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Summary

Abstract:
German-Jewish painter interned in the French concentration camp at Gurs, painted portraits of Thomas Mann, Albert Einstein, and other notables. The collection includes correspondence, photographs of Spiro's artwork, and exhibit catalogues.
Extent:
3 cubic ft.
Language:
German , English .
Preferred citation:

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, Eugen Spiro Papers, 1940-1972. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Spiro Papers).

Background

Scope and Content:

The Eugen Spiro Papers consist of 3 cubic feet of materials, 1903-1985, and include 1 cu. ft. of correspondence of Eugen Spiro and his wife, Lilly. Although there is some correspondence with friends, most of the correspondence relates to Spiro's artwork, including letters from many of the individuals he sketched (Thomas Mann, Albert Einstein, Theodor Heuss, and numerous prominent musicians). The collection also contains photographs of Spiro's artwork, either in private ownership or in museums, as well as catalogs of his exhibitions, especially with the Galerie St. Etienne in New York City.

Biographical / Historical:

Eugen(e) Spiro, portrait and landscape painter, graphic artist and illustrator, is best known for his portraits of European personalities (incl. Thomas Mann, Theodor Heuss, Albert Bassermann, Fritz von Unruh, and his first wife Tilla Durieux), American personalities (incl. Archbishop Edward Cardinal Mooney, Judge M. J. Proskauer and George N. Shuster), and famous musicians (incl. Richard Strauss, Bruno Walter, Arturo Toscanini, Bronislaw Hubermann and Gregor Piatigorsky). Perhaps his most well-known portrait is his 1941 rendering of the émigré physicist Albert Einstein. His paintings hang in many museums worldwide including the National Galerie in Berlin, the Musée Nationale d'Art Moderne in Paris, the Bezelle Museum in Jerusalem and the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Spiro was born in Breslau, Germany, on April 18, 1874, the son of a cantor, Abraham Beer, and his wife, Fanny Form Spiro, and one of nine children. He studied art in Breslau under Albrecht Bräuer and later became a master student of Franz von Stuck in Munich. His early portraits of women appeared frequently in, as well as on the covers of, the Jugendstil magazine, Der Jugend. After a brief marriage to the actress Tilla Durieux (1904-1906), Spiro relocated to Paris where he studied the French masters and impressionists, became a Professor at the Académie Moderne, co-founded the Salon d'Automne, and belonged to the circle of artists and writers of the Parisian Café du Dôme.

In 1914, Spiro returned to Berlin where he became Chairman of the Berliner Sezession and a Professor at the Berlin Academy of Arts. He remained in Berlin until Hitler's rise to power in 1933, when he was forbidden to work because of his Jewish background. He voluntarily resigned from his posts in 1934, secured a visa, and was allowed to immigrate to Paris in 1935. Spiro remained in Paris for the next five years, operating as a freelance artist, painting portraits and giving private lessons, participating in exhibits in Amsterdam and London. Together with other immigrants he founded, became co-director and first chairman of the Union des Artistes libres in Paris.

With the spread of the Hitler's influence to France in 1940, Spiro was again forced to flee, this time via Spain and Portugal, arriving in the United States in 1941 at the age of 67, a relatively unknown artist in America. Spiro, a well-known artist in Europe, had asked Albert Einstein years earlier to sit for a portrait. At the time, Einstein had replied that he would sit only for unknown artists. After Spiro's arrival in the U.S. in 1941, he once again approached Einstein to sit for a portrait, this time as a newly arrived émigré and an unknown artist in his newly adopted homeland. This time Einstein agreed and Spiro painted his well-known portrait of the physicist.

Eugen Spiro was married three times: first to actress Tilla Durieux (1904-1906), second to Elisabeth Saenger-Sethe in 1917, with whom he had one son, Peter, and lastly to Lilly Jacoby, whom he met in the French internment camp of Gurs in 1940 and married a year later. The couple settled in New York in 1941. Spiro lived to the age of 98 and died in New York City on September 26, 1972.

Date Event 1874
Born on April 18, in Breslau, Germany, one of nine children of the Jewish cantor, Abraham Beer and his wife, Fanny Form Spiro.
1880-1892
Attended the Elisabeth-Gymnasium, Breslau.
1892
Apprenticeship in fashion design with a ladies garment firm.
1892-1894
Attended Royal School of Arts, Breslau; studied under Albrecht Bräuer.
1894-1897
Attended the Academy of Arts in Munich, studied under Franz von Stuck.
1897-1898
Study trip to Italy with the Saxon school.
1899-1904
Teacher and portrait painter in Breslau; contributed to Jugendstil journal Jugend; first series of portraits of musicians.
1900
Became member of Münchner Sezession.
1904
Moved to Berlin.
1904-1906
Married to actress Tilla Durieux.
1906
Became a member of Berliner Sezession; participated in exhibits, including Wiener Sezession; moved to Paris.
1906-1914
Professor at the Académie Moderne and co-founder of the Salon d'Automne, Paris; belonged to circle of artists and writers of the Café du Dôme; copied French masters and impressionists.
1914
Returned to Berlin.
1914-1933
Member of the executive board, and President of the Berliner Sezession. Professor at the Academy of Arts, Berlin.
1915-1917
Served in the cartographic department of the German general staff.
1917
Married Elisabeth Saenger-Sethe, with whom he had one son, Peter. Professor at the Staatliche Kunstschule in Berlin.
1921
Study trip to Italy.
1924-1933
Chairman of the United Artists' Corporation (Kartell der Vereinigten Bildenden Künstler Berlins).
1927-1933
Member of the Experts' and Purchase Committees of the Nationalgalerie Berlin and other German museums.
1929
First trip to United States; exhibited his work at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, PA.
1933
Prohibited from working by Hitler; voluntary resignation from all honorary posts.
1935
Left Germany in September and immigrated to Paris (with visa).
1935-1940
Freelance artist in Paris, painting portraits and giving private lessons; participated in exhibits in Amsterdam, London; co-director and first chairman of Union des Artistes libres.
1936
Resigned his German citizenship.
1940
Not interned because of age; fled with family to Marseilles via Nantes, Biarritz and Pau; met future third wife, Lilly Jacoby in French concentration camp Gurs.
1940-1941
Emigration to the United States via Spain and Portugal.
1941
Arrived in the U.S. in Baltimore, MD on May 18; moved to New York in May; married Lilly Jacoby on September 30.
1943
First individual exhibit at the Galerie St. Etienne, New York, where he would exhibit seven times, the last exhibit on the occasion of his 90th birthday in 1964.
1948-1952
Teacher at the Wayman Adams School, Elizabethtown, NY.
1952
First post-war visit to the Federal Republic of Germany.
1957
First post-war exhibit in the Federal Republic of Germany at the Gallerie Wolfgang Gurlitt in Munich.
1964
Awarded Das Grosse Verdienstkreuz from the Federal Republic of Germany.
1969
Retrospective exhibit in honor of Spiro's 95th birthday at the Berlin Museum.
1972
Died in New York City on September 26 at the age of 98.
Acquisition information:
All items in this manuscript collection were transferred to the University Libraries, M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, in June 1986.
Processing information:

Processed May 9, 2007 by Sandra Hunt Hawrylchak.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into seven series:

  1. Series 1: Correspondence, 1903-1913, 1941-1985
  2. Series 2: Biographical materials and documents
  3. Series 3: Writings of Eugen Spiro, 1932-1964, undated
  4. Series 4: Newspaper clippings pertaining to Spiro and his artwork; catalogs of exhibits, 1903-1978
  5. Series 5: Reproductions and photographs of Eugen Spiro's artwork, 1905-1979
  6. Series 6: Photographs of Eugen Spiro, Spiro family and friends, 1941-1978, undated
  7. Series 7: Miscellaneous materials
Physical location:
The materials are located onsite in the department.

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The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of copyright. Whenever possible, the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives will provide information about copyright owners and other restrictions, but the legal determination ultimately rests with the researcher. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the Head of Special Collections and Archives.

PREFERRED CITATION:

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, Eugen Spiro Papers, 1940-1972. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Spiro Papers).

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