ladislav sutnar sutnar collection finding guide - RIT Libraries ...

LADISLAV SUTNAR
(1897-1976)
SUTNAR COLLECTION FINDING GUIDE
Wallace Library Special Collections
Rochester Institute of Technology
2 document boxes
3 oversize boxes
9 unboxed oversize pieces
Prepared by Pei-Ying Wu
July-August 1996
Addenda:
processed by Carole Ann Fabian
May 1998
Addenda:
processed by Christopher Kibler
August 1999

ABOUT LADISLAV SUTNAR
An important designer and design theorist, Ladislav Sutnar was educated in Prague. He
taught at the State School of Graphic Arts, Prague, from 1923-36. He was well-known for
his work in the publishing community as well as for his work as a stage and exhibit
designer. He travelled to New York as exhibition designer for the 1939 World's Fair Czech
Pavilion. He remained in the United States and became one of the leading graphic design
forces of the 1940s-1950s.
Notable among his contributions were his corporate identity work for Addox Business
Machines and his conceptualization and implementation of "information design" for the
Sweets Industrial Catalogs.
Sutnar published many articles and books but is perhaps best known for his books: Visual
Design in Action and Package Design.
More biographical information on Ladislav Sutnar can be found in:
Contemporary Designers (St. James Press, 1984): 571-572.
RIT Reference Collection NK 1165.C668 1984
Livingston, Alan. Thames & Hudson Encyclopedia of Graphic Design and
Designers
(NY: Thames & Hudson, 1992): 186.
RIT Reference Collection NC 998.4 L58 1992
SCOPE NOTE:
The Ladislav Sutnar collection at the RIT Archives and Special Collections is comprised of
correspondence, biographical files, bibliographic files and client files. Within these files are
many examples of Sutnar's original art , artist's proofs, tear-sheets and finished projects.
Twelve (12) additional items were added to the collection in April 1998 by a gift of Elaine
Lustig Cohen. Each of these items have been interfiled with the original gift and are
identified within this finding guide and as a separate list in the Addendum.
Thirty-three additional items were added to the collection in August 1999 by a gift of the
Smithsonian Institution Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Each of these items has
been interfiled with the original gift and are identified within this finding guide and as a
seperate list in the Addendum. Gifts from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum are
identified by the notation [Gift: C-HNDM].

BOX 1
HISTORY OF THE COLLECTION
Correspondence and inventories
Notes and original folders, mounts, wrapping
BIOGRAPHICAL FILES
Biographical Documentation
-Remington, R. Roger. Biographical timeline of Sutnar's life, 1994
-Remington, R. Roger. "Sutnar, Ladislav." In Contemporary Designers, pp. 571-572. London: Macmillan,
1984.
-"Sutnar, Ladislav." In Who's Who in Graphic Art, 1st ed., p. 533. Zurich: Amstutz & Herdeg, 1962.
Exhibitions
-Addo-x, Mexico City, 1958 (Box 1, 6 pieces and Box 3, 2 pieces)
-Sutnar: Visual Design in Action," Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, 1961 (Box 4, 15 pieces; Box 5, 5
pieces; and 8 unboxed pieces; Box 1, 2 pieces [gift of Elaine Lustig Cohen, April 1998]; unboxed, 1
poster [gift of Elaine Lustig Cohen, April 1998])
- Ladislav Sutnar: "Joy-Art," Shuster Gallery, New York, 1969 (Box 1, 1 piece ) [gift of Elaine Lustig Cohen,
April 1998]
BIBLIOGRAPHIC FILES
Writings about Sutnar
[Citations are arranged in chronological order]
Books and Periodical Articles
-Sanders, Walter. Book review of Catalog Design, by Ladislav Sutnar and K. Lönberg-Holm. Architectural
Record 109 (March 1951): 32, 35.
-James, Martin. Book review of Design for Point of sale, by Ladislav Sutnar. Progressive Architecture 34
(March 1953): 176, 178, 180.
-Teague, Walter Dorwin. "Large office and cooperative effort." Industrial Design 7 (October, 1960): 63.
-"Sutnar in Retrospect." Industrial Design 8 (June 1961): 72-77.
-Listing for an exhibition at Shuster Gallery, September 16 to October 4, 1969. Artnews 68 (September
1969): 77.
-"Sutnar, Ladislav. U.S.A." Idea 18 (May 1970): 60, 61.
-Remington, R. Roger and Hodik, Barbara J. "Ladislav Sutnar 1897-1976." In Nine Pioneers in American
Graphic Design, pp. 136-149. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1989.
-Heller, Steven. "Ladislav Sutnar: The Czech Years." Print 45 (January-February 1991): 50-55.
-Heller, Steven. "Sutnar" Eye 4 (Summer 1994): 44-57.

Writings by Sutnar
[Citations are arranged in chronological order]
Periodical Articles
-"Commercial Symbols in Architecture." Architectural Record 120 (September 1956): 256-261.
-"How important is the surface to design?" Print 13 (January-February 1959): 29.
-"Ladislav Sutnar: Ecology and the needs for visual design." Idea 21 (March 1973): 58-63.
Books
-and Lönberg-Holm, K. Catalog Design. New York: Sweet's Catalog Service, 1944. Unpaged, illustrated
(color and black and white), 21.5 X 15 cm.
-Design for point of sale. New York: Pellegrini and Cudahy, 1952. Unpaged, illustrated (black and white),
23.5 X 30.5 cm.
-Package design: the force of visual selling. New York: Arts, Inc., 1953. Unpaged, illustrated (black and
white), 23.5 X 30.5, 2 copies, one with dust jacket (23.5 X 89 cm.)
-Visual design in action: principles, purposes. New York: Hastings House, 1961. Unpaged, illustrated
(color and black and white), 31.5 X 21.5 cm.
- "An interval of design freedom" [signature from Visual design in action: principles, purposes]. Unpaged,
illustrated (color), 31.5 X 21.5 cm. [gift of Elaine Lustig Cohen, April 1998]
- Transport: Next Half Century. New York: Canterbury Printing Co. 1950. Unpaged, illustrated (color), 22.5 X
28.5 cm.

BOX 2
CLIENT FILES
Acorn Wire & Iron Works
- Box 2, 1 piece [gift of Elaine Lustig Cohen, April 1998]
Addo-x Business Machines
(see also Exhibitions)
-15 pieces
- Oversize Box 3, 11 pieces
- Box 2, 1 piece [gift of Elaine Lustig Cohen, April 1998]
Adler Typewriters
- 1 piece
- Oversize Box 3, 1 piece
American Institute of Graphic Arts
- Oversize Box 3, 2 pieces
American Standard
- 3 pieces
Anderson Corporation
-1 piece
Arts, Inc.
-Eisner, Pavel. Franz Kafka and Prague. New York: Arts, Inc., 1950. 100 pages, illustrated (black and
white), 23.5 X 15 cm.
-Koslow, Jules. The green and the red: Sean O'Casey...the man and his plays. New York: Arts, Inc.,
1950. 119 pages, illustrated (black and white), 27 X 17.5 cm.
- 14 miscellaneous pieces
- Oversize Box 3, 3 pieces
Bell System
- 1 piece
Carrs Self Service Department Store
- Oversize Box 3, 2 pieces
- Box 2, 1 piece [gift of Elaine Lustig Cohen, April 1998]
- Box 2, 1 piece [gift of C - HNDM, August 1999]
Canterbury Printing Company
- 2 pieces
Celotex Corporation
-
Columbia University - School of Architecture
- Break-through to the Hudson River: A plan for Yonkers to Peekskill. New York: Columbia University,
School of Architecture, 1964. [47 pages], illustrated (black and white and color), 12.5 X 9.5 cm.
- Box 2, 1 piece [gift of Elaine Lustig Cohen, April 1998]
Czechoslovakian Government
- 3 pieces
Fortune Magazine
- 5 pieces
Golden Griffin Books see Arts, Inc.
- 1 piece
Honeywell
- Oversize Box 3, 1 piece
Knoll + Drake
- 3 pieces
- Oversize Box 3, 1 piece

New York Art Directors Club
- 1 piece see Power Magazine
- Oversize Box 3, 6 pieces
- A guide to the 28th Annual Exhibition of Advertising and Editorial Art. New York: Art Directors Club of New
York, 1949. [28 pages], illustrated (black and white), 23.75 X 18.75 cm.
- 1 piece, Box 2 [gift of Elaine Lustig Cohen, April 1998]
Power Magazine
- 7 pieces
Printex
- 1 piece
- Oversize Box 3, 3 pieces
Roneo Duplicators and Supplies
- 1 piece
- Oversize Box 3, 1 piece
Standard Oil of New Jersey (1943-1950)
- 1 piece
Statni graficka skola v praze
- 1 piece
Sutnar, Ladislav
- Oversize Box 3, 1 piece
Sweet's Catalog Service (1941-1960)
- 17 pieces
- Oversize Box 3, 1 piece
Theatre Arts
- 4 pieces
- Oversize Box 3, 3 pieces
Vera
- 16 pieces
- Oversize Box 3, 6 pieces
VS. vytvarne snahy (periodical)
- 3 pieces
- Oversize Box 3, 3 pieces
zijeme(periodical)
- 1 piece
unknown
-16 pieces
- Box 2, 2 pieces [original art, lithographs?] 28 X 22 cm. each, [gift of Elaine Lustig Cohen, April 1998]
- Oversize Box 3a, 28 pieces

BOX 3 (Oversized - Client Files)
Addo-x Business Machines
(see also Exhibitions)
- 11 pieces
Adler Typewriters
- 1 piece
American Institute of Graphic Arts
-2 pieces
Arts, Inc.
- 3 pieces
Carrs Self Service Department Store
- 2 pieces
Honeywell
- 1 piece
Knoll + Drake
- 1 piece
New York Art Directors Club
- 6 pieces
Printex
- 3 pieces
Roneo Duplicators and Supplies
-1 piece
Sutnar
-1 piece
Sweet's Catalog Service (1941-1960)
-1 piece
Theatre Arts
- 3 pieces
Vera
- 6 pieces
VS. vytvarne snahy (periodical)
- 3 pieces
unknown
- 28 pieces

BOX 4 (Oversized - Biographical)
"Sutnar: Visual Design in Action," Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, 1961 (Box 4, 15 pieces, Box 5, 5
pieces and 8 unboxed pieces)
BOX 5 (Oversized - Biographical)
"Sutnar: Visual Design in Action," Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, 1961 (5 pieces)(1 piece [gift of
Elaine Lustig Cohen, April 1998])
UNBOXED MATERIALS (Oversized - Biographical)
"Sutnar: Visual Design in Action," Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, 1961 ( 8 unboxed pieces)
(1 piece [gift of Elaine Lustig Cohen, April 1998])
ADDENDUM (Gift of Elaine Lustig Cohen, April 1998)
The following materials have been interfiled with the Sutnar Collection. Each item and its
corresponding Finding Guide entry is marked as part of this gift.
Exhibition: Ladislav Sutnar: Visual Design in Action. The Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati: 1961.
- 1 invitation to preview reception of exhibition
- 1 catalog of exhibition
- 1 poster for exhibition
Exhibition: Joy-Art.. Shuster Gallery, New York: 1969.
- 1 piece: exhibition announcement
Writings: An interval of Design Freedom (1960)
- 1 piece: signature from Visual Design in Action
Clients:
Acorn Wire & Iron Works, Inc. (n.d.): proof of ad
Addo-X: corporate image brochure
Columbia University - School of Architecture: Break-through to the Hudson
River [1 book]
Carrs: corporate image brochure
New York Art Directors Club: A Guide to the 28th Annual Exhibition of
Advertising and Editorial Art of the New York Art Directors Club
(1 catalog)
Unknown: 2 original artworks [lithographs?]