Announcing the Paul Spina Collection

The Dowd Illustration Research Archive has acquired the materials of late artist Paul Spina. The donation adds to the existing holdings of the archive and brings new specimens of commercial illustration from the 1970s to the 1980s. The collection builds upon the era after the collapse of mid-century illustration and presents more examples from the New Illustration Era, which are more experimental and abstract.

Paul Spina was born in Brooklyn in 1937. He attended the School of Art and Industrial Design and earned his BFA from Pratt. Spina’s pen and ink renderings prove that he was both an expert painter and draftsman with an interest in illusion. He was comfortable switching from black and white to vibrant color and often applied personal themes to his drawings and paintings, which can be seen throughout his body of work.

Spina’s art career began in the 1960s, and he was part of the growing artistic community located in Soho. Spina’s work was often autobiographical and drew from his childhood growing up during World War II. A common theme throughout his work is the use of the Good N Plenty candy pieces. Spina would enjoy this particular candy at movies with his father, a remnant from his childhood, which he would use as a regular motif in his artwork.

During the 1970s, Spina was a freelance illustrator employed by New York Magazine, where he worked extensively with Milton Glaser, founder and design director. His illustrations were also featured in the New York Times, National Review, New York Daily News, and other notable publications. By the late 70s, Spina would find work teaching at the School of the Visual Arts and would go on to teach for more than half of his career. Spina left behind an impressive catalog of both commercial and fine art.

By 2016, Spina had to relocate to Cleveland with his partner, Esther Trepal, so she could care for him in the late stages of Alzheimer’s. Trepal was responsible for coordinating the packing and transportation of several decades’ worth of paintings, drawings, and sculptures from New York to Ohio. At this stage in his life, Spina had finally been gaining credibility as an artist and has been featured in the American Art Review and in an exhibition at the Article Gallery in Cleveland. The donation of Spina’s commercial work to the Dowd Illustration Research Archive will allow access to his original and published materials.

The Paul Spina Collection contains tear sheets, book jackets, fliers, photographs, and original works of art spanning his time working as a commercial illustrator from the late 1960s through the early 1980s. The tear sheets include examples of his published illustrations from Medical Dimensions, Science Digest, and New York Magazine in addition to advertisements. All items in the collection work to solidify the trajectory and timeline of Spina’s career.

Spina’s commercial illustrations and related ephemera in the collection range from original drawings to proofs, prints, and photographs. All items encapsulate Spina’s career and show his depth, range, and fluidity as an artist. The different formats vary from published tear sheets to simply photocopied files for various causes, but all showcase his art and highly recognizable technical style and genius as both illustrator and designer. The materials will now be maintained indefinitely in the archive and will ensure Paul Spina is remembered as one of the innovative illustrators of his time.

The Paul Spina Collection will be used for both research and instruction to allow new generations of artists and scholars to examine his work. The finding aid for the collection is available to browse, but work continues on enhanced description and rehousing of the materials to ensure long-term preservation and access. The collection is publicly accessible via appointment. Please reach out to Special Collections with inquiries.