Arnold Pyle Papers

Collection

Identifier: MsC1198

Staff Only
No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

The Arnold Pyle papers date from 1930-1984 and are arranged in five series: photos, correspondence, articles and clippings, pamphlets and miscellaneous. The collection also containers two of Pyle’s sketchbooks. The Photographs series contains photos of personal family photos, photos of some of Pyle’s artwork, along with some professional photographs of Pyle. The Correspondence series containers both personal and professional correspondence between Pyle, other artists; notably Grant Wood, friends, and family. Articles and clippings containers miscellaneous clippings that relate to Pyle and his work. The miscellaneous series contains some poetry Pyle wrote and pieces that were dedicated to him. Ephemera materials that Pyle collected, award plaques, and a detailed chronology of Pyle’s life.

Dates

Creation: 1926-2017

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections & Archives as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/

Biographical / Historical

Arnold Pyle was born in 1908 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was a self-taught painter who rose to prominence with peers such as Marvin Cone and Grant Wood. He was Wood’s assistant for a number of years and was even a subject in his painting “Arnold Pyle Comes of Age”. Pyle’s main mediums were oils, watercolor, and lithograph crayon. In his early career, railroads, men, and locomotives were the main subjects of his art. He participated in the Stone City Art Colony in 1932, where artists slept in old ice wagons converted into living quarters, and worked on their art together. His achievements include his work being included in a 1939 exhibition of watercolors at the Chicago Art Institute and receiving several awards from the Iowa State Fair. In his professional life, he served as assistant to the director at an experimental art gallery in Cedar Rapids for five years and was a member of the Co-Operative Artists of Iowa. He also worked at Collin’s Radio Company from 1935-1968, and consequently lost touch with his artistic side. However, after retirement he returned to art, and started experimenting with abstract concepts rather than realism. In 1973, he was the sole fatality in a car crash. After his death, many different art institutes and museums have held exhibits dedicated to his works.