Photograph of Hedda Sterne with Henri Cartier-Bresson and Ratna Mohini in Saratoga Springs, NY, 1947 | Image scanned from medium-format film negative from the Hedda Sterne Papers in the Foundation's Archive collection
The Hedda Sterne Foundation Archives
As an integral part of its mission, The Hedda Sterne Foundation maintains a collection of papers and materials pertaining to the life and work of Hedda Sterne. The archive includes photographs, documents and correspondence, datebooks, audio and visual materials, and the artist’s writings. In addition, Sterne's personal library includes more than 1,500 books and periodicals on topics including art, literature, poetry, science and philosophy, with many rare publications and volumes inscribed or annotated by Sterne and others.
The Hedda Sterne Foundation Archives is a resource for curators, historians, and scholars, but please note that it is not open to the public. Prospective researchers may request an appointment by using the form below.
Hedda Sterne's 1946 ID card from her first trip back to Paris after the end of World War II | From the Hedda Sterne papers, 1939-1977 - Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
The Hedda Sterne Papers at the Archives of American Art
In the 1970s, Hedda Sterne donated select papers from her collection to the Smithsonian Institute’s Archives of American Art. These materials, together with those left by Sterne to the Foundation, present an intimate view of the life and work of Hedda Sterne and many of her contemporaries.
Collection highlights include personal correspondence with friends, such as Antoine de Saint Exupéry; letters and drawings from her husband, Saul Steinberg; photographs of Sterne's artwork dating back to the 1930s; and a selection of Sterne's personal writings.
The Hedda Sterne Papers at the Archives of American Art were digitized and published online in 2016. View the complete collection via the Smithsonian's website.