Delano, Annita, 1894-

Painter, designer, and teacher (Los Angeles, Calif.); went to Europe in 1928, meeting and befriending Robert and Sonia Delaunay. In 1930-31, she returned to Europe on a Barnes Founation scholarship, spending some time with the Bauhaus faculty and other architects (Joseph Albers and Richard Neutra). She was also a founding member of the U.C.L.A. Art Department.

Annita Delano was born October 2, 1894 in Hueneme, California. She attended elementary school in Los Angeles and graduated from Porterville Union High School in 1914. She then enrolled in the art program at the Los Angeles Normal School, which in 1919 became University of California Southern Branch. She studied art and art history and began her career as Professor of Art at the University in 1920. She also received training in art and art history from Columbia University, University of California at Berkeley and the Otis Art Institute, as well as in the studios of well-known artists such as Dixon Morgan and Norman Bel Geddes. On a 1928 trip to Europe, she met and befriended artists Robert and Sonia Delaunay. She also spent two years conducting research with the Barnes Foundation, which provided her a scholarship for a four-month research trip to Europe during 1930-1931. During this trip she spent time with Bauhaus faculty as well as with architects Richard Neutra and Josef Albers and artist Anni Albers.

Annita Delano was a founding member of the UCLA Art Department and was on the faculty for 40 years. She taught courses in fine art, art history and applied design. Her own paintings were widely exhibited, both as part of group shows and in 30 solo exhibitions of her work. She was an important figure in the development of the art world of Southern California and was a member of many organizations including the California Watercolor Society and the Los Angeles Art Association.

This collection originates in Ms. Delano’s annual camping and painting trips to Arizona and New Mexico. She spent 28 summers on such painting trips to Arizona and New Mexico, beginning in the late 1920’s. She recalled she would spend three months painting, camping and exploring each summer. Her artistic works were especially inspired by the landscapes of the Southwest and the Native American peoples of the region. Her many years of returning to the area allowed her to develop on-going relationships and trust with local residents, allowing her unusual access to some ceremonial and cultural events. She stated she never photographed such events, but used them for inspiration for future paintings. She often attended the annual Intertribal Indian Ceremonial Gathering in Gallup, New Mexico, a large ceremonial gathering that first took place in 1922 and continues to this day.

Annita Delano retired from UCLA after 40 years as a professor in 1962. She remained an active painter up until her death in 1979 at the age of 85.