Papers of Alfonso Ossorio and Edward Dragon Young, 1902-2000
Overview
These materials of abstract expressionist artist Alfonso Ossorio and his partner Ted Dragon contain correspondence with family and friends (including many well-known artists), photographs of Dragon and Ossorio and their circle of friends, as well as their estate in East Hampton, "The Creeks." Also included are Ossorio's materials from his time as a Harvard undergraduate and records detailing Ossorio's work with conifers.
Dates
- Creation: 1902-2000
Conditions on Access
Access to most of the Ossorio materials is unrestricted. Access to sensitive or financial materials may be closed to research as noted in the finding aid. Ted Dragon's personal papers are closed to research until October 2, 2036.
Conditions on Use
Copyright: Copyright in materials by Alfonso Ossorio is held by his heirs or assigns. Copyright in materials by Edward Dragon Young is held by his heirs or assigns. Copyright in other papers may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder(s) of copyright, the Ossorio Foundation, and the Harvard Art Museums Archives before publishing from any material in the collection.
Copying: Papers may be photocopied in accordance with the Harvard Art Museums Archives' procedures.
Extent
48 linear feet (98 file boxes, 3 card boxes + oversize materials)The papers in this collection document Alfonso Ossorio's life from boyhood to death, and Edward Dragon Young's time as a ballet dancer through his life at The Creeks. The bulk of the material dates from the 1930's-1990. The papers consist of a broad range of material including but not limited to correspondence with dealers, artists, and colleagues; sketchbooks, photographs, blueprints, and financial documents.
All materials in the collection have been rehoused into acid-free folders and boxes. Folders have been arranged by the processing archivist as there was very little original order to the papers upon arrival. Folder titles written by Ossorio or the Ossorio Foundation have been retained, and any information added by the archivist (titles/dates) has been placed in square brackets [ ].
When possible, acidic documents have been isolated from neighboring materials to mitigate damage. Extremely fragile materials have been placed in Mylar sleeves. Oversized items have been separated and housed in appropriately sized containers. The location of these items is marked in the finding aid.
Biography: Alfonso Ossorio
Alfonso Angel Ossorio Y Yangco was born in 1916 on the Island of Luzon in Manila, Philippines, the fourth of six boys. His mother, Maria Paz Yangco (Pacita), was of Filipino-Spanish-Chinese descent and his father, Miguel José Ossorio, founded a large sugar refinery in the Philippines, Victorias Milling Company, in 1919 that is still in production today.
Ossorio spent much of his childhood in England with his mother and two younger brothers, Frederic (Eric), and Robert (Bobby), attending Catholic preparatory schools. He came to the United States in 1930 to attend the Portsmouth Priory, a Benedictine high school run by monks in Providence, Rhode Island from 1930-1934. Ossorio became an American citizen in 1933, after which, he began his undergraduate training at Harvard (1934-1938). Despite his father's resistance, while at Harvard, Ossorio concentrated in Fine Arts, taking classes taught by Edward Waldo Forbes and Thomas Whittemore, among others. His thesis was titled "Spiritual Influences on the Visual Image of Christ." It was during his college years that he met many mentors and peers who would be influential to him throughout his life including Eric Gill, Philip Hofer, Lincoln Kirstein, and Paul Cadmus. During his summer vacations, he would study with Eric Gill at Gill's workshop, St. Dominic's Guild, in Sussex, England. There he researched medieval art and began creating wood engravings. After his matriculation from Harvard, Ossorio spent a short time studying at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), learning egg tempera techniques.
In 1940, Ossorio married Bridget Hubrecht. As she was a divorcee, this match was unacceptable to his family, so the two eloped and moved to a cottage on a ranch owned by Frieda Lawrence, the widow of D. H. Lawrence, in Taos, New Mexico. They were married for about two years. During this time he began producing surrealist art, and it was in Taos that he met Betty Parsons, who would give him his first show. After his divorce from Hubrecht, Ossorio enlisted in the army as a medical illustrator. Prior to his service, he was hit by a taxi and fractured his leg, an injury that would plague him for many years. Once stationed at Camp Ellis in Illinois, Ossorio was tasked with drawing surgical procedures, many of which were very graphic and gruesome, the influence of which can be seen in his art. Ossorio was discharged from the army in 1947.
In 1948, Ossorio met Edward Dragon Young, a ballet dancer known as Ted Dragon, who would be Ossorio's partner for over 50 years. In the late 1940's and early 1950's, Ossorio met Jackson Pollock, his wife, Lee Krasner, and Jean and Lili Dubuffet. He and Dragon became incredibly close with both couples, and Ossorio purchased his new home, The Creeks, in East Hampton near the Pollocks. He also traveled to Paris to meet with the Dubuffets, later working to transport and exhibit Dubuffet's L'Art Brut collection at The Creeks.
In 1950, Ossorio traveled, for the first time since his childhood, to Victorias in the Philippines to create a mural for the Chapel of St. Joseph the Worker, titled "The Angry Christ." Ossorio's family built the chapel for the residents of Victorias after World War II, and Ossorio worked with Ade de Bethune on the decoration. In the late 1950's Ossorio founded Signa Gallery in East Hampton with John Little and Elizabeth Parker. Throughout the 1960's, Ossorio continued to exhibit his own work, the Art Brut collection, and other pieces of art he had been collecting. The Creeks was filled with continually rotating pieces of art.
Ossorio worked in many different media during his artistic career. He was best known for his assemblages, which he called "congregations," but he also created wood engravings, sketches, watercolors, and painting. Struggles with religion, science, life and death, and sexuality were common themes, and some of his work could be quite gruesome. Later in life, at The Creeks, Ossorio began creating sculpture and gardens, focused mainly on his strategic planting of conifers. At one point, he maintained one of the most diverse conifer collections in North America. In addition to creating and collecting art, Ossorio was also an important financial supporter of other artists, including Jackson Pollock.
Ossorio died of a ruptured aneurysm on December 5th, 1990, at the age of 74.
Biography: Edward Dragon Young
Edward Dragon Young (Ted Dragon) was born on April 24, 1921 in Northampton, Massachusetts to Raymond Louis Young and Carena Dragon Young. Dragon was interested in the arts from an early age, aspiring at first to become a pianist, but later turning towards ballet. He performed on Broadway as a chorus boy in the 1941 production of Agnes de Mille's "One Touch of Venus" and went on to work with the Paris Ballet and the New York City Ballet. It was de Mille who told him at an audition to drop his last name.
Dragon halted his ballet career once he met Ossorio in 1948. After Ossorio purchased The Creeks in 1952, Dragon took control of decorating and entertaining. He arranged furniture, and planned elaborate dinner parties, paying special attention to the menu and wine.
In the late 1950's Dragon ran afoul of the law when he was arrested for stealing valuable antique furniture from homes in the neighborhood. When asked why he would do such a thing, Dragon remarked, "…sometimes I was appalled at how badly the furniture was being kept." After he stole pieces, he refurbished and restored them to their former glory. A number of people whose furniture he had taken even wrote thank-you notes once their furniture was returned in better condition.
Upon the death of Ossorio, Dragon was willed The Creeks and $100,000. Mr. Dragon sold The Creeks to Ron Perelman in 1993, and moved into a small cottage in East Hampton, attending church regularly and delivering Meals-on-Wheels to those in need. He established the Ossorio Foundation in the mid 1990's to keep the public informed about the life and art of Alfonso Ossorio.
Dragon died at his cottage in East Hampton on October 2, 2011 at the age of 90.
Series and Subseries in the Collection
The collection is arranged into six series: Personal, Work, Correspondence, Financial, The Creeks, and Edward Dragon Young (Ted Dragon). Each series is further divided into subseries. Some papers are arranged in topical subgroupings within their subseries. For example, in the "Biographical" subseries, "Identification and Legal Documents" is one grouping, while "Biographical Articles and Clippings" is another.
- Series I. Personal
- ___Subseries A: Biographical
- ___Subseries B: Harvard
- ___Subseries C: Writings
- ___Subseries D: Family
- ___Subseries E: Art Collection
- Series II. Work
- ___Subseries A: Sketchbooks and Artist Materials
- ___Subseries B: Exhibitions
- ___Subseries C: Chapel of St. Joseph the Worker, Victorias City, Philippines
- ___Subseries D: Administrative Records
- ___Subseries E: Photographs of Work
- ___Subseries F: Research Material
- Series III. Correspondence
- Series IV. Financial
- Series V. The Creeks
- ___Subseries A: Architectural Materials
- ___Subseries B: General Creeks Materials
- ___Subseries C: The Grounds
- ___Subseries D: Financial
- ___Subseries E: Photographs
- ___Subseries F: Clippings
- Series VI. Edward (Ted) Dragon Young
- ___Subseries A: Personal/Biographical
- ___Subseries B: Correspondence
- ___Subseries C: Materials Collected By
- ___Subseries D: Photographs
- ___Subseries E: Financial
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated to the Harvard Art Museums Archives in 2008 by the Ossorio Foundation.
Box and Folder Locations
- Box 1: 1-17
- Box 2: 18-28
- Box 3: 29-38, 46
- Box 4: 47-49, 51-52
- Box 5: 53-56
- Box 6: 57-63
- Box 7: 64-70
- Box 8: 71-77
- Box 9: 78-79
- Box 10: 80
- Box 11: 83-92, 95-102
- Box 12: 103-113
- Box 13: 114-118
- Box 14: 119, 122-127,129-130
- Box 15: 131-133, 137-147
- Box 16: 148-161, 163-168
- Box 17: 169-183
- Box 18: 184-206
- Box 19: 207
- Box 20: 208-213, 218-221, 223
- Box 21: 224-227
- Box 22: 228-247
- Box 23: 248-251, 253-259, 261-265
- Box 24: 266-271
- Box 25: 272-278
- Box 26: 279, 281-284
- Box 27: 288-309
- Box 28: 310-314
- Box 29: 315-326
- Box 30: 327-338
- Box 31: 339-351
- Box 32: 352-363
- Box 33: 364-370
- Box 34: 372-374, 376-387
- Box 35: 388-391, 395-400
- Box 36: 401
- Box 37: 402-416
- Box 38: 417-430
- Box 39: 431-444
- Box 40: 445-447, 449-465
- Box 41: 466-473, 475-486
- Box 42: 487-500, 503
- Box 43: 504-515
- Box 44: 516-520, 522-542
- Box 45: 544
- Box 46: 545
- Box 47: 548-567
- Box 48: 568-586
- Box 49: 587-607
- Box 50: 608-623
- Box 51: 624-640
- Box 52: 641-653
- Box 53: 654-672
- Box 54: 673-688
- Box 55: 689-710
- Box 56: 711-733
- Box 57: 734-743
- Box 58: 744-756
- Box 59: 757-780
- Box 60: 781-801
- Box 61: 802-809
- Box 62: 810-815
- Box 63: 816-823
- Box 64: 824-831
- Box 65: 832-838
- Box 66: 839-844
- Box 67: 845-849
- Box 68: 850-853
- Box 69: 854
- Box 70: 855
- Box 71: 856-867
- Box 72: 868-882
- Box 73: 883-902
- Box 74: 903-918
- Box 75: 919-930
- Box 76: 931-941
- Box 77: 942-952
- Box 78: 953-967
- Box 79: 968
- Box 80: 969
- Box 81: 970-978
- Box 82: 979-981
- Box 83: 982-999
- Box 84: 1000-1011
- Boxes 85-94: Photographs
- Box 95: 1012-1026
- Box 96: 1027-1030, 1035-1043
- Box 97: 1044-1057
- Box 98: 1058-1068, 1070-1073
- Box 99: 1074-1080, 1082-1084
- Box 100: 1085-1090
- Box 101: 1091-1103
- Box 102: 1106
- Box 103: 1107-1112
- Box 104: 1113-1118
- Box 105: 1119-1125
- Box 106: 1126
- Box 107: 1127
- Box 108: 1128
- Box 109: 1129
- Box 110: 1130-1158
- Box 111: 1159-1176
- Box 112: 1177-1192
- Box 113: 1193-1204
- Box 114: Household Expense Books
- Box 115: Oversized Folders 120, 128, 162, 214-215
- Box 116: Oversized Folder 121
- Box 117: Oversized Folders 41, 81, 216-217, 285-287
- Box 118: Oversized Folders 39, 40, 42-43, 93-94
- Box 119: Oversized Folders 82, 252, 371, 375, 392-394
- Box 120: Oversized Folders 44-45, 134-136, 543, 1104
- Box 121: Oversized Folders 502, 546-547
- Box 122: Oversized Folders 50, 222, 260, 280, 448, 474, 501, 521, 1069
- Box 123: Oversized Folders 1031-1034, 1081, 1105
General note
Names
- Aberbach, Julian
- Aberbach, Jean
- Allan, Blaise
- Alloway, Lawrence, 1926-1990
- Bethune, Ade, 1914-2002
- Bultman, Fritz, 1919-1985
- Bultman, Jeanne
- Carey, Graham
- Constable, Rosalind
- Dehn, Paul
- Dubuffet, Jean, 1901-1985
- Dubuffet, Lili, 1902-1988
- Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968
- Embry, Norris, 1921-
- Erskine, Branson
- Forbes, Edward W. (Edward Waldo), 1873-1969
- Freeman, Betty
- Friedman, Bernard Harper, 1926-2011
- Gill, Eric, 1882-1940
- Hagreen, Philip
- Hofer, Philip, 1898-1984
- Hubrecht, Bridget
- Irving, Florence
- Kirstein, Lincoln, 1907-1996
- Krasner, Lee, 1908-1984
- Lawrence, Frieda von Richthofen, 1879-1956
- Matisse, Pierre, 1900-1989
- Naifeh, Steven, 1952-
- Nevelson, Louise, 1899-1988
- Newman, Barnett, 1905-1970
- Norman, Dorothy, 1905-1997
- Ossorio, Robert
- Ossorio, Alfonso, 1916-1990
- Ossorio, Frederic
- Ossorio, Miguel José
- Ossorio, José
- Parsons, Betty
- Pepler, H.D.C. (Hilary Douglas Clarke), 1878-1951
- Picher, William Stanton, d. 1981
- Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956
- Pollock, Elizabeth
- Post, Chandler Rathfon, 1881-1959
- Rorem, Ned, 1923-
- Ruzicka, Rudolph, 1883-1978
- Still, Clyfford, 1904-1980
- Tapié, Michel
- Thompson, Dunstan, 1918-1975
- Tillich, Hannah
- Tillich, Paul, 1886-1965
- Yangco, Maria Paz
- Young, Edward Dragon, 1921-2011
- Zóbel, Fernando
- Archives of American Art
- Cordier and Ekstrom
- Fogg Art Museum
- Fondation Dubuffet
- Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)
- Oscarsson Hood Gallery
- Ossorio Foundation
- Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center
- Pynson Printers
- Rose Art Museum
- Ross School (East Hampton, NY) [Formerly Hampton Day School]
- Sheed & Ward, Publishers
- Signa Gallery
- St. Dominic's Press
- SUNY at Stony Brook
- Whitney Museum of American Art
General note
Subjects
- Abstract expressionism.
- Art brut - Exhibitions.
- Art brut - France.
- Art brut - Themes, motives.
- Art brut - United States - Exhibitions.
- Art brut - United States - History
- Art Brut.
- Art Galleries and museums.
- Art galleries, Commercial.
- Art galleries--New York (State)--New York.
- Art galleries--United States.
- Art Movements.
- Art supplies.
- Art.
- Art--Collectors and collecting.
- Art--Collectors and collecting--United States.
- Art--Exhibitions.
- Art--Exhibitions--Pictorial works.
- Chapel of Saint Joseph the Worker, Negros Island,Philippines
- Conifers.
- Conifers--Breeding.
- Conservation and restoration.
- Drawings - 1930-1980.
- Drawings.
- East Hampton (N.Y.)
- East Hampton (N.Y.) in art--Exhibitions.
- East Hampton (N.Y.). Guild Hall
- Evergreens.
- Exhibition catalogs.
- Exhibitions.
- Gay men.
- Harvard University.
- Harvard University--Alumni and alumnae.
- Harvard University. Art Museums.
- Harvard University. Art Museums. Fogg Art Museum
- Harvard University. Dept. of Fine Arts.
- Museum exhibits.
- Negros Occidental, Philippine Islands (Province).
- Painters - New York (State).
- Philippines.
- Poetry.
- Poets.
- Religious Art, Christian.
- Religious Art.
- Sketches - 1930-1980.
- Sketches.
General note
Form/Genre Terms
- Blueprints
- Interviews
- Financial records.
- Motion pictures (visual works)
- Photograph albums.
- Photographs
- Photographs.
- Scrapbooks
- Sketchbooks
- Slides (Photography)
- Sound recordings
- Transcripts
- Video recordings
Processing Information
The collection was processed from 2009 to 2011 by Erin Murphy, with assistance from Amanda Ferrara and Brittany Murphy. Updates to the finding aid were made in 2015 by Megan Schwenke.
- Title
- Papers of Alfonso Ossorio and Edward Dragon Young (SC 15), 1902-2000: A Guide
- Author
- Harvard Art Museums Archives
- Language of description
- eng
- EAD ID
- art00029
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard Art Museums Archives Repository
The Harvard Art Museums Archives is the official repository for institutional records and historical documents in all formats relating to the Fogg Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, 1895 to the present. Its collections include papers of individuals and groups associated with the museums' history, including records of past exhibitions, architectural plans, photographs, scrapbooks, and memorabilia, as well as correspondence with collectors, gallery owners, museum professionals, and artists throughout the twentieth century. Its holdings also document the formation of the museums' collections and its mission as a teaching institution.
32 Quincy Street
Harvard University
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
617-495-2384
am_reference@harvard.edu