aid created by <span class=\"name\">Jennifer L. Winters</span>.</p>"}
- sponsor
-
{"value"=>"Processed and encoded through a gift from Robert W. Wilson. "}
- revisiondesc
-
{"value"=>"Added Series IX: Set Models and re-integrated oversized materials into their\n corresponding intellectual series. Annemarie van Roessel, Billy Rose Theatre\n Division", "date"=>"2020-11"}
{"value"=>"Added scrapbook to Series V. Annemarie van Roessel, Billy Rose Theatre Division", "date"=>"2025-04"}
- date_start
-
1923
- keydate
-
1923
- date_end
-
2000
- date_inclusive_start
-
1923
- date_inclusive_end
-
2000
- extent_statement
-
134.75 linear feet (154 boxes). 24 set models, 24 items
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"Boris Aronson papers and designs, *T-Vim 1987-012. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"}