Search Results

Interviewee:

Leslie, Alfred, 1927-  Search this

Interviewer:

Berman, Avis  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (sound file (2 hrs., 34 min.) Audio, digital, wav)

33 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

2018 Sept. 14

Scope and Contents:

An interview with Alfred Leslie conducted 2018 September 14, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art, at Leslie's studio in New York, N.Y.

Leslie speaks of his family history; his work as a gymnast; changing his surname; living with deafness since childhood; his early involvement in the Art Students League; enlisting and training in the U.S. Navy; his early artistic, musical, and literary production; studying and making art at NYU, Subjects of the Artist School, Studio 35, and The Club in the late 1940s; changes in his critical reputation and creative practice in the 1950s; his emergence as a filmmaker; the process of making The Last Clean Shirt; reflections on his work's engagement of its viewer; and reflections on the nature of discipline. Leslie also recalls Kimon Voyages, Flora Loebel, Leo Castelli, Lisa Bigelow, Caresse Crosby, Helen Frankenthaler, Nancy de Antonio, Barbara Rose, Ivan Olinsky, Frank DuMond, Reginald Marsh, Robert Beverly Hale, John McPherson, Harold Becker, Saul Colin, Grace Hartigan, Harry Jackson, Esta Teich, Allen Ginsberg, Tony Smith, Robert Goodnough, Robert Iglehart, William Baziotes, Hale Woodruff, Carl O. Podzus, Merce Cunningham, Ad Reinhardt, Robert Motherwell, Aristodemos Kaldis, Milton Resnick, Joop Sanders, Elaine de Kooning, Herbert Machiz, Ted Loos, Frank Stella, Eberhard Kornfeld, Arnold Rüdlinger, Walter Gutman, Harold Kanovitz, Frank O'Hara, Tony Schwartz, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Interviewee Alfred Leslie (1927- ) is an artist in New York, N.Y. Interviewer Avis Berman (1949- ) is an art historian and author in New York, N.Y.

Related Materials:

The Archives of American Art also holds the papers of Alfred Leslie.

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:

This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its Oral History Program interviews available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. Quotation, reproduction and publication of the recording is governed by restrictions. If an interview has been transcribed, researchers must quote from the transcript. If an interview has not been transcribed, researchers must quote from the recording. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

Filmmakers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Lichtenberg Family Foundation.

Identifier:

AAA.leslie18

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90814c784-0f89-4404-803e-15f5c732f0b7

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-leslie18

Creator:

Brook, Alexander, 1898-1980  Search this

Brook, Alexander, 1898-1980  Search this

Subject:

Bacon, Peggy  Search this

Biddle, George  Search this

Brett, Catherine  Search this

Covarrubias, Miguel  Search this

Pollock, Jackson  Search this

Spencer, Niles  Search this

Knee, Gina  Search this

Bouché, Louis  Search this

Type:

Photographs

Watercolors

Sketches

Transcriptions

Scrapbooks

Sketchbooks

Interviews

Etchings

Illustrations

Topic:

Post-impressionism (Art)  Search this

Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Theme:

Diaries  Search this

Lives of American Artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)6833

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208960

AAA_collcode_brooalex

Theme:

Diaries

Lives of American Artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208960

Creator:

Coffin, William A. (William Anderson), 1855-1925  Search this

Coffin, William A. (William Anderson), 1855-1925  Search this

Subject:

Stella, Joseph  Search this

Warren, Whitney  Search this

Mauer, Alfred  Search this

Benson, Frank Weston  Search this

Blashfield, Edwin Howland  Search this

Zorach, William  Search this

Gay, Walter  Search this

Gussow, Bernard  Search this

Bouché, Louis  Search this

Cortissoz, Royal  Search this

Pan-American Exposition (1901: Buffalo, N.Y.)  Search this

Société des artistes français  Search this

Exposition d'artistes de l'école Américaine (1919 : Paris, France)  Search this

American Rights Committee  Search this

American Artists' Committee of One Hundred  Search this

Lotos Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Musée d'histoire et d'art (Luxembourg)  Search this

Committee for the Exhibition of American Painting and Sculpture (Paris, France)  Search this

Type:

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Topic:

Harper's Weekly  Search this

New York Post  Search this

Art Exhibitions France Paris  Search this

Landscape painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art, American  Search this

World War, 1914-1918  Search this

Theme:

Lives of American Artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)7476

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209634

AAA_collcode_coffwill

Theme:

Lives of American Artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209634

Creator:

Gablik, Suzi, 1934-2022  Search this

Gablik, Suzi, 1934-2022  Search this

Type:

Diaries

Photographs

Topic:

Art criticism  Search this

Art -- History  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)16176

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)366730

AAA_collcode_gablsuzi

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_366730

Creator:

Porter, Fairfield  Search this

Names:

Hirschl & Adler Galleries  Search this

Tibor de Nagy Gallery  Search this

Brainard, Joe, 1942-  Search this

Burkhardt, Rudy  Search this

Button, John, 1929-1982  Search this

Day, Lucien B., 1916-  Search this

Downes, Rackstraw  Search this

Elmslie, Kenward  Search this

Evergood, Philip, 1901-1973  Search this

Frielicher, Jane  Search this

Giardelli, Arthur  Search this

Guest, Barbara  Search this

Hartl, Léon, 1889-  Search this

Hess, Thomas B.  Search this

Katz, Alex, 1927-  Search this

Koch, Kenneth, 1925-  Search this

Laning, Edward, 1906-1981  Search this

Lichtenstein, Roy, 1923-1997  Search this

Morse, Carl  Search this

Myers, John Bernard  Search this

O'Hara, Frank, 1926-1966  Search this

Padgett, Ron  Search this

Porter, Ruth W., 1875-1942  Search this

Rivers, Larry, 1925-  Search this

Schloss, Edith, 1919-  Search this

Schuyler, James  Search this

Shapiro, David, 1947-  Search this

Stankiewicz, Richard, 1922-  Search this

Vasilieff, Nicholas  Search this

Extent:

9.3 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Travel diaries

Sketches

Sketchbooks

Photographs

Date:

1888-2001

bulk 1924-1975

Summary:

The papers of New York-based painter, lithographer, art critic, and poet Fairfield Porter measure 9.3 linear feet and date from 1888 to 2001, with the bulk of material dating from 1924 to 1975. Papers document Porter's life and career through correspondence, writings, business records, printed materials, photographs, and artwork.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of New York-based painter, lithographer, art critic, and poet Fairfield Porter measure 9.3 linear feet and date from 1888 to 2001, with the bulk of material dating from 1924 to 1975. The collection includes a biographical chronology; certificates, awards, and diplomas; letters to Fairfield and Anne Porter; scattered outgoing correspondence; and reviews, essays, notes, poems, and translations written by Porter and others. Among the writings are poetry manuscripts written by several New York School Poets including Frank O'Hara, James Schuyler, and Kenneth Koch. Also found are gallery records, inventories and appraisals, financial records, exhibition catalogs, clippings, posters, and records of Anne Porter's efforts to place his collection and document and publish his work after his death. Photographs of Porter, his homes, and his family are also present, as well as sketchbooks, loose sketches, and drawings spanning his entire career.

Significant correspondence is present from the Porters' many poet friends, including Kenneth Koch, James Schuyler, Ron Padgett, Kenward Elmslie, Barbara Guest, Carl Morse, David Shapiro, and others. Among the letters are poetry manuscripts by Koch, Morse, Schuyler, Padgett, and Shapiro. Some letters are actually written in verse, especially those from Kenneth Koch.

Artists with letters in the collection include Joe Brainard, Rudy Burkhardt, John Button, Lucien Day, Rackstraw Downes, Philip Evergood, Jane Frielicher, Arthur Giardelli, Leon Hartl, Alex Katz, Edward Laning, Roy Lichtenstein, Larry Rivers, Richard Stankiewicz, Nicolas Vasilieff, among others. Other art world figures represented include John Bernard Myers, curator at the Tibor de Nagy gallery (New York), and Tom Hess, editor of ArtNews. Artwork found within the correspondence includes an illustrated letter from Ron Padgett and an original print on a holiday card by Edith Schloss.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into the following nine series. See the series descriptions below for more information about the content of each series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1916-1975 (Box 1 and 11; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1918-1996 (Boxes 1-2; 1.2 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings by Fairfield Porter, 1924-1975 (Box 2; 0.6)

Series 4: Writings by Others, 1888-1992 (Boxes 2-3; 0.7 linear feet)

Series 5: Personal Business Records, 1944-1996 (Boxes 3-4; 1 linear foot)

Series 6: Anne Porter's Posthumous Projects, 1980-1988 (Box 4; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 7: Printed Materials, 1934-2001 (Boxes 4-6 and 11; 1.5 linear feet)

Series 8: Photographs, circa 1880-1990 (Boxes 6 and 11; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 9: Artwork, 1918-1975 (Boxes 7-10 and 12-17; 2.2 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Fairfield Porter was born near Chicago in 1907, the fourth of five children of James and Ruth Furness Porter. His father was an architect, his mother a poet from a literary family, and Porter grew up in an environment where art and literature were highly valued. His father designed the family homes in Winnetka, Illinois and on Great Spruce Head Island, an island in Maine that he purchased for the family in 1912. Fairfield Porter spent summers there from the age of six, and views of the island, its structures, and neighboring towns were the subjects of many paintings.

Porter attended Harvard from 1924 to 1928, studying fine art with Arthur Pope and philosophy with Alfred North Whitehead. After graduating from Harvard, Porter moved to New York City and took studio classes at the Art Students League from 1928 until 1930, studying with Boardman Robinson and Thomas Hart Benton, and immersing himself in the art and radical politics of Greenwich Village. In the 1940s, he studied at Parson's School of Design with art restorer Jacques Maroger, adopting the Maroger recipe for an oil medium in his own painting.

To further his education as an artist, Porter traveled to Europe in 1931, where he spent time with expatriate art theorist Bernard Berenson and his circle. When he returned to New York, he allied himself with progressive, socialist organizations, and like many of his contemporaries, worked at creating socially relevant art. He did artwork for the John Reed Club, a communist group; taught drawing classes for Rebel Arts, a socialist arts organization; wrote for their magazine, Arise!; and created a mural for the Queens branch of the Socialist Party. Living in the Chicago area for several years in the 1930s, he illustrated chapbooks for the socialist poet John Wheelwright's Poems for a Dime and Poems for Two Bits series. Porter's financial contributions to the radical Chicago publication Living Marxism kept it afloat for several years.

In 1932, Porter married Anne Channing, a poet from Boston, and they settled in New York. The Porters had five children, and their first son, born in 1934, suffered from a severe form of autism. In the next decade, they had two more sons, and spent three years in Porter's hometown of Winnetka, where he had his first solo exhibition of paintings. When they returned to New York in 1939, the Porters became friends with Edwin Denby, Rudy Burkhardt, and Elaine and Willem de Kooning. Porter became an earnest admirer of Willem de Kooning's artwork and was among the first to review and purchase it.

In 1949, the Porters moved to the small, seaside town of Southampton, New York. Their two daughters were born in 1950 and 1956. Like the family home on Great Spruce Head Island, Southampton became the setting of many of Porter's paintings. In fact, almost all of his mature paintings depict family homes, surrounding landscapes, family members, and friends. Porter was an individualistic painter who embraced figurative art in the late 1940s and 1950s, when abstract expressionism was the prevailing aesthetic trend. Porter once made a comment that his commitment to figurative painting was made just to spite art critic Clement Greenberg, a respected critic and ideologue who had championed abstract expressionism and denigrated realism as passé.

Porter established his reputation as a painter and as a writer in the 1950s. John Bernard Myers of the vanguard Tibor de Nagy gallery gave Porter his first New York exhibition in 1951 and represented him for the next twenty years. That same year Tom Hess, editor of ArtNews, hired Porter to write art features and reviews. Porter went on to contribute to ArtNews until 1967 and also became art editor for The Nation beginning in 1959, the same year his article on Willem de Kooning won the Longview Foundation Award in art criticism. As a critic, Porter visited countless galleries and studios, and he gained a reputation for writing about art with the understanding and vested interest of an artist, and with the same independence from fashionable ideas that he demonstrated in his artwork.

The 1950s and 1960s were prolific years for Porter's writing and art, and saw the development of his critical ideas and the maturation of his painting. Porter enjoyed an elder status among a circle of younger artists such as Jane Freilicher, Larry Rivers, and Alex Katz, and their many poet friends, now known as the New York School of Poetry: Frank O'Hara, John Ashbery, James Schuyler, Kenneth Koch, Barbara Guest, and others. Porter himself wrote poetry and was published in the 1950s, sometimes alongside poems by his wife, who had been publishing poetry since the 1930s (twice in the vanguard Chicago journal, Poetry). The Porters' correspondence is laced with poems they and their friends sent back and forth, often about and dedicated to each other.

Besides his annual exhibitions at Tibor de Nagy and later Hirschl and Adler Galleries, Porter exhibited regularly at the Whitney, and had one-man exhibitions at many museums including the Rhode Island School of Design (1959), The University of Alabama (1963), Cleveland Museum of Art (his first retrospective, 1966), Trinity College (1967), the Parrish Art Museum (1971), the Maryland Institute of Art (1973), and the 1968 Venice Biennale. He also had residencies at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (1964) and Amherst College (1969). Porter died in 1975 at age 68. A full-scale retrospective of his artwork was held at the Boston Museum of Fine Art, Boston in 1983, and a study center and permanent home for his artwork was established at the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton through a donation made by Anne Porter. A posthumous collection of his poems was published by Tibor de Nagy Editions in 1985, and a catalogue raisonnée, edited by Joan Ludman, was published in 2001.

This biography relies heavily on information found in Justin Spring's biography of Porter, Fairfield Porter: A Life in Art (Yale University Press, 2000).

Related Material:

The Archives of American Art holds an oral history of Fairfield Porter conducted by Paul Cummings in 1968.

Provenance:

The papers of Fairfield Porter were given to the Archives of American Art by the artist's wife, Anne Porter, in five separate accessions between 1977 and 1997.

Restrictions:

The bulk of this collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Use of material not digitized requires an appointment.

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:

Art critics -- New York (State) -- Southampton  Search this

Topic:

Works of art  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- Southampton  Search this

Painting, Modern -- 20th century  Search this

Poets  Search this

Lithographers -- New York (State)  Search this

Genre/Form:

Travel diaries

Sketches

Sketchbooks

Photographs

Citation:

Fairfield Porter papers, 1888-2001 (bulk 1924-1975). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Identifier:

AAA.portfair

See more items in:

Fairfield Porter papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c9535998-330e-4c23-9f84-9c4dff3569e5

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-portfair

Creator:

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Krasner, Lee, 1908-1984  Search this

Names:

Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this

Martha Jackson Gallery  Search this

Benton, Thomas Hart, 1889-1975  Search this

Brooks, James, 1906-1992  Search this

Burkhardt, Rudy  Search this

Cavaliere, Barbara  Search this

Davis, Bill  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

Dehner, Dorothy, 1901-1994  Search this

Eames, Ray  Search this

Forge, Andrew  Search this

Friedman, B. H. (Bernard Harper), 1926-  Search this

Glaser, Jane R.  Search this

Gray, Cleve  Search this

Greenberg, Clement, 1909-1994  Search this

Gruen, John  Search this

Holmes, Doloris  Search this

Isaacs, Reginald R., 1911-  Search this

Janis, Sidney, 1896-1989  Search this

Johnson, Philip, 1906-2005  Search this

Kadish, Reuben, 1913-1992  Search this

Maddox, Charles  Search this

Matter, Mercedes  Search this

McCoy, Sanford, Mrs.  Search this

Miller, Daniel  Search this

Miller, Robert, 1932 Apr. 17-  Search this

Motherwell, Robert  Search this

Namuth, Hans  Search this

Ossorio, Alfonso, 1916-1990  Search this

Pollock, Charles C.  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956 -- Photographs  Search this

Rose, Barbara  Search this

Rouche, Burton  Search this

Smith, Tony, 1912-  Search this

Still, Clyfford, 1904-  Search this

Valliere, James  Search this

Wasserman, Tamara E.  Search this

Wright, William  Search this

Zogbaum, Wilfrid, 1915-1965  Search this

Extent:

16.1 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Motion pictures (visual works)

Video recordings

Photographs

Interviews

Sound recordings

Scrapbooks

Sketchbooks

Transcripts

Date:

circa 1914-1984

bulk 1942-1984

Summary:

The papers of abstract expressionist painters Jackson Pollock and wife Lee Krasner measure 16.1 linear feet and date from circa 1914 to 1984, with the bulk of the material dating from 1942 to 1984. The collection documents their personal and professional lives, as well as the legacy of Jackson Pollock's work after his death. Found are biographical material, correspondence, writings by Krasner and others, research material, business and financial records, printed material, scrapbooks, artwork by others, photographs, interview transcripts, audio and video recordings, and motion picture film.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of abstract expressionist painters Jackson Pollock and wife Lee Krasner measure 16.1 linear feet and date from circa 1914 to 1984, with the bulk of the material dating from 1942 to 1984. The collection documents their personal and professional lives, as well as the legacy of Jackson Pollock's work after his death. Found are biographical material, correspondence, writings by Krasner and others, research material, business and financial records, printed material, scrapbooks, artwork by others, photographs, interview transcripts, audio and video recordings, and motion picture film.

The collection is divided into two series, the first of which focuses on Pollock and includes his scattered papers dating from circa 1914 to his death in 1956, as well as Krasner's papers dating from his death to 1984 about managing Pollock's legacy. This series includes biographical materials, including transcripts and audio recordings of an interview with William Wright in 1949; Pollock's and Krasner's correspondence with Thomas Hart Benton, Betty Parsons Gallery, Bill Davis, B. H. Friedman, Reginald Isaacs, Sidney Janis, Violet De Lazlo, Martha Jackson Gallery, Alfonso Ossorio, Tony Smith, and Clyfford Still, and with one another; Krasner's correspondence concerning Pollock's estate and artwork after his death; numerous writings about Pollock, including an original draft of Bryan Robertson's biography and an essay by Clement Greenberg.

James Valliere extensive research files on Pollock for a never-published biography were given to Krasner and filed in Series 1. These include scattered correspondence with Lee Krasner, and Pollock's family and friends, including Charles Pollock, Thomas Hart Benton, and Robert Motherwell. There are also transcripts of interviews Valliere conducted with Pollock's friends and colleagues, including James Brooks, Dorothy Dehner, Clement Greenberg, Reuben Kadish, Lee Krasner, Charles Maddox, Mrs. Sanford McCoy, Daniel T. Miller, Robert Miller, and Tony Smith. The original audio reels and duplicates exist for many and are filed here. Additional interviews were conducted with Willem de Kooning, Alfonso Ossorio, and Burton Rouche, but not transcribed - these are filed in Series 1.10, Audio Recordings and Motion Picture Film.

Also found in Series 1 are scattered business records documenting Krasner's handling of Pollock's estate and legacy; printed materials relating to Pollock, including published biographies, exhibition catalogs, and clippings; two scrapbooks; and a sketchbook by an unidentified artist. Numerous photographs of Pollock include childhood and family photographs, photographs of Pollock in his studio by Hans Namuth, Rudy Burckhardt, and Herbert Matter, photographs of Pollock with Lee Krasner, and exhibition photographs. Audio recordings and motion film in Series 1 include a 1964 16mm film about Pollock (VHS copies are available) and reel-to-reel recordings of untranscribed interviews of Pollock's friends and colleagues by James Valliere, including interviews with Willem de Kooning and Alfonso Ossorio. Additional transcribed interviews are filed in subseries 1.4.

Lee Krasner's papers documenting her own career are arranged in Series 2 and date from 1927-1984. Biographical materials include resumes and awards, school documents, family documentation, and exhibition lists. Her correspondence with artist friends and art colleagues is extensive and includes many letters from artists such as Philip Johnson, Ray Eames, Cleve Gray, and Hans Namuth. She also maintained correspondence with many art historians and critics, curators, gallery owners, collectors, arts-related and social organizations, admirers, and family members.

There are thirteen transcripts of interviews with Krasner by Bruce Glaser, Barbara Cavaliere, Andrew Forge, Emily Wasserman, Barbara Rose, and others. The original audio recordings for these transcripts are filed in series 2.10, along with other audio recordings for which there are no transcripts, including interviews by John Gruen, Delores Holmes, Mercedes Matter, the Martha Dean Radio Show, NBC Today Show, and WQXR radio. There are also audio recordings of Krasner's lectures in series 2.10.

Krasner's papers also include writings and reminiscences by Krasner; writings about Krasner; printed materials such as exhibition catalogs and clippings; and one scrapbook containing clippings and photographs. Numerous photographs are of Krasner, including portrait photographs taken by Hans Namuth; of Krasner with Jackson Pollock and family and friends, and of her exhibitions and artwork.

Users should note that Pollock's and Krasner's papers contain similar types of material that often overlap in subject matter, especially among the correspondence and photographs.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 2 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Jackson Pollock papers and Lee Krasner papers about Jackson Pollock, circa 1914-1984 (Box 1-7, 16, OV 18, FC 19-22; 7.4 linear feet)

Series 2: Lee Krasner papers, circa 1927-1984 (Box 7-15, 17; 8.6 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Jackson Pollock was born in 1912, in Cody, Wyoming, the youngest of five sons. His family moved several times during his childhood, finally settling in Los Angeles. In 1930 he joined his older brother, Charles, in New York City, and studied with Regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton at the Art Students League of New York. Pollock worked during the 1930s for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. During 1936 he worked in artist David Alfaro Siqueiros's Experimental Workshop. In 1938 he began psychiatric treatment for alcoholism, and his artwork was greatly influenced by Jungian analysis and the exploration of unconscious symbolism.

In 1943 Pollock had his first one-man exhibition at Peggy Guggenheim's New York gallery, Art of this Century, and continued to exhibit there over the next several years. A major turning point in Pollock's life and art was in 1945 when he married fellow artist Lee Krasner and moved to East Hampton, Long Island. There he developed his mature painting style, and became famous for his abstract pouring technique on large canvases. The height of his creativity spanned from 1947 to 1952, and his work was promoted by art critic Clement Greenberg. Along with other abstract expressionists including Hans Hofmann, Alfonso Ossorio, and Barnett Newman, he joined the Betty Parsons Gallery in 1947. He had his most successful one-man show in 1950 which was widely publicized and praised. This exhibition, combined with a 1949 feature article in LIFE magazine, made Pollock an American celebrity.

In 1952 Pollock moved his work to Sidney Janis Gallery and returned to earlier motifs in a search for new breakthroughs. The last few years of his life he suffered from mental and physical health problems, and in August, 1956 he died in a car accident. His wife, Lee Krasner, oversaw his estate and worked with many museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, on Pollock retrospective exhibitions.

Lee Krasner was born Lenore Krassner in 1908 in Brooklyn, New York to Russian immigrant parents. In 1926 she was admitted to the Women's Art School of The Cooper Union, and in 1928 she attended the Art Students League. After graduating from The Cooper Union in 1929, she attended the National Academy of Design until 1932. After briefly attending City College and Greenwich House, she worked for the Public Works of Art Project and the Temporary Emergency Relief Administration, and finally became an assistant in 1935 on the WPA Federal Art Project, Mural Division. From 1937 to 1940 she studied at the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts and began exhibiting with the American Abstract Artists group.

In 1942 Krasner met Pollock as they were both preparing to exhibit work in the same show. Although they married and she became immersed in his career, she continued to exhibit her own work with other abstract artists and from 1946 to 1949 worked on the Little Image painting series. In 1953 she began working on collages, a medium she would come back to again later in her career. After Pollock's death her work was greatly influence by her sadness and anger, creating a visible evolution of her style.

For the rest of her career, Krasner consistently exhibited her work in both group and solo exhibitions. She had her first retrospective at Whitechapel Gallery, London, in 1965, and in 1966, she joined Marlborough Gallery, New York which represented Pollock's work as well. In the 1970s and early 1980s Krasner won many awards for her achievement in the visual arts, including the Augustus St. Gaudens Medal and the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. She returned to the medium of collage, and in 1976 joined the Pace Gallery, New York. In 1981 she joined the Robert Miller Gallery, New York. Lee Krasner continued creating art until her death in 1984.

Related Material:

Found in the Archives of American Art are the Charles Pollock Papers, 1902-1990, which includes correspondence, photographs, and other files relating to his brother, Jackson Pollock. Other resources in the Archives are oral history interviews with Lee Krasner, including a series of interviews conducted by Dorothy Seckler between 1964 and 1968, and interviews conducted by Barbara Rose in 1966 and Doloris Holmes in 1972.

Provenance:

The papers of Jackson Pollock were donated in 1983 by Lee Krasner through Eugene V. Thaw shortly before her death. Additional material about Pollock and the papers of Lee Krasner were donated in 1985 by Eugene V. Thaw, executor of Lee Krasner's estate.

Restrictions:

The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.

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 -- New York (State)  Search this

Topic:

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

Abstract expressionism  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Genre/Form:

Motion pictures (visual works)

Video recordings

Photographs

Interviews

Sound recordings

Scrapbooks

Sketchbooks

Transcripts

Citation:

Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner papers, circa 1914-1984. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Identifier:

AAA.polljack

See more items in:

Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ac60d2fa-adb8-4919-9ebb-ddef5dfaa3f8

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-polljack

Creator:

Parsons, Betty  Search this

Names:

Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this

Bess, Forrest, 1911-1977  Search this

Congdon, William, 1912-1998  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Extent:

61.1 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sketchbooks

Interviews

Video recordings

Drawings

Date:

1916-1991

bulk 1946-1983

Summary:

The Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers measure 61.1 linear feet and date from 1916 to 1991, with the bulk of the material dating from 1946-1983. Records provide extensive documentation of the gallery's operations from its inception in 1946 to its closing in 1983 and of the activities of Betty Parsons as one the leading art dealers of contemporary American Art in the latter half of the twentieth century, particularly the work of the Abstract Expressionists. Over one third of the of the collection is comprised of artists files containing correspondence, price lists, and printed materials. Additional correspondence is with galleries, dealers, art institutions, private collectors, and the media. Also found are exhibition files, exhibition catalogs and announcements, sales records, stock inventories, personal financial records, and photographs. Betty Parsons's personal papers consist of early curatorial files, pocket diaries, personal correspondence, and evidence of her own artwork, including sketchbooks, and files documenting her personal art collection.

Scope and Content Note:

The Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers measure 61.1 linear feet and date from 1916 to 1991, with the bulk of the material dating from 1946-1983. Records provide extensive documentation of the gallery's operations from its inception in 1946 to its closing in 1983 and of the activities of Betty Parsons as one the leading art dealers of contemporary American Art in the latter half of the twentieth century, particularly the work of the Abstract Expressionists. Over one third of the of the collection is comprised of artists files containing correspondence, price lists, and printed materials. Additional correspondence is with galleries, dealers, art institutions, private collectors, and the media. Also found are exhibition files, exhibition catalogs and announcements, sales records, stock inventories, personal financial records, and photographs. Betty Parsons's personal papers consist of early curatorial files, pocket diaries, personal correspondence, and evidence of her own artwork, including sketchbooks, and files documenting her personal art collection. Personal papers also include personal photographs.

Artists files, the largest and most extensive series, consist of a wide variety of documents, including biographical materials, correspondence with or related to the artist, exhibition catalogs and announcements, sales and expense invoices, clippings, price lists, and photographs of the artist, exhibitions, and artwork. The files reflect Parsons's close personal relationships with certain artists, particularly Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, and Barnett Newman. Extensive documentation is also found for Forrest Bess, William Congdon, Paul Feeley, Thomas George, Alexander Liberman, Seymour Lipton, Richard Pousette-Dart, Jesse Reichek, and Jack Youngerman. Historians and researchers will find these files to be an invaluable resource both in tracing Betty Parsons's role in promoting Abstract Expressionism and researching individual artists.

Exhibition files primarily document the gallery's infrequent group or themed exhibitions. Of particular note are the files on The Ideographic Picture, which was organized by Barnett Newman and included his work, as well as that of Pietro Lazzari, Boris Margo, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, Theodoros Stamos, and Clyfford Still. Price lists, artist biographies and exhibition schedules are housed in the general exhibition files. Loan exhibition files provide documentation of artwork borrowed by other galleries or institutions for exhibitions, as well as shows outside of the gallery that were organized by Betty Parsons. Also found are gallery exhibition guest books, and announcements and catalogs.

Gallery correspondence is primarily with galleries and dealers, museums, arts organizations, and collectors. Scattered letters from artists are also found, although the bulk of the artists' correspondence is filed in the Artists Files. Also found here are memoranda and letters between Betty Parsons and her staff that contain detailed information concerning Parsons's schedule and gallery activities. Similar correspondence is found amongst the correspondence files within the series Betty Parsons papers.

Appraisal and conservation files include correspondence, appraisal invoices, forms, and appraisal requests and other information from the Art Dealers Association of America, and conservation invoices and reports. The majority of the appraisal records contain information about the specific works of art, including artist, title, date, current owner and the estimated value at the time of the request. Conservation records document conservation treatments undertaken by outside conservators to gallery stock.

Sales, purchases, stock and inventory are well documented in the sales and inventory records. The records provide detailed information about individual sales, prices of individual pieces of artwork, consignments, and loans. Most sales records also include detailed information about the buyer and are a valuable resource for provenance research. Files documenting the general administration, routine business operations, and financial transactions (not individual sales) of the gallery are housed in the general business and financial records. These records include ledgers, receipts, tax records, and banking records. There is some limited information about works of art scattered amongst the receipts and in the "in/out slips" files. Legal records house general legal documents and those concerning specific lawsuits. Of particular note is the file detailing the lawsuit between Betty Parsons and Sidney Janis over the fifth floor of 24 West 57th Street.

The remainder of the collection consists of Betty Parsons's personal papers which document her career prior to opening her own gallery, her work as an artist, and her personal art collection.

Some information about Parsons's work prior to opening her own gallery is found in the early curatorial files she retained from her curatorial and administrative work at the Wakefield Gallery and the Mortimer Brandt Gallery. Clippings, correspondence, announcements, exhibition lists and exhibition files are found. For both positions, she kept only the exhibition files for a small group of exhibitions organized around a specific theme, the most notable being the exhibition of Pre-Columbian Sculpture at the Wakefield Gallery.

Biographical materials include copies of her biography, family genealogies, photographs of Parsons, interviews with Colette Roberts and WYNC radio, memberships, photographs, and ephemera, including a collection of programs and invitations from events that she attended. Throughout her life Parsons gave generously of her time to various cultural and charitable institutions and was awarded for her contributions. There are also a number of files that document her speaking engagements, her participation as a juror in numerous juried exhibitions, charitable work, and awards that she received.

Parsons's personal correspondence files reflect how deeply Parsons's life was intertwined with the gallery. There are letters from museum directors, dealers, artists seeking representation, and personal letters from artists with whom she had close personal relationships, most notably Larry Bigelow, Alexander Calder, William Condon, and Ad Reinhardt. There are also letters from the English artist Adge Baker, with whom Parsons was romantically involved. Correspondence also includes several files of postcards and Christmas cards.

Pocket diaries and engagement calendars, spanning from 1933-1981, record social engagements, meetings, vacations, and telephone numbers. Also found are circa two linear feet of notebooks and sketchbooks, many of which are annotated with addresses, poetry, journal entries, and other observations of people, places, and travels. Writings by others include writings about Betty Parsons or the Betty Parsons Gallery, such as Lawrence Alloway's unpublished typescript titled "An American Gallery" and other topics.

Printed material consists of exhibition announcements and catalogs, art magazines, and newspaper and magazine clippings about Betty Parsons, her family and acquaintances, artists, and other art related topics, coupled with a miscellaneous selection of clippings, and a video recording, on topics that presumably captured Parsons's attention.

Personal art work records document Betty Parsons's career as an artist through inventories, group and solo exhibitions files, price lists, appraisals, sales and consignment invoices. Photographs are primarily reproductions of her works of art, although there are scattered photographs of exhibition installations.

Betty Parsons's private art collection files document her extensive personal collection of art that included works by Jackson Pollock, Agnes Martin, Romare Bearden, Barnett Newman, and Mark Rothko, in addition to Amlash sculpture from ancient Persia and primitive sculpture from New Hebrides. These files include inventories, lists, exhibition records, sales and purchase invoices, and photographs. There are also files for donations and loans from Parsons's personal collection to museums and fund raising auctions for several non-profit institutions.

Finally, the personal financial records provide information about the Parsons's family finances and her personal financial success as an art dealer. In addition to her own investments, Parsons inherited shares in family investments through the estates of her parents, J. Fred Pierson, Jr. and Suzanne Miles Pierson, and younger sister, Emily Rayner. Real estate files include correspondence, utility bills, receipts, area maps, and land plots for houses in Sheepscot, Maine and St. Maartens, Netherlands Antilles. Tax returns, ledger worksheets, receipts, banking statements, deposit slips, and cancelled checks are among the other financial records.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as seven series. Many of the series are further divided into subseries.

Missing Title

Series 1: Artists Files, 1935-1983 (19.4 linear feet; Boxes 1-18, 51, 55-56, OVs 53, 65)

Series 2: Exhibition Files, 1941-1983 (2.9 linear feet; Boxes 18-21, 51, 55, OVs 54, 66)

Series 3: Correspondence Files, 1941-1983 (3.9 linear feet; Boxes 21-24, 52, 56)

Series 4: Appraisal Files, 1954-1983 (0.7 linear feet; Box 24)

Series 5: Sales and Inventory Records, 1946-1983 (3.9 linear feet; Boxes 25-28, 51)

Series 6: General Business and Financial Records, 1946-1983 (9.3 linear feet; Boxes 28-38, 51, 56)

Series 7: Betty Parsons Personal Papers, 1916-1991 (21 linear feet; Boxes 38-51, 55-64, OVs 65-67)

Historical Note:

Betty Parsons (1900-1982) was one of the leading art dealers in New York City specializing in modern art, particularly the work of the Abstract Expressionists, and an abstract painter and sculptor in her own right. She opened Betty Parsons Gallery in 1946 at 15 E. 57th St., later moving to 24 W. 57th St.

The history of the Betty Parsons Gallery is inextricably bound to the life and experiences of its founder. Betty Parsons was born Betty Bierne Pierson on January 31, 1900 in New York City. She enjoyed a privileged childhood, which included vacation homes in Newport and Palm Beach. Her only formal education was a five-year stint at the prestigious Chapin School from 1910-1915, where she met many of the women who would become life-long friends and supporters. In the spring of 1920, she married Schuyler Livingston Parsons from one of New York's oldest families. The marriage ended after only three years and the couple traveled to Paris where they could obtain a divorce on the grounds of incompatibility. She retained her married surname and purchased a house on the rue Boulard in Paris, where she remained for ten years, pursuing studies in painting and sculpture.

Financial constraints forced Parsons to return to the United States in 1933. She first traveled west to California, but it was her return to New York in 1935 that marked the start of her career as an art dealer. Her first opportunity to connect with the New York art world came after a successful exhibition of her watercolors at the Midtown Galleries where the owner, Alan Gruskin, noted Parson's faithful and wealthy group of supporters and offered her work installing exhibitions and selling paintings on commission. Her work for the Midtown Galleries led to a second position in the Park Avenue gallery of Mary Sullivan, one of the founders of the Museum of Modern Art. Here, Parsons learned the business of running a gallery. By 1940 Parsons was ready to take on more independent responsibility and agreed to manage a gallery within the Wakefield Bookshop. In this job, she exercised full curatorial control by selecting artists and organizing exhibitions. She championed then unknown contemporary American artists and the gallery's roster soon included Saul Steinberg, Hedda Sterne, Alfonso Ossorio, Joseph Cornell, Walter Murch, and Theodore Stamos. Although the majority of the exhibitions were solo shows, there were a few group shows and themed exhibitions, such as Love in Art (1941) and Ballet in Art (1942). Under Parson's direction, the gallery hosted an important exhibition of Pre-Columbian sculpture, curated by Barnett Newman.

When the owners of the Wakefield Bookshop decided to close the gallery late in 1944, Mortimer Brandt, a dealer who specialized in Old Master paintings and drawings, offered her a position as head of the newly created contemporary section of his gallery. Many of the artists who had shown with Parsons at the Wakefield Gallery followed her to her new gallery, where they were joined by Ad Reinhardt, Boris Mango, and Hans Hofmann. While the exhibitions garnered attention from the press and the interest of contemporary artists, the contemporary section was not a financial success and Brandt opted to close his gallery in 1946.

Using $1000 of her own money and an additional borrowed $4000, Parsons sublet the space that previously housed Mortimer Brandt's contemporary section, on the fifth floor of 15 East 57th Street, and opened the Betty Parsons Gallery.

In many respects the early years of the Betty Parsons Gallery were the most vital, as it was during the period of 1947-1951 that the gallery became linked with the Abstract Expressionists and the history of post-WWII American Art. In an unpublished history of the gallery, noted art critic Lawrence Alloway stated that the significance of the gallery's early exhibitions ranks with Durand-Ruel's Impressionists exhibitions or Kahnweiler's shows of the Cubists. Betty Parsons Gallery quickly became one of the most prestigious galleries in New York City associated with new American Art of all styles. Her close friend Barnett Newman organized the gallery's inaugural exhibition of Northwest Coast Indian Art and he soon began to exhibit his own work at the gallery. When Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century Gallery closed, Jackson Pollock, Clyfford Still, and Mark Rothko joined Parsons' growing stable of artists. Although Parsons continued to promote and exhibit many of the artists whom she had previously discovered, these four artists dominated this period. Newman, Pollock, Still, and Rothko worked closely together, holding themselves apart from the other artists somewhat. They were actively involved in the curatorial process and often hung their own shows. For these artists, the exhibition itself was an artistic act of creation.

Parsons provided a supportive environment and allowed her artists enormous freedom in planning and designing their exhibitions. She was not, however, an aggressive salesperson. During this early period the gallery ledgers document sales to an impressive array of museums including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as important collectors such as Edward Root and Duncan Phillips. Nevertheless, the art that the gallery promoted was not yet widely accepted. Sales were few, prices were low and the business would not turn a profit for several years. Meanwhile, there was mounting pressure from Pollock, Newman, Still, and Rothko to drop some of the other artists from Parsons' stable and focus all resources on them. They wanted to be promoted to a larger audience and have their work sold at higher prices, but Parsons enjoyed discovering new artists and did not want to be restricted in this endeavor. The year 1951 marks the last time that Pollock's drip paintings or the monumental works of Newman, Rothko or Still were shown at the Betty Parsons Gallery.

In the following years the Betty Parsons Gallery continued to attract a diverse group of talented artists. Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Tuttle, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jack Youngerman had their first New York exhibitions at the Betty Parsons Gallery. Parsons opened Section Eleven in 1958, a short-lived annex to the main gallery, so that she could promote younger, less well-known artists. It closed in 1960 due to the administrative difficulties in running two essentially separate galleries.

In 1962, Sidney Janis, another prominent art dealer, started proceedings to evict Parsons from the floor that they shared on 15 East 57th Street. The Betty Parsons Gallery moved to 24 West 57th Street in 1963, where it remained until it closed in 1983, following Parsons' death the preceding year. Throughout the gallery's history, Parsons continued to promote faithful artists such as Hedda Sterne and Saul Steinberg, who had been with her from the beginning and to seek out new talent, both for her main gallery and for other venues, such as the short-lived Parsons-Truman Gallery, which she opened in 1974 with former Parsons Gallery director Jock Truman to show works on paper by emerging artists.

In addition to being an art dealer, Betty Parsons was a respected artist and collector. With her connoisseur's eye and connections, Parsons amassed an impressive private collection of art. She bought her first piece while an art student in Paris in the 1920s, a small gouache by Zadkine, but did not begin acquiring works in earnest until she was established as an art dealer. Partial inventories of her personal collection show that the majority of her collection contained works by artists associated with the gallery. Mark Rothko, Hans Hofmann, Ad Reinhardt, Agnes Martin, and Kenzo Okada were among the artists represented. Many were gifts from the artists, such as an ink drawing by Jackson Pollock, inscribed "For Betty." Selections from her collection appeared in small museums across the United States, including a traveling exhibition organized by Fitch College, New York, in 1968. In her role as a promoter of contemporary American art, Parsons lent generously from her collection, particularly to the federal Art in the Embassies Program. Throughout her life she also donated works to a variety of museums, most notably, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark.

Parsons frequently claimed that her desire to pursue a career as an artist stemmed from a visit to the Armory Show when she was thirteen. In her late teens, after pressuring her father for art lessons, she studied with the sculptor Gutzon Burglum of Mount Rushmore fame. In Paris, she continued her studies first with Antoine Bourdelle, whose sculptures she had admired at the Armory Show, and later with Ossip Zadkine. The first exhibition of her work, figurative watercolors and sculptures, took place in Paris in 1927. As she matured as an artist, her art became more abstract. Her late works were painted wood sculptures that she pieced together from wood that she found near her studio in Long Island. Parsons's work was exhibited in more than thirty solo exhibitions, including, Betty Parsons; Paintings, Gouaches and Sculpture, 1955-1968, at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. During her lifetime, she would not allow her works to be shown in her own gallery. Shortly after she died of a stroke in 1982, In Memoriam, Betty Parsons: Late Sculptures, opened at the Betty Parsons Gallery.

Related Material:

Also found in the Archives of American Art are oral history interviews with Betty Parsons, June 4-9, 1969, by Paul Cummings, and June 11, 1981 by Gerald Silk.

Separated Material:

Some of the material originally loaned for microfilming in 1968 and 1969 was not included in later donations and can be viewed on microfilm reels N68/62-N68/74 and N69/105-N69/106. Loaned materials are not described in the container listing in this finding aid.

Provenance:

The gallery donated some records in 1974, many of which had been loaned earlier for microfilming. The bulk of the collection was donated in 1984 and 1986 by William Rayner and Christopher Schwabacher, executors of the Estate of Betty Parsons. Additional material was donated by William Rayner in 1998 and Christopher Schwabacher in 2017. Additional material was donated in 2018 by the Lee Hall estate via Carolyn Crozier and Deborah Jacobson, co-executors. Hall was Parsons's biographer and had the material in her possession at the time of Parsons's death. An additional photograph of Parons and Marie Carr Taylor by Henri Cartier-Bresson was donated in 2021 by Mary Carpenter, who inherited the photograph from her mother, Nan Thorton Jones, who received it as a gift from Taylor.

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.

Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.

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:

Gallery owners -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

Women art dealers  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Abstract expressionist  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sketchbooks

Interviews

Video recordings

Drawings

Citation:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.

Identifier:

AAA.parsbett

See more items in:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw956c1036f-b673-4dc1-8c1b-cde0bd641c60

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-parsbett

Creator:

Bransom, Paul, 1885-  Search this

Extent:

10.1 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sketchbooks

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Illustrated letters

Date:

1862-1985

Summary:

The papers of wildlife illustrator, painter, and cartoonist Paul Bransom measure 10.1 linear feet and date from 1862 to 1985. Almost half of the collection is comprised of Bransom's correspondence, which is particularly rich in documenting his early career as an illustrator, and his relationships with authors, art editors, and publishers from the 1900s to the 1940s. Correspondence also contains a wealth of cards, many of which bear reproductions or original artwork by his many artist friends. Also found in the papers are biographical essays, certificates and awards, memorabilia, writings and notes, business files, bibliographies, an artwork inventory, exhibition catalogs, clippings, printed illustrations, pamphlets, photographs, scrapbooks, and original artwork.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of wildlife illustrator, painter, and cartoonist Paul Bransom measure 10.1 linear feet and date from 1862 to 1985. Almost half of the collection is comprised of personal and professional correspondence. Also found in the papers are biographical essays, certificates and awards, memorabilia, writings and notes, business files, bibliographies, an artwork inventory, exhibition catalogs, clippings, printed illustrations, pamphlets, photographs, scrapbooks, and original artwork.

The correspondence is particularly rich in documenting Bransom's early career as an illustrator, and his relationships with authors, art editors, and publishers from the 1900s to the 1940s. Correspondence also contains a wealth of cards, many of which bear reproductions or original artwork by his many artist friends. Correspondence often bears notes made by Bransom about the correspondent. Further documentation of Bransom's career is found in Notes and Writings, including narrative writings and lists of artwork and contacts; and in Personal Business Records, which contain records of transactions with various clients and galleries, as well as bibliographies of works illustrated by Bransom, and an art inventory created posthumously by Mario Cesar Romero.

Printed materials include exhibition records, which are often annotated, and copies of Bransom's illustrations and cartoons as they appeared in print. Also found are clippings about Bransom and other artists he knew; newsletters, pamphlets, and other materials related to organizations with which he was involved; and a copy of his book on animal drawing technique. Photographs depict Bransom, his childhood and family, homes and studios, friends, travels, and other events. Many of the photographs bear identifications by Bransom. The collection has a voluminous Artwork series, which includes two sketchbooks and hundreds of original sketches, drawings, and designs by Bransom, as well as a series of prints and original artwork by others.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 8 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1862-1979 (Box 1, OV 12; 6 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1903-1984 (Box 1-5; 4.5 linear feet)

Series 3: Notes and Writings, circa 1927-1973 (Box 5, OV 12; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1912-1981 (Box 5; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 5: Printed Materials, circa 1905-1985 (Boxes 6-7, OV 12; 1.5 linear feet)

Series 6: Photographs, circa 1885-1976(Boxes 7-8, 10; 1.3 linear feet)

Series 7: Scrapbooks, circa 1880s-1970s(Boxes 8 and 11; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 8: Artwork, 1903-1976 (Boxes 8-9, OV 13-22; 1.7 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Wildlife illustrator, painter, and cartoonist Paul Bransom was born in 1885 in Washington, D.C., and grew up sketching animals in his yard and at the National Zoo. He began work as a draftsman for the U.S. Patent Office at age 13, and went on to produce technical drawings for the Southern Railroad Co. and General Electric. He moved to New York City in 1903 and worked for the New York Evening Journal from 1904 to 1907, where he produced the comic "News from Bugville" and other cartoons. During this time, he befriended several New York artists in the cartoon trade, including James Swinnerton, Charles Sarka, T.S. Sullivant, Walt Kuhn, Rudy Dirks, and Gus Mager. He was a member of the Kit Kat Club and joined in their sketch classes and annual skelters. He sketched frequently at the New York Zoological Park, and was eventually invited by the director to use a room in the lion house as his studio. He married Grace Bond, an actress, in 1906.

Bransom's break as an illustrator came from art editor George Horace Lorimer of the Saturday Evening Post, who bought several of his drawings for Post covers around 1907. Bransom began illustrating animal stories regularly in magazines such as Delineator, Country Gentleman, An American Boy, Good Housekeeping, and Ladies Home Journal. In 1912, he illustrated a special edition Jack London's Call of the Wild, and soon after that, the first illustrated edition of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. During his career, Bransom illustrated 45 books and was a regular contributor to 35 magazines, illustrating works by popular writers such as Albert Payson Terhune, J. Frank Dobie, and Emma-Lindsay Squier. He also created animal scenes for advertisements.

In 1917, Bransom built a studio on Canada Lake, NY, in the Adirondacks and he and his wife split their time between the Canada Lake home and a winter apartment on 67th Street in New York City. In 1949, he bought a second summer home near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in what is now the Grand Teton National Forest. In Wyoming, Bransom hosted artist friends and taught outdoor classes for the Teton Artists Associated until 1962, when his health forced him from the high altitudes back to Canada Lake, NY.

Bransom held his first solo exhibition in 1925 at Arden Gallery in New York City, and had at least 18 solo exhibitions around the country throughout his life, including at the Warren E. Cox Gallery (1929), Charles Scribner's Gallery (1935), the New York Zoological Park (1942), the Society of Illustrators (1942), the Denver Museum (1950), and the Woodmere Gallery in Philadelphia (1963). He often exhibited in the annual group exhibition of the Society of Animal Artists, a group he co-founded in 1960 and served as its second president, from 1968 until his death. Bransom was also a member of the American Watercolor Society, the American Artists' Professional League, the Salmagundi Club, the Dutch Treat Club, and the Boone and Crockett Club. In 1974 Bransom was granted an honorary Doctor of Art degree from Weber State College in Ogden, Utah. In 1975 he won the Benjamin West Clinedinst Memorial Medal for Distinguished Achievement in Painting.

Paul Bransom died in 1979 at the age of 94.

Related Material:

The Archives of American Art holds the Helen Ireland Hays papers related to Paul Bransom, which contains 36 audio cassette recordings of Hays interviewing Bransom, among other materials. The Special Collections Division of the Stewart Library at Weber State College in Ogden, Utah holds the Paul Bransom Collection, a collection containing artwork, books from Bransom's personal library, manuscript material and photographs donated by Bransom in 1972 and 1974.

Separated Material:

The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of 17 items lent for microfilming (reel D254). Some of this material was later donated to the Archives, portions of which were then transferred to the Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery Library and are available in their vertical file on Bransom. Loaned material is not described in this finding aid.

Provenance:

The material on reel D254 was lent for microfilming in 1966, portions of which were subsequently donated along with additional papers by Bransom between 1972 and 1975, and by his nephew's wife, Althea Bond, in 1980. Mario Cesar Romero, identified by an AAA collector as the "Curator of the Bransom collection" and creator of an inventory of Bransom's artwork, donated additional materials to the Archives in 1983 and 1986, including printed materials, photographs, correspondence, records from the artwork inventory project, and scrapbooks. In 1985, James Zayicek donated 11 sketches and eight greeting cards via Helen Ireland Hays, a writer and a noted friend of Bransom's.

Restrictions:

The bulk of the collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Use of material not digitized requires an appointment.

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:

Greeting cards  Search this

Works of art  Search this

Animals in art  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Magazine illustration  Search this

Animal painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sketchbooks

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Illustrated letters

Citation:

Paul Bransom papers, 1862-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art

Identifier:

AAA.branpaul

See more items in:

Paul Bransom papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw94fa5ed99-03a5-4b29-af69-6e1ffb4c704f

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-branpaul

Creator:

Dasburg, Andrew, 1887-1979  Search this

Names:

Carlson, John F., 1874-1945  Search this

Cramer, Florence Ballin, 1884-1962  Search this

Davidson, Florence Lucius, d. 1962  Search this

Davidson, Jo, 1883-1952  Search this

Frankl, Walter  Search this

Hartley, Marsden, 1877-1943  Search this

Howard, Lila  Search this

Johnson, Grace Mott, 1882-1967  Search this

Kuhn, Vera, d. 1961  Search this

Lockwood, Ward  Search this

Luhan, Mabel Dodge, 1879-1962  Search this

McFee, Henry Lee, 1886-1953  Search this

Riley, Mary G., 1883-1939  Search this

Simonson, Lee, 1888-  Search this

Sterling, Lindsey, 1876-1931  Search this

Wright, Alice Morgan, 1881-1975  Search this

Extent:

8.8 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Poetry

Diaries

Sketchbooks

Photographs

Date:

1833-1980

bulk 1900-1980

Summary:

The papers of painter Andrew Dasburg and his wife and sculptor Grace Mott Johnson date from 1833 to 1980 (bulk 1900 to 1980), and measure 8.8 linear feet. The collection documents each artist's career and personal lives, including their brief marriage and their friendships with many notable artists in the New Mexico and New York art colonies during the early twentieth century. The papers of Dasburg (6 linear feet) and Johnson (2.8 linear feet) include biographical materials; extensive correspondence with family, friends, and fellow artists, such as John F. Carlson, Mabel Dodge Luhan, Marsden Hartley, Henry Lee McFee, and Ward Lockwood; writings by Dasburg, Johnson, and others; scattered legal, financial, and business records; clippings; exhibition materials; numerous photographs of Johnson and Dasburg, friends, family, and artwork; and original artwork, including two sketchbooks by Johnson.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of painter Andrew Dasburg and sculptor Grace Mott Johnson date from 1833 to 1980, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1900 to 1980, and measure 8.8 linear feet. The collection is divided into the papers of Andrew Dasburg (6 linear feet) and the papers of Grace Mott Johnson (2.8 linear feet), and documents each artist's career and personal lives, including their brief marriage, and friendships with many notable artists in New Mexico and New York art colonies during the early twentieth century. Found are scattered biographical, legal, and financial materials. Extensive correspondence (particularly in Dasburg's papers) is with family, friends, and fellow artists, such as John F. Carlson, Florence Ballin Cramer, Mabel Dodge Luhan, Marsden Hartley, Henry Lee McFee, Vera Spier Kuhn, and Ward Lockwood. Dasburg's papers also include letters to Johnson and his two later wives.

Johnson's correspondence is also with numerous artist friends and others, including John F. and Margaret Carlson, Florence Ballin Cramer, Jo Davidson, Florence Lucius, Walter Frankl, Lila Wheelock Howard, Henry Lee McFee, Mary Riley, Lee Simonson, Lindsey Morris Sterling, Alice Morgan Wright, Mabel Dodge Luhan, and Vera Spier Kuhn. Letters to her son Alfred are quite detailed and revealing. Writings are by Dasburg, Johnson, and others. Johnson's writings include a very brief diary and her poetry. Writings by others are about the Taos and New Mexico art communities. Printed materials about both artists include clippings and exhibition catalogs. There are numerous photographs of Dasburg and Johnson, individually and together, and with friends and family. Of note are a group photograph of Birge Harrison's art class in Woodstock, New York, which includes Johnson and Dasburg, and a photograph of Dasburg with friends Konrad Cramer and John Reed. Dasburg's papers also include snapshots of Florence Lucius, Konrad and Florence Ballin Cramer, Frieda and D. H. Lawrence, and Mabel Dodge Luhan. Original artwork by the two artists include two sketchbooks by Johnson and three prints and two drawings by Dasburg.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 2 series of each artist's papers:

Missing Title

Series 1: Andrew Dasburg Papers, circa 1900-1980 (Box 1-7; 6.0 linear feet)

Series 2: Grace Mott Johnson Papers, 1833-1963 (Box 7-10; 2.8 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Andrew Michael Dasburg (1887-1979) was born in Paris, France, to German parents. After his father died and when he was five, Dasburg and his mother moved to New York City. In 1902 Dasburg started attending classes at the Art Students' League and studied with Kenyon Cox and Frank Du Mond. He also took night classes with Robert Henri. In 1907 he received a scholarship to the Art Students' League summer school in Woodstock, New York and spent three summers studying there in Birge Harrison's painting class. While in school he became friends with many young artists, including Morgan Russell and his future wife, Grace Mott Johnson.

Grace Mott Johnson (1882-1967) was born in New York City. She began drawing when she was four years old, and when the family moved to a farm in 1900 she enjoyed sketching horses and other farm animals. At the age of 22 she left home to study at the Art Students' League with sculptors Gutzon Borglum and James Earle Fraser, and also attended Birge Harrison's painting class in Woodstock. Throughout her career she would sculpt animals from memory, and would often attend circuses and farms for inspiration.

In 1909 Johnson and Dasburg went to Paris and joined the modernist circle of artists living there, including Morgan Russell, Jo Davidson, and Arthur Lee. During a trip to London that same year they were married. Johnson returned to the United States early the next year, but Dasburg stayed in Paris where he met Henri Matisse, Gertrude and Leo Stein, and became influenced by the paintings of Cezanne and Cubism. He returned to Woodstock, New York in August and he and Johnson became active members of the artist community. In 1911 their son Alfred was born. Both Dasburg and Johnson showed several works at the legendary Armory Show in 1913, and Dasburg also showed at the MacDowell Club in New York City, where he met the journalist and activist John Reed who later introduced him to Mabel Dodge (Luhan), a wealthy art patron and lifelong friend. In 1914 Dasburg met Alfred Stieglitz and became part of his avant-garde circle. Using what he had seen in Paris, Dasburg became one of the earliest American cubist artists, and also experimented with abstraction in his paintings.

Dasburg and Johnson lived apart for most of their marriage. By 1917 they had separated and Dasburg began teaching painting in Woodstock and in New York City. In 1918 he was invited to Taos, New Mexico by Mabel Dodge, and returning in 1919, Johnson joined him there for a period of time. Also in 1919, Dasburg was one of the founding members of the Woodstock Artists Association with John F. Carlson, Frank Swift Chase, Carl Eric Lindin, and Henry Lee McFee. In 1922 Dasburg and Johnson divorced, and also at that time he began living most of the year in Santa Fe with Ida Rauh, spending the rest of the year in Woodstock and New York City. Dasburg became an active member of the Santa Fe and the Taos art colonies, befriending many artists and writers living in these communities, and remaining close friends with Mabel Dodge Luhan. Here he moved away from abstraction, and used the southwestern landscape as the inspiration for his paintings.

In 1928 he married Nancy Lane. When that marriage ended in 1932, he moved permanently to Taos, and with his third wife, Marina Wister, built a home and studio there. Dasburg periodically taught art privately and at the University of New Mexico. In 1937 he was diagnosed with Addison's disease, which left him unable to paint again until 1946. In 1945 he and his wife Marina separated. Dasburg was recognized for his career as an artist in a circulating retrospective organized by the American Federation of Arts in 1959. He also had retrospectives in Taos in 1966 and 1978. His artwork influence several generations of artists, especially in the southwest, and he continued creating art until his death in 1979 at the age of 92.

Grace Mott Johnson lived in the Johnson family home in Yonkers, New York during the 1920s and later moved to Pleasantville, New York. In 1924 she went to Egypt to study ancient Egyptian sculpture. During the 1930s she became a civil rights activist. She produced very little art during the last twenty years of her life.

Related Material:

Also found in the Archives of American Art are two oral history interviews with Andrew Dasburg, July 2, 1964 and March 6, 1974. Additional related collections at other repositories include the Andrew and Marina Wister Dasburg Papers at the New Mexico State Archives, the Andrew Dasburg Papers at Syracuse University Library, and the Grace Mott Johnson Papers at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

Separated Material:

The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming. Reel 2803 contains photocopies of ten Morgan Russell letters to Dasburg. Reels 4276-4278 include biographical material, subject files, photographs, correspondence, writings, and exhibition material. The photocopies on reel 2803 were discarded after microfilming, and the items on 4276-4278 were returned to the lender. This material is not described in the collection container inventory.

Provenance:

The Andrew Dasburg and Grace Mott Johnson papers were donated by their son, Alfred Dasburg, in 1980. Syracuse Univresity lent materials for microfilming in 1978 and 1989.

Restrictions:

The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.

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 -- New Mexico  Search this

Painters -- New York (State)  Search this

Topic:

Works of art  Search this

Sculptors -- New York (State)  Search this

Function:

Artist colonies -- New York (State)

Artist colonies -- New Mexico

Genre/Form:

Poetry

Diaries

Sketchbooks

Photographs

Citation:

Andrew Dasburg and Grace Mott Johnson papers, 1833-1980 (bulk 1900-1980). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Identifier:

AAA.dasbandr

See more items in:

Andrew Dasburg and Grace Mott Johnson papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c161f331-506a-40a4-b904-cdd21bf7f1b8

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-dasbandr

Creator:

Turner, Charles Yardley, 1850-1918  Search this

Names:

Church, Frederick S. (Frederick Stuart), 1842-1924  Search this

La Farge, John, 1835-1910  Search this

Extent:

0.03 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scrapbooks

Date:

1894-1913

Summary:

The scrapbook of New York painter and etcher Charles Yardley Turner consists of 3 folders of letters and date from 1894 to 1913. The disbound scrapbook contains 26 illustrated letters to Turner from painter Frederick S. Church, and one letter from John LaFarge.

Scope and Contents:

The scrapbook of New York painter and etcher Charles Yardley Turner consists of 3 folders of letters and date from 1894 to 1913. The disbound scrapbook contains 26 illustrated letters to Turner from painter Frederick S. Church, and one letter from John LaFarge.

Arrangement:

Due to the small size of this collection, the papers are arranged as one series.

Series 1: Charles Yardley Turner Scrapbook of Letters from Frederick S. Church and John LaFarge, 1894-1913 (3 folders; 27 items)

Biographical / Historical:

New York, N.Y. based painter and etcher Charles Yardley Turner (1850-1918) and painter Frederick Stuart Church were close friends and, according to Ruel Pardee Tolman, "were called 'the long and short of it.' Every Christmas morning they planned to have breakfast together."

Provenance:

The Charles Yardley Turner scrapbook of letters from Frederick S. Church and John LaFarge were transferred to the Archives of American Art from the National Museum of American Art Library in 1981. The letters on reel 3480 were originally donated to the National Collection of Fine Arts by Turner's sister, Mrs. A. T. Yardley, on July 17, 1926. Letters on reel D8 are from an unknown donor, possibly one "Whittenberg" in Oct. 1958.

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 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:

Etchers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Genre/Form:

Scrapbooks

Citation:

Charles Yardley Turner Scrapbook of Letters from Frederick S. Church and John LaFarge, 1894-1913. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.turnchay

See more items in:

Charles Yardley Turner Scrapbook of Letters from Frederick S. Church and John LaFarge

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw944460e9f-f261-42f2-b064-df75b4755e13

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-turnchay

Creator:

Eisgrau, Evelyn  Search this

Extent:

0.2 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

circa 1965-1978

Summary:

The papers of New York-based painter Evelyn Eisgrau measure 0.2 linear feet and date from circa 1965 to 1978. The papers include a resume, letter, a notebook containing Eisgrau's notes from "Women in the Arts" meetings, notes for lectures; photographs of Eisgrau with her students, with her art works, and painting a portrait of Connie Elikann; exhibition catalogs, clippings, and miscellaneous printed material.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of New York-based painter Evelyn Eisgrau measure 0.2 linear feet and date from circa 1965 to 1978. The papers include a resume, letter, a notebook containing Eisgrau's notes from "Women in the Arts" meetings, notes for lectures; photographs of Eisgrau with her students, with her art works, and painting a portrait of Connie Elikann; exhibition catalogs, clippings, and miscellaneous printed material.

Arrangement:

Due to the small size of this collection, the papers are arranged as one series.

Series 1: Evelyn Eisgrau Papers, circa 1965-1978 (0.2 linear feet; 34 items)

Biographical / Historical:

Evelyn Eisgrau was a painter based in New York, N.Y. Eisgrau was born in New York City and studied art at the Art Students League, Brooklyn Museum, and the New School. In addition to painting, she was the director of her own eponymous studio-workshop in Greenwich Village, where she lectured and taught art. She was also one of the executive coordinators for the Women in the Arts Foundation for a time. She exhibited widely both in the U.S. and abroad, including France, and she won the Prix de Paris award in 1967. Her early work included commissioned portraits that are in numerous private collections.

Provenance:

The Evelyn Eisgrau papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in 1978 by Evelyn Eisgrau.

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 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 -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Citation:

Evelyn Eisgrau papers, circa 1965-1978. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.eisgevel

See more items in:

Evelyn Eisgrau papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90cdf346f-3675-4146-ab99-e76bfe332c71

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-eisgevel

Creator:

Yalovitz-Blankenship, Maxine, 1928-  Search this

Names:

Pratt Institute. Art School  Search this

McNeil, George, 1908-1995  Search this

Extent:

0.2 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1962-2002

Summary:

The Maxine Yalovitz-Blankenship papers regarding George McNeil date from 1962-2002 and measure 0.2 linear feet. Included are eleven handwritten letters from George McNeil to Maxine Yalovitz-Blankenship, 1984-1994; classroom notes from George McNeil's course in painting at the Pratt Institute, ca. 1967-1969; a résumé Maxine Yalovitz-Blankenship and a museum catalogue of her work.

Scope and Contents:

The Maxine Yalovitz-Blankenship papers regarding George McNeil date from 1962-2002 and measure 0.2 linear feet. Included are eleven handwritten letters from George McNeil to Maxine Yalovitz-Blankenship, 1984-1994; classroom notes from George McNeil's course in painting at the Pratt Institute, ca. 1967-1969; a résumé Maxine Yalovitz-Blankenship and a museum catalogue of her work.

Arrangement:

Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.

Biographical / Historical:

Maxine Yalovitz-Blankenship (1928- ) is a painter active in Boston, Massachusetts. She studied under George McNeil at the Pratt Institute.

Provenance:

Maxine Yalovitz-Blankenship donated the papers to the Archives of American Art in 2002.

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.

Occupation:

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Painters -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this

Topic:

Women artists  Search this

Citation:

Maxine Yalovitz-Blankenship papers relating to George McNeil, 1962-2002. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.yalomaxi

See more items in:

Maxine Yalovitz-Blankenship papers relating to George McNeil

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw921f19fc5-6060-48a5-b4e3-7662d8fb7264

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-yalomaxi

Interviewee:

Evett, Kenneth Warnock, 1913-  Search this

Interviewer:

Trovato, Joseph S., 1912-1983  Search this

Creator:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Federal Art Project  Search this

Federal Art Project  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Robinson, Boardman, 1876-1952  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (Sound recording: 1 sound tape reel ; 5 in)

11 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1964 Oct. 10

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Kenneth Warnock Evett conducted 1964 Oct. 10, by Joseph Trovato for the Archives of American Art.

Evett speaks of his background and education at Colorado State University; his first involvement with the Federal Art Project; under Boardman Robinson as an assistant on a mural; four post office murals he painted; his opinions of the project; and its effect on the development of American art.

Biographical / Historical:

Painter, mural painter; Ithaca, N.Y.

Provenance:

This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.

Restrictions:

This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Topic:

Mural painting and decoration  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Muralists -- New York (State) -- Interviews  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.evett64

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ee29821b-3aaa-4600-b481-e0c366c7748c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-evett64

Creator:

Hirsch, Joseph, 1910-1981  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Interviewer:

Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington), 1920-  Search this

Names:

Federal Art Project  Search this

Index of American Design  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Curran, Mary  Search this

McMahon, Audrey, 1900?-1981  Search this

Extent:

Sound recording: 1 sound tape reel, 7 in. ; (24 p. transcript on partial microfilm reel)

24 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1965

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Joseph Hirsch conducted by Harlan Phillips in 1965 for the Archives of American Art.

Hirsch speaks of his early education and background in industrial art; his first involvement with the Federal Art Project, including the easel painting project, murals, and the Index of American Design; artistic experimentation during the 1930s; public perception of federally suuported art projects. He recalls Holger Cahill, Audrey McMahon and Mary Curran.

Biographical / Historical:

Painter, lithographer; New York, N.Y. and Pennsylvania.

General:

An unrelated interview of Louis Schanker conducted by H. Phillips is also on this tape.

Provenance:

Conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.

Restrictions:

Transcript: Patrons must use microfilm copy.

Topic:

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Lithographers -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this

Lithographers -- Pennsylvania -- Interviews  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- Interviews  Search this

Painters -- Pennsylvania -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.hirsch65

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b45de9c4-ffa2-49b7-ba2c-14abb7824d85

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-hirsch65

Interviewee:

Greenwood, Grace, 1905-  Search this

Interviewer:

Trovato, Joseph S., 1912-1983  Search this

Creator:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Federal Art Project  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Treasury Relief Art Project  Search this

Extent:

1 Sound tape reel (Sound recording, 5 in.)

8 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound tape reels

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1965 Jan 29

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Grace Greenwood conducted 1965 Jan. 29, by Joseph Trovato, for the Archives of American Art New Deal and the Arts Project.

Greenwood speaks of her background and art education; her mural work before joining the Treasury Relief Art Project; working on a post office mural in Camden, New Jersey; participating in the WPA Federal Art Project's easel painting project; and her post-FAP career.

Biographical / Historical:

Grace A. Greenwood, (1905-), painter and mural painter of Woodstock, New York.

General:

An interview of Rollin Crampton conducted by J. Trovato is also on this tape.

Provenance:

This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.

Occupation:

Painters -- New York (State)  Search this

Muralists -- New York (State)  Search this

Topic:

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Mural painting and decoration  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women muralists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.greenw65

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91acb368e-f800-448e-8f25-c46a44d54586

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-greenw65

Interviewee:

Gilien, Ted, 1914-1967  Search this

Interviewer:

McGlynn, Betty Hoag  Search this

Creator:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Federal Art Project (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Bocour, Leonard, 1910-1993  Search this

Levine, Jack, 1915-2010  Search this

Extent:

2 Sound tape reels (Sound recording, 3 in.)

35 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound tape reels

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1965 Mar. 3

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Ted Gilien conducted 1965 Mar. 3, by Betty Hoag, for the Archives of American Art. Gilien speaks of his background and education; getting on the WPA Federal Art Project; starting out as an assistant mural painter on Ellis Island; his military service in World War II as a combat artist; working in New York City and then in California after World War II; experimenting in screenwriting and novel writing; recurring themes in his paintings; his feelings about the FAP; art criticism; the politics of government support for the arts; camaraderie among artists during the WPA years. He recalls Leonard Bocour and Jack Levine.

Biographical / Historical:

Ted Gilien (1914-1967) was a painter and muralist in New York, N.Y. and Los Angeles, Calif.

General:

An unrelated interview of Charles White (3/9/65) conducted by B. Hoag is also on one tape.

An interview of F. J. Schwankovsky (3/1/65) conducted by B. Hoag is also on one tape.

Provenance:

This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.

Restrictions:

Use requires an appointment.

Topic:

Art and state  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Art and war  Search this

Mural painting and decoration  Search this

Muralists -- California -- Interviews  Search this

Painters -- California -- Interviews  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- Interviews  Search this

Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.gilien65

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9fc464c8e-b350-4f4f-8840-f7f2c6144164

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-gilien65

Creator:

Weinstein, Florence, b. 1895  Search this

Names:

Borduas, Paul-Emile, 1905-1960  Search this

Golbin, Andrée, 1923-2006  Search this

Littlefield, William Horace, 1902-1969  Search this

Motherwell, Robert  Search this

Weinstein, Sylvie L., 1906-1945  Search this

Extent:

0.2 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drawings

Date:

1929-1983

Summary:

The papers of New York painter and ceramicist Florence Weinstein measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1929 to 1983. The collection provides scattered documentation of Weinstein's career through records including correspondence, biographical notes, printed materials, photographs of Weinstein and her work, and a drawing by Sylvie Weinstein.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of New York painter and ceramicist Florence Weinstein measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1929 to 1983. The collection provides scattered documentation of Weinstein's career and comprises correspondence from Robert Motherwell, William Littlefield, Paul Borduas, Andrée Golbin, and others; biographical notes by Weinstein; printed materials consisting of announcements and catalogs for Weinstein's exhibitions, press releases, and clippings; photographs of Weinstein, her home, and works of art; and artwork by Littlefield and Weinstein's sister, Sylvie.

Arrangement:

Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.

Biographical / Historical:

Florence Weinstein (1895-1989) was a painter and ceramicist in New York, New York.

Weinstein was born to Gregory and Eugenie, immigrants from Lithuania and Russia, who married in 1890 in New York City; her two sisters, Eleanore and Sylvie, were also accomplished artists. After graduating from Adelphi College with a bachelor's degree in English, Weinstein taught high school, held held various other jobs during World War I, and visited France to travel and study French. She attended the Alliance Française from 1922 to 1923 and the École des Arts de la Sorbonne from 1931 to 1932.

In college, Weinstein studied classical and Renaissance art, but was impressed by Georgia O'Keefe's "non-classical" approach after viewing O'Keefe's exhibition at the 231 Gallery. While she spent summers in Provincetown during the late 1930s and early 1940s where she was surrounded by artists, she only dabbled in painting and sculpture and lacked confidence in her artistic abilities.

After the death of her sister Sylvie in 1945, Weinstein took a leave of absence from teaching and spent time in New Mexico. Upon her return to New York she sought to capture the beauty of the New Mexico landscape in her painting. Her sister Eleanor suggested she take a free class led by Barnett Newman. In 1948, she took courses at the Subjects of the Artist School founded by Newman, William Baziotes, David Hare, Robert Motherwell, and Mark Rothko. The school was short-lived, but the experience helped propel Weinstein to retire from teaching in 1951 and focus solely on being an artist. She was initially a painter, but she began exploring ceramics and sculpture in 1969.

Weinstein died in 1989.

Provenance:

The collection was donated in 1977 and 1983 by Florence Weinstein.

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.

Occupation:

Ceramicists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- New City  Search this

Topic:

Women artists  Search this

American studio craft movement  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drawings

Citation:

Florence Weinstein papers, 1929-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.weinflor

See more items in:

Florence Weinstein papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f9c76310-1e24-4bb6-9c81-903ca8a7489a

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-weinflor

Creator:

Gorelick, Shirley, 1924-2000  Search this

Extent:

3.3 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sketchbooks

Date:

circa 1940-1996

Scope and Contents:

The Shirley Gorelick papers measure 3.3 linear feet and date from circa 1940-1996. Included is biographical information; price lists; personal and professional correspondence; photographs, contact sheets, negatives and slides of works of art, Gorelick, others, and events; printed material including magazine and newspaper articles, brochures and exhibition catalogs regarding Gorelick's exhibitions; and nine sketchbooks.

Biographical / Historical:

Shirley Gorelick (1924-2000) was an abstract and realist painter based in New York and Washington, DC.

Provenance:

Donated in 2021 by Jamie Gorelick, Shirley Gorelick's daughter.

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.

Occupation:

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Painters -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this

Topic:

Women painters  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sketchbooks

Identifier:

AAA.goreshir

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw998fcf57a-8666-49f7-8cad-cc18eb68362f

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-goreshir

Creator:

Kushner, Robert, 1949-  Search this

Names:

98 Green St. Loft  Search this

Clocktower Gallery  Search this

Kitchen, The  Search this

Paula Cooper Gallery  Search this

St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Goldin, Amy  Search this

Solomon, Holly  Search this

Extent:

4.6 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound recordings

Video recordings

Place:

SoHo (New York, N.Y.)

Date:

1967-2011

Summary:

The papers of the artist Robert Kushner measure 4.6 linear feet and date from 1967 to 2011. The collection documents primarily the early career of Robert Kushner through performance videos and other media artworks, correspondence, notes, lab records, inventories, an exhibition proposal, and subject files regarding critic Amy Goldin.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of the artist Robert Kushner measure 4.6 linear feet and date from 1967 to 2011. The collection documents primarily the early career of Robert Kushner through performance videos, other media artworks, correspondence, notes, lab records, inventories, an exhibition proposal, and subject files regarding critic Amy Goldin.

Performances and artworks comprise the bulk of the collection and include video recordings, sound recordings, and motion picture films documenting works by Robert Kushner created between circa 1967 and 1982. Most of the video footage documents live performances of Kushner's pageants and fashion shows that took place between 1972 and 1981, primarily in art spaces in the SOHO district of New York City. In addition to live performance documentation, videos and films include four moving image artworks, recorded music used in performances, and publicity including a television news magazine segment featuring Kushner and his edible costumes. Paper documentation of Kushner's video recordings includes correspondence, notes, lab records, performance programs, edit worksheets, and inventories of Kushner's performance videos. An exhibition file contains documentation of the development of a proposed exhibition from 1999-2000 entitled "Pret-a-porter: Robert Kushner, performance and fashion, 1970-1980."

Subject files compiled by Robert Kushner regarding critic Amy Goldin (1926-1978), Kushner's former teacher and close friend, contain mainly photocopies and a few original documents. Included are published and unpublished writings, letters to and from Goldin, photographs, and biographical material. A small amount of original primary sources related to Goldin are also found.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged in 3 series:

Series 1: Performances and Artwork, 1967-1988 (Boxes 1-4, FC 6-7; 3.7 linear feet)

Series 2: Video Documentation and Exhibition Proposal, 1988-2002 (Box 4; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 3: Research Material on Amy Goldin, 1971-2011 (Boxes 4-5; 0.7 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical:

Robert Kushner (1949- ) is a New York, N.Y.-based painter of the Pattern and Decoration movement and an installation artist who began his career as a performance artist.

Kushner was born in Pasadena, California in 1949 and studied visual arts at the University of California at San Diego, La Jolla in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Kushner met and worked closely with the critic Amy Goldin at UCSD, and his work was strongly influenced by her scholarship and thinking about non-Western visual cultures, particularly regarding Islamic decorative art.

Kushner began his work with fashion, costume, and performance in the early 1970s in New York City. He performed and exhibited in the many SOHO art spaces that emerged at that time supporting avant garde and experimental art, such as the 98 Greene Street Loft, the Kitchen, The Clocktower, St. Mark's Church, and Paula Cooper Gallery. The work evolved from the creation of soft sculptures using found materials, to the creation of costumes and fashion "lines" with nontraditional materials, including fresh food, which he presented in the performance genres of pageants and fashion shows, using models to exhibit his works before live audiences. In 1973, art dealer Holly Solomon became a champion of his work. He was a founding member of the Pattern and Decoration movement beginning in the mid-1970s, and his performance, costume, and paintings are strongly associated with that movement.

Kushner has exhibited his work widely, with major exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Institute of Contemporary Art. Kushner's work is included in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the National Gallery of Art, among many others. He is represented in New York by the DC Moore Gallery.

Provenance:

Donated 2013 by Robert Kushner.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.

Topic:

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Performance artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Pattern and decoration (Art movement)  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Video recordings

Citation:

Robert Kushner papers, 1967-2011. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the preservation of the video and sound recordings and motion picture film digitization was provided by Bridget Moore.

Identifier:

AAA.kushrobe

See more items in:

Robert Kushner papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9461894b1-9774-4831-b4de-493e481e4633

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-kushrobe

Creator:

David, Don Raymond, 1910-  Search this

Golbin, Andrée, 1923-2006  Search this

Names:

Donneson, Seena  Search this

Konzal, Joseph, 1905-1994  Search this

Lippard, Lucy R.  Search this

Lockspeiser, Eleanore, 1900-1986  Search this

Rosenberg, Harold, 1906-1978  Search this

Sleigh, Sylvia  Search this

Stefanotti, Robert, 1947-  Search this

Vogel, Dorothy  Search this

Vogel, Herbert  Search this

Extent:

4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Date:

1930-1980

Scope and Contents:

Biographical information, correspondence, writings, financial records, works of art, photographs, and printed material regarding the careers of painter Don Raymond David and illustrator Andrée Golbin.

Biographical information includes an address book and date books. Correspondence is with Joseph Konzal, Lucy Lippard, Harold Rosenberg, Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, Seena Donneson, Sylvia Sleigh, Eleanor Lockspeiser, Robert Stefanotti, and others. Writings include essays, Golbin's diaries, notes, and notebooks primarily dealing with art. Financial records consist of receipts, contracts, bills, and account books. Works of art, by both David and Golbin, include drawings, prints, geometric sketches, and sketchbooks, some with notations and illustrations by Golbin for publications. Printed material includes announcements, catalogs, and clippings.

Biographical / Historical:

Don Raymond David (1910- ) is a painter and instructor in New York, N.Y. David's wife, Andrée Golbin, is an illustrator from Germany.

Provenance:

Donated 1977 by Don David and 1981 by David and Golbin.

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.

Occupation:

Illustrators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Identifier:

AAA.davidon

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw99086f3c9-0410-48d2-9b7a-7a69ee46ad67

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-davidon