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Catalog Data

Creator:
Roko Gallery  Search this
Names:
Rainbow Art Foundation  Search this
Ahlas, Lambro  Search this
Bernardi, Cynthia  Search this
Brierre, Murat, 1938-  Search this
Bromberg, Faith, 1919-  Search this
Burch, Claire  Search this
Calcagno, Lawrence, 1913-  Search this
Candell, Victor, 1903-1977  Search this
Clark, Claude, 1915-  Search this
Cohen, Arthur A. (Arthur Allen), 1928-1986  Search this
Cook, Mike  Search this
Dahl, Hermann  Search this
Del Deo, Salvatore, 1928-  Search this
Di Lieto, Giuseppe  Search this
Dowden, Raymond Baxter, 1905-1982  Search this
Eichel, Edward V., 1932-  Search this
England, Paul  Search this
Freilich, Ann  Search this
Freilich, Michael Leon, 1912-1975  Search this
Fritz, Dennis, 1937-  Search this
Heinemann, Peter, 1931-  Search this
Heisig, Mary, 1913-  Search this
Kaiman, Charles, 1947-  Search this
Kallem, Herbert, 1909-1994  Search this
Klein, Doris, 1918-  Search this
Korn, Elizabeth P.  Search this
Levit, Herschel  Search this
Lewen, Si  Search this
Mandel, Howard, 1917-1999  Search this
Morgan, Randall, 1920-  Search this
Muray, Peggy  Search this
Parker, Anne Eaton, 1919-  Search this
Piper, Rose  Search this
Robbins, Dorothy  Search this
Rosenblum, Sadie  Search this
Sassoonian, Manu  Search this
Scheffel, Herbert  Search this
Soyer, Raphael, 1899-1987  Search this
Stevens, May  Search this
Sugarman, George, 1912-1999  Search this
Tagliabue, John, 1923-  Search this
Virgona, Hank  Search this
Weihs, Erika  Search this
Williams, Walter, 1920-  Search this
Wunderman, Jan Darcourt, 1921-  Search this
Wunderman, Jan, 1921  Search this
Extent:
6 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Address books
Gallery records
Exhibition catalogs
Visitors' books
Calendars
Photographs
Poems
Financial records
Scrapbooks
Date:
1929-1982
bulk 1970-1978
Summary:
The Roko Gallery records measure six linear feet and date from 1929-1982, with the bulk of the records dating from 1970-1978. Founded by Michael Leon Freilich in 1946, the records of this New York contemporary art gallery consist primarily of artists files. Also found are scattered correspondence, business and financial records, a subject file, exhibition files, seven scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs of Frielich, friends, and of artwork.
Scope and Content Note:
The Roko Gallery records measure six linear feet and date from 1929-1982, with the bulk of the records from 1970-1978. Founded by Michael Leon Freilich in 1946, the records of this New York gallery consist primarily of artists' files. Also found are scattered correspondence, business and financial records, a subject file, exhibition files, disassembled scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs. The bulk of the correspondence is from the early to mid-1970s and concerns general gallery operations, sales of artwork, artists interested in exhibiting at the gallery, letters to Ann Freilich Schutz regarding Michael Freilich's death, and a handful of personal postcards from Freilich to his niece, 1952-1955. Scattered correspondence from artists Lambro Ahlas, Mike Cook, Hermann Dahl, Salvatore Del Deo, Raymond Dowden, Charles Kaiman, Peggy Muray (Mrs. Nicholas Muray), Raphael Soyer, George Sugarman, Anne Parker, Jan Wunderman, and Hank Virgona is also found. General business and financial records include calendars, address books, mailing lists, visitors' registers, receipt books, consignment agreements, invoices and receipts. Measuring 3.5 linear feet, Artists Files comprise the bulk of the collection and contain correspondence, exhibition catalogs, clippings, original artwork, receipts, price lists, photographs, and slides of work. Among the nearly 200 artists are Murat Brierre, Faith Bromberg, Clare Burch, Lawrence Calcagno, Victor Candell, Arthur Cohen, Giuseppe Di Lieto, Edward Eichel, Ann Freilich, Dennis Fritz, Mary Heisig, Herbert Kallem, Doris Klein, Elizabeth Korn, Randall Morgan, Anne Parker, Dorothy Robbins, May Stevens, Hank Virgona, Walter Williams, and Jan Wunderman. There is one subject file containing a proposal by the Rainbow Art Foundation. Exhibitions and Event files date from 1956-1978 and contain printed material, press releases, notes, correspondence, agreements, and a disassembled notebook containing prices and lists of works exhibited at the Roko Gallery from 1967-1978. Also found is typed and signed poetry by poet John Tagliabue. Disassembled scrapbooks contain additional printed materials regarding the gallery's solo and group exhibitions from 1947-1966. Among the many artists represented in the scrapbooks are Claude Clark, Beauford Delaney, Paul England, Peter Heinemann, Herbert Kallem, Herschel Levit, Si Lewen, Howard Mandel, Rose Piper, Sadie Rosenblum, Herbert Scheffel, Erika Weihs, Walter Williams, and Jan Wunderman. Additional printed material includes mostly newspaper clippings, exhibition announcements, and catalogs. Material found in the collection that pre-dates the founding of the gallery consists primarily of printed material collected by Freilich. Photographs, slides, and negatives date mostly from the 1970s and depict gallery directors Michael Leon Freilich, Cynthia Bernadini and Manu Sassoonian, and artwork.
Arrangement:
The Roko Gallery records are arranged into eight series: Missing Title Series 1: Correspondence, 1936, 1952-circa late 1970s (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet) Series 2: Business and Financial Records, circa 1956-1980 (Box 1; 0.8 linear feet) Series 3: Artist Files, circa 1948-1979 (Box 2-5; 3.5 linear feet) Series 4: Subject Files, undated (Box 5; 1 folder) Series 5: Exhibition and Event Files, circa 1956-1978 (Box 5; 0.3 linear feet) Series 6: Scrapbook, circa 1947-1966 (Box 5-6; 0.5 linear feet) Series 7: Printed Material, 1929-1982 (Box 6; 0.4 linear feet) Series 8: Photographic Material, 1946-circa 1970s (Box 6; 0.3 linear feet)
Historical Note:
Michael Leon Freilich (1912-1975) established the Roko Gallery in 1946 at 51 Greenwich Avenue where it remained until the mid-1950s. Over its 32 year history, the gallery featured the paintings and sculptures of young, new artists, most living in New York City, through solo exhibitions, group shows, and sales. The gallery then made a series of moves, first to 925 Madison Avenue, then to 867 Madison Avenue, and finally back to Greenwich Village at 90 East 10st Street in 1970. In 1974, Michael Freilich became ill and the daily gallery operations were taken over by artist Lloyd Lózes Goff. Freilich passed away in February 1975; Cynthia Bernardi and Manu Sassoonian bought the gallery and became co-directors in the spring of 1975. The gallery closed in 1978, leaving open an annex on 816 Broadway.
Provenance:
The Roko Gallery records were donated to the Archives of American Art in 1975-1988 by Ann Freilich, sister of Michael Freilich, and Cynthia Bernardi, former director of the gallery.
Restrictions:
Use of originals requires an appointment.
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:
Artists -- New York (State)  Search this
Works of art  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Function:
Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State)
Genre/Form:
Address books
Gallery records
Exhibition catalogs
Visitors' books
Calendars
Photographs
Poems
Financial records
Scrapbooks
Citation:
Roko Gallery records, 1929-1982, bulk 1970-1978. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.rokogall
See more items in:
Roko Gallery records
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw93cf23fe6-f4fb-4f5b-9279-aadf82bfb408
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-rokogall