The James Cohan Gallery records relating to Robert Smithson measure 5.0 linear feet and 21.8 Gigabytes, and date from circa 1960s-2018, bulk 1998-2014. The records consist of the correspondence, loans and consignment records, exhibition files, artwork and project documentation, inventories, writings, press files, and the photographic material related to artworks created by artist Robert Smithson.
Scope and Contents:
The James Cohan Gallery records relating to Robert Smithson measure 5.0 linear feet and 21.8 Gigabytes, and date from circa 1960s-2018, bulk 1998-2014. The correspondence series is primarily with institutions or collectors and includes publication requests and prospective book projects. The loans and consignments series includes documents arranging terms for prospective sale or loan for exhibition with a variety of international private collections and institutions including galleries and museums. The exhibition files include documentation related to the organizing of exhibitions including those held at James Cohan Gallery, as well as large retrospective exhibitions that received the gallery's planning support. The artwork and project files include documentation of both recreated and historic works by Smithson, and features photographs and video documentation, certificates of authenticity, condition reports, and conservation records.
The inventories series includes a range of lists related to Smithson's Estate including storage inventories, Smithson's library inventory compiled shortly after his death, checklists, and lists of works for sale, among others. The writings series includes both copies of original writing by Smithson including work descriptions and certificates of authenticity, as well as articles and presentations by others, including Nancy Holt, and a symposium held at Whitney Museum of American Art in 2005. Also included are copies of notes by Lawrence Alloway on Smithson. The press files series contains both original clippings and copies of published articles on Smithson maintained since 1968, and presumably was transferred from John Weber Gallery and then maintained. The photographic material series includes copies of slides and photographs of both Smithson and his artworks and projects.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in 8 series:
Series 1: Correspondence, circa 1983-2016 (0.2 Linear feet, Box 1)
Series 2: Loans and Consignments (1.1 Linear feet: Boxes 1-2; 2.1 Gigabytes: ER001)
Series 3: Exhibition Files, circa 1997-2003 (0.7 Linear feet: Box 2; 3 Gigabytes: ER03-ER04)
Series 4: Artwork and Project Documentation, circa 1969-2016 (5.11 Gigabytes: ER005-ER014, ER024-ER026; 0.5 Linear feet: Box 3)
Series 5: Inventories, circa 1970-2015 (0.6 Linear feet: Boxes 3-4)
Series 6: Writings (10.6 Gigabytes: ER015-ER016; 0.1 Linear feet: Box 4)
Series 7: Press Files, circa 1968-2014 (1.3 Linear feet: Boxes 4-5)
Series 8: Photographic Material, circa 1960-2015 (0.5 Linear feet: Box 5; 2.01 Gigabytes: ER017-ER023)
Biographical / Historical:
The James Cohan Gallery (1999- ) is an art gallery in Manhattan, New York. The gallery represents the estate of Robert Smithson. Robert Smithson (1938-1973) was a pioneer of land and earthworks art. He was also a noted sculptor, painter, writer, and lecturer working primarily in New York City.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt papers and the Nancy Holt estate records.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 2021 by James Cohan.
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.
