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The Artist, The Collector, and Quality Correspondence in midst of the Digital Era

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Tue, 19 Aug 2014 17:00:00 +0000
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<div class="field field-name-field-guest-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Rachel Guardiola, Intern, Digital Services Division</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><img src="http://siarchives.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/body-image-450/public/blog-attached-images/RU007449_1.jpg?itok=FDLAnoQm" alt="Letter from (Sandy) Alexander Calder to Joseph and Olga Hirshhorn, July 13, 1966. Record Unit 7449 - Joseph H. Hirshhorn Papers, circa 1926-1982 and undated. Smithsonian Institution Archives." title="Letter from (Sandy) Alexander Calder to Joseph and Olga Hirshhorn, July 13, 1966. Alexander Calder writes to the Hirshhorn’s about their travel plans and invitation to his home in Saché, France. Image of Calder gazing up at his sculpture, &quot;Two Discs,&quot; during its installation in 1965. Record Unit 7449 - Joseph H. Hirshhorn Papers, circa 1926-1982 and undated. Smithsonian Institution Archives." width="450" height="305" class="image-body-image-450" /></p> <p>As a young artist entering the contemporary art world, the opportunity to speak with an art collector or museum director is few and far between.  An art collector like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Hirshhorn" target="_blank">Joseph H. Hirshhorn</a> has always played a crucial role in the development of artist careers, bridging the gap between the maker and the public institution. I am currently a graduate Master of Fine Arts student at the <a href="http://www.mica.edu/" target="_blank">Maryland Institute College of Art</a> participating in a Smithsonian Institution Archives Summer Internship Program to further my thesis investigation into different multimedia based technologies, and the means in which the apparatus shapes the way we create systems of documentation.</p> <p><img src="http://siarchives.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/body-image-300/public/blog-attached-images/RU007449_B04_F30_073.jpg?itok=8OEf4TN2" alt="Letter to Willem de Kooning from Joseph Hirshhorn, November 15, 1967. Record Unit 7449 - Joseph H. Hirshhorn Papers, circa 1926-1982 and undated. Smithsonian Institution Archives." title="Letter to Willem de Kooning from Joseph Hirshhorn, November 15, 1967. Hirshhorn writes to de Kooning to inform him of the success of a new body of painting shown at a gallery reception. Record Unit 7449 - Joseph H. Hirshhorn Papers, circa 1926-1982 and undated. Smithsonian Institution Archives." width="300" height="382" class="image-body-image-300" /></p> <p>While digitizing the correspondence between Joseph H. Hirshhorn and many coveted artists during the 1960s and 1970s, it is made evident through the preservation of these paper documents that bonding relationships formed.  Artists including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Calder" target="_blank">Alexander Calder</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Chagall" target="_blank">Marc Chagall</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem_de_Kooning" target="_blank">Willem de Kooning</a> share words with members of the Hirshhorn family that extend far beyond business relationships, and move towards a closeness to that of a friend or family member. These materials affirm a physical record over the years as both Hirshhorn and his disciples share all, from their daily dealings, to their most intimate and reflective thoughts, to their major life events. The ongoing conversations reveal Hirshhorn’s utmost reverence for  artists and their lives.</p> <p><img src="http://siarchives.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/body-image-450/public/blog-attached-images/RU007449_3.jpg?itok=oenpEmWU" alt="Letter to Joseph Hirshhorn from Lisa de Kooning, January 25, 1966. Record Unit 7449 - Joseph H. Hirshhorn Papers, circa 1926-1982 and undated. Smithsonian Institution Archives." title="Letter to Joseph Hirshhorn from Lisa de Kooning, January 25, 1966. Lisa de Kooning as a child handwrites a letter to Hirshhorn to thank him for the gift of a saddle and bridle for her horse “Freddy.” She draws a picture of “Freddy,” and personally invites him to her birthday party. Record Unit 7449 - Joseph H. Hirshhorn Papers, circa 1926-1982 and undated. Smithsonian Institution Archives." width="450" height="261" class="image-body-image-450" /></p> <p>During the digitization process there were numerous letters, postcards, and telegrams all filled with warm salutations, advice, and admiration for various art works.  I came across a few unique letters and photographs to share with you. It seems Hirshhorn had a close bond specifically with Willem de Kooning as he notes in the letter on November 15, 1967 after an exhibition reception, “I guess it wasn’t enough for the reporter to hear me shout all over the place that you and Picasso are the greatest painters alive—.”  Hirshhorn also shares correspondence with de Kooning’s only daughter Lisa de Kooning. Found above is a letter in child’s handwriting where Lisa thanks Hirshhorn for his gifts that encourage her love of animals. In the letter she draws a portrait, shown adjacent to a photograph of her pet horse <em>Freddy</em>. They later reunite their exchange as Lisa writes to Joseph and Olga Hirshhorn on December 7, 1978 to include them in her organization of <em>ASPCA Animals and Art</em> benefit.  Sifting through, I also came across a series of Kodak color still photographs from 1965 documenting the installation of Alexander Calder’s outdoor sculpture <em><a href="http://www.wikiart.org/en/alexander-calder/two-discs-1965" target="_blank">Two Discs</a></em>, which is amongst the permanent collections at the <a href="http://www.hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/home/#collection=home" target="_blank">Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden</a>. Calder exchanges multiple letters with Joseph and Olga about travel plans filled with invitations to his home in Saché, France. Lastly, included is a brief letter between Marc Chagall and Hirshhorn about his inquiry for artworks. Hirshhorn was also a frequent guest in the Chagall home, as this snapshot of Chagall and German shepherd was captured during a leisurely afternoon with the Hirshhorn&#039;s and friends.</p> <p><img src="http://siarchives.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/body-image-300/public/blog-attached-images/RU007449_B04_F29_001.jpg?itok=2AEFkzH-" alt="Letter to Joseph and Olga Hirshhorn from Lisa de Kooning, December 7, 1978. Record Unit 7449 - Joseph H. Hirshhorn Papers, circa 1926-1982 and undated. Smithsonian Institution Archives." title="Letter to Joseph and Olga Hirshhorn from Lisa de Kooning, December 7, 1978. Letter to Joseph and Olga Hirshhorn from Lisa de Kooning to inform them of her ASPCA Animals and Art 1979 benefit and thanking them for their influential role in the event. Record Unit 7449 - Joseph H. Hirshhorn Papers, circa 1926-1982 and undated. Smithsonian Institution Archives." width="300" height="383" class="image-body-image-300" /></p> <p>After exploring these artifacts, I began to ask myself if these close affinities could exist today.  In the midst of the current art market environment saturated by digital content, concrete communication is often abstract and fleeting.  It can take weeks to get an answer to a telephone call, and for email sometimes never as mailboxes fill up with thousands of messages that can prove overwhelming to answer.  Digital correspondence is so immediate that it can often lack the nuance that adds to the character or intent of a conversation. The current generation communicates primarily through digital outlets. Email, text messaging, and social media definitely have their place, however do these electronic versions have the same meaning and impact as the hardcopies they replace? Can these modes of communication suffice in establishing gallery or museum representation to prolong a future in a fine art field? It is a pleasure to go back and read the development of these special relationships, the impact Hirshhorn had on the lives of the artists he supported, and at the same time allow contemporary artists to consider the importance of the means in which relationships are built within the current art world.</p> <p><img src="http://siarchives.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/body-image-350/public/blog-attached-images/RU007449_B04_F13_004_013.jpg?itok=DwCGa-f2" alt="Letter from Joseph Hirshhorn to Marc Chagall, September 27, 1967. Record Unit 7449 - Joseph H. Hirshhorn Papers, circa 1926-1982 and undated. Smithsonian Institution Archives." title="Letter from Joseph Hirshhorn to Marc Chagall, September 27, 1967. In this letter Hirshhorn asks Chagall for photographs of news works to be considered for Hirshhorn’s permanent collection. Photograph of Chagall with German shepherd. Record Unit 7449 - Joseph H. Hirshhorn Papers, circa 1926-1982 and undated. Smithsonian Institution Archives." width="350" height="256" class="image-body-image-350" /></p> <h3>Related Resources</h3> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/home/#collection=willem-de-kooning" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.538em;">Willem de Kooning</a><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden</span></li> <li><a href="http://www.hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/home/#collection=alex-calder" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.538em;">Alexander Calder</a><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden</span></li> <li><a href="http://www.hirshhorn.si.edu/search-results/?edan_search_value=Marc%20Chagall" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.538em;">Marc Chagall</a><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden</span></li> </ul> <h3>Related Collections</h3> <ul> <li><a href="http://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_217603" style="line-height: 1.538em;">Record Unit 7449 - Joseph H. Hirshhorn Papers, circa 1926-1982 and undated</a><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">, </span><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">Smithsonian Institution Archives</span></li> </ul> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-3 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Blog Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/category/collections-focus"><span>Collections in Focus</span></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-4 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Blog Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tag/artist"><span>Artist</span></a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tag/archive"><span>Archive</span></a></div></div></div>
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