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Museum of Contemporary Art interviews

Creator:
Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago, Ill.)  Search this
Names:
Adrian, Dennis, 1937-  Search this
Brown, Roger, 1941-1997  Search this
Close, Chuck, 1940-  Search this
Danforth, George  Search this
Fischl, Eric, 1948-  Search this
Hafif, Marcia, 1929-  Search this
Jacobi, Peter, 1935-  Search this
Jacobi, Ritzi, 1941-  Search this
Keister, Steve, 1949-  Search this
LeWitt, Sol, 1928-2007  Search this
Lohan, Dirk  Search this
Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig, 1886-1969  Search this
Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this
Pozzi, Lucio, 1935-  Search this
Ryman, Robert, 1930-  Search this
Schulze, Franz, 1927-2019  Search this
Yasuda, Robert, 1940-  Search this
Extent:
8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Video recordings
Date:
1979-1986
Summary:
The Museum of Contemporary Art Interviews measure 8 linear feet and contain video interviews with 35 artists, curators, and an art collector, conducted by the staff of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago between 1979 and 1986, on 107 U-Matic videocassettes.
Scope and Contents:
The Museum of Contemporary Art Interviews measure 8 linear feet and contain video interviews with 35 artists, curators, and an art collector, conducted by the staff of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago between 1979 and 1986, on 107 U-Matic videocassettes.

The first set of interviews are with contemporary artists who had solo exhibitions at the museum between 1979 and 1985, including Chuck Close, Roger Brown, Eric Fischl, Peter and Ritzi Jacobi, Steve Keister, Sol Le Witt, and collector Dennis Adrian, whose Chicago art collection was exhibited in 1982. The remainder of the series contains four sets of interviews and other footage relating to exhibitions and programming, including the 1979 exhibition Wall Painting - Ryman, Hafif, Pozzi, Jackson, Yasuda; the 1981 exhibition Kick out the jams: Detroit's Cass Corridor 1963-1977; and the 1983 exhibition and educational program Eleven Chicago Artists, created with Chicago's N.A.M.E. gallery, which traveled to area high schools featuring short video documentaries about each artist that were created from the footage on the tapes in this collection. The last set includes interviews with architects Dirk Lohan and George Danforth and historian Franz Schulze, created for the 1986 program "Mies van der Rohe Remembered," celebrating the centennial of the architect's birth.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged as one series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Interviews with Artists, Collectors, and Curators (Boxes 1-8)
Biographical / Historical:
The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago was founded in 1967 with Jan van der Marck as its first Director. The period from 1979 to 1986, represented in the videorecordings in this collection, was a period of physical expansion for the Museum, as well as a period when audiovisual components of artworks and exhibition design were increasingly incorporated into exhibitions and other programming. In 1979, a physical expansion of the museum begun in 1977 was unveiled with the opening of four new galleries, signaling an increased capacity for showing local and emerging contemporary artists and engaging the community.

The museum's education department began using video to create a rich record of solo and group exhibitions mounted at the museum, and created short video programs to reach out to new audiences. For their 1979 Wall Paintings exhibition, artists were interviewed while making their work in the museum, creating a visual record of the ephemeral works on display and the process of their creation. Video interviews with Detroit artists were created in preparation for a 1981 exhibition showing contemporary artists in the Cass Corridor community of that city. In 1983, Museum staff collaborated with Chicago's N.A.M.E. gallery to create the traveling exhibition Eleven Chicago Artists, which combined artwork with video documentaries showing artists at work and talking about their creative process. The exhibition traveled to city and suburban schools around Chicago. And on the centenary of the birth of architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1986, interviews were conducted with Mies' grandson, Dirk Lohan, also an architect, as well as architectural historians George Danforth and Franz Schulze.
Provenance:
Donated 1986 by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
Authorization to quote or reproduce for the purposes of publication requires written permission from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Topic:
Artists -- United States -- Interviews  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Art -- Michigan -- Detroit  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Video recordings
Citation:
Museum of Contemporary Art interviews, 1979-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.musecaci
See more items in:
Museum of Contemporary Art interviews
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9cecb0804-229b-41cb-aa21-4c072207f769
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-musecaci

Oral history interview with Richard Gray

Interviewee:
Gray, Richard, 1928-2018  Search this
Interviewer:
McElhinney, James Lancel, 1952-  Search this
Names:
University of Illinois. -- Student  Search this
Boris, Harry  Search this
De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this
Emmerich, André  Search this
Fabricant, Andrew  Search this
Gaudí, Antoni, 1852-1926  Search this
Gray, Paul  Search this
Klamen, David, 1961-  Search this
Louis, Morris, 1912-1962  Search this
Noland, Kenneth, 1924-2010  Search this
Olitski, Jules, 1922-2007  Search this
Plensa, Jaume, 1955-  Search this
Stone, Allan  Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Sound recording, master: 1 sound disc (1 hr., 45 min.), digital, 2 5/8 in.)
41 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2007 Dec. 9
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Richard Gray conducted 2007 Dec. 9, by James McElhinney, for the Archives of American Art, at Carlyle Hotel, in New York, N.Y .
Gray speaks of being born in Chicago, Ill. and attending high school in Hyde Park; required coursework in art and music; his father's childhood in Poland; attending the University of Illinois in Chicago before transferring to the main campus in Champaign-Urbana; studying architecture but then becoming more interested in art; the influence of an early mentor; joining the air force and being stationed in France in the early 1950s; traveling throughout France, Spain, and Germany; visiting Barcelona to see Antoni Gaudí's architecture; returning to the United States, meeting his wife on a blind date, and marrying her within a year; being moved by the musical and artistic environment of his in-laws' home; owning a manufacturing business for 10 years; restructuring his father's summer resort in Michigan following his death; hosting music festivals and Harry Boris as artist-in-residence at the resort; following Boris's suggestion to open an art gallery in Chicago; his first art purchases from Allan Stone and André Emmerich in New York; his first gallery space off of Michigan Avenue on East Ontario Street in the same building as B.C. Holland and Noah Goldowsky; his second gallery space on Michigan Avenue; showing Color Field artists including Kenneth Noland, Morris Louis, and Jules Olitski; dealers as collectors; seeing himself more as a collector than a dealer at this time in his life; his diverse collection of drawings spanning many time periods; his past practice of buying works of art in shares with other dealers; the competition between art dealers and auction houses; his belief in free-market opportunities; handling the sale of Willem de Kooning's Woman V; the gallery's representation of Jaume Plensa and David Klamen; the future direction of the gallery at both the Chicago and New York City locations; the changing market in international art; recently being designated a Living Landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois; and his strong presence and activity in Chicago's cultural community. Gray also recalls André Emmerich, Andrew Fabricant, Paul Gray, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Richard Gray (1928-2018) was an art dealer from Chicago, Ill. Interviewer James McElhinney is a painter and educator from New York, N.Y.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Art dealers -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Economic aspects  Search this
Color-field painting  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.gray07
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw995485404-2c43-4c16-a632-580a2c73333d
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-gray07
Online Media:

Alfred Victor Frankenstein papers

Creator:
Frankenstein, Alfred V. (Alfred Victor), 1906-1981  Search this
Names:
American Arts Alliance  Search this
California Palace of the Legion of Honor  Search this
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
National Gallery of Art (U.S.)  Search this
San Francisco Chronicle (Firm)  Search this
Copley, John Singleton, 1738-1815  Search this
Decker, Joseph, 1853-1924  Search this
Haberle, John, 1856-1933  Search this
Harnett, William Michael, 1848-1892  Search this
Ives, Charles, 1874-1954  Search this
Jenkins, Paul, 1923-2012  Search this
Macdonald-Wright, Stanton, 1890-1973  Search this
Mount, William Sidney, 1807-1868  Search this
Murdock, Roland P.  Search this
Peto, John Frederick, 1854-1907  Search this
Extent:
19.1 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Photographs
Sound recordings
Sketches
Scrapbooks
Date:
1875-1985
Summary:
The papers of art critic and historian Alfred Victor Frankenstein measure 19.1 linear feet and date from 1875 to 1985. The bulk of the collection consists of Frankenstein's research and writing files on American painting, particularly artists working in the nineteenth-century. There are extensive files on artists John Haberle, William Michael Harnett, and William Sidney Mount. The collection also includes biographical material, correspondence, general writings and notes, professional activities files, personal business records, printed materials, photographs, and unidentified sound recordings.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of art critic and historian Alfred Victor Frankenstein measure 19.1 linear feet and date from 1875 to 1985. The bulk of the collection consists of Frankenstein's research and writing files on American painting, particularly artists working in the nineteenth-century. There are extensive files on artists John Haberle, William Michael Harnett, and William Sidney Mount. The collection also includes biographical material, correspondence, general writings and notes, professional activities files, personal business records, printed materials, photographs, and unidentified sound recordings.

Biographical materials include awards, museum passes from the 1970s, school records, and a scrapbook documenting Frankenstein's career at the San Francisco Chronicle. Also found is his father's medical school diploma.

Largely professional in nature, Frankenstein's correspondence is with galleries, museums and institutions, colleges and universities, as well as art historians and museum colleagues including Paul Jenkins, Stanton MacDonald-Wright, and Thomas E. Ripley.

General writings are on subjects such as music, art, California, and the Ronald P. Murdock art collection. It is likely that some writings may be drafts for articles that later appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle. Also found are three notebooks, a recorded interview, recorded lectures by Frankenstein and by others.

The bulk of the collection consists of Frankenstein's extensive research files on American sill-life painting in the nineteenth-century. Research topics focus primarily on artists John Haberle (including sketches by Haberle), William Michael Harnett, William Sidney Mount, and John Frederick Peto; however, some files are found for collectors, dealers, and subjects. Files are found both for the research and writing of Frankenstein's books, After the Hunt (1953) and The World of Copley: 1738-1815 (1970). Contents of the research files vary but many contain correspondence, photographs, notes and writings, provenance research, printed materials, and photocopied and original primary documents. Additional research files are also found in Series 5, Exhibition Files.

Files concerning exhibitions curated or organized by Frankenstein include Artist Self-Portraits (1974) at the National Gallery of Art, an exhibition at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, and the World's Fair Exposition exhibition, Our Land, Our Sky Our Water: an Exhibition of American and Canadian Art (1974). Files contain loan agreements, gallery plans, photographs, writings, correspondence, and printed materials.

Frankenstein's professional activities files include material about his job as a music critic at the San Francisco Chronicle, and records documenting his participation in the American Arts Alliance and the San Francisco Arts Commission. Also found are scattered student writings, lecture notes, and some correspondence from his teaching position at the University of California, Berkeley.

An appraisal for a Joseph Decker work, the estate records of Sylvia Frankenstein, general receipts for purchases and shipping records, and vehicle ownership records comprise Frankenstein's personal business records.

Printed materials include clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, magazines, and blank postcards. Also found are eight commercial audio recordings, including a musical piece by Charles Ives on cassette, and six phonograph records that are likely of music. A cassette entitled "Heritage of American Art" may be from an exhibition of the same title held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 1975. Personal photographs include snapshots of Frankenstein with his family and portraits of him, as well as a photocopy of a family photo album. The bulk of the photographs are of artwork.

There are six unidentified sound recordings.
Biographical / Historical:
Alfred Victor Frankenstein (1906-1981) was an art historian, writer, art and music critic, and educator active in San Francisco, California.

Frankenstein was born in 1906 in Chicago, Illinois. He studied at the University of Chicago but moved to San Francisco to take a job as a music critic for the San Francisco Chronicle . Later, the position expanded to include critiques of visual art and art exhibitions. He remained at the San Francisco Chronicle until 1979, concentrating only on art from 1965.

He was an expert on 19th century American still-life and his notable book, After The Hunt (1953), examined the American trompe-l'œil movement in late 19th century and early 20th-century through the work of painters William Harnett and John Frederick Peto. He also authored The World of Copley: 1738-1815 in 1970. Frankenstein curated several major exhibitions, including American Self-Portraits (1974) at the National Portrait Gallery and the 1974 World's Fair Exposition exhibition, Our Land, Our Sky Our Water: an Exhibition of American and Canadian Art..

An educator, Frankenstein was a professor of Art History at the University of California at Berkeley (1940-1974), Stanford University (1973-1981), and at Mills College (1945-1974), where he also taught American music.
Related Materials:
Also found among the holdings of the Archives of American Art are two oral histories with Alfred Frankenstein, one conducted by Mary McChesney on November 9th, 1965 and the other conducted by Paul Karlstrom from 1978 to 1979. Additionally, Frankenstein donated one sketchbook and twelve loose sketches that are cataloged as a separate collection: the William Harnett sketches, 1870.
Provenance:
Alfred Frankenstein donated some of his papers in 1972, and lent materials for microfilming in 1978. His estate, handled by his son John Frankenstein, donated the materials original loaned as well as additional records in 1981.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
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 -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Art historians -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Art criticism -- United States  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Photographs
Sound recordings
Sketches
Scrapbooks
Citation:
Alfred Victor Frankenstein papers, 1875-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.franalfr
See more items in:
Alfred Victor Frankenstein papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9e75e77af-bf2c-4cb8-8f0d-8bac5756a1be
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-franalfr
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Anne Rorimer

Interviewee:
Rorimer, Anne  Search this
Interviewer:
Richards, Judith Olch  Search this
Names:
Albright-Knox Art Gallery  Search this
Art Institute of Chicago -- Faculty  Search this
Bryn Mawr College -- Students  Search this
Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project  Search this
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.) -- Employees  Search this
Victoria and Albert Museum  Search this
Acconci, Vito, 1940-  Search this
Asher, Michael  Search this
Broodthaers, Marcel  Search this
Buchloh, B. H. D.  Search this
Buren, Daniel  Search this
Castelli, Leo  Search this
D'Harnoncourt, Anne, 1943-2008  Search this
Geldzahler, Henry  Search this
Graham, Dan, 1942-  Search this
Hale, Robert Beverly, 1901-1985  Search this
Hesse, Eva, 1936-1970  Search this
Kuh, Katharine  Search this
LeWitt, Sol, 1928-2007  Search this
Lippard, Lucy R.  Search this
Lowry, Bates, 1923-  Search this
Maxon, John, 1916-  Search this
Morris, Robert, 1931-2018  Search this
Nauman, Bruce, 1941-  Search this
Newman, Muriel Kallis Steinberg  Search this
Rorimer, James J. (James Joseph), 1905-1966  Search this
Smith, Tony, 1912-1980  Search this
Speyer, A. James  Search this
Stamos, Theodoros, 1922-1997  Search this
Tucker, Marcia  Search this
Wegman, William  Search this
Weiner, Lawrence  Search this
Extent:
147 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2010 November 15-16
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Anne Rorimer conducted 2010 November 15-16, by Judith Olch Richards, for the Archives of American Art's Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts project, at Rorimer's home, in Chicago, Illinois.
Rorimer speaks of her family background; her early life and education in New York City; her father, James Rorimer, and his influence as director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; college life at Bryn Mawr; how she became interested in modern art; her internship at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London after college; her master's degree thesis on Tony Smith; her job as a curator at the Albright-Knox Gallery and then at the Art Institute of Chicago; memorable exhibitions at the AIC throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, including the annual "American Exhibition," "Europe in the Seventies: Aspects of Recent Art," (1977), and "Idea and Image in Recent Art" (1974); her close relationship with Anne D'Harnoncourt; how she left the AIC in 1984 to write, "New Art in the '60s and 70s: Redefining Reality," (2001); her role in acquisitions of contemporary art at the AIC; her thoughts on art education; her work with collectors; the process of getting her book published and reactions to it; her curatorial projects in the 1980s and early 1990s that focused on conceptual art; her relationship with artists like Michael Asher and Daniel Buren; her extensive book collection; her thoughts on being a freelance curator and writer. She recalls Whitney Stoddard, Robert Beverly Hale, Theodoros Stamos, Leo Castelli, Henry Geldzahler, Anne D'Harnoncourt, Renee Marcuse, Bates Lowry, Tony Smith, Marcia Tucker, A. James Speyer, Bruce Nauman, Lawrence Weiner, Vito Acconci, William Wegman, Robert Morris, Lucy R. Lippard, Katharine Kuh, Sol Lewitt, John Maxon, Eva Hesse, Muriel Newman, Judith Kirschner, Dan Graham, Benjamin Buchloh, and Marcel Broodthaers.
Biographical / Historical:
Anne Rorimer (1944-) is a curator and art historian in Chicago, Illinois. Judith Olch Richards (1947-) is a former executive director of iCI in New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 memory cards. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 36 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.
Occupation:
Art historians -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Authors -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Conceptual art  Search this
Curators -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Women art historians  Search this
Women authors  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.rorime10
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9377eddf5-b420-452e-8171-3b181c505e3d
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-rorime10
Online Media:

Leon Golub papers

Creator:
Golub, Leon, 1922-2004  Search this
Names:
Spero, Nancy, 1926-2009  Search this
Extent:
16.5 Linear feet
4.13 Gigabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Photographs
Sound recordings
Interviews
Transcripts
Video recordings
Date:
1930s-2009
Summary:
The papers of painter, political activist, and educator Leon Golub are dated 1930s-2009 and measure 16.5 linear feet and 4.13 GB. His career as a painter and educator – and, to a far lesser extent, his personal interests and activities – are documented by correspondence, interviews, writings by Golub and other authors, subject files, printed and digital material, and audiovisual recordings. Also included are biographical materials, personal business records, and photographs of Leon Golub and wife Nancy Spero. Posthumously dated items are mostly condolence letters, obituaries, printed material, and inventories of his work.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter, political activist, and educator Leon Golub are dated 1930s-2009 and measure 16.5 linear feet and 4.13 GB. His career as a painter and educator – and, to a far lesser extent, his personal interests and activities – are documented by correspondence, interviews, writings, subject files, printed and digital material, and audiovisual recordings. Also included are biographical materials, personal business records, and photographs of Leon Golub and his art work. Posthumously dated items are mostly condolence letters, obituaries, printed material, and inventories of his work.

Biographical materials consist largely of video documentaries about Leon Golub and his work, obituaries, and information about his 2004 memorial service and a larger memorial tribute held later. Also found are educational records, passports, curricula vitae.

Correspondence is mostly of a professional nature, focusing on exhibitions, projects, collectors, articles submitted for publication, Golub's work, speaking engagements, awards, gifts of artwork, studio visits, and travel arrangements. Correspondents include dealers, curators, art historians, critics, collectors, writers, and editors. Scattered throughout are a small number of letters concerning personal business and politics.

Interviews with Leon Golub and joint interviews with Leon Golub and Nancy Spero were conducted for a variety of purposes. They are preserved as transcripts, video, and sound recordings. Writings by Golub include manuscripts and notes for articles, catalog essays, and miscellaneous writings. Notes and texts for talks, lectures, and panel discussions, include some transcripts and recordings. Among the writings by other authors are a dissertation, a thesis, academic papers, notes, texts of speeches, and a recording of a lecture by an unidentified speaker.

Subject files reflect Golub's professional and personal activities, interests and relationships. Of note are many files of "Images (source material)" used for a variety of artwork and projects. Personal business records documenting Golub's artistic output include many inventories and lists, and a comprehensive register of work, information about consignments, loans, photo permissions, and gifts or donations. Also found are extensive mailing lists.

Printed material includes clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, and a variety of miscellaneous printed items. Most material is about/mentions Golub, and/or includes reproductions of his work. Scattered throughout are items concerning topics of interest to Golub, and articles written by him.

The majority of the photographic materials are color digital prints of Golub's artwork. There are photographs of Leon Golub and Nancy Spero, family members, and friends and colleagues at exhibition events. Also found are a few photographs of Golub's plexibox sculptures.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in 8 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1930s-2006 (Boxes 1-2; 1.4 linear feet, ER01-ER02; 3.82 GB)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1955-2004 (Boxes 2-3; 0.9 linear foot)

Series 3: Interviews, 1967-2004 (Boxes 3-4; 0.8 linear foot)

Series 4: Writings, 1948-2003 (Boxes 4-5, 21; 1.1 linear foot, ER03; 0.098 GB)

Series 5: Subject Files, 1959-2005 (Boxes 5-11, OV 18; 6.2 linear feet, ER04-ER06, 0.213 GB)

Series 6: Personal Business Records, 1965-2009 (Boxes 11-12; 1.4 linear feet)

Series 7: Printed Material, circa 1950s-2009 (Boxes 12-16, 21, OV 19; 3.9 linear feet)

Series 8: Photographs, 1940s-2004 (Boxes 16-17, OV 20; 0.6 linear foot)
Biographical / Historical:
Leon Golub (1922-2004) was a painter in New York City known for figurative work with political content, an anti-war activist, and professor of art at Rutgers University.

Chicago native Leon Golub studied art history at the University of Chicago (BA 1942) before serving as a cartographer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Europe during World War II. Upon returning home, Golub became identified with Monster Roster, a group of Chicago artists who believed art must be grounded in real events in order to be relevant to the viewer and society, an idea he held throughout his life. At the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Golub pursued his interest in painting (BFA 1949, MFA 1950) and met fellow student Nancy Spero whom he married in 1951. After graduation he began teaching at local colleges, exhibited in Chicago and New York, and served as chair of "Exhibition Momentum" (1950). The couple and their two sons lived in Italy from 1956-1957. In 1959 they moved to Paris and, while there, a third son was born. Upon returning to New York City in 1964, Golub became actively involved with the Artists and Writers Protest Against the War in Vietnam, other anti-war groups, and civil liberties organizations. While his painting style changed with time, Golub continued to explore power, violence and conflict, often working in series with titles such as Combats, Napalm, Mercenaries, Interrogation, and Riot.

He first participated in a group show with other veterans at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1947, and soon was included in group and solo exhibitions throughout the United States and in Europe, including the Guggenheim Museum's influential national traveling exhibition "Younger American Painters" (1954-1956). Golub and Spero exhibited their work in tandem and collaborated on installations. He continued to participate in group shows including "Documenta IX" (2002). Golub's work is included in the permanent collections of museums throughout the world.

Golub began his teaching career soon after graduation, first at a junior college in Chicago. In the later 1950s he served briefly on the faculties of Illinois Institute of Technology School of Design and Indiana University; in the 1960s at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, and Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. He began a long tenure at Rutgers University, School of Visual Arts in 1970 and retired in 1991. In the early 1990s, both Golub and Spero were affiliated with Sommerakademie in Salzburg. Golub wrote and spoke on art, politics, and social issues; he also published many articles, statements, and book reviews, as well as contributing introductions and essays for exhibition catalogs.

Awards and honors included the Skowhegan Medal for Painting (1988), Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights Award (1989), Dickinson College Arts Award (1992), National Foundation of Jewish Culture Visual Arts Award (1995), and Hiroshima Art Prize shared with Nancy Spero (1996). Golub was awarded honorary doctorates of Fine Arts by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1982), Swarthmore College (1985), College of St. Rose (1995), Trinity College (1999), and Pratt Institute (2000). He was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2002).

Leon Golub died in New York City August 8, 2004 from complications following surgery.
Related Materials:
Also among the holdings of the Archives of American Art are oral history interviews with Leon Golub conducted for the Archives of American Art by Bruce Hooten 1965 and Irving Sandler 1968 October 28-November 18. The Nancy Spero papers, 1940s-2009, bulk 1970-2009, include documentation of many of the couple's collaborative projects, joint exhibitions, their family, and shared interests.
Provenance:
The Leon Golub papers were donated by Leon Golub in 1978; the majority of the papers were given in 2013 by The Nancy Spero and Leon Golub Foundation for the Arts via their sons Stephen, Philip and Paul Golub. Material loaned for microfilming in 1969 is included with the 2013 donation.
Restrictions:
Use of original materials requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
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 dealers  Search this
Art historians  Search this
Art museum curators  Search this
Art critics  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Political activists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Sound recordings
Interviews
Transcripts
Video recordings
Citation:
Leon Golub papers, 1930s-2009. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.goluleon
See more items in:
Leon Golub papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d2d712b7-3e5e-47e4-ba42-d8714f1bfbc6
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-goluleon
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Susanne Ghez

Interviewee:
Ghez, Susanne  Search this
Interviewer:
Richards, Judith Olch  Search this
Creator:
Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project  Search this
Names:
David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art  Search this
Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project  Search this
University of Chicago. Renaissance Society  Search this
Enwezor, Okwui  Search this
Flood, Richard G., 1949-  Search this
Paschke, Ed  Search this
Reid, Katharine Lee  Search this
Rorimer, Anne  Search this
Spector, Buzz  Search this
Extent:
4 Items (Sound recording, master: 4 memory cards (4 hr., 53 min.), secure digital, 1.25 in.)
84 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2011 Jan. 25-26
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Susanne Ghez conducted 2011 Jan. 25 and 26, by Judith Olch Richards, for the Archives of American Art's Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts project, at the Renaissance Society, in Chicago, Ill.
Ghez discusses her work for the Renaissance Society in Chicago; the Renaissance Society's involvement with European artists; taking risks; the importance of "programming first"; attention to Chicago area artists; a mix of local, national, and international programming; complementary programming with the Smart Museum of Art; audiences; the relationship between the Renaissance Center and the University of Chicago; installation issues; improved outreach to students; working on "Documenta 11," including the experience of co-curating with Okwui Enwezor and travelling to visit artists; exhibitions coming out of the "Documenta experience"; changes in curatorial practices; recommendations for aspiring curators; her retirement and succession plans; projects as an independent curator; art collectors in Chicago; serving on advisory committees; organizing thematic exhibitions; the importance of "belief" and "trust," and other topics. She recalls Anne Rorimer, Richard Flood, Buzz Spector, Katharine Lee Reid, James Coleman, Benjamin Buchloh, Ed Paschke, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Susanne Ghez (1937- ) is a museum director at the Renaissance Society in Chicago, Ill. Judith Olch Richards (1947- ) is former executive director of iCI in New York, N.Y.
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.
Occupation:
Arts administrators -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Curators -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Museum directors -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Women arts administrators  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.ghez11
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9db13ce94-7eaf-4abd-b264-bfdc3edf34fb
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-ghez11
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Dennis Adrian

Interviewee:
Adrian, Dennis, 1937-  Search this
Interviewer:
Silverman, Lanny  Search this
Names:
Akron Art Museum  Search this
Art Institute of Chicago  Search this
Chicago Art and Artists: Oral History Project  Search this
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource  Search this
Madison Art Center  Search this
Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago, Ill.)  Search this
New York University  Search this
Portland Art Museum (Or.)  Search this
University of Chicago -- Students  Search this
Acconci, Vito, 1940-  Search this
Achilles, Rolf  Search this
Alloway, Lawrence, 1926-1990  Search this
Anderson, Jeremy, 1921-1982  Search this
Artner, Alan G.  Search this
Barnes, Robert, 1934-  Search this
Baum, Don, 1922-  Search this
Botticelli, Sandro, 1444 or 1445-1510  Search this
Brown, Roger, 1941-1997  Search this
Carlson, Victor I.  Search this
Castelli, Leo  Search this
Conner, Bruce, 1933-2008  Search this
Coplans, John  Search this
Cornell, Joseph  Search this
Dubuffet  Search this
Florsheim, Lillian H.  Search this
Frumkin, Allan  Search this
Garver, Thomas H.  Search this
Golub, Leon, 1922-2004  Search this
Guston, Philip, 1913-1980  Search this
Hanson, Philip, 1943-  Search this
Hoffman, Rhona, 1934-  Search this
Ito, Miyoko, 1918-1983  Search this
Kind, Phyllis, 1933-2018  Search this
Leaf, June, 1929-  Search this
Lee, Sherman E.  Search this
Maxon, John, 1916-  Search this
Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig, 1886-1969  Search this
Newman, Muriel Kallis Steinberg  Search this
Nicholson, Natasha, 1945-  Search this
Parker, Dorothy, 1893-1967  Search this
Pearlstein, Philip, 1924-  Search this
Petlin, Irving, 1934-2018  Search this
Ramberg, Christina  Search this
Rossi, Barbara, 1940-  Search this
Schulze, Franz, 1927-2019  Search this
Sleigh, Sylvia  Search this
Spero, Nancy, 1926-2009  Search this
Swinton, Tilda  Search this
Voulkos, Peter, 1924-2002  Search this
Warhol, Andy, 1928-1987  Search this
Westermann, H. C. (Horace Clifford), 1922-  Search this
Wilde, Oscar, 1854-1900  Search this
Wiles, Bertha Harris, 1896-  Search this
Extent:
4 Items (Sound recording: 4 sound files (4 hr., 18 min.), digital, wav)
173 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Interviews
Sound recordings
Date:
2015 October 8-9
Scope and Contents:
An interview with Dennis Adrian conducted 2015 October 8-9, by Lanny Silverman, for the Archives of American Art's Chicago Art and Artists: Oral History Project, at Adrian's home in Seaside, Oregon.
Adrian speaks of growing up in Astoria; traveling to Chicago and New York; Cannon Beach; aging and getting older; his origins; curators and curating; visual sensibilities; the Portland Public Library; opera; his parents, grandparents, and family; Finnish sensibility and humor; Portland Art Museum and classes for children; curator as voyeur; credit and accomplishments; hands on experiences; Artforum; art history; attending University of Chicago; homosexuality and coming out; looted European masterworks; Botticelli; exposure to real art; connoisseurship; collectors and collecting; a Robert Louis Stevenson letter; violin making; growing into yourself; Chicago; war; New York University; Frumkin Gallery; New York; the art world; Madison Art Center; Akron Art Museum; friendship and role models; Art Institute of Chicago; meeting Mies van der Rohe; meeting idols; education; Oscar Wilde and Dorothy Parker; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Monster Roster; traveling; Chicago art politics; writing and critics; Eurocentric curators; Chicago as an undervalued city; Dog Day Afternoon; discovering art; New York sightings; and experiences running into artists. Adrian also recalls Roger Brown, Ruth Horwich, Gilda Buchbinder, Don Baum, Sherman Lee, Victor Carlson, Peter Voulkos, Lawrence Alloway, Rhona Hoffman, Allan Frumkin, June Leaf, Leon Golub, Jeremy Anderson, Robert Barnes, Tom Garver, Bruce Conner, Natasha Nicholson, H. C. Westermann, Franz Schulze, Bertha Harris Wiles, Muriel Newman, Aaron James Spire, Lillian Florsheim, John Maxon, Greg Knight, P.B. Maryan, Philip Pearlstein, Sylvia Sleigh, Nancy Spero, Irving Petlin, John Coplans, Alan Artner, Alice Shaddle, Phyllis Kind, Andy Warhol, Joseph Cornell, Tilda Swinton, Leo Castelli, Philip Guston, Dubuffet, Pussy Pepke, Bumpy Rogers, Barbara Rossi, Christina Ramberg, Philip Hanson, Miyoko Ito, Mark Jackson, Rolf Achilles, and Vito Acconci.
Biographical / Historical:
Dennis Adrian (1937- ) is an art critic, educator, and curator in Chicago, Illinois. Lanny Silverman (1947- ) is a curator at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago, Illinois.
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.
Occupation:
Art critics -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Art, American -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Art -- History  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Art thefts -- Europe  Search this
Curators -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Educators -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.adrian15
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a4b4e01e-5985-41e2-9eac-996bf9e8d51e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-adrian15
Online Media:

Claire Zeisler papers

Creator:
Zeisler, Claire, 1903-1991  Search this
Extent:
3.5 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1941-1992
Summary:
The papers of fiber artist Claire Zeisler measure 3.5 linear feet and date from 1941 to 1992. Zeisler's career is documented through project files, printed materials, and scrapbooks. The bulk of the collection consists of twenty-two scrapbooks containing resumes and chronologies; an honorary degree; business correspondence with libraries, museums, and other institutions concerning exhibitions of Zeisler's work and the loan of her personal art collection; exhibition lists and condition reports; loan records; printed materials for exhibitons; and scattered sketches and hanging instructions. Project files contain documents relating to titled weavings and general works, and may include fabric samples, hanging instructions, plans, and material costs. Also found are three exhibition catalogs.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of fiber artist Claire Zeisler measure 3.5 linear feet and date from 1941 to 1992. Zeisler's career is documented through project files, printed materials, and scrapbooks. The bulk of the collection consists of twenty-two scrapbooks containing resumes and chronologies; an honorary degree; business correspondence with libraries, museums, and other institutions concerning exhibitions of Zeisler's work and the loan of her personal art collection; exhibition lists and condition reports; loan records; printed materials for exhibitons; and scattered sketches and hanging instructions. Project files contain documents relating to titled weavings and general works, and may include fabric samples, hanging instructions, plans, and material costs. Also found are three exhibition catalogs.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as three series

Series 1: Project Files, circa 1941-1991 (0.8 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Printed Material, 1977-1987 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 3: Scrapbooks, 1941-1992 (2.5 linear feet; Boxes 2-5)
Biographical / Historical:
Claire Zeisler (1903-1991) was a fiber artist and art collector active in Chicago, Illinois.

Zeisler was born Claire Block in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1903. She studied at Columbia College Chicago but left to marry Harold Florsheim in 1921. The couple divorced in 1943 and she married Ernest Zeisler in 1946.

For much of her early life, Claire concentrated her interest in art on collecting. Throughout the 1930s, she acquired paintings by European modern artists such as Paul Klee, Joan Miró, and Pablo Picasso. Later, she collected paintings by American artists such as Franz Kline and Robert Rauschenberg. She expanded her collection to include textile works and baskets by Native Americans, and African sculpture among others.

After her divorce, she returned to the study of art at the Chicago Institute of Design and the Illinois Institute of Technology. She studied under Bea Swartchild who inspired a love for weaving. Zeisler's first works used traditional loom techniques but later she focused on knotting and braiding. She innovated free-falling fiber sculpture and her works helped push fiber art from craft to a fine art.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview of Claire Zeisler conducted by Dennis Barrie in June 1981.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming (reel 3109) inluding scrapbooks lent by Ziesler in 1983. Some, but not all, of this material was included in later donations. This material remains with the lender and is not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
Scrapbooks on reel 3019 were lent to the Archives of American Art for microfilming in August 1983 by Claire Zeisler. In 1992 her son and executor, Thomas Florsheim, donated additional scrapbooks, and project and weaving files. He interfiled new material in the previously microfilmed scrapbooks, 1941-1983, expanding them from eight notebooks to thirteen.
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:
Weavers -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Fiber artists -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Textile designers -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Collectors -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Fiberwork  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women textile designers  Search this
Textile crafts  Search this
Citation:
Claire Zeisler papers, 1941-1992. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.zeisclai
See more items in:
Claire Zeisler papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw905f90d53-cba3-4746-b361-c827a4942c83
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-zeisclai
Online Media:

Edwin Bergman interviews

Creator:
Bergman, Edwin  Search this
Interviewer:
Erens, Patricia, 1938-  Search this
Names:
Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago, Ill.)  Search this
Cornell, Joseph  Search this
Extent:
2 Sound cassettes (Sound recording)
76 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound cassettes
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1984 Aug. 21-Dec. 21
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Edwin Bergman conducted by Patricia Erens.
Bergman speaks of his family background and youth in Chicago; early philanthropic activities in Jewish organizations; beginning his art collection; other collectors he has been associated with; meeting Joseph Cornell, getting to know him and collecting his work; his philosophy of collecting; the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art and its history; his service on the Museum's board of trustees; why, in his opinion, there are so many Jewish collectors in Chicago; his civic activities.
Biographical / Historical:
Art collector; Chicago, Ill.
Provenance:
Donated 1986 by the American Jewish Committee.
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.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Jewish art and symbolism  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.bergedwi
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d676ee12-f132-4e39-a575-4181f7de0974
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-bergedwi

Beth and James Arient papers

Creator:
Arient, Beth, 1946-  Search this
Arient, James, 1946-  Search this
Names:
Finster, Howard, 1916-2001  Search this
Extent:
1 Microfilm reel (147 items on 1 partial microfilm reel)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Microfilm reels
Date:
1979-1988
Scope and Contents:
The microfilmed Beth and James Arient papers contain 23 letters from self-taught painter Howard Finster and Pauline Finster to the Arients (1979-1987); and photographs of folk artists, some with the Arients, and their work (1980-1988). Among the artists photographed are Elijah Pierce, Mary Borkowski, Jesse Howard, Joe "The Welder" Janosik, Eunice McCloskey, Dow Pugh, Howard Finster, Minnie Black, Nellie Mae Rowe, Lanier Meaders, B.C. Craig, William Dawson, Carl McKenzie, Denzil Goodpaster, S.L. Jones, Carlton Garrett, Frank Pickle, Sam Doyle, David Butler, Luster Willis, "Daddy Boy" Williams, Kid Mertz, Dilmus Hall, James "Son" Thomas, Derek Webster, Raymond Coins, James Harold Jennings, Sarah Mary Taylor, Mary T. Smith, and Clyde "Jungle Boy" Jones.
Biographical / Historical:
Beth Arient (1946- ) and James "Jim" Arient (1946- ) are folk art collectors in Naperville, Illinois.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the oral history interview with James and Beth Arient, 1988 April 27-29.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1988 by the Arients.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Collectors -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Topic:
Folk art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.ariebeth
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw96bb63d60-c213-48e0-8d71-031e6a8ff236
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-ariebeth

Oral history interview with James and Beth Arient

Interviewee:
Arient, James, 1946-  Search this
Arient, Beth, 1946-  Search this
Interviewer:
Blum, Betty  Search this
Names:
Camp, Jeffrey Thomas, 1944-  Search this
Dawson, William, 1901-1990  Search this
Finster, Howard, 1916-2001  Search this
Webster, Derek, 1934 - 2009  Search this
Extent:
213 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1988 April 27-29
Scope and Contents:
An interview of James and Beth Arient conducted 1988 April 27-29, by Betty Blum, for the Archives of American Art.
The Arients describe their backgrounds and talk about their initial interest in art and early collecting, their philosophy of collecting, their discovery of Eskimo sculpture and their first awareness of folk art. They comment on meeting Howard Finster and their subsequent relationship with him, Finster's relationship with collector Jeff Camp, the marketability of folk art, a 1987 exhibition of part of their collection at Northern Illinois University Art Gallery, and folk art patronage. They recall William Dawson and Derek Webster.
Biographical / Historical:
James Arient (1946-) and Beth Arient (1946-) are folk art collectors from Chicago, Illinois. James Arient is a dentist.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 29 min.
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.
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Folk art -- Collectors and collecting -- United States  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.arient88
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw968c3fe7c-62d8-4d33-98fd-dac6182baffa
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-arient88
Online Media:

Robert B. and Beatrice C. Mayer Family Collection records and papers

Creator:
Mayer, Robert B. (Robert Bloom), 1910-1974  Search this
Mayer, Beatrice C., 1923-2018  Search this
Extent:
22 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1950-2010
Scope and Contents:
The Robert B. and Beatrice C. Mayer Family Collection records and papers measure 22.0 linear feet and date from circa 1950 -2021. The material documents the Mayer Family Collection of works of art and includes biographical material, subject files, loan and exhibition files, interviews, photographs, financial records, administrative files, and printed material documenting sales, provenance, and conservation records. Also included is a small plastic bag of metal pins that came from a Lucas Samaras sculpture that accompanies extensive documentation. A portion of the collcction also documents the Mayer's personal lives.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert B. Mayer (1910-1974) and Beatrice C. Mayer (1921-2018) were art collectors in Chicago, Ill.
Provenance:
Donated in 2022 by Ruth Mayer, Robert B and Beatrice C. Mayer'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.

Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records 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:
Collectors -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.mayerobe
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f680700a-c881-4725-a9f3-c7211481462a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-mayerobe

Ray Yoshida papers

Creator:
Yoshida, Ray  Search this
Names:
Art Institute of Chicago. School -- Faculty  Search this
Phyllis Kind Gallery  Search this
Berdich, Vera, 1915-2003  Search this
Blackshear, Kathleen, 1897-1988  Search this
Brown, Roger, 1941-1997  Search this
Ito, Miyoko, 1918-1983  Search this
Kapsalis, Thomas Harry, 1925-  Search this
Kim, Jin Soo, 1950-  Search this
Nilsson, Gladys, 1940-  Search this
Nutt, Jim, 1938-  Search this
Ramberg, Christina  Search this
Rossi, Barbara, 1940-  Search this
Spears, Ethel, 1903-1974  Search this
Wirsum, Karl, 1939-  Search this
Extent:
10 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Sketchbooks
Scrapbooks
Collages
Drawings
Interviews
Prints
Sketches
Transcripts
Video recordings
Date:
circa 1895-2010
bulk 1950-2005
Summary:
The papers of Chicago artist and educator Ray Yoshida measure 10 linear feet and date from circa 1895 to 2010, with the bulk of the material dating from 1950 to 2005. Yoshida's career as a painter and collagist as well as his long tenure as a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago are documented through biographical material, personal correspondence, notebooks and writings, teaching records, personal business records, printed material, source material, photographs, sketchbooks, artwork by Yoshida and others, and scrapbooks. Items within the collection also document Yoshida's personal interest in collecting folk art and artifacts.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Chicago artist and educator Ray Yoshida measure 10 linear feet and date from circa 1895 to 2010, with the bulk of the material dating from 1950 to 2005. Yoshida's career as a painter and collagist as well as his long tenure as a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago are documented through biographical material, personal correspondence, notebooks and writings, teaching records, personal business records, printed material, source material, photographs, sketchbooks, artwork by Yoshida and others, and scrapbooks. Items within the collection also document Yoshida's personal interest in collecting folk art and artifacts.

Biographical material about Ray Yoshida includes award certificates, identification records, student records, and interview transcripts. Also found is one video recording of a documentary short about Yoshida's art and object collection at his Chicago home.

Correspondence includes letters, postcards, and greeting cards from friends, colleagues, and artists, including Roger Brown, Jim Nutt, Gladys Nilsson, Christina Ramberg, Karl Wirsum, Miyoko Ito, Jin Soo Kim, Barbara Rossi, Vera Berdich, and Tom Kapsalis.

Notebooks contain notes on art history, art technique, Japanese language, travel, and other subjects. Many of the notebooks include sketches and contain loose items.

Writings by Yoshida consist of college papers, fragments of writings on art and other subjects, and notes. Writings by others include essays by Yoshida's students, exhibition essay drafts, and poetry.

Teaching records primarily document Yoshida's tenure as a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, though a few records of guest professorships at other schools are included. These records include course evaluations, employment records, teaching notes, and letters of recommendation for students. Miscellaneous teaching records include department memos, course summaries, correspondence, and notes.

Personal business records consists of documentation regarding the sale, exhibition, and loan of artwork by Ray Yoshida, including his business dealings with the Phyllis Kind Gallery. Additionally there are several files regarding the estate of artist Roger Brown.

Printed material includes exhibition catalogs, announcements, news clippings, newsletters and press releases documenting Yoshida's career and other subjects.

Source material consists of material that Yoshida gathered and intended to use for his art. Collected printed material includes postcards, comics and comic books, mail order catalogs, magazines, product labels, and advertisements. Also found are many small clippings from comics collected for collages.

Photographs depict Ray Yoshida, friends, students, travel, and artwork. Also found are a few photographs of Karl Wirsum's studio, as well as photographs of various subjects collected by Yoshida. Additionally, there is one photograph album from the early 1910s of an unidentified family.

Sketchbooks include pencil and ink sketches of various subjects.

Artwork by Ray Yoshida includes collages on paper, pencil sketches, and ink drawings. Artworks by others include numerous prints by Kathleen Blackshear, Ethel Spears, and Vivian Mayers, and collages, drawings, and prints given to Yoshida by students and friends. Some work by unidentified artists is included as well. Other artwork, such as handmade picture and alphabet books, appears to have been created by children and collected by Yoshida.

Scrapbooks include volumes that were created by Yoshida as well as books created by others. Three of the scrapbooks containing source images, clippings, and comics appear to have been created by Yoshida. Additional scrapbooks were created by others and collected by Yoshida.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 12 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1950-2005 (0.5 Linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1952-2009 (2 Linear feet; Boxes 1-3, 11, 15)

Series 3: Notebooks, circa 1956-circa 2000 (0.3 Linear feet; Box 3)

Series 4: Writings, circa 1950-2003 (0.3 Linear feet; Box 3)

Series 5: Teaching Records, circa 1960-2003 (0.6 Linear feet; Boxes 3-4)

Series 6: Personal Business Records, circa 1960-2010 (0.4 Linear feet; Box 4)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1906-2010 (1.8 Linear feet; Boxes 4-6, 11, OV 14)

Series 8: Source Material, circa 1940-circa 2005 (0.7 Linear Feet; Boxes 6-7, 11)

Series 9: Photographs, circa 1910-circa 2005 (0.5 Linear feet; Box 7)

Series 10: Sketchbooks, circa 1960-circa 2000 (1.1 Linear feet; Boxes 7-8, 11-13)

Series 11: Artwork, 1903-2009 (0.7 Linear feet; Boxes 8, 13)

Series 12: Scrapbooks, circa 1895-circa 2005 (1 Linear feet; Boxes 8-10, 13)
Biographical / Historical:
Ray Yoshida (1930-2009) was a Japanese American painter, collagist, and educator based in Chicago, Illinois.

Raymond Kakuo Yoshida was born in Kapaa, Hawaii, in 1930. He attended the University of Hawaii for two years and completed a B.A. in Arts Education at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1953. He also served in the U.S. Army for two years during the Korean War. In 1957 he recieved his M.F.A from Syracuse University and became a faculty member at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1959. He was named Frank Harold Sellers Professor in the Department of Painting and Drawing in 1971, retired as professor emeritus in 1998, and continued to teach until 2003.

Yoshida was a member of the Chicago Imagists, a loose and informal group of representational artists from the late 1960s to early 1970s who were influenced by Surrealism and connected to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Yoshida's friends and contemporaries among this group include but are not limited to Roger Brown, Ed Paschke, Christina Ramberg, and Barbara Rossi. Yoshida was an inspiring teacher and he mentored many of the later Chicago Imagists such as Gladys Nilsson, Jim Nutt, and Karl Wirsum.

Yoshida's paintings and collages were strongly influenced by comics as well as his own collection of folk and outsider art. He regularly exhibited at Phyllis Kind Gallery in Chicago from 1975 to 1996, and a major retrospective of his work was organized by the Contemporary Museum of Honolulu in 1998. He retired to Hawaii in 2005 where he lived until his death in 2009 due to cancer. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Sullivan Galleries held a posthumous retrospective exhibition of Yoshida's work from 2010-2011 and the John Michael Kohler Art Center had an exhibition of Yoshida's personal collection of art and artifacts in 2013.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 2012 by Ray Yoshida via Terri Yoho of the Kohler Foundation, representing Yoshida's estate, and in 2013 and 2015-2016 by Jennifer Sabas and Shayle Miller, estate executors.
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. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate copy requires advance notice. One box of letters from Jim Nutt are ACCESS RESTRICTED; use requires written permission.
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:
Educators -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Painters -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Collagists -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Topic:
Folk art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Art -- History  Search this
Art -- Technique  Search this
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Asian American art  Search this
Asian American artists  Search this
Japanese American art  Search this
Japanese American artists  Search this
Asian American painters  Search this
Asian American educators  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Sketchbooks
Scrapbooks
Collages
Drawings
Interviews
Prints
Sketches
Transcripts
Video recordings
Citation:
Ray Yoshida papers, circa 1895-2010, bulk 1950-2005. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.yoshray
See more items in:
Ray Yoshida papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw993d0cce5-3340-4d85-adeb-cb1711fd67e8
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-yoshray
Online Media:

Museum of Contemporary Art interviews, 1979-1986

Creator:
Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago, Ill.)  Search this
Subject:
Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig  Search this
Pozzi, Lucio  Search this
Ryman, Robert  Search this
Schulze, Franz  Search this
Yasuda, Robert  Search this
Lohan, Dirk  Search this
LeWitt, Sol  Search this
Keister, Steve  Search this
Pollock, Jackson  Search this
Fischl, Eric  Search this
Hafif, Marcia  Search this
Jacobi, Peter  Search this
Jacobi, Ritzi  Search this
Adrian, Dennis  Search this
Brown, Roger  Search this
Close, Chuck  Search this
Danforth, George  Search this
Type:
Interviews
Video recordings
Citation:
Museum of Contemporary Art interviews, 1979-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Artists -- United States -- Interviews  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Art -- Michigan -- Detroit  Search this
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource  Search this
Art organizations  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6840
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208967
AAA_collcode_musecaci
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource
Art organizations
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208967

Claire Zeisler papers, 1941-1992

Creator:
Zeisler, Claire, 1903-1991  Search this
Citation:
Claire Zeisler papers, 1941-1992. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Fiberwork  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women textile designers  Search this
Textile crafts  Search this
Theme:
Women  Search this
Craft  Search this
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6928
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209057
AAA_collcode_zeisclai
Theme:
Women
Craft
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209057
Online Media:

Edwin Bergman interviews, 1984 Aug. 21-Dec. 21

Creator:
Bergman, Edwin, 1917-1986  Search this
Erens, Patricia, 1938-  Search this
Subject:
Cornell, Joseph  Search this
Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago, Ill.)  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Edwin Bergman interviews, 1984 Aug. 21-Dec. 21. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Jewish art and symbolism  Search this
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource  Search this
Patronage  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)10291
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213479
AAA_collcode_bergedwi
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource
Patronage
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_213479

Ray Yoshida papers, circa 1895-2010, bulk 1950-2005

Creator:
Yoshida, Ray, 1930-2009  Search this
Subject:
Berdich, Vera  Search this
Blackshear, Kathleen  Search this
Brown, Roger  Search this
Ito, Miyoko  Search this
Kapsalis, Thomas Harry  Search this
Kim, Jin Soo  Search this
Nilsson, Gladys  Search this
Nutt, Jim  Search this
Ramberg, Christina  Search this
Rossi, Barbara  Search this
Spears, Ethel  Search this
Wirsum, Karl  Search this
Art Institute of Chicago. School  Search this
Phyllis Kind Gallery  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Sketchbooks
Scrapbooks
Collages
Drawings
Interviews
Prints
Sketches
Transcripts
Video recordings
Citation:
Ray Yoshida papers, circa 1895-2010, bulk 1950-2005. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Folk art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Art -- History  Search this
Art -- Technique  Search this
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Asian American art  Search this
Asian American artists  Search this
Japanese American art  Search this
Japanese American artists  Search this
Asian American painters  Search this
Asian American educators  Search this
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource  Search this
Asian American  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)16081
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)360857
AAA_collcode_yoshray
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource
Asian American
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_360857
Online Media:

Edwin and Lindy Bergman papers, circa 1950-1985

Creator:
Bergman, Edwin, 1917-1986  Search this
Bergman, Lindy, 1918-2014  Search this
Subject:
Cornell, Joseph  Search this
Levy, Julien  Search this
Nutt, Jim  Search this
Lam, Wifredo  Search this
Toumanova, Tamara  Search this
Type:
Interviews
Video recordings
Citation:
Edwin and Lindy Bergman papers, circa 1950-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource  Search this
Patronage  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)17355
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)380894
AAA_collcode_bergedlin
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource
Patronage
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_380894

Oral history interview with Richard Gray, 2007 Dec. 9

Interviewee:
Gray, Richard, 1928-2018  Search this
Interviewer:
McElhinney, James, 1952-  Search this
Subject:
Boris, Harry  Search this
Fabricant, Andrew  Search this
Gray, Paul  Search this
Klamen, David  Search this
Plensa, Jaume  Search this
Louis, Morris  Search this
De Kooning, Willem  Search this
Olitski, Jules  Search this
Gaudí, Antoni  Search this
Emmerich, André  Search this
Stone, Allan  Search this
Noland, Kenneth  Search this
University of Illinois.  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Richard Gray, 2007 Dec. 9. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Economic aspects  Search this
Color-field painting  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)13670
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)274486
AAA_collcode_gray07
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_274486
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Anne Rorimer, 2010 November 15-16

Interviewee:
Rorimer, Anne, 1944-  Search this
Interviewer:
Richards, Judith Olch, 1947-  Search this
Subject:
Acconci, Vito  Search this
Asher, Michael  Search this
Broodthaers, Marcel  Search this
Buchloh, B. H. D.  Search this
Buren, Daniel  Search this
Castelli, Leo  Search this
D'Harnoncourt, Anne  Search this
Geldzahler, Henry  Search this
Graham, Dan  Search this
Hesse, Eva  Search this
Hale, Robert Beverly  Search this
Kuh, Katharine  Search this
Lippard, Lucy R.  Search this
LeWitt, Sol  Search this
Lowry, Bates  Search this
Maxon, John  Search this
Morris, Robert  Search this
Nauman, Bruce  Search this
Newman, Muriel Kallis Steinberg  Search this
Rorimer, James J. (James Joseph)  Search this
Smith, Tony  Search this
Speyer, A. James  Search this
Stamos, Theodoros  Search this
Tucker, Marcia  Search this
Wegman, William  Search this
Weiner, Lawrence  Search this
Albright-Knox Art Gallery  Search this
Art Institute of Chicago  Search this
Bryn Mawr College  Search this
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Victoria and Albert Museum  Search this
Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Anne Rorimer, 2010 November 15-16. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Conceptual art  Search this
Curators -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Women art historians  Search this
Women authors  Search this
Theme:
Women  Search this
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)15880
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)295421
AAA_collcode_rorime10
Theme:
Women
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_295421
Online Media:

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