The Corita Papers, dated 1961-1976, include correspondence, business records, and printed materials relating to Corita's art. The collection amounts to one box of material (0.5 linear feet). It includes reproductions of Carita's highly celebrated serigraphs, which involve innovative use of color and quotations. Carita's correspondence with her Florida dealer, Murray Lebwohl, provides insight into an artist's business dealings.
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Corita Kent (1918–1986) was an artist, educator, and advocate for social justice. At age 18 she entered the religious order Immaculate Heart of Mary, eventually teaching and then heading the art department at Immaculate Heart College. During the course of her career, her artwork evolved from using figurative and religious imagery to incorporating advertising images and slogans, popular song lyrics, biblical verses, and literature. Throughout the ‘60s, her work became increasingly political, urging viewers to consider poverty, racism, and social injustice. In 1968, she left the order and moved to Boston. After 1970, her work evolved into a sparser, introspective style, influenced by living in a new environment, a secular life, and her battles with cancer. She remained active in social causes until her death in 1986. At the time of her death, she had created almost 800 serigraph editions, thousands of watercolors, and innumerable public and private commissions.
Source:
- "About Corita." The Corita Art Center website, accessed 9/15/2022. https://www.corita.org/about/corita
0.5 Linear Feet (1 document case)
English
Like materials, such as correspondence, have been grouped together by the processing archivist.
Acquired from Murray Lebwohl.
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository