The collection is arranged as ten series. Series 1: Biographical Material, 1960s-2012 (0.2 linear feet, Box 1) Series 2: Correspondence, 1949-2014 (0.8 linear feet, Box 1) Series 3: Writings, 1958-2013 (1.1 linear feet, Box 2-3) Series 4: Gallery and Exhibition Files, 1979-2015 (0.8 linear feet, Box 3) Series 5: Project Files, 1950s-2014 (5.3 linear feet, Box 3-8, 15, OV 16-19) Series 6: Subject Files, 1939-2000s (1.3 linear feet, Box 8-9) Series 7: Teaching Files, 1992-2004 (0.2 linear feet, Box 9-10) Series 8: Personal Business Records, 1983-2015 (0.5 linear feet, Box 10) Series 9: Printed Material, 1950s-2000s (1.5 linear feet, Box 10-11, 15, OV 20) Series 10: Photographic Material, 1940s-2010s (1.9 linear feet, Box 12-15)
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 City and Gainesville, Florida based painter Arnold Mesches (1923-2016) measure 13.6 linear feet and date from 1939-2015. The collection documents Mesches' politically-engaged career and work process through biographical material, correspondence, writings, gallery and exhibition files, project files, subject files, teaching files, personal business records, printed material, and photographic material. Project files comprise a bulk of the collection and include grant files, activism files, project notebooks, and over 100 art project files containing drawings, source material, and photographic material for individual artworks.
Citation:
Arnold Mesches papers, 1939-2015. 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:
Arnold Mesches (1923-2016) was a painter in New York, New York and Gainesville, Florida. Born in the Bronx and raised in upstate Dunkirk, New York, Mesches studied advertising design in high school before moving to Los Angeles in 1943 to study art at the Jepson Art Institute and Chouinard Art Institute.
Language Note:
Collection is in English.
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives of American Art in 2017 by Jill Ciment, Mesches' widow.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
