The Smithsonian Renews Interest in Viktor

Curator from the Archives of American Art visits Viktor

The Smithsonian Archives of American Art is taking stock of Viktor Schreckengost—again. In the 1970s the Smithsonian microfilmed about sixty items from the Schreckengost archive and requested a series of scrapbooks that Viktor never got around to assembling. Now the Smithsonian is showing new interest in Viktor's legacy and his extensive archives.

"Viktor's records date back to the 1920's," explains Foundation curator Craig Bara. "They are very precise and extremely organized. Each folder is broken down with sub-categories, separating newspapers, catalogs, letters, and drawings. He maintains file cabinets of photos for each of his creations, for himself and for correspondence with fellow artists."

"Viktor maintained all of his correspondence from his days as a student at CIA and Vienna, through the winter of his career. He also kept all of his little sketches, post cards, valentines, home-made cards, etc. from his childhood. There is full documentation of his works--concept drawings, newspaper stories of locations which exhibited the piece, even correspondence with individuals involved with the development of the project, when necessary." For example, the files have correspondence with the architect and terra cotta company for development and placement of his architectural pieces Early Settler (Lakewood High School, Lakewood, Ohio) and the Bird Building at the Cleveland Zoo.

On Thursday, June 30, Viktor received a visit from Liza Kirwin, Curator of Manuscripts at the Archives of American Art, who wanted to become generally familiar with Viktor’s archive. She may also be able to provide guidance to the Foundation on what to do with certain materials. This visit is well timed, as full-time efforts have begun in the organizing and cataloguing of the archive, and future publications about Viktor’s work will draw heavily on archival material.

Ms. Kirwin spent about three hours touring the house and archives with Chip Nowacek and archivist Craig Bara. She came away with a deeper appreciation for Viktor’s overall legacy, according to Chip. "To Ms. Kirwin and the Archives, however, the most interesting pieces are not Viktor’s finished works but the many years’ accumulation of sales records, scrapbooks, and process pieces. These shed light on the thinking processes, context and stories behind the creations of his design and artworks."