California Palace of the Legion of Honor Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Thomas Carr Howe and Robert Neuhaus, 1987 Sept 25. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Museum directors -- California -- Interviews Search this
An interview of William T. Wiley conducted 1997 October 8-November 20, by Paul J. Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, in Woodacre, California.
Wiley discusses the importance of the rural setting of his Marin County studio/home and his corresponding lifestyle to his world view and its reflection in his art. He describes his itinerant youth and experience at the San Francisco Art Institute, and his teaching years at UC Davis, which had attracted a faculty that included Robert Arenson and Wayne Thiebaud. Among the graduate students was Bruce Nauman, who he discusses in length and credited with influencing some of his own ideas at the time. He also acknowledges the influence of the assemblage movement through relationships with George Herms and Bruce Conner.
The final session addressed the communal nature of the Bay Area art scene and the differences between East and West Coast art worlds. The interview ends with a discussion of Wiley's iconography and motifs frequently encountered in his works and how their changing meaning are intended to encourage thoughts on visual and verbal complexities as reflections of shifting perception and experience.
Biographical / Historical:
William T. Wiley (1937-2021) was a painter and helped found the funk art movement. He was also an educator at U.C. Davis. Wiley lived and worked in the San Francisco Bay area.
General:
Originally recorded on 8 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 15 digital wav files. Duration is 7 hrs., 32 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Interview of Thomas Carr Howe and Robert Neuhaus, conducted by Peter Fairbanks and Paul Karlstrom for the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution in San Francisco, CA, on September 25, 1987.
Carr and Neuhaus, both former directors of the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, speak of the San Francisco art scene in the 1930s, with emphasis on museums, patronage, and collecting; their backgrounds and schooling; the Panama-Pacific Exhibition; art galleries in the 1930s; the museum staff at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in the 1930s; and the art climate in the Bay Area. Carr and Neuhaus also recall the McAgys, Grace Morley, Clyfford Still, Alma Spreckels, the Crockers, the Gettys, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Carr and Neuhaus were former directors of the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, in the 1930s. Howe was Assistant Director, 1931-1939, and Director, 1939-1968. Neuhaus was Director of Education, 1938-1940; he establishedd a gallery in 1941, Robert Neuhaus Services, which remained opened for about six months. Artists represented included Clyfford Still, George Post, and Joseph Raphael.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Museum directors -- California -- Interviews Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sponsor:
Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Correspondence; artwork; sketchbooks; photographs and slides; list of works and receipts; a master's thesis; and a calendar.
REEL 849: Lists of works and receipts; master's thesis by Paul Mills, "David Park and the New Figurative Painting," 1962; drawings and sketches; photographs of Park's works.
REELS 3001-3002: Correspondence of David and Lydia Park, 1959-1966, with George W. Staempfli and Phillip A. Bruno of Staempfli Gallery, and with the Park's attorney concerning the estate; 55 original works, in oil, pastel, ink, pencil and watercolor; 3 undated sketchbooks of figure and landscape studies; 51 photographs and slides of paintings by Park; a November 1971 calendar from Santa Barbara Museum of Art announcing the acquisition of Park's THREE NUDES; and miscellany.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, teacher; California. Park taught at the California School of Fine Arts from 1943-1952. Worked in Bay Area figurative painting style.
Provenance:
Material on reel 849 lent for microfilming 1974 and material on reels 3001-3002 donated 1974 by Lydia Park Moore, widow of Park.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The John Bolles Gallery records measure 22.0 linear feet and date from 1958-1975. Included are financial records, administrative records, collection records, correspondence, photographs, artwork and printed material.
Biographical / Historical:
The John Bolles Gallery was a commercial gallery established in 1958 by John Bolles, Chairman of the Board, San Francisco Art Institute. The gallery's original mission was to provide an outlet for students and alumni of the Art Institute. Directors included Grace McCann Morley, Dick Faralla, Phil Lieder, Jim Monte, Harriet Johns, and Hayward King. The Gallery closed February 1975.
Provenance:
The bulk of the collection was donated in 1975 by John S. Bolles. Additional material donated in 1997 by Bolles' daughter, Jane Bolles Grimm and in 2021 by Tom Bolles, John Bolles' son.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
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.
Topic:
Artists -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area -- Exhibitions Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- California -- San Francisco Search this
An interview of Paul Carey conducted 1993 December 3 and 28, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of Amerian Art.
Carey discusses the San Francisco Bay Area art scene from the 1920s to 1990s; the Bohemian Club and its members; and his work as an illustrator. Accompanying material consists of a 10 page statement by Carey written in preparation for the interview, and an exhibition brochure for Maurice Logan which includes a short biography written by Carey, 1975; Carey was associated with Logan as an illustrator.
Biographical / Historical:
Paul Carey (1904-2001) was an illustrator and painter from Piedmont, California. Carey attended California School of Fine Arts, 1924-1925.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 12 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 7 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for transcription provided by the Gerald and Bente Buck Collection as part of the Artists and Models series
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
The Diana Fuller papers and gallery records measure 67.9 linear feet and date from 1958 to 2004. The records shed light on the operations of Hansen-Fuller Gallery, Hansen-Fuller-Goldeen Gallery, Fuller-Goldeen Gallery, and Fuller-Gross Gallery through administrative files, correspondence files, artists' files, dealer and institution files, exhibition and event files, financial records, printed materials, photographic materials, as well as some audiovisual and born digital materials. Diana Fuller's papers concern her work with the Bay Area Consortium for the Visual Arts, her book, Art/Women/California, 1950-2000: Parallels and Intersections (2002), and include scattered project files, photographic materials, and more. Also present are correspondence files, artists' files, exhibition material, and financial records generated by Arts Unlimited and Hansen Galleries.
Scope and Contents:
The Diana Fuller papers and gallery records measure 67.9 linear feet and date from 1958 to 2004. The records shed light on the operations of Hansen-Fuller Gallery, Hansen-Fuller-Goldeen Gallery, Fuller-Goldeen Gallery, and Fuller-Gross Gallery through administrative files, correspondence files, artists' files, dealer and institution files, exhibition and event files, financial records, printed materials, photographic materials, as well as some audiovisual and born digital materials. Diana Fuller's papers concern her work with the Bay Area Consortium for the Visual Arts, her book, Art/Women/California, 1950-2000: Parallels and Intersections (2002), and include scattered project files, photographic materials, and more. Also present are correspondence files, artists' files, exhibition material, and financial records generated by Arts Unlimited and Hansen Galleries.
Administrative files include job descriptions, inventories of artwork, addresses, and contact lists; papers relating to foundries, photographers, framers, and printers; advertising records, property records, travel files, and one gallery guestbook. Correspondence files document the galleries' relationship with collectors, clients, art organizations, and consultants. The files include some sales records, agreements, printed material, and photos of artwork as well. Artists' files include biographical information, artist statements, correspondence, client lists, exhibition materials, loan and consignment records, and more. Among the artists featured extensively is Beth Van Hosen, William T. Wiley, Roy DeForest, Robert Arneson, Tom Holland, Robert Hudson, Marilyn Levine, and Joan Brown.
Exhibition and event files shed light on solo and group shows held at Fuller galleries, Art Unlimited and Hansen Gallery, and outside galleries, museums, and institutions; art fairs held in the U.S. and abroad, and auctions. Files related to film screenings, tours, luncheons, and other special events held at Fuller galleries are also present. Dealer and institution files consist of correspondence, loan and consignments records, bills of sale, commission agreements and contracts, printed material, price lists, and some photographic materials. Financial records contain account ledgers, invoices and receipts, gallery checks, and sales records. Also present are donation records, appraisal reports, and some financial records from Arts Unlimited and Hansen Gallery.
Diana Fuller's papers include project files, appraisal records, membership records, correspondence, and photographic materials. Records related to the Bay Area Consortium for the Visual Arts consist of administrative records, project files, grant applications, 1989 earthquake disaster relief material, and organization finances. Files relating toParallels and Intersections and its accompanying exhibition contain artist files, author files, correspondence, publishing agreements, drafts, cassette tapes, DVDs, and more.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 7 series.
Series 1: Administrative Records, 1969-1992 (Box 1-3; 2.2 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence Files, 1963-1993 (Box 3-8; 5.5 linear feet)
Series 3: Artists' Files, 1959-1993 (Box 8-37; 28.5 linear feet)
Series 4: Exhibition and Event Files, 1967-1993, 2001 (Box 37-45; 8.3 linear feet)
Series 5: Dealer and Institution Files, 1965-1992 (Box 45-51; 6.3 linear feet)
Series 6: Financial Records, 1958-1990 (Box 51-58, 68-70; 7.9 linear feet)
Series 7: Diana Fuller Personal and Professional Papers, 1970s-2004 (Box 58-67; 9.2 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
The Diana Fuller galleries were contemporary art galleries in San Francisco, California, from 1969 to 1990. During this period, the gallery changed name and ownership on several occasions: Hansen-Fuller Gallery (1969-1979), Hansen-Fuller-Goldeen Gallery (1979-1982), Fuller-Goldeen Gallery (1982-1986), and Fuller-Gross Gallery (1987-1990). The three gallerists who partnered with Fuller were Wanda Hansen, Dorothy Goldeen, and Brian Gross. Among the artists represented by Fuller galleries were Beth Van Hosen, William T. Wiley, Roy DeForest, Robert Arneson, Tom Holland, Robert Hudson, Marilyn Levine, and Joan Brown. Fuller galleries held performance and conceptual art exhibitions, music performances, screened films, and rented its space out for luncheons and other special events. The gallery also exhibited at art fairs in the U.S. and Europe.
Diana Burgess Fuller is a curator, editor, and filmmaker who was previously a gallerist and art dealer. Diana Burgess worked at Saks Fifth Avenue when she married author Blair Fuller in 1965. Around 1967, she began working for Wanda Hansen's contemporary art gallery, which changed names from Art Unlimited to Hansen Galleries (sometimes Gallery). In 1969, Fuller and Hansen opened the Hansen-Fuller Gallery. That same year, Blair Fuller and novelist Oakley Hall started the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley. Diana Fuller has been involved with Squaw Valley since its inception, and currently serves as director of its screenwriting program. Fuller continued in the retail art business for a short period after closing the gallerey in 1990. In the late 1990s, Fuller began working on the seminal exhibition and book catalog, Art/Women/California, 1950-2000: Parallels and Intersections (2002), documenting more than 90 women artists working in California in the second half of the twentieth century. Fuller was the former president of the Film Arts Foundation and former chair of the Roxie Theater; she currently serves on the board of Artists in Residence Program at Recology.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is the Dorothy Goldeen Gallery records.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Diana Fuller, 1991-1995 and 2022.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
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.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Function:
Art galleries, Commercial -- California
Citation:
Diana Fuller Papers and Gallery Records, 1958-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
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.
Biographical material, 1953-1981; 15 letters from Hans and Maria Hofmann, and two from Wessels to Hofmann, 1952-1964; correspondence with Ila Limerick and Peace and Pauline Alvarez regarding mostly their planned but uncompleted biography of Wessels, ca. 1959-1968; miscellaneous correspondence; typescripts of lectures by Wessels; photographs of Wessels, including one by Imogen Cunningham, 1956, Wessels with others, one of his work, and one by Wessels (?) of an outdoor scene; newspaper clippings and printed material, undated, 1959-1967 and 1982; and miscellany, 1932-1966.
The Hans Hofmann letters, written from New York and Provincetown, discuss the importance of painting, his and Wessel's work, his plans to come to Berkeley to accept an honorary doctorate, and his feelings toward Wessels, Erle Loran, and others. Three of the letters are written by his wife Maria. Wessels' letters to Hofmann relate to the University's choice of Erle Loran to present Hofmann's honorary doctorate.
The correspondence with Ila Limerick, and Peace and sometimes Pauline Alvarez, contain lengthy, detailed reminiscences by Wessels on personal and professional topics. The later correspondence with Peace Alvarez relates mainly to the deteriorating health of Wessels' wife, Kay.
The miscellaneous correspondence includes a letter from Wessels to Worth Ryder, 1943, relating to Erle Loran and John Haley; a letter from Alfred Frankenstein thanking Wessels for sending his paper "The New Approach to Nature in Painting"; a letter from Worth Ryder congratulating Wessels on his exhibition, 1959; a letter from Ansel Adams praising Wessels' work done at a Polaroid Corp. Workshop, 1965; and letters regarding a controversy surrounding credit for bringing Hofmann to U.C. Berkeley, including a copy of a letter from John Haley to Paul Cummings; from Wessels to Haley, 1978; and from Wessel's brother-in-law Willis Foster to James Elliott, Director, University Art Museum, 1986.
Included in the printed material are an issue of The Fortnightly (Feb. 26, 1932) which Wessels helped found and served as art editor, and The Argonaut (July 16, 1937), containing Wessels' weekly column on art.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, lecturer, critic, and teacher; Berkeley, Calif. Born Captown, South Africa. Studied with Hans Hofmann in Munich. Professor of Art at University of California at Berkeley.
Provenance:
Donated 1991 by Willis Foster, Wessels' brother-in-law.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The collection documents the career of Bolivian born painter and illustrator, Antonio Sotomayor, his interest in Latin American art and artists, and his association with the San Francisco arts community. Materials found in the collection include letters, writings, sketches and sketchbooks, printed material and photographs.
Scope and Content Note:
The collection documents the career of Bolivian born painter and illustrator, Antonio Sotomayor, his interest in Latin American art and artists, and his association with the San Francisco arts community.
The collection consists primarily of correspondence, writings, artwork, printed material, and photographs documenting Sotomayor's career, his interest in Latin American art and artists, and his association with the San Francisco arts community.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as six series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Correspondence, 1931-1988, undated (box 1, 21 folders)
Series 2: Writings, 1932-1946, undated (box 1, 11 folders)
Series 3: Artwork, 1935, undated (box 1, 23 folders)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1935-1987 (boxes 1-2, 12 folders)
Series 5: Photographs, circa 1920-1984, undated (box 2, 13 folders)
Series 6: Oversized Material, 1941, 1958, undated (2 OV folders)
Biographical Note:
Antonio Sotomayor was born in Bolvia and came to San Francisco in 1923. He was educated at the Escuela de Belleas Arts in La Paz and the Hopkins Institute of Art in San Francisco. Primarily known for his murals and paintings, Sotomayor was also an illustrator, caricaturist, designer, ceramicist, and educator. Over the course of his career his work was exhibited in the United States, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and South America and he became known as the popular "artist laureate" of San Francisco where he lived with his wife, Grace. He died of cancer in 1985 at the age of 82.
Provenance:
The Antonio Sotomayor papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Grace Sotomayor in 1998.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Painters -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Cartoonists -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Topic:
Muralists -- California -- San Francisco Search this
11.1 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 9 reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Sketchbooks
Sound recordings
Date:
1946-1982
Scope and Contents:
Biographical material, correspondence, writings and notes, inventories, works of arts, business and financial records, printed material, and photographs.
REELS 2759-2762: Resumes; correspondence; photographs of works of art and installations; writings, including school papers and articles; drawings, mostly designs for sculptures; business and personal financial records, including transactions with galleries; printed material including announcements, catalogs and press releases; and miscellany.
REELS 4010-4014: Correspondence (14 items), including a carbon copy and several drafts of Paris' letter, ca. 1969, to Mr. Withofs of Gallerie Withofs in Brussels regarding the installation of the exhibition "Voices of Packaged Souls," a letter from Paris to Debbie Little and friends, ca. 1969, in which he comments on his stay in Milan and his exhibition at the Studio Marconi, and a draft of a letter to Hilton Kramer;
a manuscript "A Temporarily Harold Paris," in which Paris comments on his work and recounts numerous autobiographical incidents; 3 p. of hand illustrated and written notes "The Dissillussion of Hero Modern"; 4 address books; and photocopies of annotated art inventories, identified as: "Works of art 1940-1979," "Blue prints, black lines and blue lines," "Works of art personal collection," and "Inventory Smithsonian Institution."
Also included are fifteen sketchbooks, including one executed during Paris' service as an artist correspondent for the army newspaper STARS AND STRIPES, and ca. 50 loose sketches entitled "Book of Packaged Souls"; clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements,; a scrapbook containing exhibition announcements and reviews of Paris' work, 1975-1976; photographs of family, friends, art works executed by Paris between ca. 1956-1978, and negatives and transparencies.
UNMICROFILMED: Biographical material including a resume, membership cards and travel papers; correspondence, 1946-1980, with friends including Angelo Ippolito and Paris' second wife Frieda, some illustrated, business correspondence regarding Paris' Guggenheim fellowship and exhibitions; illustrated writings by Paris including notes and essays regarding one of his works "26 Days of John Little" and notes and writings for his unpublished book "Temporarily Harold Paris," 1978; 8 sketchbooks, 7 prints and many loose sketches undated; business records including price lists and inventories of paintings, a ledger and a tax return;
printed material, 1946-1979, including exhibition announcements, catalogs, brochures, and a scrapbook of clippings; 4 cassette tapes of notes on "Temporarily Harold Paris, " and 1 cassette tape "Harold Paris Reading Article on Souls;" subject files on the Smith Anderson Gallery, 1973-1978, the Stephen Wirtz Gallery, 1977-1979, (including a card catalog with photographs of Paris' work) and the Bart Commission; and photographs, slides and negatives including snapshots of Paris, friends and family, portraits of Paris and works of art.
Biographical / Historical:
Harold Paris (1925-1979) was a sculptor, assemblage artist and printmaker in California.
Provenance:
Donated by the Paris estate, 1982 and 1988, and by Paris' widow Deborah Little Paris, 1986.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm.
Rights:
Manuscript and photographs of: "Temporarily Harold Paris," reel 4010, frames 242-370: The donor has retained all intellectual property rights, including copyright, that they may own.
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.
Occupation:
Assemblage artists -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area Search this
Printmakers -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area Search this
Sculptors -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area Search this
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area Search this
An interview of James Melchert conducted in Oakland, Calif., 1991 Apr.4-5, by Mady Jones, for the Archives of American Art.
Melchert discusses his background; attending the University of Chicago for his MFA in painting; discovering his interest in clay; studying under Peter Voulkos at the Bray Foundation and following him to Berkeley in the Decorative Arts Dept.; artists at Berkeley at the time; teaching ceramics at the San Francisco Art Institute; the art scene in San Francisco; working for the National Endowment for the Arts; moving to Rome to work for the American Academy in Rome; and his future plans. Among the many artists and administrators he recalls are Rudy Autio, Millard Sheets, Bob Arneson, Stephen de Staebler, Jacques Schnier, Peter Selz, Bruce Connor, Bruce Nauman, Manuel Neri, Joan Brown, Susan Peterson, Fred Martin, Ron Nagle, Grace Morley, and Carlos Villa.
Biographical / Historical:
Jim Melchert (1930- ) is a sculptor, teacher, and art administrator of Oakland, Calif. Chairman, Ceramics Dept., San Francisco Art Institute, 1961-1964. Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, 1965-1976. Federal grants chairman of the visual arts for the National Endowment of the Arts in the late 1970s.
General:
Originally recorded on 5 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 9 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hrs., 38 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for this interview provided by the Lannan Foundation.
Restrictions:
ACCESS RESTRICTED; use requires written permission.
Occupation:
Artists -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area Search this
An interview of Mary Fuller McChesney conducted 1994 Sept. 28, by Susan Landauer, for the Archives of American Art, Women in the Arts in Southern California Oral History Project, at the artist's home, on Sonoma Mountain, Calif.
Fuller McChesney discusses her childhood and growing up during the Depression; her student days at the University of California, Berkeley; the political response on the campus to WWII and the Japanese interment; her experience working as a welder in the shipyards which she considers her introduction to sculpture; her introduction to the art community in San Francisco through the cooperative Artists' Guild Gallery; her association with the Abstract Expressionists at the California School of Fine Arts in the 1940s; her foray into writing fiction and her success as a mystery writer; her work on the Archives of American Art's oral history project documenting the WPA art project in California; her first significant publication on the San Francisco School of Abstract Expressionism, Period of Exploration, and the interviews she conducted in the mid-late 1960s for the project.
She describes her attitudes and philosphies about art; living at Point Richmond with her husband Robert McChesney, Edward Corbett, Hassel Smith, and poet Weldon Kees during the late 1940s; her impressions of the Cedar Bar and New York artists during the mid-late 1960s; her own artistic evolution and career as a sculptor; the intellectual and artistic sources of her work; her subjects and techniques; her public commissions; her audience and market; and her experiences and perspectives as a woman artist and feminist. She recalls Edward Corbett, Willem De Kooning, Richard Diebenkorn, Weldon Kees, Douglas MacAgy, Bea Mandelman, Conrad Marca-Relli, Agnes Martin, Robert McChesney, David Park, Ad Reinhardt, Louis Ribak, Hassel Smith, Clay Spohn, Clyfford Still, and Esteban Vicente.
Biographical / Historical:
Mary Fuller McChesney (1922-2022) was a sculptor and art historian in San Francisco and Petaluma, Calif.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 58 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for this interview was provided by the Margery and Harry Kahn Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Communal Fund of New York.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Art historians -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Correspondence; business records; teaching contracts; printed material, and material relating to Jay DeFeo.
REEL 1092: Correspondence with museums and galleries; papers related to museum and gallery business; income tax papers; teaching contracts; catalogs and announcements; and clippings.
REEL 911: Working files relating primarily to Jay DeFeo's painting "The Rose," as well as her recent works. The files contain correspondence with DeFeo, and with Thomas Albright, George Neubert, Terry St. John, John Humphrey, Tony Rockwell, and Ed Janss. Also included are photographs of "The Rose" and DeFeo's "telephone series"; business material; and clippings.
REEL 2802: A letter to Alfred Frankenstein, Oct. 2, 1976, asking "Has Christo taken the role of criminal perpetrator of a 'Crime Against Nature'..." Frankenstein replies "How idiotic can you get?" and Conner responds at length.
Biographical / Historical:
Printmaker and filmmaker; San Francisco, Calif.
Provenance:
Material on reel 911 lent for microfilming, 1975 and the remainder donated 1976 by Bruce Conner.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
