Arthur Deshaies Collection, 1963-2005, undated

Identity elements

Reference code

US M012

Name and location of repository

Archives, Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields

Level of description

Collection

Title

Arthur Deshaies Collection, 1963-2005, undated

Date(s)

  • 1963-2005, undated (Creation)

Extent

0.25 linear feet (21 folders)

Name of creator

Deshaies, Arthur

Biographical history

Arthur Deshaies was born in 1920 in Providence, Rhode Island and passed away on July 30, 2011 in Duncan, South Carolina. By the age of 10 Deshaies was using his mother's washing machine hand wringer to experiment with the print-making process. During World War II Deshaies served as a paratrooper and as an official war artist. Deshaies received his Bachelor's of Fine Arts in 1948 from Rhode Island School of Design and his Master's in Fine Arts from Indiana University in 1950. During his career, Arthur Deshaies taught art at several universities throughout the United States, including Indiana University, but retired from Florida State University at Tallahassee in 1989, after teaching there for 26 years. Throughout his life Deshaies became the recipient of numerous fellowships and grants, including the prestigious Fulbright Grant. Deshaies also worked with the United States Information Agency to bring greater awareness of American art by displaying several pieces of his art in areas of diplomatic outreach, such as embassies and offices open to the public in Eastern and Western Europe. The prints used in this collection were put on permanent display in US government buildings in the capitals of Germany, Serbia, and Croatia. Deshaies is most well-known for his abstract style of printmaking and paintings and was creating abstract paintings based on his interpretation of the universe well into his 80s. The Indianapolis Museum of Art currently has 7 pen and ink drawings created by Deshaies in the permanent collection.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

The Arthur Deshaies Collection was originally housed in a binder subdivided into three categories: "Regional," "National," and "International." Due to the inconsistent and disorganized arrangement of the material within these categories, the decision was made to rehouse the material in folders grouped by type of material: correspondence, exhibition ephemera, clippings, and memorabilia. The correspondence is between Deshaies and multiple galleries and museums that wanted to exhibit or purchase his work, and has been organized in chronological order by date. Notable correspondence includes the Atlanta Art Association, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and Carleton College Art Gallery. Individual pieces of memorabilia have also been arranged chronologically by date.

System of arrangement

Chronological

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

Collection is open for research.

Physical access

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder. Please contact the Archivist for more information.

Languages of the material

    Scripts of the material

      Language and script notes

      Finding aids

      Generated finding aid

      m012.pdf

      Acquisition and appraisal elements

      Custodial history

      Immediate source of acquisition

      Transferred by Marty Krause, Curator, on March 21, 2014.

      Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

      Accruals

      Related materials elements

      Existence and location of originals

      Existence and location of copies

      Related archival materials

      Related descriptions

      Notes element

      Specialized notes

      • Citation: [Item title], [date], [Container information], Arthur Deshaies Collection (M012), Archives, Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Indianapolis, IN.

      Alternative identifier(s)

      Description control element

      Rules or conventions

      Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

      Sources used

      Archivist's note

      Processed by Meaghan Jarnecke

      Access points

      Subject access points

      Place access points

      Name access points

      Genre access points

      Accession area