Search Results

Interviewee:

Lechay, James  Search this

Interviewer:

Brown, Robert F.  Search this

Names:

Gorky, Arshile, 1904-1948  Search this

Hartley, Marsden, 1877-1943  Search this

Lechay, Myron, 1898-1972  Search this

Margules, De Hirsh, 1899-1965  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Siqueiros, David Alfaro  Search this

Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946  Search this

Weber, Max, 1881-1961  Search this

Extent:

70 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1998 July 9-Aug. 26

Scope and Contents:

Interview of James Lechay, conducted by Robert F. Brown for the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution at Lechay's home in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, on July 9-Aug. 26, 1998.

Lechay speaks of his early childhood in the Bronx, N.Y.; copying paintings at the Metropolitan Museum under the tutelage of his elder brother Myron; discontinuing his study of psychology at the University of Illinois in 1929 to return to NYC to paint; taking odd jobs to counter his extreme poverty in the early 1930s; his first exhibition at Another Place (1936), a gallery run by De Hirsh Margules; praise from David Siqueiros, the Mexican muralist; his first trip to Provincetown (1930); exhibiting several times at the Whitney Museum (and others) but not at MoMA; touring NYC galleries on Fridays; meeting Marsden Hartley and Alfred Stieglitz; his friendship with Arshile Gorky; serving as a juror for the 1940s Momentum exhibition with Jackson Pollock and Max Weber; teaching at the University of Iowa in 1945, succeeding Philip Guston; his luck in having, since 1935, a New York dealer; his work as self-referential; being repelled by art fashions and not compromising his work in order to sell; the appearance of simplicity in his work. Lechay also recalls Raphael and Moses Soyer, Abraham Walkowitz, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

James Lechay (1907-2001) was a painter from Wellfleet, Mass.

General:

Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 17 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Restrictions:

This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire audio recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Topic:

Painters -- Massachusetts -- Wellfleet -- Interviews  Search this

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

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.lechay98

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-lechay98

Creator:

Lehman, Harold, 1913-2006  Search this

Interviewer:

Polcari, Stephen  Search this

Names:

Public Works of Art Project  Search this

Arenal, Luis  Search this

Armiduke, Merle  Search this

Blanch, Arnold, 1896-1968  Search this

Feitelson, Lorser, 1898-1978  Search this

Greenberg, Clement, 1909-1994  Search this

Guston, Philip, 1913-1980  Search this

Horr, Axel  Search this

Kadish, Reuben, 1913-1992  Search this

Katz, Leo, 1887-1982  Search this

Lundeberg, Helen, 1908-1999  Search this

Mahl, Carla  Search this

Maikowski, Max  Search this

McCoy, Stanley  Search this

Orozco, José Clemente, 1883-1949  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this

Rosenberg, Harold, 1906-1978  Search this

Schwankovsky, Frederick John, 1885-1974  Search this

Serstadt, Louie  Search this

Siqueiros, David Alfaro  Search this

Stanley, George M., 1903-  Search this

de Laffiere, Jean  Search this

Extent:

144 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1997 Mar. 28

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Harold Lehman conducted 1997 Mar. 28, by Stephen Polcari, for the Archives of American Art. Lehman speaks of his early educational and artistic experiences in New York; taking sculpture classes; moving to California; going to school at Manual Arts; going to Ojai and learning the religious philosophy of Krishnamurti; participating in literary discussion groups and the books he read; his years at Otis Art Institute; working with Sisqueiros, and how the frescoes they created were destroyed by the Red Squad; when he became interested in painting; working with Lorser Feitelson; working with the Public Works of Art Project; moving back to New York and working with the Federal Arts Project; his experiences with Sisqueiros and the artist workshop they set up; his thoughts on the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Stalin and Trotsky; his thoughts on social realism; the project he did on Rikers Island; doing mural art; breaking both his arms two months before the attack on Pearl Harbor and how he managed to stay out of the army; working on his mural in Woodstock; working on war bond painting for the government; his art work during the war years; recollections of Jackson Pollack and his interest in Indian Art; going to see the Picasso show; his artistic influences; his thoughts on America's involvement in World War II; his life after the war and what inspired him; his memories of Phil Guston; thoughts on Harold Rosenberg and Clement Greenberg; his life after the war, and other recollections about his life and friends. He recalls Max Maikowski, Jean de Laffiere, Rutolo, Frederick J. Schwankovsky, Phil Guston, Jackson Pollack, Manuel Tolegian, Rueben Kadish, George Stanley, Roger Noble Vernon, D.A. Siqueiros, Luis Arenal, Lorser Feitelson, Helen Lundberg, Leo Katz, Merle Armiduke, Stanley McCoy, Axel Horr (Horn), Carla Mahl (Clara Moore), Louie Serstadt, Diego Rivera, Jose Orozco, Arnold Blanch, Harold Rosenberg, Clement Greenberg, Arnold Blanch, and many others.

Biographical / Historical:

Harold Lehman (1913-2006) was a painter, lithographer, designer, and sculptor from New York, N.Y.

General:

Originally recorded on 7 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 12 digital wav files. Duration is 8 hrs., 39 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Topic:

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

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

World War, 1939-1945  Search this

Communism  Search this

Mural painting and decoration  Search this

Social realism  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.lehman97

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-lehman97

Interviewee:

McNeil, George, 1908-1995  Search this

Interviewer:

Seckler, Dorothy Gees, 1910-1994  Search this

Creator:

Diller, Burgoyne, 1906-1965  Search this

Names:

American Abstract Artists  Search this

Art Students League (New York, N.Y.) -- Students  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Pratt Institute. Art School -- Students  Search this

United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this

Cavallon, Giorgio, 1904-1989  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

Dehner, Dorothy, 1901-1994  Search this

Dlugoszewski, Lucia, 1931-2000  Search this

Gorky, Arshile, 1904-1948  Search this

Hofmann, Hans, 1880-1966  Search this

Hopper, Jo N. (Josephine Nivison), 1883-1968  Search this

Kline, Franz, 1910-1962  Search this

Levy, Edgar  Search this

Manso, Leo  Search this

Matulka, Jan, 1890-1972  Search this

Pereira, I. Rice (Irene Rice), 1902-1971  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Smith, David, 1906-1965  Search this

Tworkov, Jack  Search this

Vytlacil, Vaclav, 1892-1984  Search this

Extent:

18 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1965 June 3

Scope and Contents:

An interview of George McNeil conducted by Dorothy Seckler for the Archives of American Art. McNeil speaks of his childhood and his family; becoming interested in art during high school; attending Pratt Institute, and not being satisfied there; deciding to drop out of Pratt after attending a lecture from Vaclav Vytlacil; going to the Metropolitan Museum every day drawing and analyzing paintings; meeting Arshile Gorky while at the Metropolitan Museum; attending the Art Students League; studying with Hans Hofmann; the start of the American Abstract Artists; his involvement in the WPA's mural project; attending Teachers College at Columbia before joining the Navy; re-entering the New York art scene during the forties and liking it very much; meeting and being influenced by Pollock; his views on the state of painting; how his work has evolved; the various stages in the way a painting developed for him; how The Club and the Eighth Street Club has influenced him; the ideas discussed at The Club, and how he feels surrealism was not a big influence on them; Jackson Pollock's influence on abstract expressionism; artists he admires or has admired; and his thoughts on the contemporary art scene. He recalls Vaclav Vytlacil, Arshile Gorky, Jan Matulka, David Smith, Dorothy Dehner, Edgar Levy, Leo Manso, Burgoyne Diller, Irene Rice Pereira, Hans Hofmann, Jo Hopper, Giorgio Cavallon, Linda Lindaberg (Cavallon), Mercedes Kahls, George Byron Brown, Albert Swinden, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollack, Franz Kline, Jack Tworkov, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, and many others.

Biographical / Historical:

George McNeil (1908-1995) was a painter and a printmaker in Brooklyn, N.Y.

General:

Originally recorded on 2 sound tapes. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 49 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Restrictions:

Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's website.

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

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

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

Abstract expressionism  Search this

Painting  Search this

Surrealism  Search this

Mural painting and decoration  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.mcneil65

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-mcneil65

Interviewee:

Knowles, Alison, 1933-  Search this

Interviewer:

Richards, Judith Olch  Search this

Creator:

Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project  Search this

Names:

California Institute of the Arts -- Faculty  Search this

Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project  Search this

Middlebury College -- Students  Search this

Pratt Institute. Art School -- Students  Search this

Albers, Josef  Search this

Brecht, George  Search this

Callahan, Harry M.  Search this

Chicago, Judy, 1939-  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this

Gordon, Coco, 1938-  Search this

Gottlieb, Adolph, 1903-1974  Search this

Hamilton, Richard, 1922-  Search this

Hendricks, Jon, 1921-  Search this

Higgins, Dick, 1938-1998  Search this

Johnson, Ray, 1927-1995  Search this

Jones, Joe, 1909-1963  Search this

Kaprow, Allan  Search this

Kuehn, Kathy  Search this

Lauf, Cornelia  Search this

Lindner, Richard, 1901-1978  Search this

Mac Low, Jackson  Search this

Maciunas, George, 1931-1978  Search this

Moorman, Charlotte  Search this

Ono, Yōko  Search this

Paik, Nam June, 1932-  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008  Search this

Saito, Takako, 1929-  Search this

Schapiro, Miriam, 1923-2015  Search this

Schneemann, Carolee, 1939-  Search this

Schöning, Klaus  Search this

Shiomi, Mieko, 1909-1948  Search this

Silverman, Gilbert  Search this

Spoerri, Daniel, 1930-  Search this

Teitelbaum, Richard  Search this

Tenney, James  Search this

Waśko, Ryszard  Search this

Extent:

86 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

2010 June 1-2

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Alison Knowles conducted 2010 June 1-2, by Judith Olch Richards, for the Archives of American Art's Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project, at Knowles' home and studio, in New York, N.Y.

Knowles speaks of her family background; her father's (an English professor) influence on her education; her love of nature and isolation as a young girl; her French studies at Middlebury College; her transfer to Pratt Institute to study art; the social and academic environment at Pratt; her inclinations towards abstraction; her first marriage to Jim Ericson; her first studio at 423 Broadway; her early jobs as a commercial artist; her first gallery show at Nonagon, in 1958, and how she subsequently burned the paintings in that show; her second marriage to Dick Higgins in 1960; her Judson Gallery Show in 1962 and how she subsequently discarded those works; her involvement in the Fluxus group; her involvement with the "Cage class," and its early performances; her collaboration with John Cage on the book, "Notations" (1968); her collaboration with Marcel Duchamp on a print (1967); the circumstances surrounding her performance piece, "Make a Salad" (1962), her travels through Europe with Higgins; the birth of her twins; her computerized poetic piece and installation, "House of Dust" (1967) and how it was later vandalized; her move to Los Angeles to teach at CalArts; the rebuilding of "House of Dust" at CalArts; her move back to New York; the processes leading up to several projects and collaborations including "Loose Pages," "Big Book," "Bread and Water," and more; where she finds her inspiration; her thoughts on performance art; her studio environment in Barrytown, N.Y.; the influence and support of Germany on her work and Fluxus in general; her recent work, including "Identical Lunch"; and current challenges she faces as an artist.

She recalls Richard Lindner, Adolph Gottlieb, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Judy Chicago, Josef Albers, Dorothy Podber, Ray Johnson, Dick Higgins, Robert Rauschenberg, John Cage, Klaus Schöning, Jon Hendricks, Gilbert Silverman, George Maciunas, George Brecht, Jack Mac Low, Yoko Ono, Mieko Shiomi, Takako Saito, Joe Jones, Marcel Duchamp, Daniel Spoerri, Richard Hamilton, Nam June Paik, Charlotte Moorman, Helmut Becker, Coco Gordon, Jim Tenney, Cornelia Lauf, Rirkrit Tirvanija, Allan Kaprow, Simone Forte, Carolee Schneemann, Richard Teitelbaum, Miriam Schapiro, Miguel Abrau, James Fuentes, Cyrilla Wozenter, Kathy Kuehn, Ryszard Wasko.

Biographical / Historical:

Alison Knowles (1933- ) is an artist and a founding member of Fluxus in New York, N.Y. Judith Olch Richards (1947- ) is a former director of iCI in New York, N.Y.

General:

Originally recorded on 5 mini discs. Duration is 5 hr., 45 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Topic:

Fluxus (Group of artists)  Search this

Women artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this

Performance art  Search this

Function:

Artists' studios

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

This interview is part of the Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project, funded by the A G Foundation.

Identifier:

AAA.knowle10

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-knowle10

Interviewee:

Diament Sujo, Clara  Search this

Interviewer:

Berman, Avis  Search this

Creator:

Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project  Search this

Names:

Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project  Search this

Barr, Alfred H., Jr., 1902-1981  Search this

Córdova, Arturo de, 1908-1973  Search this

D'Harnoncourt, Rene, 1901-1968  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this

Hughes, Langston, 1902-1967  Search this

Johns, Jasper, 1930-  Search this

Kuh, Katharine  Search this

Lam, Wifredo  Search this

Marisol, 1930-2016  Search this

Messer, Thomas M.  Search this

Miller, Dorothy Canning, 1904-2003  Search this

Otero Rodríguez, Alejandro  Search this

Perón, Juan Domingo, 1895-1974  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008  Search this

Reverón, Armando, 1889-1954  Search this

Romero Brest, Jorge  Search this

Soto, Jesús Rafael, 1923-2005  Search this

Sterne, Hedda, 1910-2011  Search this

Valera, Víctor, 1927-  Search this

Extent:

98 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Interviews

Sound recordings

Date:

2010 June 8-16

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Clara Diament Sujo conducted 2010 June 8-16, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art's Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts project, at Sujo's home, in New York, New York.

Diament speaks of her childhood in Argentina; her father's early influence; working with Abbott Industries; her travels with her father as a child to Punta del Este in Urguay, and Mar del Plata; her experiences in the United States; life under Juan Perón and how political events helped shape her education; teaching in Venezuela; collecting art for the Venezuelan science museum; her views on art; the artists that she has worked with and represented; the opening of her first gallery in Venezuela; her gallery in New York City; the influence of Jorge Romero Brest; and her work with the museum network to represent Latin American artists. She recalls Katharine Kuh, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Jesus Rafael Soto, Arturo de Cordova, Alejandro Otero, Victor Valera, Armando Reverón, Mercedes Pardo, Wilfredo Lam, Alfred Barr, Rene d'Harnoncourt, Dorothy Miller, Thomas Messer, Marcel Duchamp, Hedda Sterne, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Marisol Escobar, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Clara Diament Sujo (1921-) is owner and director of CDS Gallery in New York, New York. Avis Berman (1949-) is a scholar in New York, New York.

General:

Originally recorded on 1 compact disc. Reformatted in 2010 as 3 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 10 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Topic:

Art -- Collectors and collecting -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this

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

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

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Sound recordings

Sponsor:

This interview is part of the Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project, funded by the A G Foundation.

Identifier:

AAA.diamen10

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-diamen10

Interviewee:

Hopkins, Henry, 1928-2009  Search this

Interviewer:

Chamberlin, Wesley  Search this

Names:

Art Institute of Chicago -- Student  Search this

Fort Worth Art Museum  Search this

Los Angeles County Museum of Art  Search this

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art  Search this

Bell, Larry, 1939-  Search this

Bengston, Billy Al  Search this

Bereal, Edmund, 1937-  Search this

Blum, Shirley Neilsen.  Search this

Copley, William Nelson, 1919-1996  Search this

Cornell, Joseph  Search this

Goode, Joe, 1937-  Search this

Hopps, Walter  Search this

Irwin, Robert, 1928-  Search this

Kline, Franz, 1910-1962  Search this

Miyashiro, Ron  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Price, Kenneth, 1935-2012  Search this

Ruscha, Edward  Search this

Extent:

7 Sound cassettes (Sound recording)

90 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound cassettes

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1980 Oct. 24-Dec. 17

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Henry Tyler Hopkins conducted 1980 Oct. 24-1980 Dec. 17, by Wesley Chamberlin, for the Archives of American Art.

Hopkins speaks of his childhood and family background in Idaho; his education in Idaho and at the Art Institute of Chicago; his U.S. Army service as a photographer; the influence upon him of the early abstract expressionists; moving to California and getting involved in the museum community; working as a curator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and developing its collection of modern works; becoming the director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the value of art appreciation over art entertainment; problems with corporate and federal support; the psychological aspects of Jackson Pollack's work; pop art; the Bay area art scene; and the role of art museums. He recalls Shirley and Walter Hopps, Ed Ruscha, Joe Goode, Larry Bell, Ed Bereal, Ron Miyashiro, Jackson Pollack, Joseph Cornell, Billy Al Bengston, Kenny Price, Robert Irwin, William Copley, Franz Kline, and many others.

Biographical / Historical:

Henry Hopkins (1928-2009) was a director of San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Provenance:

These interviews are part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

Abstract expressionism  Search this

Art -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Pop art  Search this

Museum directors -- California -- San Francisco -- Interviews  Search this

Function:

Art museums -- California -- San Francisco

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.hopkin80

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-hopkin80

Interviewee:

Reis, Rebecca G., 1896-1988  Search this

Interviewer:

McNaught, William  Search this

Creator:

Mark Rothko and His Times Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Mark Rothko and His Times Oral History Project  Search this

Baziotes, William, 1912-1963  Search this

Chagall, Marc, 1887-1985  Search this

Ernst, Max, 1891-1976  Search this

Frankenthaler, Helen, 1928-2011  Search this

Gottlieb, Adolph, 1903-1974  Search this

Grosz, George, 1893-1959  Search this

Guggenheim, Peggy, 1898-  Search this

Guston, Philip, 1913-1980  Search this

Kline, Franz, 1910-1962  Search this

Lipchitz, Jacques, 1891-1973  Search this

Motherwell, Robert  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Reinhardt, Rita  Search this

Reis, Bernard J.  Search this

Rivers, Larry, 1925-2002  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Extent:

123 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1980

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Rebecca Reis conducted in 1980, by William McNaught, for the Archives of American Art's Mark Rothko and His Times oral history project.

Reis speaks of her life in New York City. At their home in the city they entertained artists, art dealers, and other art lovers and had a great desire to provide a haven for people who loved art. Reis recalls many stories of the people they met and supported including Jacques Lipchitz, George Grosz, Jackson Pollock, Peggy Guggenheim, Max Ernst, Marc Chagall, Larry Rivers, Philip Guston, Robert Motherwell, Helen Frankenthaler, William Baziotes, Franz Kline, Adolph Gottlieb, and Mark Rothko, the legal case involving Rothko's estate, and Rothko's relationship with Rita Reinhardt. They were particular friends of Peggy Guggenheim. Bernard Reis gave financial advice to many people in the art world. The latter portion of the interviews concentrates on their great friend, Mark Rothko, his suicide, and subsequent court case brought by the family.

Biographical / Historical:

Rebecca Reis (1896-1988) was a collector, from New York, New York. She was married to Bernard Reis, one of the executors of Mark Rothko's will.

General:

Originally recorded on 4 sound reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 7 digital wav files. Duration is 7 hr., 20 min.

Provenance:

This interview was conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's Mark Rothko and his Times oral history project, with funding provided by the Mark Rothko Foundation.

Others interviewed on the project (by various interviewers) include: Sonia Allen, Sally Avery, Ben-Zion, Bernard Braddon, Ernest Briggs, Rhys Caparn, Elaine de Kooning, Herbert Ferber, Esther Gottlieb, Juliette Hays, Sidney Janis, Buffie Johnson, Jacob Kainen, Louis Kaufman, Jack Kufeld, Katharine Kuh, Stanley Kunitz, Joseph Liss, Dorothy Miller, Betty Parsons, Wallace Putnam, Maurice Roth, Sidney Schectman, Aaron Siskind, Joseph Solman, Hedda Sterne, Jack Tworkov, Esteban Vicente and Ed Weinstein. Each has been cataloged separately.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

Abstract expressionism  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the transcription of this interview provided by the Smithsonian Institution's Women's Committee.

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.reis80

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-reis80

Interviewee:

Kadish, Reuben, 1913-1992  Search this

Interviewer:

Polcari, Stephen  Search this

Names:

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Extent:

1 Sound cassette (Sound recording)

40 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound cassettes

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1992 Apr. 15

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Reuben Kadish conducted 1992 Apr. 15, by Stephen Polcari, for the Archives of American Art. Kadish discusses designing murals for the WPA in the 1930s; working as an artist in the South Pacific for the U.S. Army during World War II; the N.Y. art scene in the 1940s; and his views on government support of the arts and on art censorship. He recalls Jackson Pollock.

Biographical / Historical:

Reuben Kadish (1913-1992) was a painter, sculptor, and mural painter from New York, N.Y.

Provenance:

These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

Mural painting and decoration, American  Search this

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

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

Art and war  Search this

Art and state  Search this

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

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

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

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.kadish92

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-kadish92

Interviewee:

Brooks, James, 1906-1992  Search this

Interviewer:

Seckler, Dorothy Gees, 1910-1994  Search this

Names:

Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Biddle, George, 1885-1973  Search this

Guston, Philip, 1913-1980  Search this

Nicolaïdes, Kimon, 1892-1938  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Robinson, Boardman, 1876-1952  Search this

Extent:

36 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1965 June 10 and June 12

Scope and Contents:

An interview of James Brooks conducted 1965 June 10-12, by Dorothy Seckler, for the Archives of American Art.

Brooks speaks of his childhood, early art training, study with Kimon Nicolaides and Boardman Robinson at the Art Students League, mural projects, and his work in advertising. He comments on the Artists Union, his Air Force service, Army art projects, teaching at Columbia and Pratt Institute, an early abstract expressionist group called "the 8th Street Club" or just "The Club"; influence of Hans Hofmann, practicing Zen, changes in his work, his use of line and his drawings. He recalls George Biddle, Philip Guston and Jackson Pollock.

Biographical / Historical:

James Brooks (1906-1992) was a painter from East Hampton, New York.

General:

Originally recorded on 3 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 59 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

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

Abstract expressionism  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.brooks65

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-brooks65

Interviewee:

Agostini, Peter  Search this

Interviewer:

Roberts, Colette, 1910-  Search this

Names:

Columbia University -- Faculty  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Bontecou, Lee, 1931-  Search this

Chamberlain, John, 1927-2011  Search this

Chryssa, 1933-2013  Search this

Cornell, Joseph  Search this

Cézanne, Paul, 1839-1906  Search this

De Chirico, Giorgio, 1888-  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

Demuth, Charles, 1883-1935  Search this

Di Suvero, Mark, 1933-  Search this

Dove, Arthur Garfield, 1880-1946  Search this

Dubuffet, Jean, 1901-1985  Search this

Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this

Ferber, Herbert, 1906-1991  Search this

Flannagan, John Bernard, 1895?-1942  Search this

Giacometti, Alberto, 1901-1966  Search this

Greenberg, Clement, 1909-1994  Search this

Hague, Raoul, 1905-1993  Search this

Hare, David, 1917-1992  Search this

Hartley, Marsden, 1877-1943  Search this

Hopper, Edward, 1882-1967  Search this

Judd, Donald, 1928-1994  Search this

Kaprow, Allan  Search this

Kienholz, Edward, 1927-  Search this

Kline, Franz, 1910-1962  Search this

Kohn, Gabriel, 1910-1975  Search this

Kolbe, Georg, 1877-1947  Search this

La Tour, Onya, 1896-1976  Search this

Lachaise, Gaston, 1882-1935  Search this

Lassaw, Ibram, 1913-2003  Search this

Lippold, Richard, 1915-2002  Search this

Lipton, Seymour, 1903-1986  Search this

Macdonald-Wright, Stanton, 1890-1973  Search this

Maillol, Aristide, 1861-1944  Search this

Manship, Paul, 1885-1966  Search this

Marca-Relli, Conrad, 1913-2000  Search this

Marin, John, 1870-1953  Search this

Marisol, 1930-2016  Search this

Matisse, Henri, 1869-1954  Search this

Melville, Herman, 1819-1891  Search this

Mondrian, Piet, 1872-1944  Search this

Morris, Robert, 1931-2018  Search this

Nakian, Reuben, 1897-1986  Search this

Noguchi, Isamu, 1904-1988  Search this

O'Keeffe, Georgia , 1887-1986  Search this

Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this

Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Pompon, François, 1855-1933  Search this

Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967  Search this

Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this

Roszak, Theodore, 1907-1981  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Samaras, Lucas, 1936-  Search this

Scarpitta, Salvatore, 1919-2007  Search this

Segal, George, 1924-2000  Search this

Sheeler, Charles, 1883-1965  Search this

Smith, David, 1906-1965  Search this

Smith, Tony, 1912-1980  Search this

Spaventa, George, 1918-  Search this

Stankiewicz, Richard, 1922-1983  Search this

Sugarman, George, 1912-1999  Search this

Tobey, Mark  Search this

Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892  Search this

Zorach, William, 1887-1966  Search this

Extent:

99 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Interviews

Sound recordings

Date:

1968

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Peter Agostini conducted in 1968, by Colette Roberts, for the Archives of American Art at 151 Avenue B, New York, New York.

Mr. Agostini speaks of his childhood spent living throughout the five boroughs of New York; his interactions with clients of his father's acting employment agency; his early education in Catholic school and the creative freedom allotted by the nuns; his first feelings of isolation as an artist at the age of seven; the development of a sense of communication as the result of the loss of his mother at the age of three and time spent at a school for orphans; his early realization and vision of artistic destiny; his religious interests which lead to mysticism in his earlier work; his time spent working freely in the DaVinci Studio with Spaventa; the discovery by Hess of his works in Gallerie Grimaud; his attainment of the Longview Grant; his working experience throughout the Depression as part of the WPA casting plaster mannequins while working indirectly with Pollack as well as Marca Relli; his subsequent move to designing department store windows (use of Mondrian-like forms and lines); his feelings of his position as an observer; the importance of communication through art (communication without words); his rejection of the Abstract Expressionist group and choice of independence; the influence of the sculpture of Kolbe and Bache in the thirties; Clement Greenberg's distaste for his work; his feelings about the relative failure to sell his work due its unusual edginess and mystery; his role in the introduction of the work of contemporary European artists (Chausserian, Gauthier, Modrian) to the American group; his description of his own work as "traditionless"; his feelings of self-importance as one of the most original sculptors in the art world; his influence on the younger generation, particularly Marisol; the enslavement to originality that the younger generation faces; his attitudes towards American Art forms and their lack of rebellious spirit; the virtues of the American writers, such as Poe, Whitman, and Melville as American "knapsack" writers; his personal technique which places an emphasis on the "skin" or volume of something; his attempt to create quiet art, or art that merely indicates features; his frustration with teaching and the problems of regurgitated knowledge; the role of Meyer Shapiro in his teaching career at Columbia; the formation of the Club and its similarity to the Cubist's café scene; his opinions on the relationship of sex and sensuality in American art; his personal struggles, including the loss of his second wife and two of his brothers, in addition to the estrangement of his only daughter by his first wife; his feelings on the role of psycho analysis and personal history in a work of art; his present works which feature the "swell." For the majority of the second half of the interview Ms. Roberts asks Mr. Agostini to express his opinions on the work of: Kline; DeKooning; Duchamp; Oldenburg; La Tour; DeChirico; Maillol; Pompon; Rothko; Chardin; Cezanne; Giacometti; Reinhardt; Chryssa; Tony Smith; Segal; Lachaise; Zorach; Manship; Flannagan; Kelly; Lassaw; David Smith; Hare; Lipton; Ferber; Lippold; Roszak; Nakian; Noguchi; Hague; Kohn; di Suvero; Chamberlain; Kaprow; Sugarman; Stankiewicz; Bontecou; Scarpitta; Cornell; Keinholz; Rivera; Judd; Robert Morris; O'Keeffe; Samaras; Mark Tobey; Marin; Pollock; Hartley; Dove; Macdonald-Wright; Demuth; Sheeler; Hopper; Mirot; Matisse; DuBuffet.

Biographical / Historical:

Peter Agostini (1913-1993) was a sculptor from New York, New York.

General:

Originally recorded on 3 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 28 digital wav files. Duration is 10 hrs., 37 min.

Transferred from 4 3" reels.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics, and administrators.

Topic:

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

Abstract expressionism  Search this

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

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Sound recordings

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.agosti68

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-agosti68

Interviewee:

Krasner, Lee, 1908-1984  Search this

Interviewer:

Seckler, Dorothy Gees, 1910-1994  Search this

Names:

United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Extent:

79 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1964 Nov. 2-1968 Apr. 11

Scope and Contents:

Oral history interview with Lee Krasner conducted 1964 Nov. 2-1968 Apr. 11, by Dorothy Seckler, for the Archives of American Art.

Krasner speaks of meeting Jackson Pollock; their marriage; and his work.

Biographical / Historical:

Lee Krasner (1908-1984) was a painter in Easthampton, N.Y. and married to Jackson Pollock.

General:

Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels and 2 sound tapes. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hrs.

Sound quality of the 1967-68 interview sessions is poor.

Provenance:

These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Women painters -- New York (State) -- Easthampton -- Interviews  Search this

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

Art -- Study and teaching -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art -- Philosophy  Search this

Painting  Search this

Painting -- Technique  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.krasne64

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-krasne64

Creator:

Krasner, Lee, 1908-1984  Search this

Interviewer:

Holmes, Doloris  Search this

Names:

Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

Graham, John, 1887-1961  Search this

Hofmann, Hans, 1880-1966  Search this

Newman, Barnett, 1905-1970  Search this

Parsons, Betty  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Extent:

10 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Interviews

Date:

1972

Scope and Contents:

Interview of Lee Krasner conducted in 1972, by Doloris Holmes, for the Archives of American Art "Art World in Turmoil" oral history project.

This interview was conducted with the intention of documenting the Protest Art movement of the 1970's. In this interview, Krasner speaks of her dismay with the lack of recognition that many professional female artists receive; her resistence to joining the Club and the Irascible Eighteen; her experiences with getting exposure as a female artist; her relationship and respect for John Graham; the interest of Betty Parsons in Krasner's work; the mixed compliments received from Hofmann; her relationship with Newman; Her objection to de Kooning's "Woman" series; the Freudian aspect of Abstract Expressionism; the authoritarian/autocratic image of Rothko and Newman; the sexually biased role of the female within the Jewish Faith; the impossibility of separating content and aesthetic value; her female influence upon Pollock; her role in exposing Pollock to Matisse; her ability to network for Pollock (Herbert and Mercedes Matter, Sandy Calder, James Johnson, Sweeney, Hofmann); her ambiguity as to whether she has had the tradition female artist experience due to her association with Pollock.

Biographical / Historical:

Lee Krasner (1908-1984) was a painter in Easthampton, New York and married to Jackson Pollock.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Restrictions:

Patrons must use transcript.

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

Jewish artists  Search this

Abstract expressionism  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Art, American  Search this

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

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.krasne72

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-krasne72

Interviewee:

Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970  Search this

Interviewer:

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

Names:

C.W. Kraushaar Art Galleries  Search this

Daniel Gallery  Search this

Downtown Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Ferargil Galleries  Search this

Grand Central Art Galleries  Search this

M. Knoedler & Co.  Search this

Montross Gallery  Search this

New Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Bacon, Peggy, 1895-1987  Search this

Barr, Alfred H., Jr., 1902-1981  Search this

Barrie, Erwin S., 1886-1983  Search this

Benton, Thomas Hart, 1889-1975  Search this

Brackman, Robert, 1898-  Search this

Bridgman, George Brant, 1864-1943  Search this

Brixey, Richard de Wolfe  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976  Search this

Cary, Elisabeth Luther, 1867-1936  Search this

Chase, William Merritt, 1849-1916  Search this

Coleman, Glenn O., 1887-1932  Search this

Crowninshield, Frank, 1872-1947  Search this

Daniel, Charles, 1878-1971  Search this

Davis, Stuart, 1892-1964  Search this

Demuth, Charles, 1883-1935  Search this

Deskey, Donald, 1894-  Search this

Dove, Arthur Garfield, 1880-1946  Search this

Dudensing, F. Valentine, 1892-1967  Search this

Fergusson, John Duncan, 1874-1961  Search this

Field, Hamilton Easter  Search this

Force, Juliana, 1876-1948  Search this

Ford, Ford Madox,, 1873-1939  Search this

Frost, Robert, 1874-1963  Search this

Fuller, R. Buckminster (Richard Buckminster), 1895-1983  Search this

Goodyear, A. Conger (Anson Conger), 1877-1964  Search this

Greenberg, Clement, 1909-1994  Search this

Halpert, Samuel, 1884-1930  Search this

Hartley, Marsden, 1877-1943  Search this

Hirsch, Stefan, 1899-1964  Search this

Hopkinson, Charles, 1869-1962  Search this

Hopper, Edward, 1882-1967  Search this

Johns, Jasper, 1930-  Search this

Kline, Franz, 1910-1962  Search this

Knox, Seymour H., 1898-1990  Search this

Kroll, Leon, 1884-1974  Search this

Kuhn, Walt, 1877-1949  Search this

Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953  Search this

Laurent, Robert, 1890-1970  Search this

Lawrence, Jacob, 1917-2000  Search this

Levine, Jack, 1915-2010  Search this

Levy, Julien  Search this

Locke, Charles, 1899-  Search this

Luks, George Benjamin, 1867-1933  Search this

Léger, Fernand, 1881-1955  Search this

Marin, John, Jr., 1915?-1988  Search this

McBride, Henry, 1867-1962  Search this

Mellon, Paul  Search this

Mercer, Henry Chapman  Search this

Montross, N. E. (Newman E), 1849-1932  Search this

Noguchi, Isamu, 1904-1988  Search this

O'Keeffe, Georgia , 1887-1986  Search this

Pascin, Jules, 1885-1930  Search this

Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Pound, Ezra, 1885-1972  Search this

Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this

Robinson, Edward G., 1893-1973  Search this

Rockefeller, Abby Aldrich  Search this

Saarinen, Aline B. (Aline Bernstein), 1914-1972  Search this

Saklatwalla, Beram K.  Search this

Sandburg, Carl, 1878-1967  Search this

Shahn, Ben, 1898-1969  Search this

Sheeler, Charles, 1883-1965  Search this

Siporin, Mitchell, 1910-1976  Search this

Soutine, Chaim, 1893-1943  Search this

Steichen, Edward, 1879-1973  Search this

Stein, Gertrude, 1874-1946  Search this

Stella, Frank  Search this

Stern, Louis E., 1886-1962  Search this

Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946  Search this

Tannahill, Robert Hudson  Search this

Vollard, Ambroise, 1867-1939  Search this

Weber, Max, 1881-1961  Search this

Whitney, Gertrude Vanderbilt, 1875-1942  Search this

Williams, William Carlos, 1883-1963  Search this

Wittenberg, Philip, 1895-1987  Search this

Zerbe, Karl, 1903-1972  Search this

Zorach, Marguerite, 1887-1968  Search this

Zorach, William, 1887-1966  Search this

Extent:

436 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Date:

1962-1963

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Edith Halpert conducted 1962-1963, by Harlan Phillips, for the Archives of American Art.

Halpert speaks of her childhood in Russia and growing up in New York City; working at Bloomindale's, Macy's, Stern Brothers, and Cohen Goldman; her marriage to artist Sam Halpert, his health, and living in Paris in 1925; becoming an art student at the Academy of Design and feeling that Leon Kroll was an excellent art teacher until he began to correct her drawings; when George Bridgman thought she was ruining his class; the Lincoln Square Arcade, when she and Ernest Fiener and Robert Brackman would rent Conan's studio evenings and bring in instructors; how Newman Montross influenced her more than anybody about showing her art that she loved; burning all of her work because Kroll said she had no talent; receiving a painting from John Marin; her friendship and working relationship with Abby Rockefeller and other family members.

She recalls opening the Downtown Gallery, in Greenwich Village, in 1926; a brief history of modern art; many artists helping decorate the new Daylight Gallery in 1930 and the first show being called "Practical Manifestations of Art"; meeting Robert and Sonia Delaunay in France; when she refused to allow Ezra Pound to speak at one of the gallery lectures because of his anti-Semite remarks and William Carlos Williams and Ford Madox Ford argued with her over it; experiencing jealousy and professional attacks from other dealers; the successful "Pop" Hart show and book in 1929; the "Thirty-three Moderns" show in 1930 at the Grand Central Galleries; the Jules Pascin show in 1930; in America, most of the art buyers supporters of culture were women, until the WPA and World War II, when it became fashionable for men to be involved; Ambroise Vollard's advice on selling art; handling the frustrations of working in the art field; friendships with Stuart Davis,Charles Sheeler, and Ben Shahn; how artists work through dry periods in their creativity and the "Recurrent Image" show; a discussion on modern art galleries of New York City, such as Daniel, Knoedler, Ferargil, the New Gallery, 291, the Grand Central, Kraushaar, and Montross; her travels through Pennsylvania and Maine for good examples of folk art for the gallery; the "The Artist Looks at Music" show; the non-competitive spirit of the early modern American artists; of being saved financially in 1940 by selling a William Harnett painting to the Boston Museum and then renting new space for the gallery.

Also, Mitchell Siporin bringing Halpert and Edmund Gurry to Mitchell Field during World War II for a camouflage show and consequently Downtown Gallery artists and others were enlisted in the camouflage corps for the U.S. Air Force; Charles Sheeler and his wife find Halpert a house in Newtown, Conn.; her decision in 1933 to push folk art for acquisition by the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery in Kansas City, Missouri; her great concern about what to do with her folk art literature collection; dismay and that no one writes about the history of folk art and those responsible for its creation and popularity; Louis Stern hiring her to organize a municipal exhibit in Atlantic City, N.J., with Donald Deskey designing the furniture and Holger Cahill managing the publicity; Joe Lillie helping her meet Fiorello La Guardia and Joe McGoldrick in 1934 about a municipal show in New York City, but it is moved to Radio City Music Hall through Nelson Rockefeller; the "Salons of America" show; wanting articles written about art for love rather than art for investment; working with Aline Saarinen on her book, "Proud Possessors;" letters from Stuart Davis, William Zorach and others that hurt her feelings; enjoying giving educational lectures and considering retirement because of ill health; the desire to write a book on the history of trade signs in folk art; feeling that the young artists are being ruined by too much support without working for it; planning to write a book entitled, "Unsung Heroes," about artists brave enough to experiment; organizing a show in Russia at her own expense; later representing the U.S. in art at the "American National Exposition"; the agitators and success of the exposition; Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O'Keeffe.

Halpert also recalls Juliana Force, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Buckminster Fuller, George Luks, Edsel Ford, Max Weber, Danny Diefenbacker, Hamilton Easter Field, Frank Stella, Glenn Coleman, Margaret Zorach, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Henry Mercer, Romany Marie, Edward G. Robinson, Paul Mellon, Charles Pollet, Alex Brook, Lunca Curass, Dorothy Lambert, Duncan Candler, Frank Rhen, Louis Rittman, Bea Goldsmith, Arthur Craven, Robert Frost, Philip Wittenberg, Caesar de Hoke, Richard deWolfe Brixey, Seymour Knox, Walt Kuhn, Elisabeth Luther Cary, Charles Locke, Duncan Fergusson, Mrs. Solomon Guggenheim, Bob Tannahill, David Thompson, Marsden Hartley, Erwin Barrie, Robert Laurent, Conger Goodyear, Henry McBride, Edward Hopper, Charles Daniel, William Merritt Chase, Charles Hopkinson, Thomas Hart Benton, Frank Crowninshield, Alfred Barr, Lord Duveen, Jacob Lawrence, John Marin Jr., Karl Zerbe, Franz Kline, Arthur Dove, Julian Levy, Jack Levine, Valentine Dudensing, Peggy Bacon, Stefan Hirsch, Gertrude Stein, Isamu Noguchi, Jasper Johns, Chaim Soutine, B. K. Saklatwalla; Fernand Leger, Pablo Picasso, Ben Shahn, Charles Demuth, Alexander Calder, Jackson Pollock, Edward Steichen, Carl Sandburg, Clement Greenberg, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Edith Halpert (1900-1970) was an art dealer from New York, N.Y.

General:

Originally recorded on 7 tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 27 digital wav files. Duration is 32 hrs., 27 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others. The transcript was microfilmed in 1996.

Topic:

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

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

Camouflage  Search this

Folk art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Function:

Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.halper62

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-halper62

Interviewee:

Gordin, Sidney, 1918-1996  Search this

Interviewer:

Seckler, Dorothy Gees, 1910-1994  Search this

Names:

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art -- Students  Search this

Pratt Institute -- Faculty  Search this

Harrison, Wallace, 1900-  Search this

Hofmann, Hans, 1880-1966  Search this

Jewell, Edward Alden, 1888-1947  Search this

Kantor, Morris, 1896-1974  Search this

Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Rosenborg, Ralph M., 1913-1992  Search this

Thomas, Byron, 1902-1978  Search this

Extent:

23 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1965 Sept. 2

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Sidney Gordin conducted 1965 Sept. 2, by Dorothy Seckler, for the Archives of American Art.

Gordin speaks of immigrating to the United States from Shanghai, China in 1922; being the class artist in grade school; attending Brooklyn Technical High School; studying at the WPA art school at the Brooklyn Museum for a summer; attending the Cooper Union School of Art; encountering Cubism; working as a commercial artist and making cartoons; teaching at the Pratt Institute; and alternating, as inspiration strikes, between painting and sculpture; and Constructivist philosophy. Gordin also mentions Ralph Rosenborg, Tom Eldred, Carol and Wallace Harrison, Edward Alden Jewell, Pablo Picasso, Byron Thomas, Morris Kantor, Hans Hofmann, Paul Clay, Jackson Pollock, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Sidney Gordin (1918-1996) was a sculptor and educator from Berkeley, Calif.

General:

Originally recorded on 1 sound tape. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 1 min.

Provenance:

These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Occupation:

Art teachers -- California -- Berkeley -- Interviews  Search this

Painters -- California -- Berkeley  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Sculptors -- California -- Berkeley -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.gordin65

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-gordin65

Interviewee:

Robbins, Tom  Search this

Interviewer:

Kingsbury, Martha, 1941-  Search this

Names:

Kendrick, William Philip  Search this

Newman, Barnett, 1905-1970  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Extent:

47 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1984 March 3

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Tom Robbins conducted 1984 March 3, in La Conner, Wash., by Martha Kingsbury, for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project.

Robbins speaks of his youth; the importance of his first trips to New York; meeting Barnett Newman and William Philip Kendrick; the influence of Oriental art; his drug experience; his research on Jackson Pollock; coming to Washington State and working as an art critic; the impact of the 1962 World's Fair on art; and style versus content in art.

Biographical / Historical:

Tom Robbins (1936- ) is a writer and critic from LaConner, Wash.

General:

Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 28 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Occupation:

Art critics -- Washington (State) -- Interviews  Search this

Topic:

Art criticism  Search this

Art, Modern -- Northwestern States  Search this

Art, American -- Northwestern States  Search this

Authors -- Washington (State) -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.robbin84

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-robbin84

Interviewee:

Christ-Janer, Albert, 1910-1973  Search this

Interviewer:

Seckler, Dorothy Gees, 1910-1994  Search this

Names:

Cranbrook Academy of Art  Search this

Benton, Thomas Hart, 1889-1975  Search this

Curry, John Steuart, 1897-1946  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Wood, Grant, 1891-1942  Search this

Extent:

7 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1964 March 21

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Albert Christ-Janer conducted by Dorothy Seckler 1964 March 21 for the Archives of American Art.

Christ-Janer speaks of the regionalist movement in painting in the 1930s, of Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry and Grant Wood; teaching at the Cranbrook Academy of Design; and he recalls Jackson Pollock.

Biographical / Historical:

Albert Christ-Janer (1910-1973) was a painter, printmaker, museum director, educator, and writer in Athens, Georgia.

General:

Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 21 min.

Provenance:

These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Restrictions:

Transcript: Patrons must use microfilm copy.

Occupation:

Painters -- Georgia -- Athens -- Interviews  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Authors -- Georgia -- Athens -- Interviews  Search this

Educators -- Georgia -- Athens -- Interviews  Search this

Museum directors -- Georgia -- Athens -- Interviews  Search this

Printmakers -- Georgia -- Athens -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.christ64

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-christ64

Interviewee:

Rankine, V. V., 1920-2004  Search this

Interviewer:

Kirwin, Liza  Search this

Names:

Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this

Black Mountain College (Black Mountain, N.C.)  Search this

David Herbert Gallery  Search this

Institute of Contemporary Arts (Washington, D.C.)  Search this

Jefferson Place Gallery  Search this

Albers, Josef  Search this

Bader, Franz, 1903-1994  Search this

Brooks, James, 1906-1992  Search this

Callahan, Harry M.  Search this

Cunningham, Merce  Search this

Davis, Gene, 1920-1985  Search this

De Kooning, Elaine  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

Denney, Alice  Search this

Dorrance, Nesta  Search this

Downing, Thomas, 1928-1985  Search this

Duncan, Augustin  Search this

Fuller, R. Buckminster (Richard Buckminster), 1895-1983  Search this

Gabo, Naum, 1890-1977  Search this

Gilliam, Sam, 1933-  Search this

Gorky, Agnes  Search this

Gorky, Arshile, 1904-1948  Search this

Graham, John, 1887-1961  Search this

Guston, Philip, 1913-1980  Search this

Halle, Kay  Search this

Hare, David, 1917-1992  Search this

Helburn, Theresa, 1887-1959  Search this

Johnson, Ray, 1927-1995  Search this

Kennedy, Kit  Search this

Kiesler, Frederick  Search this

Kinney, Gilbert H.  Search this

Krasner, Lee, 1908-1984  Search this

Lassaw, Ibram, 1913-2003  Search this

Leopold, Richard  Search this

Louis, Morris, 1912-1962  Search this

Magruder, Esther  Search this

Merrill, Kevin  Search this

Nelson, Wretha  Search this

Nevelson, Louise, 1899-1988  Search this

Newman, Bonnie  Search this

Noland, Kenneth, 1924-2010  Search this

Ozenfant, Amédée, 1886-1966  Search this

Pace, Stephen, 1918-2010  Search this

Parsons, Betty  Search this

Penn, Arthur, 1922-  Search this

Phillips, Duncan, 1886-1966  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008  Search this

Renault, Jean  Search this

Richman, Robert  Search this

Russo, Alexander  Search this

Sheridan, Walt  Search this

Sherman, Saul  Search this

Snelson, Kenneth, 1927-2016  Search this

Soyer, Moses, 1899-1974  Search this

Soyer, Raphael, 1899-1987  Search this

Sweeney, James Johnson, 1900-  Search this

Thomas, Dylan, 1914-1953  Search this

Truitt, Anne, 1921-2004  Search this

Warhol, Andy, 1928-1987  Search this

Yektai, Manoucher, 1922-  Search this

Youngerman, Jack, 1926-2020  Search this

Extent:

34 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1990 Mar. 2-22

Scope and Contents:

An interview of V. V. Rankine conducted 1990 Mar. 2-22, by Liza Kirwin, for the Archives of American Art.

Rankine discusses the evolution of her nickname, V.V.; discovering her dyslexia; growing up in Boston; auditioning for a part in, "The Philadelphia Story"; her art studies with Amedee Ozenfant from 1944 to 1946; her studies at Black Mountain College with Josef Albers and Willem De Kooning in 1947; her friendship with Morris Louis and watching him work; living with her brother-in-law Arshile Gorky, in New York City; her first one-woman show at the David Herbert Gallery in New York in 1962; exhibiting at the Betty Parsons Gallery in New York and at the Jefferson Place Gallery in Washington, D.C.; Robert Richman and the Institute of Contemporary Arts; the relationship between her painting and her sculpture; favorite shapes and materials; and her summer home in East Hampton and artist friends there. Rankine also recalls Robert Rauschenberg, Jack Youngerman, Manoucher Yektai, Betty Parsons, Ibram Lassaw, Buckminster Fuller, Elaine De Kooning, Arthur Penn, Richard Leopold, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Ken Noland, Morris Louis, Ray Johnson, Kenneth Snelson, David Hare, Frederick Kiesler, Raphael Soyer, Moses Soyer, Jean Renault, Agnes Gorky, Esther Magruder, James Johnson Sweeney, Jim Brooks, John Graham, Phillip Guston, Duncan Phillips, Theresa Helburn, Augustine Duncan, Tom Downing, Gene Davis, Alice Denney, Nesta Dorrance, Kevin Merrill, Sam Gilliam, Dylan Thomas, Kay Halle, Kit Kennedy, Naum Gabo, President Lyndon B. Johnson, Anne Truitt, Wretha Nelson, Franz Bader, Louise Nevelson, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Bonnie Newman, Alexander Russo, Walt Sheridan, Gilbert Kinney, Saul Sherman, Steve Pace, Lee Krasner, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

V.V. Rankine (1920-2004) was a painter and sculptor from Washington, D.C. Variable forms of the artist's name are notably E. R. (Elvine Richard) Rankine, Vivian Scott Rankine, and her married name, Mrs. Paul Scott.

General:

Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 53 min.

Provenance:

These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Occupation:

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

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Sculptors -- Washington (D.C.) -- Interviews  Search this

Women artists -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.rankin90

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-rankin90

Interviewee:

Freeman, Don, 1908-1978  Search this

Interviewer:

McGlynn, Betty Hoag  Search this

Creator:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Art Students League (New York, N.Y.) -- Students  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Henri, Robert, 1865-1929  Search this

Marsh, Reginald, 1898-1954  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Sloan, John, 1871-1951  Search this

Tolegian, Manuel J. (Manuel Jerair), 1911-1983  Search this

Wickey, Harry  Search this

Extent:

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

19 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound tape reels

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1965 June 4

Scope and Contents:

Interview of Don Freeman conducted 1965 June 4, by Betty Hoag McGlynn, for the Archives of American Art, in his home, in Santa Barbara, Calif. Freeman speaks of his childhood in San Diego with his guardian; his high school years spent in St. Louis at a public school Prineipia (and his teacher Kathryn Cherry); the knowledge of his artistic destiny as a child; his move to New York City in 1929; his time spent working as an unbooked trumpet player for jazz orchestras on Broadway; his formative years at the Art Students League under the guidance of John Sloan;

the influence of Robert Henri and "Art Spirit;" his decision to do illustrations for the theater section of the Herald Tribune of ongoing performances; his time spent studying with Harry Wickey (etcher and sculptor); his relationship and marriage to wife Lydia as well as description of life in downtown Manhattan immediately following the stock market crash ; time at Art Students League studying along side with Jackson Pollock, Manuel Tolegian, Whitney Darrel; his decision to work for the WPA in

the graphics department completing lithographs (1933-1934); "Freedom of the Press," a painting completed around the same time and the possible influence of Reginald Marsh; his interest in a project called "Paint for the People" (a public works project for the New York Subway system); time spent illustrating for the WPA theater magazine "The Living Magazine;" his opinions concerning acetate and stone as well as the use of mezzotint; his personal magazine which he published for four years (name unknown); a general summary of his feelings towards the WPA as an artistic force; his separation from the Union Uprisings due to his success within the program;

his work on "Our Flying Navy" a series of illustrations (now compiled as a book) used for advertisement for the Navy; his participation in the Association of American Artists before his term spent in the Army during WWII; his budding career as a children's books writer and illustrator (Barton Press); his illustrations for William Soroyan"s The Human Comedy; his move back west and his son Roy; and his current occupation of giving "Chalk Talks" around the country, speaking with students about art, music, theater.

Biographical / Historical:

Don Freeman (1908-1978) was an Illustrator from New York, N.Y. Went to New York City at the age of 21. Studied with John Sloan and Harry Wickey at the Art Students League.

General:

An unrelated interview of Ben Messick conducted by B. Hoag McGlynn 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 available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

Illustrators -- California -- Interviews  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Artists' materials  Search this

Illustration of books  Search this

Prints -- Technique  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.freema65

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-freema65

Creator:

Vicente, Esteban, 1903-2001  Search this

Interviewer:

Sandler, Irving, 1925-  Search this

Names:

Avery, Milton, 1885-1965  Search this

Dalí, Salvador, 1904-  Search this

De Kooning, Elaine  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

Frankenthaler, Helen, 1928-2011  Search this

Kline, Franz, 1910-1962  Search this

Marca-Relli, Conrad, 1913-2000  Search this

Mitchell, Joan, 1926-1992  Search this

Pach, Walter, 1883-1958  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Resnick, Milton, 1917-2004  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Extent:

86 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Interviews

Place:

Spain -- History -- Civil War, 1936-1939

Date:

1968 August 26

Scope and Contents:

Interview of Esteban Vicente conducted 1968 August 26, by Irving Sandler, for the Archives of American Art. Vicente speaks of the gallery activity of the 1940s and 1950s; The Club and the exhibition on 9th Street arranged by many of those artists; remembering Mark Rothko as a casual acquaintance and the society of artists living in the Hamptons; coming to the United States, acting as vice-consul in Philadelphia for the Loyalist camp during the Spanish Civil War; and his own work and his feelings about the work of his contemporaries. He recalls Bill de Kooning, Franz Kline, John Ferrin, Marca-Relli, Milton Resnick, Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler, Walter Pach, Elaine de Kooning, Milton Avery, Jackson Pollock, Salvador Dali, and many others.

Biographical / Historical:

Esteban Vicente (1903-2001) was a painter in New York, New York. and Bridgehampton, New York.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

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

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

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the interview was provided by the Mark Rothko Foundation.

Identifier:

AAA.vicent68

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-vicent68

Interviewee:

Scarpitta, Salvatore, 1919-2007  Search this

Interviewer:

Cummings, Paul  Search this

Names:

American Academy in Rome  Search this

Castelli, Leo  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

Guston, Philip, 1913-1980  Search this

Kline, Franz, 1910-1962  Search this

Levine, Jack, 1915-2010  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Extent:

67 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1975 January 31.-February 3

Scope and Contents:

Interview of Salvatore Scarpitta conducted 1975 January 31.-February 3, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art. Scarpitta speaks of his family's background; growing up and going to school in California; moving to Italy and going to art school at 17; attending the American Academy; his experiences in Europe after the war broke out in 1940; being arrested and interned for 18 months in Italy and escaping; joining the United States Navy; getting thrown out of the American Academy after being accused of being a Communist; his abstract paintings; moving back to America after Leo Castelli saw his work; his painting techniques; his thoughts on futurism and cubism; why he shifted from working on a canvas to tearing it apart and using it as materials; his use of color; how his interest in race cars influenced his art work; building race cars; living in New York and the art scene there; his successful art show on the Piazza San Marco in Venice; the reason for using belts in his paintings; how certain paintings led him to building sleds; his feelings about Leo Castelli; and teaching art. He recalls Phil Guston, Jack Levine, Franz Kline, Bill de Kooning, Jackson Pollack, Mark Rothko, and many others.

Biographical / Historical:

Salvatore Scarpitta (1919-2007) was a sculptor.

General:

Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 11 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Restrictions:

Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's website.

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Sculptors -- Interviews  Search this

Futurism (Art)  Search this

World War, 1939-1945  Search this

Automobile racing  Search this

Art, Abstract  Search this

Cubism  Search this

Painting -- Technique  Search this

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

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.scarpi75

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-scarpi75