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Chuck Fischer collection

 Collection
Call Number: MS 316

Overview

This collection consists of original artwork, paintings, and mock-ups produced by artist and designer Chuck Fischer for his pop-up books, murals, and other design work.

Dates

  • Creation: 1989 - 2016

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

No access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.

Biography of Chuck Fischer

Chuck Fischer is an American artist and designer, recognized for his murals, home and product designs, and pop-up books. Fischer was born to Helen McDowell Fischer and Charles W. Fischer and raised in Camdenton, Missouri. He graduated from Camdenton High School in 1972 and earned a BFA from the University of Kansas in the fall of 1977, concentrating in Advertising and Editorial Art.

Following college, Chuck Fischer moved first to Dallas, Texas, where he worked as a graphic artist, and then to New York City to pursue an interest in acting. In 1984, he opened Chuck Fischer Studio, Inc., achieving renown for his wall paintings. Designers and decorators Sister Parish and Albert Hadley, with whom Fischer worked, were important influences and mentors, advising him to trust his instincts and modeling for him the business side of design work.

Fischer's commissioned murals and trompe l'oeil paintings appear in numerous private homes and businesses around the world. He has designed china for Lenox, fabrics and wallpaper for F. Schumacher & Co. and Brunschwig & Fils, and paper products for H.G. Caspari and C. R. Gibson. In 2005, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum added several of his fabric and wallpaper designs to their permanent collections.

In 2002, Fischer published his first pop-up book, Great American Houses and Gardens: A Pop-Up Book. He has since published six additional pop-up books: The White House: A Pop-Up Book (2004), Christmas in New York: A Pop-Up Book (2005), Christmas Around the World: A Pop-Up Book (2007), In the Beginning: the Art of Genesis: A Pop-Up Book (2008), Angels: A Pop-Up Book (2009), A Christmas Carol: A Pop-Up Book (2010), The White House Pop-Up Book (2015), and The Gingerbread White House: A Pop-Up Book (2016). He is also the author of Wallcoverings: Applying the Language of Color and Design (2003).

Extent

8 Linear Feet (18 boxes + 11 oversize boxes, 6 oversize folders)

Language of Materials

English

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of original artwork by designer and artist Chuck Fischer. Included are materials for his series of pop-up books, his home design work, and his architectural pop-up cards, as well as art- and design work for other small projects.

Book materials are organized by title and include early concept ink and pencil sketches, original paintings for each pop-up book piece, page mock-ups, and BLADs, or Book Layout and Design samples for marketing. Home design materials include mural and trompe l'oeil renderings, as well as additional artwork for home and product designs. Card design work may include final versions of greeting cards as well as mock-ups and concept designs and paintings.

Items are identified in the collection description according to text on the items themselves or on attached notes, with the exception of the 2019 and 2020 accessions, in which very few of the items contain textual information or were otherwise identified individually. Oversize items are listed at the end of each series where relevant and are housed at the given oversize call numbers.

Series List

The Chuck Fischer collection is arranged in 13 series:

  1. Great American Houses and Gardens: A Pop-Up Book, 2002
  2. The White House: A Pop-Up Book, 2004
  3. Christmas in New York: A Pop-Up Book, 2005
  4. Christmas Around the World: A Pop-Up Book, 2007
  5. In the Beginning: the Art of Genesis: A Pop-Up Book, 2008
  6. Angels: A Pop-Up Book, 2009
  7. A Christmas Carol: A Pop-Up Book, 2010
  8. Mural renderings and design work
  9. The White House Pop-Up Book, 2015
  10. The Gingerbread White House: A Pop-Up Book, 2016
  11. LegacyPop architectural pop-up cards
  12. "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" smartphone app artwork, 2010
  13. Miscellaneous small projects

Physical Location

MS 316

Physical Location

MS 350

Physical Location

MS Q56, MS Q82

Physical Location

MS Qa13

Physical Location

MS R16

Physical Location

MS S7

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gifts, Chuck Fischer, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2020.

Related Materials

Consult library staff regarding the availability of related photographs, biographical files, and scrapbooks.

Separated Materials

Fischer, Chuck. The White House Pop-Up Book. Carlisle, Massachusetts: Commonwealth Editions, [2015]. Located in Spencer Research Library at H463.

Title
Guide to the Chuck Fischer collection
Subtitle
Chuck Fischer collection
Author
Finding aid prepared by eear, 2014. Finding aid encoded by eear, 2014. Finding aid revised by mhr, 2015; eear, 2016; vej, 2019; mwh, 2021.
Date
2014
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Finding aid permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/10407/7747440324
Preferred citation
Chuck Fischer collection, MS 316, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas

Repository Details

Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository

Contact:
1450 Poplar Lane
Lawrence KS 66045-7616 United States
785-864-4334