The collection is arranged as eleven series. Series 1: Biographical Material, 1938-1968 (5 folders; Box 1) Series 2: Correspondence, 1930-1970 (0.66 linear feet; Box 1) Series 3: Interviews, 1965-1969 (0.25 linear feet; Box 1) Series 4: Writings and Notes, 1945-1969 (1.35 linear feet; Boxes 1-3, 11) Series 5: Teaching and Study Files, 1944-1958 (0.25 linear feet; Box 3) Series 6: Subject Files, 1907-1969 (2.92 linear feet; Boxes 3-6, 1, OV 12) Series 7: First New York Theater Rally, 1963-1965 (0.15 linear feet; Boxes 6, 11) Series 8: Exhibition Files, 1954-1969 (1.42 linear feet; Boxes 6-7, 11, OV 12) Series 9: Business Records, 1945-1970 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 7-8) Series 10: Printed Material, 1914-1970 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 8-9, OV 12) Series 11: Photographs, circa 1951-circa 1970 (1.7 linear feet; Boxes 9-11, OV 13)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Summary:
The papers of New York art historian, museum director, curator, writer, and educator, Alan R. Solomon, measure 9.9 linear feet and date from 1907-1970, with the bulk of the material dating from 1944-1970. Through biographical material, correspondence, interview transcripts, writings and notes, teaching and study files, subject files, exhibition files, business records, printed material, and photographs, the collection documents Solomon's education, his early teaching appointments at Cornell University, and his subsequent direction of many diverse curatorial and research projects relating to contemporary American art, particularly the transition from Abstract Expressionism to later modern movements, and the thriving New York City art scene.
Citation:
Alan R. Solomon papers, 1907-1970, bulk 1944-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The bulk of this collection was digitized in 2017 and is available via the Archives of American Art's website.
Materials which have not been scanned include duplicates; routine tax and financial records; blank pages in bound volumes; blank versos of photographs; and the full text of published material such as exhibition catalogs. In most cases, exhibition catalogs and other publications have had their covers, title pages, and relevant pages scanned.
Funding:
Funding for the processing and digitization of the Alan R. Solomon papers is provided by the Lichtenstein Foundation.
Use Note:
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.
Biography Note:
New York art historian, museum director, art consultant, educator, writer, and curator, Alan R. Solomon (1920-1970), organized over two hundred exhibitions in the course of his career. He was known for his skill in exhibition design, and for bringing the perception and understanding of an art historian to the field of contemporary art.
Language Note:
The bulk of the collection is in English; some material is in Italian.
Provenance:
The Leo Castelli Gallery served as executor of Solomon's estate, and donated his papers to the Archives of American Art in 1974 and 2007.
Digitization Note:
This site provides access to the papers of Alan R. Solomon in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2017, and total 15,763 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001