The collection is arranged as nine series. Series 1: Biographical Material, 1930-2011 (Boxes 1-3; 3 linear feet) Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1950-2012 (Boxes 4-5, OV 12, 1.5 linear feet; ER01, 0.001 GB) Series 3: Writing Project Files, circa 1950-2013 (Boxes 5-8, 3.1 linear feet; ER02-ER04, 0.007 GB) Series 4: Notebooks, 1950-2005 (Box 8; 0.3 linear feet) Series 5: Interviews, 1980s-1990s (Box 8, 0.2 linear feet; ER05, 7.82 GB) Series 6: Project Files, 1871, 1977-2003 (Box 9; 0.2 linear feet) Series 7: Printed Material, 1950-2012 (Boxes 9-10; 1.4 linear feet) Series 8: Photographic Material, 1960-2011 (Box 10, OV 13; 0.5 linear feet) Series 9: Artwork, circa 1970-2010 (Box 11, OV 14-15; 0.4 linear feet)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Use of archival audiovisual recordings and born-digital records with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Summary:
The papers of curator Riva Castleman measure 10.6 linear feet and 7.83 GB, and date from 1930-2013 with one printed item dating from 1871. The collection contains biographical material, correspondence including mail art, writing project files, notebooks, interviews, project files, printed material, photographic material, and artwork. The collection richly documents Castleman's writing and research process and contains dozens of manuscripts for books, catalogs, and essays, as well as related correspondence and research including audio interviews and sound recordings. Several of Castleman's books about contemporary printmaking, such as Prints of the 20th Century (1976) and American Impressions (1985), are extensively documented, as are many of the catalogs she produced to accompany Museum of Modern Art exhibitions, including Jasper Johns: A Print Retrospective (1987) and The Prints of Andy Warhol (1990). Some records are in born-digital form including correspondence, manuscript drafts, and audio conversations with Tatyana Grosman. Other interviews are on sound cassettes.
Citation:
Riva Castleman papers, 1871, 1930-2013. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use Note:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Biography Note:
Riva Castleman (1930-2014) was the Director of Prints and Illustrated Books at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City from 1976-1995. Born in Chicago, Castleman received her B.A. from the University of Iowa in 1951. After graduating, she worked at the Art Institute of Chicago and the California Historical Society. She was hired as a print cataloger at MoMA in 1963 before becoming department head in 1976. Her tenure coincided with the renaissance in American printmaking propelled by Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jasper Johns, and her exhibitions and publications celebrated these artists along with master printmakers, including Tatyana Grosman of Universal Limited Art Editions.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives of American Art in 2018 by Kristen Skedgell, Riva Castleman's niece.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
