Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Grace Borgenicht Brandt, 1963 January 10. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
An interview of Grace Borgenicht Brandt conducted by Dorothy Seckler on 1963 January 10 for the Archives of American Art.
Brandt speaks of the beginnings of the Grace Borgenicht Gallery and her development as a dealer. She recalls the artists Milton Avery, Leonard Baskin, Jose de Rivera, Jimmy Ernst and Wolf Kahn.
Biographical / Historical:
Grace Borgenicht Brandt (1915-2001) was an art dealer and collector in New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav file. Duration is 38 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Collectors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Access of diaries and appointment books required written permission.
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:
André Emmerich Gallery records and André Emmerich papers, circa 1929-2009. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Leon Levy Foundation.
The collection is open for research. Use of unmicrofilmed material requires an appointment.
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:
Fendrick Gallery records, 1952-2001. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The records of New York art gallery Terry Dintenfass, Inc. date from 1947 to 1987, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1961 to 1983, and measure 22.1 linear feet. The records are comprised of administrative files, correspondence, exhibition files, artists' files, and financial records.
Scope and Contents:
The records of New York art gallery Terry Dintenfass, Inc. date from 1947 to 1987, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1961 to 1983, and measure 22.1 linear feet. The records include administrative files, correspondence, exhibition files, artists' files, and financial records.
Administrative files include advertising and membership records, insurance documents, a guest book, resumes, and agreements with other corporations. Correspondence is with artists, galleries, museums, and arts organizations. There is a significant amount of correspondence regarding the Art Dealers Association of America.
Exhibition files are found for numerous exhibitions to which Dintenfass either loaned art or helped to organize. There is extensive documentation of the 20 Galleries/20 Years exhibition held at the Grace Borgenicht Gallery and the Terry Dintenfass Gallery in 1982 and the "Machine Themed Shows" in 1974-1975.
Artists' files comprise the largest group of materials within the collection. Files for Hyman Bloom, Alan Cober, Arthur Dove, Philip Evergood, Richard Fleischner, Antonio Frasconi, Sidney Goodman, William King, Jacob Lawrence, Richard Merkin, Horace Pippin, Paul Suttman, and Harold Tovish bulk the largest.
Financial records contain artist expense and sales ledgers, consignment papers, invoices and receipts, as well as records for D Contemporary Paintings.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 5 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Administrative Files, 1961-1983 (1.0 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1961-1981 (1.0 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1962-1983 (4.5 linear feet; Boxes 2-7, OV 23)
Series 4: Artists' Files, 1947-1987 (8.5 linear feet; Boxes 7-15, OV 23)
Series 5: Financial Records, 1959-1981 (7.0 linear feet; Boxes 16-22, OV 23)
Biographical / Historical:
Terry Dintenfass, Inc. is a New York City art gallery founded in 1959 by Terry Dintenfass (1920-2004).
In 1954, Theresa "Terry" Dintenfass opened D Contemporary Paintings in Atlantic City, New Jersey. With financial backing from Armand Erpf, she moved the gallery to New York City in 1959 and changed the name to Terry Dintenfass Gallery. There, she became a protégé of Downtown Gallery owner Edith Halpert. Dintenfass was one of several notable female art dealers in the city during the 1940s-1980s among Edith Halpert, Betty Parsons, Grace Borgenicht, Antoinette Kraushaar, and others. She showed work on consignment from other dealers, and when Edith Halpert retired, Terry Dintenfass, Inc. began to represent the estate of Arthur Dove. Other notable artists represented by the gallery included social realists Philip Evergood and Robert Gwathmey, and African American painters Horace Pippin and Jacob Lawrence, whom she represented for 25 years. The gallery's stable also included William King, Sidney Goodman, Hyman Bloom, Antonio Frasconi, and others.
After Dintenfass retired in 1999, her son Andrew took over the business and continues to run the gallery today. Terry Dintenfass died in 2004 in Manhattan.
Related Materials:
Also found at the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Terry Dintenfass conducted by Paul Cummings on December 2, 1974-January 13, 1975 for the Archives of American Art.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 1995 by Terry Dintenfass.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the 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.
The records of New York City Grace Borgenicht Gallery date from circa 1953 to 1996 and measure 18.2 linear feet. The records include administrative files, correspondence, financial and legal records, exhibition files, printed material, two scrapbooks, and photographic negatives of artwork. The majority of the collection consists of artists' files.
Scope and Contents:
The records of New York City Grace Borgenicht Gallery date from circa 1953 to 1996 and measure 18.2 linear feet. The records include administrative files, correspondence, financial and legal records, exhibition files, printed material, two scrapbooks, and photographic negatives of artwork. The majority of the collection consists of artists' files.
Administrative files focus on advertising, events, gallery renovation, artists' insurance, and writings about the gallery. Correspondence concerns galleries, artists, works of art, and gallery prints and includes correspondence with the Library of Congress, Hokin Gallery, and Raab Gallery in Berlin. Exhibition files are found for exhibitions of Milton Avery, Paul Burlin, Stuart Davis, and Wolf Kahn, and several artists from Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Canada, as well as for international art fairs. Artists' files mainly contain correspondence with galleries and patrons regarding the artists and their work, and with artists. Files are found for Milton Avery, Charles Biederman, Ilya Bolotowsky, Martin Chirino, Stuart Davis, Jose De Rivera, Roy Gussow, Philip Grausman, and Wolf Kahn, among many others. Financial and legal records include sales and operations ledgers, artists' contracts, and documents concerning arts organizations. Printed materials consist of exhibition announcements and catalogs. Two scrapbooks include clippings and other printed materials. Also found are photographic negatives of artwork.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 8 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Administrative Records, 1970-1995 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1950s-1995 (2 linear feet; Boxes 1-3)
Series 3: Exhibition Files, circa 1970-1996 (1.3 linear feet; Boxes 3-4)
Series 4: Artists Files, circa 1950s-1995 (11.2 linear feet; Boxes 4-13, 16-22)
Series 5: Financial and Legal Records, 1953-1995 (1.4 linear feet; Boxes 13-15)
Series 6: Printed Material, circa 1950s-1995 (0.8 linear feet; Box 15)
Series 7: Scrapbooks, circa 1950s-circa 1980s (0.3 linear feet; Box 23)
Series 8: Photographic Materials, circa 1950s-circa 1980s (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 24-25)
Biographical / Historical:
In May 1951 Grace Borgenicht Brandt (1915-2001) opened the Grace Borgenicht Gallery on 57th Street in New York City with an exhibition of Jimmy Ernst. At that time, the gallery was one of a handful that represented contemporary American artists. Jimmy Ernst, Milton Avery, Ilya Bolotowsky, Edward Corbett, Jose de Rivera, Roy Gussow, Wolf Kahn, and Gabor Peterdi were among the artists represented by the gallery.
The gallery held multiple exhibitions for individual artists such as Milton Avery, Wolf Kahn, Paul Burlin, and Stuart Davis. Although Borgenicht's main focus was American contemporary artists, the gallery also held several exhibitions featuring artists from Canada, Germany, Japan, Korea, and Mexico.
The Grace Borgenicht Gallery closed in 1995.
Related Materials:
Also found at the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Grace Borgenicht Brandt conducted by Dorothy Seckler on January 10, 1963.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reel D112) including 72 letters from artists Leonard Baskin, Edward Corbett, Sidney Gordin, Wolf Kahn and Elbert Weinberg. They are addressed to gallery director Grace Borgenicht (Grace Borgenicht Brandt), and regard the artists' their work, travels, exhibition plans, and other activities. Also included is a photograph of Brandt and a resume. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Material lent for microfilming is available on 35mm microfilm reel D112 at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Provenance:
Owner Grace Borgenicht Brandt originally lent material for microfilming in 1963. She donated additional papers in 1996.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the 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.
Function:
Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State)
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Citation:
Grace Borgenicht Gallery records, circa 1953-1996. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care and Preservation Fund
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the 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:
Grace Borgenicht Gallery records, circa 1953-1996. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care and Preservation Fund
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the 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:
Grace Borgenicht Gallery records, circa 1953-1996. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care and Preservation Fund
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the 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:
Grace Borgenicht Gallery records, circa 1953-1996. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care and Preservation Fund
The Laurel Gallery records measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1944 to 1951. The collection sheds light on the gallery's operations through scant correspondence, photographs, printed material, an exhibition inventory, and financial records.
Scope and Contents:
The Laurel Gallery records measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1944 to 1951. This small collection sheds light on the gallery's operations through scant correspondence, photographs, printed material, an exhibition inventory, and financial records.
The collection includes letters from artists and museums to gallery director Chris Ritter, and some to the gallery's co-director, Grace Borgenicht; writings on artists Milton Avery, Gabor Peterdi, and Leonard Pytlak. Financial records consist of tax records, notes, bills, price lists, artist agreements, an account book, and a sales book. Also present is an inventory from the exhibition, The New York Society of Women Artists (1947); a scrapbook and loose newspaper clippings; photographs of artists and works of art; a plan for the gallery's marketing, pricing, and financials by Chris Ritter; and photographs, notes, and drafts related to the gallery's quarterly, Laurels.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
The Laurel Gallery was founded in New York City in 1946 by painter, printmaker, and educator, Chris Ritter. The gallery, located at 108 East 57th Street, was an active supporter of contemporary American art. Ritter occasionally exhibited his own work in the Laurel Gallery, but mostly exhibited the work of other avant-garde artists, including Jimmy Ernst, Grace Borgenicht (Laurel Gallery's co-director), Claude Bentley, George Constant, Ibram Lassaw, and others. In addition to exhbitions, the gallery published four portfolios of artists' prints and a quarterly magazine. Ritter closed the gallery in 1952, around the same time Borgenicht opened the Grace Borgenicht Gallery.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by gallery founder Chris Ritter in 1974.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference 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.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- History Search this
Function:
Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York
Citation:
Laurel Gallery records, 1944-1951. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
The Samuel Adler papers measure 2.2 linear feet and date from 1902-1980, with the bulk of the records dating from 1927-1980. The collections sheds light on Adler's career through personal and professional papers, printed materials, scrapbooks, photographic materials, and sound recordings.
Scope and Contents:
The Samuel Adler papers measure 2.2 linear feet and date from 1902-1980, with the bulk of the records dating from 1927-1980. The collections sheds light on Adler's career through personal and professional papers, printed materials, scrapbooks, photographic materials, and sound recordings.
Personal and professional papers consist of Adler's identification cards, marriage certificate, scant notes on painting, and some studio insurance records. Correspondence is comprised of personal and professional letters about exhibitions, purchase of artwork, Adler's artist-in-residence position at Notre Dame University, and more. The series also contains a guestbook from an Adler exhibition at Rehn Gallery, several of Adler's sketches and drawings, lecture notes from classes he taught, and other writings on contemporary art.
Printed materials include exhibition catalogs, invitations, and announcements of Adler's solo and group shows, ephemera from Adler's speaking engagements, scant writings about Adler and reproductions of his work, and a copy of Education and the Imagination, edited by Irving Kaufman, which includes a chapter by Samuel Adler titled "Imagination and the Artist."
Six scrapbook volumes and 2 folders of scrapbook contents document Adler's career through a myriad of materials including awards and certificates, correspondence including letters about Adler's teaching positions, printed material, an inventory of artworks from Adler's estate, and more.
Photographic materials depict Adler, his family, friends, and works of art. Nine sound recordings are of interviews, radio programs, and lectures.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as five series.
Series 1: Personal and Professional Papers, 1926-1975 (Box 1; 8 folders)
Series 2: Printed Materials, circa 1945-1977 (Box 1; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 3: Scrapbooks, 1945-1980 (Box 1, Bound Volumes 4-9; 1.2 linear feet)
Series 4: Photographic Materials, 1902-1972 (Box 2; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 5: Sound Recordings, 1957-1979 (Box 2-3; 0.3 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Samuel Adler (1898-1979) was an abstract painter, sculptor, and educator active in New York, New York.
Under special arrangement, Adler was admitted to the National Academy of Design at age 13 for a six-year program, studying under Leon Kroll, Charles Louis Hinton, and others. He did not graduate, and instead became a professional violinist, playing for conductors Henry Hadley and Bruno Walter, and he studied under Harold Eisenberg and Herbert Butler.
In 1933, Adler left his music career to work on his art and offered private classes in painting and drawing. During World War II, he designed radio housings for the Army. In 1948, Adler had his first one-man show at Joseph Luyber Galleries, New York, and began teaching at New York University. He went on to have solo shows at various museums and galleries including University of Indiana, Louisville Art Center, Grace Borgenicht Gallery, University of Georgia, Frank Rehn Gallery, Notre Dame University, Rose Fried Gallery, and Krannert Art Museum. His work was also featured in group shows widely throughout the United States and abroad.
In the 1950s Adler contributed a chapter titled "Imagination and the Artist" to Education and the Imagination (1958), edited by Irving Kaufman. His work can be found in the permanent collections of Brooklyn Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Newark Museum, Norfolk Museum, and others.
Separated Materials:
Papers loaned for microfilming on reel D231, including: correspondence (with correspondents such as Morris Blackburn, Glenn Raymond Bradshaw, Howard S. Conant, Lamar Dodd, Ernest Fiene, Anthony Lauck, Sidney Laufman, Arthur Osver, John Rood, and Hudson D. Walker); three scrapbooks, 1944-1955; catalogs; and gallery literature were returned to Samuel Adler after microfilming and are not described in the collection Container Inventory.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in several installments from 1965 to 1980 by Samuel Adler and his wife, Beverly Adler.
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 born-digital records or 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:
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Samuel Adler papers, 1902-1980. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
Biographical materials include identification cards, marriage certificate, scant notes on painting, and some studio insurance records. Correspondence is comprised of personal and professional letters including correspondence about exhibitions, purchase of artwork, and Adler's artist-in-residence position at Notre Dame University. Correspondents include Joseph Luyber Galleries, Grace Borgenicht Gallery, artists Lamar Dodd and Warren Doolittle, Adler's students, and others. Some holiday cards, postcards, financial records, and printed materials are also present in the correspondence files. Also found here is a guestbook from an Adler exhibition at Rehn Gallery, several of Adler's sketches and drawings, lecture notes from classes he taught, and other writings on contemporary art.
Additional correspondence and other professional papers can be found in Series 3: Scrapbooks.
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 born-digital records or 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:
Samuel Adler papers, 1902-1980. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
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:
Exhibition records of the Contemporary Study Wing of the Finch College Museum of Art, 1943-1975. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources' Hidden Collections grant program. Funding for the digitization of two motion picture films was provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee, and for the remaining sound and video recordings from the Smithsonian's Collection Care Pool Fund. Funding for the digitization of the collection, not including audiovisual materials, was provided by The Walton Family Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art.
