The collection is arranged as 11 series. Series 1: Biographical Material, 1971-2007 (0.35 linear feet; Box 4-5, 8) Series 2: Correspondence, 1953-2007 (0.50 linear feet; Box 1) Series 3: Writings, circa 1954-2007 (0.60 linear feet; Box 1-2) Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1965-2008 (0.40 linear feet; Box 2) Series 5: Gallery Files, 1969-2007 (0.70 linear feet; Box 2, 3) Series 6: Project Files, 1974-2008 (0.40 linear feet, Box 3) Series 7: Personal Business Records, 1936-2000 (0.30 linear feet; Box 3) Series 8: Printed Material, 1960-2017 (1.95 linear feet; Box 4-5, 8; OV 14) Series 9: Artwork, circa 1960s-circa1990s (0.70 linear feet; Box 5, 8, 10; OV 11-13; OV 15-18) Series 10: Photographic Material, 1954-2008 (1.40 linear feet; Box 6-7) Series 11: Sound Recordings and Video Recordings, 1967-2008 (0.70 linear feet; Box 7, 9)
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 born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Summary:
The papers of painter Howard Kanovitz measure 8.0 linear feet and 1 GB and date from 1953-2017. The collection documents Kanovitz's work as a professional artist through biographical material; personal and professional correspondence; writings; interviews; personal business records; gallery, exhibition and project files; photographic and printed material; sound and video recordings; and preliminary drawings and studies for artworks.
Citation:
Howard Kanovitz papers, 1953-2017, bulk 1963-1999. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
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:
Howard Kanovitz (1929-2009) was a painter based in New York City and Southampton, NY. After an early career as a jazz trombonist, Kanovitz began painting in 1949 and studied at The Rhode Island School of Design and The Art Students League in Woodstock with Yasuo Kuniyoshi. He moved to New York City and apprenticed with Franz Kline. Although he began his painting career as an abstract expressionist, Kanovitz became one of the early practitioners of photorealism in the 1960s. He also taught at the Salzburger Summer Art School and the School of Visual Arts and took on set design projects in both America and Germany. Kanovitz had more than fifty one-person gallery shows, with his last in 2008, one year before he died.
Language Note:
The collection is in English and German.
Provenance:
Donated in 2021 by Carolyn Oldenbusch, Kanovitz's widow and Director of the Howard Kanovitz Foundation.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
