Description: Marcel Franciscono (1931-2019) became an instructor at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana in 1965 before he became an assistant professor of Art in 1969. In 1972, he became an associate professor; he became a full professor in 1988 until he retired in 1996. Born in New Rochelle, New York, Franciscono received a Bachelor of Arts in painting (magna cum laude) from Queens College (1952), and a Master of Arts (1959) and Ph.D. (1969) in art history from the New York Institute of Fine Arts. Specializing in 20th century painting and architecture--and in particular the German Bauhaus movement and the works of Paul Klee--Franciscono published three books: Walter Gropius and the Creation of the Bauhaus in Weimar (1971), Paul Klee: His Work and Thought (1991), and The Modern Dutch Poster: The First 50 Years (1987). His work on Dutch posters was published as part of an exhibition at the Krannert Art Museum, where he gave multiple lecture series after his retirement. Franciscono also published articles such as The Imagery of Max Beckmann's The Night (1973) and Paul Klee's Italian Journey and the Classical Tradition (1974). Franciscono was especially renowned and beloved as an outstanding teacher. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and was awarded the Duveen Research Fellowship of the New York Institute of Fine Arts. Marcel Franciscono was married to Renate Franciscono, with whom he had two children. Franciscono died in his sleep on February 25, 2019.
Franciscono's papers include his research (e.g. transcriptions, copies, and notes of original Bauhaus material from the Bauhaus-Archiv in Berlin) and correspondence e.g. with the wife of Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius, Ise Gropius. His papers also contain drafts of his writings; lecture notes, exam questions, and outlines of courses and seminars he taught; talks on subjects in 20th century art at such venues as the Krannert Art Museum, The New York Museum of Modern Art, and the National Gallery in Washington D.C.; some of his graduate work; and a few of his publications.
Organized into 3 series: series 1, Subject Files, 1949-2008, arranged alphabetically; series 2: Classes, 1963-1997, arranged by course number with folders without course numbers arranged alphabetically at the end of the series; series 3, Talks, 1960-2006, arranged chronologically; series 4, Franciscono's Student Works and publications, 1957-1989, arranged chronologically.