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Catalog Data

Interviewee:
Arnason, H. Harvard  Search this
Interviewer:
Cummings, Paul  Search this
Names:
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum  Search this
Walker Art Galleries (Minneapolis, Minn.)  Search this
Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this
Messer, Thomas M.  Search this
Rebay, Hilla, 1890-1967  Search this
Sweeney, James Johnson, 1900-  Search this
Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959  Search this
Extent:
44 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1970 March 3-9
Scope and Contents:
An interview of H. Harvard Arnason conducted 1970 March 3-9, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art. Arnason speaks of his family and educational background; the influence of the WPA Federal Art Project on museums; lecturing at the Frick Collection and Hunter College; his work as U.S. representative of UNESCO; his teaching positions and his roles as director of the Walker Art Center and trustee and vice president of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. He comments on Frank Lloyd Wright's design for the Guggenheim Museum building; competition among New York museums; conceptual art and museums; and the museum as a research center. He recalls Holger Cahill, Thomas M. Messer, Hilla Rebay, James Johnson Sweeney and others. Arnason also describes his writing projects, including his "History of Modern Art."
Biographical / Historical:
H. Harvard Arnason (1909-1986) was an historian, writer, and a former director of the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 30 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.
Topic:
Museum architecture -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Museum directors -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.arnaso70
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a9123567-738f-4dbc-827a-95ecf2e65c48
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-arnaso70