Albert Rudin

Albert Rudin was an American artist whose active period spanned the latter half of the 1930s, specifically documented between 1935 and 1941. Rudin’s output is strongly linked to the Index of American Design (IAD), a seminal federal arts initiative focused on documenting historic American decorative arts and material culture.

Fifteen designs attributed to Rudin are preserved in museum collections, confirming his significant contribution to this detailed documentation project. His works typically represent carefully observed studies of historic or utilitarian objects. Notable examples in the documented inventory include renderings of a Gong, a detailed study of a Hasp from Door of "Kennedy Farm", a domestic object labeled Camp Lamp, and a piece of folk art, the Corn Husk Doll. Also represented is a functional marine object, the Naval Clapper.

The complete documented body of work is held within the collections of the National Gallery of Art (NGA), establishing the institutional credibility of Albert Rudin prints as documentary art. These collections ensure historically significant images are accessible; many of these works are now available in the public domain, offering historians and researchers high-quality prints of mid-century American design studies.