An interview of Marc Moldawer, Kathryn Swenson, and Robert Wilson conducted 1984 Aug. 15, by Sandra Curtis Levy, for the Archives of American Art.
Moldawer, Swenson, and Wilson speak of the art scene in Houston in the 1950s and how each came to be involved in it; the development of the New Arts Gallery; artists whose work was shown in the early days of the gallery; problems in collecting; the closing of the New Arts Gallery; the relationship between art and architecture; Houston as an arts community; ethnic exhibits; definitions of art. They recall Jermayne MacAgy, Forrest Bess, and Dominique de Menil.
Biographical / Historical:
Marc Moldawer (1922-2007), Kathry Swennson, and Robert Wilson are art dealers from Houston, Tex.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 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 others.
Correspondence; lists of paintings; printed material; photographs of works of art; and slides.
REEL 3366: Correspondence, undated and 1951-1964; lists of paintings; printed material; and photographs of works of art, undated and 1953-1961.
REEL 3458: Correspondence with Forrest Bess; and 51 slides of Moldawer's paintings.
Biographical / Historical:
Physician, painter; Houston, Texas.
Other Title:
Forrest Bess papers (microfilm title)
Provenance:
Material on reel 3366 lent for microfilming 1985 and material on reel 3458 donated 1984 by Marc Moldawer as part of AAA's Texas project.
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.
Correspondence; files on 42 artists, containing clippings, photos, exhibition catalogs and letters; exhibition files for her gallery, Gallery of Wonderful Things, Fort Worth, Texas, and Tall Timbers, Houston, Texas; a scrapbook containing clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, photos, and letters about the Gallery of Wonderful Things; printed material and loan records for her private collections of ceramics, paintings and sculpture; photographs; and printed miscellany.
Artist files include David Adickes, Ludwig Bemelmans, James Blake, Bill Bomar, Cynthia Brants, David Brownlow, Max Butler, John Chumley, Charles Cobelle, Dorothy Crowley, Montague Dawson, Adolph Dehn, Joseph Domjan, Kelly Fearing, Robert Fowler, Frank Freed, An Furuta, Henry and Leila Gadbois, R.C. Gorman, George Grammer, John Guerin, Dorothy Hood, William A. Kolliker, Richard M. Lincoln, Anthony Martin, Blanche McVeigh, Marc Moldawer, Martha Mood, Charles Pebworth, Margaret Putnam, Dickson Reeder, Andrew Rush, Porfirio Salinas, E.M. (Buck) Schiwetz, Charles Schorre, Mary Ellen Shipnes, Agnes Sims, Emily Guthrie Smith, Trudy Sween, Charles Umlauf, Bror Utter, and Charles T. Williams.
Biographical / Historical:
Hershey founded Gallery of Wonderful Things, Fort Worth, Texas in 1956 and turned it over to Electra Carlin in 1958. Carlin moved the gallery and changed the name to Carlin Gallery. Hershey moved to Houston and organized four art shows at the Tall Timbers apartment complex owned by her husband.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1981 by Terese Tarlton Hershey.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Gallery directors -- Texas -- Fort Worth Search this
