The collection is arranged as three series. Series 1: Exhibition Files, 1982-2004 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1) Series 2: Artist Files, 1973-2006 (3.3 linear feet; Boxes 1-4) Series 3: Gallery Files, 1982-2005 (0.1 linear feet; Box 4)
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 Koplin Gallery and Koplin Del Rio Gallery records measure 4.0 linear feet and date from 1973 to 2006. The records document the history of the gallery primarily through exhibition and artist files. Files are typically comprised of correspondence with artists, artist statements and resumes, loan agreements, exhibition material such as announcements, catalogs, and price lists, photographs and slides of artwork and exhibitions, printed material documenting exhibitions at the gallery as well as the wider careers of many of the artists that exhibited there, and sound and video recordings about some of the artists and their work. Five gallery files provide scattered documentation of the gallery's history, Martha Koplin's career, and the transition to Koplin Del Rio Gallery with Eleana Del Rio as director, and include photographs of artist openings and other events at the gallery and elsewhere.
Citation:
Koplin Gallery and Koplin Del Rio Gallery records, 1973-2006. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The bulk of the collection was digitized in 2024 and is available on the Archives of American Art website. Material not digitized includes duplicates, blank versos of photographs, and some printed material and publications for which only the covers and/or relevant pages may have been digitized. Some artist printed material not related to Koplin Gallery has been selectively digitized.
Funding:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee. The digitization of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum.
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:
Gallery owner and educator Martha (Marti) Koplin opened Koplin Gallery in West Hollywood, California, in January 1982 with an exhibition of Joan Brown's sculptures and paintings, and constructions by Elena and Mary Siff. Koplin Gallery subsequently played an active role in the Los Angeles gallery and art scene mounting an eclectic range of exhibitions showing photography, sculpture, representational works, and abstract art.
In 1990 the gallery moved to Santa Monica before returning to West Hollywood in 1996. Eleana Del Rio joined the gallery in 1989 and became a principle in the gallery in 1998. By that time Koplin Gallery had become the representative of Rico Lebrun's estate and showed artists such as Darlene Campbell, James Doolin, Martha Mayer Erlebacher, Mineko Grimmer, Kerry James Marshall, and others. Martha Koplin retired in 2002 and formally announced the inauguration of the Koplin Del Rio gallery in 2003 with Eleana Del Rio as the director. Del Rio continues to operate Koplin Del Rio Gallery in Seattle, Washington.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
Donated 2007 and 2009 by Eleana Del Rio, gallery director and Martha Koplin, retired Koplin Gallery director.
Digitization Note:
This site provides access to the papers of Koplin Del Rio Gallery in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2025, and total 5,098 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
