Monumenta was an outdoor modern art exhibit held in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1974. It consisted of fifty-four sculptures which had been created by forty different artists, including Christo, Willem De Koonig, Kosso Eloul, Richard Fleischner, Anne Healy, and James Rosati. The sculptures were loaned to Monumenta on a temporary basis for the sole purpose of the exhibit, which was open to the public from August 17, 1974 to October 13, 1974.
The exhibit spanned ten different locations around Newport, including Bowens Wharf, Brick Market Place, Chateau-sur-Mer, the Elms, King’s Beach, various locations on Ocean Drive, and Perrotti Park. Some of these sites were public areas owned by the state and town, while others were owned by the Preservation Society of Newport County. William Crimmins, a Newport resident, organized the exhibit, and the director was Sam Hunter, a professor from Princeton.
Monumenta had a significant impact, both positive and negative, on Newport and its citizens.
This collection is not restricted.
Various copying restriction apply, according to the Special Collections use policy. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be directed to the Special Collections Librarian. See also McKillop Library's copyright and publication statement.
[Identification of item], in SP 05: Monumenta collection, Box 1, [Folder #], Special Collections, McKillop Library, Salve Regina University, Newport, RI
This collection contains miscellaneous records related to the Monumenta art exhibit in Newport in 1974. The bulk of the materials were created by Diane M. Patrella, a student at Salve Regina University, who wrote about Monumenta in her senior thesis for the art department. A transcript of her 2005 interview with William Crimmins, the organizer of the original exhibit, is included. The collection contains a copy of her thesis as submitted in May 2006 as well as a version as published in Newport History, the journal of the Newport Historical Society, in Spring 2007. Newspaper obituaries of two contributing artists to the Monumenta exhibit are also included in the collection.
All arranged in one series.
Additional accruals may be added in the future but are not anticipated.
Material acquired from various sources between 2006 and 2007. Professor James Yarnall delivered most items to the library.
Collection was processed by Shelley Byron, Archives Assistant, in 2008.
New finding aid produced in 2008 by Shelley Byron, Archives Assistant, and Maria Bernier, University Archivist and Special Collections Librarian.