Stanislaus Ostoja-Kotkowski Albums

Archive of Laser, Sound and Image Artist JS Ostoja-Kotkowski Inscribed on UNESCO Memory of the World Register

Enormous diversity: Joseph Stanislaus Ostoja-Kotkowski
with one of his pioneering laser artworks

These archives of one of the world’s earliest artists to work with laser, sound and image production - Joseph Stanislaus Ostoja-Kotkowski – and which are partly kept in the University of Melbourne’s Rare Books, have been inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World register for Australia.

The Ostoja-Kotkowski collection comprises 15 volumes of artist's albums compiled between 1956 and 1992 by the Polish-born Adelaide artist Stanislaus Ostoja-Kotkowski (1922-94). They include mainly photographs and press cuttings and document his career in stage design, murals, sculpture and holograms.

List of Albums

Date range of vol.	Content
1956 to 1962	Newspaper & journal cuttings(international & location) Photographs (eg. opera ) exhibition catalogues, art posters
June 1962 to March 1964	Newspaper & journal cuttings(international & location) Photographs (eg. opera ) exhibition catalogues theatre programs art posters (eg. Adelaide film festival 1962) interview records
April 1964 to Dec 1964	Newspaper & journal cuttings(international & local) art posters
Jan 1965 to Nov 1965	Newspaper & journal cuttings photographs exhibition catalogues theatre programs awards stamps
Dec 1965 to Dec 1966	Newspaper & journal cuttings photographs (eg. public art installations) exhibition catalogues theatre programs
Feb 1967 to Jan 1969	Newspaper & journal cuttings photographs, eg art installations exhibition catalogues correspondence with John Reed awards
Feb 1969 to Mar 1970	Newspaper & journal cuttings photographs, eg art installations exhibition catalogues, posters
Mar 1970 to Dec 1970	Newspaper & journal cuttings (international & local) photographs exhibition catalogues, posters some correspondence
Dec 1970 to Jul 1972	Newspaper & journal cuttings photographs exhibition catalogues, posters theatre programs some correspondence
Jul 1972 to Dec 1974	Newspaper & journal cuttings (international & local) photographs, eg art installations exhibition catalogues, posters
Jan 1975 to Dec 1977	Newspaper & journal cuttings (international & Local) photographs with G. Whitlam exhibition catalogues, posters theatre programs some correspondence Australia 75 festival of creative arts and sciences Canberra
Jan 1978 to Dec 1980	Newspaper & journal cuttings (international and local) photographs exhibition catalogues, posters theatre programs some correspondence, eg. letter from the Government House Canberra 1979
Jan 1981 to 1984	Newspaper & journal cuttings photographs exhibition catalogues, posters some correspondence awards
Mar 1984 to Mar 1987	Newspaper & journal cuttings (international and local) photographs exhibition catalogues and posters art programs stamps, eg. Aust Post issued a stamp design by Ostoja – Kotkowski correspondence
Aug 1987 to Feb 1992	Newspaper & journal cuttings photographs, eg art installations exhibition catalogues, posters correspondence, eg letter from Barry Jones valuation certificate from Joseph Browns

Additional material by Stanislaus Ostoja-Kotkowski, including correspondence, is located in the Meanjin Archive.

See: Katherine Smith, 'UNESCO Memory of the World registers Melbourne art archives', The Voice, vol. 2, no. 4, 17 March-14 April 2008, p. 4.

Access and Availability

This collection is not catalogued. Material may be accessed through the Cultural Collections Reading Room in the Baillieu Library. Requests for material can be made online prior to visiting the reading room. To request material, please use our online request form.