The Forum Gallery records measure 9 linear feet and date from 1946 to 1992, with the bulk of the records dating from 1960 to 1992. The collection sheds light on the gallery's operations through administrative records and artist files.
Scope and Contents:
The Forum Gallery records measure 9 linear feet and date from 1946 to 1992, with the bulk of the records dating from 1960 to 1992. The collection sheds light on the gallery's operations through administrative files and artist files. Administrative files include scant appraisal records, exhibition files, financial records, photographs, and printed material. Artists' files contain correspondence, photographs, contracts and agreements, loan records, price lists, mailing lists, writings, and more. Chaim Gross, Max Weber, Laura Ziegler, Raphael Sawyer, David Levine, Bruno Lucchesi, and Laura Shechter are among the many artists found in the collection.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as two series.
Series 1: Administrative Records, 1960s-1992 (Box 1; 0.8 linear feet)
Series 2: Artist Files, 1946-1990, bulk 1960-1990 (Box 1-9; 8.2 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Forum gallery was founded in New York City in 1961 by Bella Fishko. The gallery is well known for exhibiting the figuritive art of prominent U.S. artists. Raphael Soyer, Gregory Gillespie, David Levine, and Chaim Gross were among the first artists represented by the gallery. The gallery expanded to include international artists in the 1980s, and today represents more than 30 artists from the United States and Europe. Bella Fishko's son, Robert Fishko, took over the gallery's operations after Bella's death in 1995. The gallery is also a founding member of the Art Dealers Association of America, founded in 1962.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Robert Fishko in 1996.
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.
Forum Gallery records, 1946-1992. 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.
