This collection is arranged as 9 series. Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1958-1980 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1) Series 2: Correspondence, 1960s-circa 1980 (2.7 linear feet; Boxes 1-3, 12) Series 3: Writings and Notes, 1966-1980 (2.7 linear feet; Boxes 4-6) Series 4: Artists' Files, 1960s-1980 (0.6 linear feet; Box 6) Series 5: Personal Business Records, 1966-1980 (0.5 linear feet; Box 6-7) Series 6: Printed Materials, 1952-1980 (1.4 linear feet; Boxes 7-8, 12-13) Series 7: Scrapbooks, 1959-1980 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 8-9, 12) Series 8: Photographic Materials, 1960s-1980 (1.0 linear feet; Boxes 9-11) Series 9: Artifacts, circa 1970s (0.1 linear feet; Box 11)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Summary:
The papers of New York art critic, writer, educator, and painter, Gregory Battcock, measure 10.6 linear feet and date from 1952 to circa 1980. The collection includes biographical material, correspondence, published and unpublished writings, artists' files, personal business records, printed materials, scrapbooks, photographic materials, and artifacts that detail his involvement in both the mainstream and fringe art scenes of the 1970s.
Citation:
Gregory Battcock papers, 1952-circa 1980. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Funding:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care and Preservation Fund.
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:
Also found at the Archives of American Art is an audio interview recorded on December 11, 1969 with Gregory Battcock for the University Roundtable radio series. The recording forms part of the WFUV radio interviews relating to art, 1969-1973 collection.
Biography Note:
Gregory Battcock (1937-1980) was an art critic, writer, educator, and painter from New York, N.Y. He attended Michigan State University, the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome, and Hunter College for his undergraduate and graduate studies before receiving his Ph.D. from New York University in 1978. His dissertation was titled "Constructivism and Minimal Art: Some Aesthetic, Theoretical and Critical Correlations."
Language Note:
The collection is in English.
Provenance:
The Gregory Battcock papers were donated in 1992 by Nancy Mahl, an artist who occupied a studio in Jersey City, N.J. that had formerly been leased by a moving and storage company, and who came upon Battcock's papers in the building. The papers had been shipped to the Jersey City building without the knowledge of Ron Whyte (executor of Battcock's estate) and the Rev. Paul William Bradley, who had arranged to have Battcock's papers stored after his death. Additional papers were donated 2003 by Rev. Paul W. Bradley, who inherited the papers after the death of his partner Ron Whyte.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001