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Nell Blaine papers, 1879, 1940-1985

Creator:
Blaine, Nell Blair Walden, 1922-1996  Search this
Subject:
Griffin, Howard  Search this
Harris, Carolyn  Search this
Citation:
Nell Blaine papers, 1879, 1940-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Scrapbooks  Search this
Theme:
Women  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)7214
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209351
AAA_collcode_blainell
Theme:
Women
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209351
Online Media:

Nell Blaine papers

Creator:
Blaine, Nell, 1922-1996  Search this
Names:
Griffin, Howard, 1915-1975  Search this
Harris, Carolyn, 1937-  Search this
Extent:
2.7 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1879
1940-1985
Summary:
The papers of New York painter, illustrator, and printmaker Nell Blaine measure 2.7 linear feet and date from 1879 (a single publication), and 1940-1985. The collection provides scattered documentation of Blaine's life and career through biographical material, correspondence, writings, business records, printed material, scattered artwork, and photographs. Also included in the collection are papers relating to the estate of Blaine's friend, Howard Griffin.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of New York painter, illustrator, and printmaker Nell Blaine measure 2.7 linear feet and date from 1879 (a single publication), and 1940-1985. The collection provides scattered documentation of Blaine's life, career, and relationships within the art world through biographical material, correspondence, writings, business records, printed material, scattered artwork, and photographs depicting Blaine's exhibitions, friends, homes, studios, and artwork. Also included in the collection are papers relating to the estate of Blaine's friend, Howard Griffin. A large proportion of the collection consists of photocopies of original papers and is annotated with Blaine's notes explaining the context and significance of many of the papers.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 7 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1950s-1985 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1879, 1940-1985 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)

Series 3: Writings and Notes, 1940s-1980s (0.1; Box 2)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1949-1983 (0.4 linear feet; Box 2)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1940s-1980s (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 2-3, OV 5)

Series 6: Artwork, circa 1950s-1984 (0.1 Linear feet; Box 3, OV 5)

Series 7: Photographs, 1940s-1980s (0.4 Linear feet; Boxes 3-4)
Biographical / Historical:
Nell Blaine (1922-1996) was a painter, printmaker, and illustrator from Richmond, Virginia, who was active in New York City, New York, and Gloucester Massachusetts. Blaine's early work was abstract, and later evolved to figurative and landscape painting.

Blaine was born in 1922 with severe visual impairments. She received corrective surgery as a child and quickly found a desire to draw and paint what she was finally able to see. Her art education began at the Richmond School of Art and later moved to New York City where she studied under Hans Hofmann. By 1943 Blaine had joined the American Abstract Artists group as the group's youngest member at the age of 21. This association led to her first solo exhibition at Jane Street Gallery, an early artists' cooperative, in 1945. Blaine was a founding member of the Greenwich Village gallery, and her circle of friends included New York artists and poets such as John Ashbery, Leland Bell, Rudy Burckhardt, Willem de Kooning, Robert De Niro Sr., Jane Freilicher, Kenneth Koch, Lee Krasner, Frank O'Hara, and Louisa Matthiasdottir. From 1943-1949 Blaine was married to musician Bob Bass. Blaine exhibited solo at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery in 1953 and was represented by the Poindexter Gallery and the Fischbach Gallery.

In the 1950s, Blaine moved to Paris where she lived with friends including Larry Rivers. She was also a close friend of poet and art writer Howard Griffin, and illustrated a limited edition of his Four Poems and served as executrix of his estate.

In 1959, Blaine contracted polio while traveling in Greece. She used a wheelchair for the rest of her life but was able to resume painting after intense rehabilitation to regain the use of her hands.

By the mid-1970s Blaine had moved to Gloucester, Massachusetts where she maintained a summer home for the rest of her life, while also sharing an apartment and studio in New York with artist Carolyn Harris, who was her partner for over thirty years.

Nell Blaine died in 1996 in New York City.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are an interview of Nell Blaine conducted 1967 June 15, by Dorothy Seckler, and the Nell Blaine letters to Robert A. Wilson, 1963-1995.

Additional papers of Nell Blaine are also held by Harvard University.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of scrapbooks loaned for microfilming on reel D311. Loaned materials were returned to the donor and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
Nell Blaine loaned a portion of her papers for microfilming on reel D311. She later donated her papers to the Archives of American Art in 1980 and 1985. The Howard Griffin papers included in the collection were received by Blaine as executrix of Griffin's estate.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Illustrators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Gloucester  Search this
Printmakers -- Massachusetts -- Gloucester  Search this
Illustrators -- Massachusetts -- Gloucester  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Scrapbooks  Search this
Citation:
Nell Blaine papers, 1879, 1940-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.blainell
See more items in:
Nell Blaine papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw93f378bff-2465-43a6-a48b-3458d786cce4
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-blainell
Online Media:

Galleries and Dealers

Collection Creator:
Blaine, Nell, 1922-1996  Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 23
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1955-1984
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Nell Blaine papers, 1879, 1940-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Nell Blaine papers
Nell Blaine papers / Series 2: Correspondence
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90f9be03b-bef0-405c-9974-347659f994eb
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-blainell-ref24

Writers

Collection Creator:
Blaine, Nell, 1922-1996  Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 10
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1948-1984
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Nell Blaine papers, 1879, 1940-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Nell Blaine papers
Nell Blaine papers / Series 2: Correspondence
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d4bcdbac-92f8-4ef8-acac-4b2be5258535
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-blainell-ref55

Artists and Writers

Collection Creator:
Blaine, Nell, 1922-1996  Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 11
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1970-1979
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Nell Blaine papers, 1879, 1940-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Nell Blaine papers
Nell Blaine papers / Series 2: Correspondence
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90bf9cfc8-1e3f-4042-9e03-daf4d322f74d
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-blainell-ref56

Artists and Writers

Collection Creator:
Blaine, Nell, 1922-1996  Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 12
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1980-1982
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Nell Blaine papers, 1879, 1940-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Nell Blaine papers
Nell Blaine papers / Series 2: Correspondence
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw97430796a-c937-414d-b642-ada00db4bc03
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-blainell-ref57

Byron Browne papers

Creator:
Browne, Byron, 1907-1961  Search this
Names:
United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this
Bengelsdorf, Rosalind, 1916-1979  Search this
Extent:
2.1 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Motion pictures
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1920-1979
Summary:
The Byron Browne papers measure 2.1 linear feet and date from 1920-1979 and document the life and work of Byron Browne through biographical materials, correspondence, personal business records, printed materials, photographic materials, and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The Byron Browne papers measure 2.1 linear feet and date from 1920-1979. Biographical materials include documents regarding tributes to Browne after his death and his career, a self-portrait, and film with recorded audio. Correspondence is with friends, artists, and family members and consists mainly of holiday and sympathy cards addressed to Rosalind, the majority dating after Browne's death. Correspondence regarding art donations by Rosalind and other professional activities as well as documents regarding Browne's time spent teaching for the Art Students League of New York and New York University are included. Other financial documents relating to his art expenses and newspaper and magazine clippings are present. Various exhibition announcements are present, as are photographs of both Browne and his artwork.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged in 6 series:

Series 1: Biographical Materials, Biographical Materials, 1960-1973 (0.4 Linear feet: Box 1, OV 4, FC03, FC04)

Series 2: Correspondence,1952-1979 (0.7 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1930-1977 (0.3 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 4: Printed Materials, 1920-1979 (0.3 Linear feet: Box 2, OV 6)

Series 5: Photographic Materials, 1920-1979 (0.2 Linear feet: Boxes 2-3)

Series 6: Artwork, 1930-1969 (0.2 Linear feet: Box 3, OV 5)
Biographical / Historical:
Byron Browne (1907-1961) was born in Yonkers, New York on June 26, 1907, as George Byron Browne and was a painter, sculptor, and educator in New York City. He helped found the American Abstract Artists, an organization centered in New York that was devoted to exhibiting abstract art, with his wife Rosalind Bengelsdorf and Balcomb Greene in 1935. Browne specialized in still life in the Synthetic Cubism style and was influenced by his friends John Graham, Arshile Gorky, and Willem de Kooning. By the 1950s Browne migrated to creating more romantic imagery. Browne started his early career as an academic artist and won numerous awards at the National Academy including the Third Hallgarten Prize for still-life composition. His career consisted of creating murals under the Works Progress Administration for the Chronic Disease Hospital and the 1939 New York World's Fair. He also taught painting at the Art Students League of New York from 1948 to 1959 and went on to then teach at New York University. A survivor of the Great Depression, Browne would continue to struggle to sell art beyond the 1930s, when his most notable work was created. Browne's work is represented at over eighty permanent art museum collections. Browne died on December 25, 1961, in New York City at age 54.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Rosalind Bengelsdorf conducted by Irving Sandler in 1968 and the Rosalind Bengelsdorf Browne papers.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reels 97 and NBB 1-NBB 2) including correspondence, clippings, receipts, contracts, sketches and descriptions related to mural commissions. Loaned materials were returned to the donor and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
Papers were lent for microfilming in 1963 and 1978 by Rosalind Bengelsdorf Browne.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Art, Abstract  Search this
Cubism  Search this
Genre/Form:
Motion pictures
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Byron Browne papers, circa 1920-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.browbyro
See more items in:
Byron Browne papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9505e8963-abd6-4570-ad8f-62360d2ffbb0
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-browbyro

Alice Trumbull Mason papers, 1921-1977

Creator:
Mason, Alice Trumbull, 1904-1971  Search this
Subject:
Kelpe, Paul  Search this
Lassaw, Ibram  Search this
American Abstract Artists  Search this
Type:
Sketchbooks
Citation:
Alice Trumbull Mason papers, 1921-1977. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women authors  Search this
Theme:
Women  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)7861
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)210028
AAA_collcode_masoalic
Theme:
Women
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_210028
Online Media:

Jacques Lipchitz papers and Bruce Bassett papers concerning Jacques Lipchitz, circa 1910-2001, bulk 1941-2001

Creator:
Lipchitz, Jacques, 1891-1973  Search this
Subject:
Landau, Gregorio  Search this
Ingersoll, R. Sturgis (Robert Sturgis)  Search this
Larrea, Marianne  Search this
Larrea, Juan  Search this
Fry, Varian  Search this
Fry, Annette  Search this
Hay, Gyorgy  Search this
Gaspard, Leon  Search this
Starrels, Celeste  Search this
Soula, Camille  Search this
Wilkinson, Alan G.  Search this
Starrels, Joel  Search this
Lipchitz, Yulla  Search this
Modigliani, Amedeo  Search this
Rapoport, Nathan  Search this
Zorach, William  Search this
Frank, Mary  Search this
Cortois, Jenny  Search this
Bassett, Bruce W.  Search this
Curt Valentin Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Buchholz Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Type:
Diaries
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Designs
Citation:
Jacques Lipchitz papers and Bruce Bassett papers concerning Jacques Lipchitz, circa 1910-2001, bulk 1941-2001. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Theme:
Art Market  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)15852
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)292731
AAA_collcode_lipcjacq2
Theme:
Art Market
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_292731
Online Media:

The New Deal art projects an anthology of memoirs Edited by Francis V. O'Connor

Editor:
O'Connor, Francis V.,  Search this
Subject:
Federal Art Project  Search this
Physical description:
ix, 339 pages illustrations 28 cm
Type:
Books
Date:
1972
Topic:
New Deal art  Search this
Kunst  Search this
Call number:
N8837 .N53
N8838 .N53
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_11178

Ad Reinhardt papers, 1927-1968

Creator:
Reinhardt, Adolph Friedrich, 1913-1967  Search this
Subject:
Brooklyn College  Search this
United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this
Type:
Scrapbooks
Citation:
Ad Reinhardt papers, 1927-1968. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Works of art  Search this
Art, Modern  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)5659
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208493
AAA_collcode_reinad
Theme:
Diaries
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208493
Online Media:

"The art critics! How do they serve the public? What do they say? How much do they know? Let's look at the record!"

Creator:
American Abstract Artists  Search this
Subject:
Reinhardt, Adolph Friedrich  Search this
American Abstract Artists  Search this
Type:
Printed Materials
Date:
1940
Citation:
American Abstract Artists. "The art critics! How do they serve the public? What do they say? How much do they know? Let's look at the record!", 1940. American Abstract Artists records, 1936-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art critics  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)18946
See more items in:
American Abstract Artists records, 1936-1983
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_18946
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Ad Reinhardt, circa 1964

Interviewee:
Reinhardt, Adolph Friedrich, 1913-1967  Search this
Interviewer:
Phillips, Harlan B., 1920-1979,  Search this
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Ad Reinhardt, circa 1964. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12891
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213746
AAA_collcode_reinha64
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213746
Online Media:

Interview with Harry Holtzman

Creator:
Holtzman, Harry  Search this
Cone, Michèle C., 1932-  Search this
Type:
Sound Recording
Date:
1976
Citation:
Harry Holtzman and Michèle C. Cone. Interview with Harry Holtzman, 1976. Michèle Cone papers, 1959-2020. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)25371
See more items in:
Michèle Cone papers, 1959-2020
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_25371

Interview with Harry Holtzman

Creator:
Holtzman, Harry  Search this
Cone, Michèle C., 1932-  Search this
Subject:
Mondrian, Piet  Search this
Type:
Sound Recording
Date:
1979 August
Citation:
Harry Holtzman and Michèle C. Cone. Interview with Harry Holtzman, 1979 August. Michèle Cone papers, 1959-2020. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)25379
See more items in:
Michèle Cone papers, 1959-2020
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_25379

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers

Creator:
Parsons, Betty  Search this
Names:
Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this
Bess, Forrest, 1911-1977  Search this
Congdon, William, 1912-1998  Search this
Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this
Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967  Search this
Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this
Extent:
61.1 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketchbooks
Interviews
Video recordings
Drawings
Date:
1916-1991
bulk 1946-1983
Summary:
The Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers measure 61.1 linear feet and date from 1916 to 1991, with the bulk of the material dating from 1946-1983. Records provide extensive documentation of the gallery's operations from its inception in 1946 to its closing in 1983 and of the activities of Betty Parsons as one the leading art dealers of contemporary American Art in the latter half of the twentieth century, particularly the work of the Abstract Expressionists. Over one third of the of the collection is comprised of artists files containing correspondence, price lists, and printed materials. Additional correspondence is with galleries, dealers, art institutions, private collectors, and the media. Also found are exhibition files, exhibition catalogs and announcements, sales records, stock inventories, personal financial records, and photographs. Betty Parsons's personal papers consist of early curatorial files, pocket diaries, personal correspondence, and evidence of her own artwork, including sketchbooks, and files documenting her personal art collection.
Scope and Content Note:
The Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers measure 61.1 linear feet and date from 1916 to 1991, with the bulk of the material dating from 1946-1983. Records provide extensive documentation of the gallery's operations from its inception in 1946 to its closing in 1983 and of the activities of Betty Parsons as one the leading art dealers of contemporary American Art in the latter half of the twentieth century, particularly the work of the Abstract Expressionists. Over one third of the of the collection is comprised of artists files containing correspondence, price lists, and printed materials. Additional correspondence is with galleries, dealers, art institutions, private collectors, and the media. Also found are exhibition files, exhibition catalogs and announcements, sales records, stock inventories, personal financial records, and photographs. Betty Parsons's personal papers consist of early curatorial files, pocket diaries, personal correspondence, and evidence of her own artwork, including sketchbooks, and files documenting her personal art collection. Personal papers also include personal photographs.

Artists files, the largest and most extensive series, consist of a wide variety of documents, including biographical materials, correspondence with or related to the artist, exhibition catalogs and announcements, sales and expense invoices, clippings, price lists, and photographs of the artist, exhibitions, and artwork. The files reflect Parsons's close personal relationships with certain artists, particularly Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, and Barnett Newman. Extensive documentation is also found for Forrest Bess, William Congdon, Paul Feeley, Thomas George, Alexander Liberman, Seymour Lipton, Richard Pousette-Dart, Jesse Reichek, and Jack Youngerman. Historians and researchers will find these files to be an invaluable resource both in tracing Betty Parsons's role in promoting Abstract Expressionism and researching individual artists.

Exhibition files primarily document the gallery's infrequent group or themed exhibitions. Of particular note are the files on The Ideographic Picture, which was organized by Barnett Newman and included his work, as well as that of Pietro Lazzari, Boris Margo, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, Theodoros Stamos, and Clyfford Still. Price lists, artist biographies and exhibition schedules are housed in the general exhibition files. Loan exhibition files provide documentation of artwork borrowed by other galleries or institutions for exhibitions, as well as shows outside of the gallery that were organized by Betty Parsons. Also found are gallery exhibition guest books, and announcements and catalogs.

Gallery correspondence is primarily with galleries and dealers, museums, arts organizations, and collectors. Scattered letters from artists are also found, although the bulk of the artists' correspondence is filed in the Artists Files. Also found here are memoranda and letters between Betty Parsons and her staff that contain detailed information concerning Parsons's schedule and gallery activities. Similar correspondence is found amongst the correspondence files within the series Betty Parsons papers.

Appraisal and conservation files include correspondence, appraisal invoices, forms, and appraisal requests and other information from the Art Dealers Association of America, and conservation invoices and reports. The majority of the appraisal records contain information about the specific works of art, including artist, title, date, current owner and the estimated value at the time of the request. Conservation records document conservation treatments undertaken by outside conservators to gallery stock.

Sales, purchases, stock and inventory are well documented in the sales and inventory records. The records provide detailed information about individual sales, prices of individual pieces of artwork, consignments, and loans. Most sales records also include detailed information about the buyer and are a valuable resource for provenance research. Files documenting the general administration, routine business operations, and financial transactions (not individual sales) of the gallery are housed in the general business and financial records. These records include ledgers, receipts, tax records, and banking records. There is some limited information about works of art scattered amongst the receipts and in the "in/out slips" files. Legal records house general legal documents and those concerning specific lawsuits. Of particular note is the file detailing the lawsuit between Betty Parsons and Sidney Janis over the fifth floor of 24 West 57th Street.

The remainder of the collection consists of Betty Parsons's personal papers which document her career prior to opening her own gallery, her work as an artist, and her personal art collection.

Some information about Parsons's work prior to opening her own gallery is found in the early curatorial files she retained from her curatorial and administrative work at the Wakefield Gallery and the Mortimer Brandt Gallery. Clippings, correspondence, announcements, exhibition lists and exhibition files are found. For both positions, she kept only the exhibition files for a small group of exhibitions organized around a specific theme, the most notable being the exhibition of Pre-Columbian Sculpture at the Wakefield Gallery.

Biographical materials include copies of her biography, family genealogies, photographs of Parsons, interviews with Colette Roberts and WYNC radio, memberships, photographs, and ephemera, including a collection of programs and invitations from events that she attended. Throughout her life Parsons gave generously of her time to various cultural and charitable institutions and was awarded for her contributions. There are also a number of files that document her speaking engagements, her participation as a juror in numerous juried exhibitions, charitable work, and awards that she received.

Parsons's personal correspondence files reflect how deeply Parsons's life was intertwined with the gallery. There are letters from museum directors, dealers, artists seeking representation, and personal letters from artists with whom she had close personal relationships, most notably Larry Bigelow, Alexander Calder, William Condon, and Ad Reinhardt. There are also letters from the English artist Adge Baker, with whom Parsons was romantically involved. Correspondence also includes several files of postcards and Christmas cards.

Pocket diaries and engagement calendars, spanning from 1933-1981, record social engagements, meetings, vacations, and telephone numbers. Also found are circa two linear feet of notebooks and sketchbooks, many of which are annotated with addresses, poetry, journal entries, and other observations of people, places, and travels. Writings by others include writings about Betty Parsons or the Betty Parsons Gallery, such as Lawrence Alloway's unpublished typescript titled "An American Gallery" and other topics.

Printed material consists of exhibition announcements and catalogs, art magazines, and newspaper and magazine clippings about Betty Parsons, her family and acquaintances, artists, and other art related topics, coupled with a miscellaneous selection of clippings, and a video recording, on topics that presumably captured Parsons's attention.

Personal art work records document Betty Parsons's career as an artist through inventories, group and solo exhibitions files, price lists, appraisals, sales and consignment invoices. Photographs are primarily reproductions of her works of art, although there are scattered photographs of exhibition installations.

Betty Parsons's private art collection files document her extensive personal collection of art that included works by Jackson Pollock, Agnes Martin, Romare Bearden, Barnett Newman, and Mark Rothko, in addition to Amlash sculpture from ancient Persia and primitive sculpture from New Hebrides. These files include inventories, lists, exhibition records, sales and purchase invoices, and photographs. There are also files for donations and loans from Parsons's personal collection to museums and fund raising auctions for several non-profit institutions.

Finally, the personal financial records provide information about the Parsons's family finances and her personal financial success as an art dealer. In addition to her own investments, Parsons inherited shares in family investments through the estates of her parents, J. Fred Pierson, Jr. and Suzanne Miles Pierson, and younger sister, Emily Rayner. Real estate files include correspondence, utility bills, receipts, area maps, and land plots for houses in Sheepscot, Maine and St. Maartens, Netherlands Antilles. Tax returns, ledger worksheets, receipts, banking statements, deposit slips, and cancelled checks are among the other financial records.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as seven series. Many of the series are further divided into subseries.

Missing Title

Series 1: Artists Files, 1935-1983 (19.4 linear feet; Boxes 1-18, 51, 55-56, OVs 53, 65)

Series 2: Exhibition Files, 1941-1983 (2.9 linear feet; Boxes 18-21, 51, 55, OVs 54, 66)

Series 3: Correspondence Files, 1941-1983 (3.9 linear feet; Boxes 21-24, 52, 56)

Series 4: Appraisal Files, 1954-1983 (0.7 linear feet; Box 24)

Series 5: Sales and Inventory Records, 1946-1983 (3.9 linear feet; Boxes 25-28, 51)

Series 6: General Business and Financial Records, 1946-1983 (9.3 linear feet; Boxes 28-38, 51, 56)

Series 7: Betty Parsons Personal Papers, 1916-1991 (21 linear feet; Boxes 38-51, 55-64, OVs 65-67)
Historical Note:
Betty Parsons (1900-1982) was one of the leading art dealers in New York City specializing in modern art, particularly the work of the Abstract Expressionists, and an abstract painter and sculptor in her own right. She opened Betty Parsons Gallery in 1946 at 15 E. 57th St., later moving to 24 W. 57th St.

The history of the Betty Parsons Gallery is inextricably bound to the life and experiences of its founder. Betty Parsons was born Betty Bierne Pierson on January 31, 1900 in New York City. She enjoyed a privileged childhood, which included vacation homes in Newport and Palm Beach. Her only formal education was a five-year stint at the prestigious Chapin School from 1910-1915, where she met many of the women who would become life-long friends and supporters. In the spring of 1920, she married Schuyler Livingston Parsons from one of New York's oldest families. The marriage ended after only three years and the couple traveled to Paris where they could obtain a divorce on the grounds of incompatibility. She retained her married surname and purchased a house on the rue Boulard in Paris, where she remained for ten years, pursuing studies in painting and sculpture.

Financial constraints forced Parsons to return to the United States in 1933. She first traveled west to California, but it was her return to New York in 1935 that marked the start of her career as an art dealer. Her first opportunity to connect with the New York art world came after a successful exhibition of her watercolors at the Midtown Galleries where the owner, Alan Gruskin, noted Parson's faithful and wealthy group of supporters and offered her work installing exhibitions and selling paintings on commission. Her work for the Midtown Galleries led to a second position in the Park Avenue gallery of Mary Sullivan, one of the founders of the Museum of Modern Art. Here, Parsons learned the business of running a gallery. By 1940 Parsons was ready to take on more independent responsibility and agreed to manage a gallery within the Wakefield Bookshop. In this job, she exercised full curatorial control by selecting artists and organizing exhibitions. She championed then unknown contemporary American artists and the gallery's roster soon included Saul Steinberg, Hedda Sterne, Alfonso Ossorio, Joseph Cornell, Walter Murch, and Theodore Stamos. Although the majority of the exhibitions were solo shows, there were a few group shows and themed exhibitions, such as Love in Art (1941) and Ballet in Art (1942). Under Parson's direction, the gallery hosted an important exhibition of Pre-Columbian sculpture, curated by Barnett Newman.

When the owners of the Wakefield Bookshop decided to close the gallery late in 1944, Mortimer Brandt, a dealer who specialized in Old Master paintings and drawings, offered her a position as head of the newly created contemporary section of his gallery. Many of the artists who had shown with Parsons at the Wakefield Gallery followed her to her new gallery, where they were joined by Ad Reinhardt, Boris Mango, and Hans Hofmann. While the exhibitions garnered attention from the press and the interest of contemporary artists, the contemporary section was not a financial success and Brandt opted to close his gallery in 1946.

Using $1000 of her own money and an additional borrowed $4000, Parsons sublet the space that previously housed Mortimer Brandt's contemporary section, on the fifth floor of 15 East 57th Street, and opened the Betty Parsons Gallery.

In many respects the early years of the Betty Parsons Gallery were the most vital, as it was during the period of 1947-1951 that the gallery became linked with the Abstract Expressionists and the history of post-WWII American Art. In an unpublished history of the gallery, noted art critic Lawrence Alloway stated that the significance of the gallery's early exhibitions ranks with Durand-Ruel's Impressionists exhibitions or Kahnweiler's shows of the Cubists. Betty Parsons Gallery quickly became one of the most prestigious galleries in New York City associated with new American Art of all styles. Her close friend Barnett Newman organized the gallery's inaugural exhibition of Northwest Coast Indian Art and he soon began to exhibit his own work at the gallery. When Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century Gallery closed, Jackson Pollock, Clyfford Still, and Mark Rothko joined Parsons' growing stable of artists. Although Parsons continued to promote and exhibit many of the artists whom she had previously discovered, these four artists dominated this period. Newman, Pollock, Still, and Rothko worked closely together, holding themselves apart from the other artists somewhat. They were actively involved in the curatorial process and often hung their own shows. For these artists, the exhibition itself was an artistic act of creation.

Parsons provided a supportive environment and allowed her artists enormous freedom in planning and designing their exhibitions. She was not, however, an aggressive salesperson. During this early period the gallery ledgers document sales to an impressive array of museums including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as important collectors such as Edward Root and Duncan Phillips. Nevertheless, the art that the gallery promoted was not yet widely accepted. Sales were few, prices were low and the business would not turn a profit for several years. Meanwhile, there was mounting pressure from Pollock, Newman, Still, and Rothko to drop some of the other artists from Parsons' stable and focus all resources on them. They wanted to be promoted to a larger audience and have their work sold at higher prices, but Parsons enjoyed discovering new artists and did not want to be restricted in this endeavor. The year 1951 marks the last time that Pollock's drip paintings or the monumental works of Newman, Rothko or Still were shown at the Betty Parsons Gallery.

In the following years the Betty Parsons Gallery continued to attract a diverse group of talented artists. Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Tuttle, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jack Youngerman had their first New York exhibitions at the Betty Parsons Gallery. Parsons opened Section Eleven in 1958, a short-lived annex to the main gallery, so that she could promote younger, less well-known artists. It closed in 1960 due to the administrative difficulties in running two essentially separate galleries.

In 1962, Sidney Janis, another prominent art dealer, started proceedings to evict Parsons from the floor that they shared on 15 East 57th Street. The Betty Parsons Gallery moved to 24 West 57th Street in 1963, where it remained until it closed in 1983, following Parsons' death the preceding year. Throughout the gallery's history, Parsons continued to promote faithful artists such as Hedda Sterne and Saul Steinberg, who had been with her from the beginning and to seek out new talent, both for her main gallery and for other venues, such as the short-lived Parsons-Truman Gallery, which she opened in 1974 with former Parsons Gallery director Jock Truman to show works on paper by emerging artists.

In addition to being an art dealer, Betty Parsons was a respected artist and collector. With her connoisseur's eye and connections, Parsons amassed an impressive private collection of art. She bought her first piece while an art student in Paris in the 1920s, a small gouache by Zadkine, but did not begin acquiring works in earnest until she was established as an art dealer. Partial inventories of her personal collection show that the majority of her collection contained works by artists associated with the gallery. Mark Rothko, Hans Hofmann, Ad Reinhardt, Agnes Martin, and Kenzo Okada were among the artists represented. Many were gifts from the artists, such as an ink drawing by Jackson Pollock, inscribed "For Betty." Selections from her collection appeared in small museums across the United States, including a traveling exhibition organized by Fitch College, New York, in 1968. In her role as a promoter of contemporary American art, Parsons lent generously from her collection, particularly to the federal Art in the Embassies Program. Throughout her life she also donated works to a variety of museums, most notably, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark.

Parsons frequently claimed that her desire to pursue a career as an artist stemmed from a visit to the Armory Show when she was thirteen. In her late teens, after pressuring her father for art lessons, she studied with the sculptor Gutzon Burglum of Mount Rushmore fame. In Paris, she continued her studies first with Antoine Bourdelle, whose sculptures she had admired at the Armory Show, and later with Ossip Zadkine. The first exhibition of her work, figurative watercolors and sculptures, took place in Paris in 1927. As she matured as an artist, her art became more abstract. Her late works were painted wood sculptures that she pieced together from wood that she found near her studio in Long Island. Parsons's work was exhibited in more than thirty solo exhibitions, including, Betty Parsons; Paintings, Gouaches and Sculpture, 1955-1968, at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. During her lifetime, she would not allow her works to be shown in her own gallery. Shortly after she died of a stroke in 1982, In Memoriam, Betty Parsons: Late Sculptures, opened at the Betty Parsons Gallery.
Related Material:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are oral history interviews with Betty Parsons, June 4-9, 1969, by Paul Cummings, and June 11, 1981 by Gerald Silk.
Separated Material:
Some of the material originally loaned for microfilming in 1968 and 1969 was not included in later donations and can be viewed on microfilm reels N68/62-N68/74 and N69/105-N69/106. Loaned materials are not described in the container listing in this finding aid.
Provenance:
The gallery donated some records in 1974, many of which had been loaned earlier for microfilming. The bulk of the collection was donated in 1984 and 1986 by William Rayner and Christopher Schwabacher, executors of the Estate of Betty Parsons. Additional material was donated by William Rayner in 1998 and Christopher Schwabacher in 2017. Additional material was donated in 2018 by the Lee Hall estate via Carolyn Crozier and Deborah Jacobson, co-executors. Hall was Parsons's biographer and had the material in her possession at the time of Parsons's death. An additional photograph of Parons and Marie Carr Taylor by Henri Cartier-Bresson was donated in 2021 by Mary Carpenter, who inherited the photograph from her mother, Nan Thorton Jones, who received it as a gift from Taylor.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.

Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Gallery owners -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Women art dealers  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Abstract expressionist  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketchbooks
Interviews
Video recordings
Drawings
Citation:
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.parsbett
See more items in:
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw956c1036f-b673-4dc1-8c1b-cde0bd641c60
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-parsbett
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Online Media:

Krasner, Lee

Collection Creator:
Parsons, Betty  Search this
Container:
Box 9, Folder 13
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1949-1983
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.

Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers / Series 1: Artists Files
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw96163ffd7-03e3-4c0a-a3c1-e48b80aa966c
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-parsbett-ref269
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Reinhardt, Ad - Biographical Material

Collection Creator:
Parsons, Betty  Search this
Container:
Box 15, Folder 7
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1965
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.

Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers / Series 1: Artists Files
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b3120a10-dd39-47ab-b721-8362e662a3a9
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-parsbett-ref467
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Reinhardt, Ad - Correspondence

Collection Creator:
Parsons, Betty  Search this
Extent:
(3 folders)
Container:
Box 15, Folder 9-11
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1947-1982
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.

Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers / Series 1: Artists Files
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9da9c59ce-eb13-420c-8061-d7a18a92e060
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-parsbett-ref469
1 Page(s) matching your search term, top most relevant are shown: View entire project in transcription center
  • View Reinhardt, Ad - Correspondence digital asset number 1
Online Media:

A

Collection Creator:
Parsons, Betty  Search this
Container:
Box 21, Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1947-1976
Scope and Contents note:
A.M. Sachs Gallery

A.P.F. Inc.

Acme Van Co, Inc.

Adler Gallery

Albany Institute of History and Art

Alcoa Steamship Company

American Abstract Artists

American Academy in Rome

American Academy of Arts and Letters

American West

Amerika-Haus Tubingen

Amherst College

Andre Emmerich Gallery

Architectural League of New York

Archives of American Art

ART:USA:59

The Art Gallery

Ariete Grafica

Arnot Art Museum

Artists Equity Association

The Artist's Gallery

Association for the Advancement of American Art, Inc.
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.

Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers / Series 3: Correspondence Files / 3.1: Institutions and Dealers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9731bd061-c826-421b-a922-44e7043b9893
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-parsbett-ref766

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