The production art sub-series of the Albert Wolsky costume design drawings includes costume design drawings for GREASE (1978) as well as his Academy Award-winning work on ALL THAT JAZZ (1979) and BUGSY (1991). Several of Wolsky's Oscar-nominated films are also included in the collection. They are SOPHIE'S CHOICE (1982), TOYS (1992), and ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (2007).

Albert Wolsky was born in Paris, France in 1930. He and his family emigrated to the United States during World War II and settled in New York. His father established a successful travel agency and later published his autobiography, “My Life in Three Worlds,” describing the family’s escape from occupied France. Wolsky attended City College of New York and, following graduation, served in the United States army from 1953 to 1956. Upon his return he briefly worked for his father but knew his interests lay in fashion and the theater. He took a job managing the shop of Helene Pons, the Tony award nominated costume designer of such shows as “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “My Fair Lady.” He then worked as an assistant to several notable designers, including Alvin Colt, Ann Roth, Freddy Wittrop, and Patricia Zipprodt. Wolsky’s first credit as a costume designer for a Broadway production was for the play “Generation” in 1965. He has since designed for over a dozen plays and musicals, including such shows as “The Sunshine Boys” (1972) and “Sly Fox” (1976 and 2004). He was nominated for a Tony award for Best Costume Design of a Play for “The Heiress” (2013).

After Wolsky assisted Theoni Aldredge in the stage production of “Illya Darling” in 1967, Aldredge recommended Wolsky as the costume designer for THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER (1968), beginning his prolific career in film. He has designed costumes for nearly 80 films, including THE TURNING POINT (1977), GREASE (1978), MANHATTAN (1979), ROAD TO PERDITION (2002), and AD ASTRA (2019). He worked with Paul Mazursky on 11 of his films, including AN UNMARRIED WOMAN (1978) and ENEMIES, A LOVE STORY (1989), and with Bob Fosse on three films, including ALL THAT JAZZ, for which Wolsky received the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. He has been nominated five more times in the category for such films as SOPHIE’S CHOICE (1982) and ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (2007), and he received his second Academy Award for his work on BUGSY (1991). Additionally, Wolsky has served four terms as a member of the Board of Governors of the Academy. He was honored with the Career Achievement in Film Award at the 1st Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards.