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Catalog Data

Creator:
Kuhn, Walt, 1877-1949  Search this
Subject:
Sheeler, Charles  Search this
Pach, Walter  Search this
Quinn, John  Search this
Rainford, Percy  Search this
Davies, Arthur B. (Arthur Bowen)  Search this
Oldfield, Otis  Search this
Kuhn, Vera  Search this
Kuhn, Brenda  Search this
Weston, Edward  Search this
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Kit Kat Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Association of American Painters and Sculptors (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Armory Show (1913: New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Type:
Drawings
Diaries
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Place of publication, production, or execution:
United States
Physical Description:
31 Linear feet
Arrangement:
This collection has been arranged into 4 series, with multiple subseries in Series 1 and 4. Series 1: Armory Show Records, 1912-1963 (Boxes 1-2, 27-31, 56, OV 36; 3.6 linear feet) Series 2: Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS) Records, 1911-1914, undated (Box 3; 0.2 linear feet) Series 3: Kit Kat Club and Penguin Club Records, 1909-1923, undated (Box 3, 32, 56, OVs 37-38; 0.5 linear feet) Series 4: Walt Kuhn Family Papers, 1859-1984, undated (Box 3-26, 32-35, 56-57, OVs 39-55, 58; 26.7 linear feet) In general, documents are arranged chronologically, alphabetically, or by type of material. Copy negatives and copy prints made from documents in this collection have been filed separately from originals, in a folder marked "copy." Duplicates of original records made or obtained by the Kuhns have been filed separately as well. Existing envelopes are filed in front of correspondence and enclosures directly after. Correspondence in the Armory Show Records and AAPS Records is arranged alphabetically, and correspondents are listed in the box inventory following series descriptions below.
Access Note / Rights:
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 audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Summary:
The Walt Kuhn Family papers and Armory Show records measure 31 linear feet and date from 1859 to 1984, with the bulk of material dating from 1900 to 1949. Papers contain records of the legendary Armory Show of 1913, also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, which introduced modern European painting and sculpture to the American public. Papers also contain records of the Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS), the artist-run organization that mounted the Armory Show; records of the New York artists' clubs the Kit Kat Club (founded 1881) and the Penguin Club (founded 1917); and the personal and family papers of New York artist Walt Kuhn (1877-1949), one of the primary organizers of the Armory Show.
Citation:
Walt Kuhn Family papers and Armory Show records, 1859-1984, bulk 1900-1949. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The bulk of the collection was digitized in 2006 and 2009 and is available on the Archives of American Art website.
Materials that generally have not been digitized include medical records and records of routine financial transactions; duplicate originals and copies; negatives and slides; and large groups of news clippings. For many publications, such as books, catalogs, and pamphlets, only the cover and title pages have been digitized; complete publications are available by appointment. The 2015 accession has not been digitized.
Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reels D72-73, D240-D242, D344-D350, 912-916, 1191, 1607-1616, and 2917-2918 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Funding:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Getty Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art.
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.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art holds the papers of Walter Pach, the European representative of the Armory Show.
Biography Note:
Walt Kuhn (1877-1949) was an etcher, lithographer, and watercolorist, as well as being a teacher, an advisor to art collectors, an organizer, and a promoter of modern art. He played a key role in the art scene of New York City in the early 20th century, and was among the small group that organized the infamous Armory Show of 1913, officially known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, held at the 69th Regiment Armory building in New York City. After the Armory Show, Kuhn went on to a distinguished career as a painter. He was best known for his sober oil portraits of show people, clowns, acrobats, and circus performers, but was equally prolific in landscapes, still lifes, and figure and genre drawings.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
The Walt Kuhn Family papers and Armory Show records were loaned for microfilming and later donated to the Archives of American Art by Walt Kuhn's daughter Brenda Kuhn in several installments between 1962 and 1979. An additional accession of letters, photographs, and an artifact was purchased by the Archives in 2000. Another addition was donated by Terry DeLapp, Kuhn's dealer, in 2015.
Digitization Note:
This site provides access to the bulk of the Walt Kuhn, Walt Kuhn family papers and Armory Show records . These were digitized in 2006, and total 31,198 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
New York school of art  Search this
Modernism (Art)  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9172
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211367
AAA_collcode_kuhnwalt
Theme:
Diaries
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211367