Letters from curators and dealers of antiquities, including Bernard V. Bothmer, and Henry George Fischer; and fourteen object cards for works in Gallatin's collection. Several of the letters received from Bothmer respond to an interest Gallatin expresses in an Egyptian statuette of King Piankhi (made ca. dynasty XXV) that has been made available to Gallatin for purchase. Bothmer conveys his findings on its provenance, and, via a photograph sent, makes a detailed analysis of the iconography of the statuette. Also included but not microfilmed is a copy of Gallatin's book, "The Pursuit of Happiness" (1950).
Biographical / Historical:
Albert Gallatin (1880-1965) was an archeologist, author of the book, "The Pusuit of Happiness," collector of ancient and eastern art and contemporary sculptor Carl Paul Jennewein, who lived in New York, N.Y.
Provenance:
Donated 1972 by Alice Gallatin Gault, a relative of Albert Gallatin.
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.
Sculptor, art dealer and collector; New York, N.Y.
Provenance:
Purchased 1956 by the Archives of American Art.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Exhibition catalogs, clippings and other published material relating to two galleries operated by Peggy Guggenheim.
Biographical / Historical:
Collector, patron, art dealer; Venice, Italy. Her galleries were Guggenheim Jeune in London which existed 1938-1938, and Art of this Century, New York City, 1942-1947. Art of this Century launched several leading abstract expressionists.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1965 by Peggy Guggenheim.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Two resumes; a passport, 1980; 11 letters, including condolences to Harry Gottlieb, 1981; unpublished writings by Gottlieb, undated and 1971-1976; mailing lists and address cards; business records for Gallery 72 West, 1965-1979, including price lists, receipts, and records of sales; exhibition announcements and catalogs, undated and 1950-1966, clippings, and press releases.
Biographical / Historical:
Art dealer; New York, N.Y. Married to artist Harry Gottlieb.
Provenance:
Material donated by Harry Gottlieb, husband of Sara, April 1982.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Journal, ca. 1944-1946, containing notes and quotations on art, religion, love, some of it in French; and sketches, executed in an account book formerly kept by a William Hawkins, which has an entry as early as 1846. It was either purchased by or given to Graham and used as a sketchbook.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, collector; New York and Mexico. Born Ivan Gratsianovitch Dombrovski in Kiev, Russia. His birthday is listed as 27 December, 1886 but after 1917 Russia adopted the Gregorian calendar changing the date to 7 January, 1887. He moved to New York in 1920, changing his name to John Dabrowsky Graham. He was a central figure among American avant-garde artists, especially from the late 1920's-1940's.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1970 by Mrs. Gertrude Stein, owner of the Gertrude Stein Gallery, 998 Madison Ave., NYC. Presumably Stein acquired the notebooks in her work as an art dealer. Additional notebooks in the John Graham papers on microfilm at the Archives of American Art.
Restrictions:
Patrons must use microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Corrected and annotated mss. by Graham "Art History" with related notes (ca. 350 p. total); an autobiographical sketch, entitled "Autoportrait" (3 p. typescript); and an 8 p. summary by Angus Deming of an interview she conducted with Graham, Sept. 1960 in Paris.
Biographical / Historical:
Jack Mayer was an art dealer and owner of Gallery Mayer, New York, which handled the work of painter John Graham. Graham, born Ivan Gratsianovitch Dombrovski in Kiev, Russia in 1886 (baptised in 1881, hence the use of that year on many authoritative sources), came to N.Y. in 1920 and was a central figure among American avant-garde artists, especially from the late 1920s to 1940s. Graham was also a collector of African art which inspired an interest in primitivism in his work. Graham moved to Mexico in 1936. In 1937 he published Systems and Dialectics of Art, stimulating American artists interest in primitive art.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming by Jack Mayer, 1971.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
23 letters from Manierre Dawson to his dealer Robert Schoelkopf.
Biographical / Historical:
Art dealer; New York, N.Y. Manierre Dawson was a painter. Schoelkopf was his art dealer.
Provenance:
The donor, Mary Mathers Gedo, was researching Manierre Dawson and acquired these letters probably from Schoelkopf.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Manuscripts, typescripts, and revisions of the tape-recorded reminiscences of Charles Daniel. The typescripts and editing were done by Dorothy C. Walker. In addition there are 5 letters from Daniel to Walker, 1950-1955, in which he discusses Charles Demuth, Bryson Burroughs, Saul Schary and Rockwell Kent; a letter to Walker's brother, Robert, 1964, an illustrated letter to Daniel from Saul Schary, 1966, written from Tehran, and a copy of a letter to Daniel from Joseph De Martini on Daniel's 89th birthday.
Biographical / Historical:
Art dealer; New York, N.Y. Opened Daniel Gallery Dec. 1913 at 2 W. 47th St.
Provenance:
Donated 1972 by Dorothy C. Walker.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
0.2 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 1 reel))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1935-1947
Scope and Contents:
Letters, bills of sale, invoices, and printed material.
Ca. 100 letters, some illustrated, primarily from Grosz to Herrmann, but including several to Erich and wife Eve, and from Grosz's sons to "Uncle Herrmann," one from George Macy of The Print Club; consignment lists and a few receipts for paintings sold; printed material on Grosz, including exhibition catalogs, 1935-1939; clippings, 1935-1942; and announcements for the portfolio BAGDAD-ON-THE-SUBWAY (1935) and INTERREGNUM (1936); and a snapshot of Grosz and his son sent to Herrmann, 1942.
REEL 2016: Lists of paintings and art works on approval; 2 receipts for paintings sold; an exchange of letters between Herrmann and the Walker Galleries concerning sales of Grosz's work; and Grosz's correspondence with dealer and publisher Jack C. Rich and Herrmann, regarding a proposed venture involving the reproduction of Grosz's paintings, in which Herrmann advises Grosz to "call the whole deal off". [microfilm title: George Grosz papers].
Biographical / Historical:
Friend and dealer (?) of German Expressionist painter, printmaker George Grosz. Owner of Erich S. Herrmann, Inc., 385 Madison Ave., New York City.
Other Title:
George Grosz papers (microfilm title)
Provenance:
Material on reel 2016 donated 1980 by Peter A. Brown of Graphic Arts Unlimited, New York City, whose relationship to Herrmann is unclear. Unmicrofilmed papers donated 1986 by Arthur Buzen, attorney for the estate of Eve Margolin, Herrmann's wife.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Primarily research files and notes, subject files, interview tapes and transcripts, correspondence, writings, and other materials compiled by Harmon for a never-published biography of art dealer J.B. Neumann, titled The Art Lover. Found are photocopies of J.B. Neuman's correspondence with Karl Nierendorf, Clifford Odets, Elsa Schmid, and Alfred Stieglitz; photocopies and other materials from the J.B. Neumann Collection at the University of Texas at Austin, Harry Ransom Humanities Center, including photocopies of the magazine published by Neumann titled Art Lover Library, 1930-1957 (volume 1, 1930 is original bound volume), copyprints and photocopies of photographs of Neumann, his family, and of other subjects; interview transcripts and audio tapes with numerous artists conducted in the mid-1980s; research notes and files; and subject files on numerous artists (all photocopies).
Harmon's personal papers include resumes; copies of letters from friends, family, dealers and others; photographs of Harmon's paintings; writings, including poems, excerpts from diaries, autobiographical essays, and her autobiography FREEHAND; photocopies of various mss. drafts of Harmon's biography of Neumann, The Art Lover, and related writings by Harmon, including The Art Dealer and the Playwright, and Synopsis of Art Lover, ca. 1987-1990 ; a transcript of an interview of Harmon conducted by Karl Fortress, 1967; magazine and newspaper clippings; exhibition announcements and catalogs; and miscellany.
Interviewees include: Dore Ashton, Sally Avery, Alfred Barr, Phillip Bruno, Al Copley, Dorothy Dehner, Bettina Drew (about Nelson Algren), Elsie Driggs (also found is a video interview and transcript of Driggs by Merryman Gatch, n.d.), Ben Hertzberg, Leonard Hutton, Lewis Isaacs, Max Kahn, Katharine Kuh, Johanna Neumann Lamm, Frances Manacher, Peter Neumann, Albrecht Neumann, Nolbert Rothbaum, Margarete Schultz, Joseph Solman, Margarete Sapanel, Hugh Stix, Ilse Vogel with Howard Knotts, and Edward M.M. Warburg.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter and sculptor; New York City. Harmon worked for the influential art dealer J.B. Neumann, and spent several years preparing a biography of him which was never published. As an artist, she lived in Europe in the early part of the century, and worked on WPA art projects in the 1930s.
Provenance:
Donated 1983 and 1998 by Lily Harmon.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
William H. Holston Gallery (New York, N.Y.) Search this
Extent:
100 Items ((on partial microfilm reel))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1915-1964
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence, notebooks, recollections, photographs, and clippings.
Biographical / Historical:
Holston was an art dealer who acted as the American representative for the Paris art firm Durand-Ruel. He was instrumental in the selling of Impressionist paintings to such collectors as Duncan Phillips and Albert C. Barnes. Later, he opened the Holston Gallery at 19 East 57th Street in New York City.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1964 by William Holston's widow.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
The papers of art dealer R. Kirk Askew, director of the New York branch of the Durlacher Bros. art firm, measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1942 to 1958. The collection includes correspondence with artists Cady Wells, Walter Stuempfig, Walter Quirt, Edward Melcarth, Kurt Seligmann, Leonid Berman, Hyman Bloom, Peter Blume, Carlyle Brown, James W. Fosburgh, Stephen Greene, and Walter Stein.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of art dealer R. Kirk Askew, director of the New York branch of the Durlacher Bros. art firm, measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1942 to 1958. The collection includes correspondence with artists Cady Wells, Walter Stuempfig, Walter Quirt, Edward Melcarth, Kurt Seligmann, Leonid Berman, Hyman Bloom, Peter Blume, Carlyle Brown, James W. Fosburgh, Stephen Greene, and Walter Stein.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
R. Kirk Askew (1903-1974) was an art dealer and manager of the Durlacher Bros. New York location from from 1927 to circa 1969.
Separated Materials:
Exhibition catalogs, 1928-1967, also donated by R. Kirk Askew, were tranferred to Smithsonian Institution Libraries in 1975. Catalogs are available on microfilm reel 148 at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Provenance:
Donated 1969-1971 by R. Kirk Askew.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Gallery directors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Citation:
R. Kirk Askew papers, 1942-1958. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The records of Holly Solomon Gallery, a New York City gallery specializing in contemporary American art, measure 200.6 linear feet and 0.002 GB and date from circa 1948-2003. The gallery's activities are documented through dealer files, subject files, artists' files, inventories, sales and loan records, administrative and financial records, printed and digital materials, photographic materials of artwork and exhibitions, and sound, video, and film recordings. Also found are records of the alternative space, 98 Greene Street Loft, as well as Holly Solomon's personal papers.
Scope and Content Note:
The records of Holly Solomon Gallery, a New York City gallery specializing in contemporary American art, measure 200.6 linear feet and 0.002 GB and date from circa 1948-2003. The gallery's activities are documented through alphabetical files, dealer files, subject files, artists' files, inventories, sales and loan records, administrative and financial records, printed and digital materials, photographic materials of artwork and exhibitions, and sound, video, and film recordings. Also found are records of the alternative space, 98 Greene Street Loft, as well as Holly Solomon's personal papers.
Alphabetical files span from 1991-2000 and contain correspondence with clients, galleries, and museums, as well as related documentation regarding loans, inquiries, sales, exhibitions, and travel plans. These general files were maintained separately from the gallery's subject and artists' files but may overlap in subject matter.
The dealer files contain gallery correspondence to and from art dealers regarding inquiries on works and artists. These files are sparse and particular to the early 1980s. Subject files are mainly comprised of correspondence but also include printed materials, slides, and other related documents. Subjects include dealers, organizations, museums, clients, art fairs, travel, and projects that the gallery or Holly Solomon worked with.
Artists' files consist of correspondence, printed material, slides, photographs, and scattered inventory records, regarding the sale of artwork, as well as shipping records and insurance claims. Also included is correspondence between the gallery and the artist. There is substantial documentation on artists Kim MacConnel, Nam June Paik, Izhar Patkin, William Wegman, and Joe Zucker. Inventory records include inventory lists created by Holly Solomon Gallery as well as an art inventory card file. Inventory cards note the title, date, and size of the work as well as the dates and movements of the work, and may include a photograph. Some documents are also found in digital format in series 14, Born-digital records.
Administrative records contain general office materials such as phone messages books, staff notebooks, exhibition guest books, and business diaries, exhibition documentation, notes, and mail from prospective artists. Records primarily cover the 1980s and 1990s. In addition to business diaries, Holly Solomon also created "Dear Diary" binders which contain a collection of contact information and notes on clients and events. Some of these diaries were maintained for specific events. Some documents are also found in digital format in series 14, Born-digital records.
Sales and loan records consist of in and out sheets, consignments, and sales invoices. Also in this series are sales and loan logs and files that track the same information but from different access points, including sales by artist. Financial records document the financial activities of the galleries, apart from sales, and include shipping records, tax and insurance information, and accounting statements and reports. Also in this series are sales and loan logs and files that track the same information but from different access points, including sales by artist. Some documents are also found in digital format in series 14, Born-digital records.
Printed material consists of artist clippings, gallery exhibition catalogs, press releases, posters, and miscellaneous books, magazines, and clippings regarding the gallery. Included are clippings pertaining to the Pattern and Design art movement. Photographic material includes photographs and slides documenting artists' work and gallery exhibitions. Sound, video, and film recordings include artworks created by gallery artists, performances recorded live at the gallery, and the publicity Holly Solomon, the gallery and its artists received. The work of video artist Nam June Paik is highly represented through some of his video artworks, as well as television interviews with him. Prominent artists William Wegman and Laurie Anderson are also represented through original artworks and publicity. Publicity videos include Holly Solomon herself, being interviewed for television and documentaries.
The records of 98 Greene Street Loft include a large quantity of sound, video, and film recordings of poetry readings, live music, art, and theatrical performances that took place from 1971-1973, as well as scattered paper records such as play scripts, photographs, a guest book from 1971, printed material, and posters.
Holly Solomon's personal papers consist of biographical documents, correspondence, memorabilia, printed material, motion picture film, and photographs collected by Holly Solomon throughout her life. Included are school records, letters, notes and cards from friends and artists she represented at her gallery, photographs, invitations, event fliers, and other mementos. Printed material, mostly magazines and newspapers document her accomplishments.
Sound and video recordings include recordings collected by the Holly Solomon Gallery documenting the gallery itself and the artists it represented. Recordings include artworks created by gallery artists, performances recorded live at the gallery, and the publicity Holly Solomon, the gallery and its artists received. The recordings range from before the gallery's opening in 1975 until after its closure in 2002, with most recordings coming out of the 80s and 90s. The work of video artist Nam June Paik is highly represented within the series through some of his actual video artworks, as well as through numerous documentaries and television interviews with him. Prominent artists William Wegman and Laurie Anderson are both represented through original artworks and publicity.
Born-digital records consist of documents recovered from floppy discs included in the collection.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 14 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Alphabetical Files, 1991-2001 (Boxes 1-9; 8.5 linear feet)
Series 2: Dealer Files, 1980-1990 (Box 9-10; 1.5 linear feet)
Series 3: Subject Files, circa 1975-2002 (Boxes 11-25; 15.0 linear feet)
Series 4: Artists' Files, circa 1975-2002 (Boxes 26-47; 22.0 linear feet)
Series 5: Inventory Records, 1975-2001 (Boxes 48-66, 157-162; 25.0 linear feet)
Series 6: Administrative Records, circa 1980-2003 (Boxes 67-81, OV 202; 15.1 linear feet)
Series 7: Sales and Loan Records, circa 1975-2001 (Boxes 82-87; 6.0 linear feet)
Series 8: Financial and Legal Records, circa 1969-2001 (Boxes 88-114, 191, 192; 27.7 linear feet)
Series 9: Printed Material, circa 1968-2002 (Boxes 115-135, 193-194, OV 203-222, RD 223; 23.5 linear feet)
Series 10: Photographic Material, circa 1969-2000 (Boxes 136-156, 194-196, 201, OV 224; 22.2 linear feet)
Series 11: 98 Greene Street Loft, circa 1969-1973 (Boxes 166-169, 194, FC 197-200, FC 228-236, OV 225-227; 5.6 linear feet)
Series 12: Holly Solomon Personal Papers, circa 1948-2002 (Boxes 170-182, 194, FC 237-241; 13.6 linear feet)
Series 13: Sound and Video Recordings, circa 1966-2001 (Boxes 183-190; 7.6 linear feet)
Series 14: Born-Digital Records, (ER01-ER04; 0.002 GB)
The collection has been minimally arranged into series based on the found arrangement upon receipt, assumed to be the original arrangement of the gallery. Folders have been arranged within series and general folder contents verified, but in most cases, item level arrangement has not been completed.
Historical Note:
The Holly Solomon Gallery was established in 1975 by Holly Solomon and her husband, Horace Solomon, at 392 West Broadway in New York City's SoHo area. The gallery focused on contemporary art.
The gallery represented artists such as William Wegman, Nam June Paik, Laurie Anderson, and Robert Kushner. In 1983, the gallery moved uptown to 724 Fifth Ave at 57th, but then moved again in the early 1990s back downtown to SoHo at 172 Mercer Street. After the gallery closed Holly Solomon continued to deal art from the Chelsea Hotel until her death in 2002.
Holly Solomon was born Hollis Dworken in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1934. She started college at Vassar College, and later transferred to Sarah Lawrence College where she graduated in 1955. In 1953 she married Horace Solomon. Holly Solomon was an aspiring stage actress and was enrolled at Lee Strasberg's Actor's Studio shortly after moving to Manhattan. Although she was not a successful actress she and her husband began collecting art and were fans of the Pop Art movement. In 1969 the couple opened an alternative work and performance space for artists named 98 Greene Street Loft. The space provided a venue for poets, actors, and artists to work and perform. Solomon wrote and produced a five part documentary from performances at 98 Greene Street, and in 1972 it was shown at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. 98 Greene Street Loft closed in 1973. Holly Solomon was also a proponent of the Pattern and Decoration, or "P and D", art movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Many of the artists featured in her gallery were involved in the P and D movement including Robert Kushner, Kim MacConnel, Ned Smyth, and Brad Davis.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 2010 by Thomas and John Solomon, Holly Solomon's sons.
Restrictions:
This collection is access restricted. Use requires written permission. Financial and Legal Records (Series 8) are closed to researchers until they can be processed to a more detailed level. Contact Reference 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.
Art dealer Leroy Ireland's research material on George Inness measures 2.0 linear feet and dates from 1916 to 2007, with the bulk of the material dating from 1960 to 1971. The collection documents Ireland's research for his book The Works of George Inness: An Illustrated Catalogue Raisonne through correspondence, research files, and photographs of artwork.
Scope and Content Note:
Art dealer Leroy Ireland's research material on George Inness measures 2.0 linear feet and dates from 1916 to 2007, with the bulk of the material dating from 1960 to 1971. The collection documents Ireland's research for his book The Works of George Inness: An Illustrated Catalogue Raisonne through correspondence, research files, and photographs of artwork.
Leroy Ireland's correspondence is with museums, galleries, private collectors, universities, and others regarding paintings by George Inness and works attributed to him. The bulk of the correspondence dates from 1960 to 1969 during the period that Ireland was working on the catalogue raisonne. Scattered research files include a notebook, notes, and lists of works; photographs, letters, and documents regarding Inness which were received by Mrs. Ireland after Leroy Ireland's death; exhibition catalogs and other printed material. Also found are two copies of letters written by Inness. Photographs depict paintings by George Inness, paintings attributed to Inness but determined to be fakes, and paintings by other artists.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 3 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Correspondence, 1916-2007 (Box 1-2; 1.5 linear feet)
Series 2: Research Files Regarding George Inness, 1925-1973 (Box 2; 7 folders)
Series 3: Photographs, circa 1919-1972 (Box 2; 0.3 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Leroy Ireland (1889-1970) was an art dealer and painter in New York and Philadelphia. Ireland is best know for his research on the works of landscape painter George Inness (1825-1894), culminating in a catalogue raisonne of his work.
Ireland began his career as a painter, studying with Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and exhibiting in many shows during the 1920s. He moved to New York and became an art dealer and appraiser. During that time he also studied and became an expert in the work of George Inness, specializing in the authentication of works held by galleries, museums, and private collectors. After nearly 30 years of research, his book The Works of George Inness: An Illustrated Catalogue Raisonne was published by the University of Texas Press in 1965.
Separated Material:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming. Reels 992-996 contain an extensive photograph file of Inness paintings, correspondence, notes on and descriptions of art, sales records of Inness's works, ownership records of paintings, information about questionable attributions, exhibition catalogs and, miscellany. These materials were returned to the Chapellier Galleries in New York City. Reels 2824-2825 include twelve scrapbooks compiled by Ireland and contain circa 3,000 photographs of Inness paintings. The scrapbooks can now be found in the Fine Arts Library, University of Texas at Austin. Lent materials on microfilm are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
Leroy Ireland research material on George Inness were given to the Archives of American Art in several different accessions. First, Leroy Ireland donated two letters and photographs of artwork in 1963-1964. In 1975, Chapellier Galleries in New York City, who had acquired papers from Ireland's estate, lent additional Leroy Ireland research material regarding George Inness for microfilming. In 1983, twelve scrapbooks compiled by Ireland were lent by Archer Huntington Art Gallery of the University of Texas at Austin for microfilming. Mrs. Leroy Ireland donated the remainder of the papers in 1993 via executor Irene Chapellier Little and in 2010 by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who received the collection from John Frisk, a friend of Ireland.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
The Thomas B. Clarke letters from or about Homer Dodge Martin measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1893-1897. Twenty-two letters from Martin to art collector and patron Thomas B. Clarke, document Martin's work, his financial struggles, and his physical and mental condition in the last 5 years of his life. Additional letters to and from others further illuminate Martin's relationship with Clarke and provide insight into his financial affairs and the increasingly favorable market for the painter's work just prior to and following his death in 1897.
Scope and Content Note:
This collection measures 0.2 linear feet, including 22 letters from Homer Martin to art patron Thomas Clarke, and dates from 1893-1897. Since Martin kept no diaires or sales ledgers himself, the letters are invaluable in understanding his painting, financial struggles, and his physical and mental condition in the last 5 years of his life. Additional letters from Martin's son, Ralph, his wife, Elizabeth, and gallery owner William Macbeth, and a letter from Martin to his friend Montgomery Schuyler, further illuminate Clarke's activities as a dealer and patron of Martin's work, and provide insight into Martin's financial affairs and the increasingly favorable market for the painter's work just prior to and following his death in 1897.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 1 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Thomas B. Clarke Letters From or About Homer Dodge Martin, 1893-1897 (Box 1; 9 folders)
Biographical Note:
Thomas Benedict Clarke (1848-1931) was a New York prosperous merchant who began collecting American art in the 1870s. Over the course of the next 20 years he actively traded, loaned, and sold artwork through dealers in New York City, outlets in Worcester, Cincinnati and St. Louis, and with artists. He also shared his collection through public and private exhibitions in New York and elsewhere. He earned praise from the critics for being the foremost patron of American painters during the late 1800s and was praised by many painters for his attention to American artists at a time when they considered themselves neglected or ignored.
Hudson River School painter Homer Dodge Martin (1836-1897) was one of the artists for whom Clarke acted as patron. Martin studied briefly with James Hart and spent his summers during the 1860s sketching in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the White Mountains and then painted landscapes from the sketches he made at his studio in New York City's Tenth Street Studio Building.
In 1876 he took his first trip to Europe and from 1882-1886 lived in Normandy, France. There he was influenced both by the Barbizon school of painting and the Impressionists and his painting took on darker, more melancholy tones.
By 1887 Martin had returned to New York and in 1893 moved to St. Paul, Minnesota. During the 1890s Martin was plagued by ill health and financial struggles. A dead optic nerve in one eye and a cataract in the other, left him close to blindness when he died in February 1897. At the time of his death two of his greatest paintings, Westchester Hills (circa 1887) and Harp of the Winds (1895), remained unsold and another, Adirondack Scenery (1895) had been bought by Clarke for circa $400.
In 1890, Clarke had dissolved his dry-goods partnership, Clarke & King, and announced that he would no longer deal in American pictures except as an agent for George Inness. Clarke opened a showroom known as "Art House" in 1891 on Fifth Avenue in New York City, and began dealing primarily in Oriental porcelains and Greek antiquities. The Martin letters are one source of evidence that Clarke did, however, continue to deal in American art as a private agent through Macbeth Gallery and others. A letter written on Clarke's behalf to Martin dated April 17, 1896, stated that he had contacted Samuel P. Avery on Martin's behalf, and suggested that he consign his paintings to Avery, rather than having Clarke promote them himself.
In January 1899 Clarke announced that he would dispose of his American pictures at auction following a week long exhibition at the American Art Association. In February 1899, 7 of the 10 Homer Martin paintings in Clarke's possession were sold at that auction, including Adirondack Scenery for $5500. Within two years of his death, Martin's Harp of the Winds was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In addition to the Metropolitan Museum, Martin's work can be found in other important American museums including the Addison Gallery of American Art, the Albany Institute of History and Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He became a member of the National Academy of Design in 1874 and was one of the founders of the Society of American Artists.
Related Material:
The James Stillman letters relating to Homer Dodge Martin have also been digitized and are available online via the Archives of American Art's website. Additional material relating to Homer Dodge Martin, including correspondence with Thomas B. Clarke and Elizabeth Martin, can be found in the Macbeth Gallery records at AAA.
Provenance:
Most of the letters were donated by Charles Feinberg in 1957. Four additional letters were given to the Archives by Irving Burton in 1967.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
The scattered records of the New York contemporary American art Eva Lee Gallery measure 4.0 linear feet and date from 1921-1973. Artist files contain provenance notes, photographs of artwork, records of sales and consignments, exhibition catalogs from other galleries, and reference information on numerous contemporary artists, many represented by the gallery. There are also scattered letters and artwork from artists, scattered sales records of J.B. Neuman's New Art Circle Gallery, and a photocopy of an auction catalog for Korvettes Art Galleries in Douglastan, New York. A significant amount of information is found within the collection about Alexander Calder, Lovis Corinth, Salvadore Dali, Lyonel Feininger, George Grosz, Robert Indiana, Harry Lieberman, Rene Magritte, John Marin, Lowell Nesbitt, Ben Shahn, Victor Vasarely, and Max Weber.
Scope and Content Note:
The scattered records of the New York contemporary American art Eva Lee Gallery measure 4.0 linear feet and date from 1921-1973. Artist files contain provenance notes, photographs of artwork, records of sales and consignments, exhibition catalogs from other galleries, and reference information on numerous contemporary artists, many represented by the gallery. There are also scattered letters and artwork from artists, scattered sales records of J.B. Neumann's New Art Circle Gallery, and a photocopy of an auction catalog for Korvettes Art Galleries in Douglastan, New York.
The records are comprised of artists' files arranged into four categories established by the gallery: general artists' files; notebooks of artists' files; financial artists' files; and consignment and sales artists' files. General artists' files contain background and reference information on numerous contemporary artists, performers, and art-related organizations. More information exists for Alexander Calder and Harry Lieberman than the other names represented in the general files. Lee also arranged provenance notes and photographs of artwork into notebooks, presumably including many of the artists represented by the gallery. There is a significant amount of material in the notebooks on Alexander Calder, Robert Indiana, Lowell Nesbitt, Ben Shahn, Victor Vasarely, and Max Weber.
Financial artists' files contain correspondence with artists and patrons concerning the sale of artwork by both the Eva Lee Gallery and J. B. Neumann of the New Art Circle Gallery, scattered artwork, printed material, photographs of artists, and checks signed by Neumann and endorsed by miscellaneous artists. Eva Lee worked on the estate of J. B. Neumann and collected and interspersed his files with her own. These files include letters from Josef Albers, Thomas Hart Benton, Alexander Calder, Christo, Joseph Cornell, Robert Indiana, and a postcard of Calder's studio from Ben Shahn. There are also watercolor sketches by Clifford Odets, an exhibition catalog autographed by Ben Shahn, and photographs of Marsden Hartley, Jacques Lipchitz, composer Frederick Loewe, Paul Mommer, Mert Simpson, and Curt Valentin with Andrew Ritchie.
Eva Lee Gallery artists' consignment and sales files primarily contain photographs of artwork and notes concerning sales of specific artwork by the Eva Lee Gallery. Also found in these sales files are scattered letters, receipts, and printed material. There is a significant amount of material for Ben Benn, Alexander Calder, Lovis Corinth, Salvadore Dali, Lyonel Feininger, George Grosz, Marsden Hartley, John Hopkins, Rene Magritte, and John Marin. It is assumed that Eva Lee separated the two latter sets of artists' files containing sales records.
Also found in the collection is a photocopy of the Korvettes Art Galleries auction catalog, which lists artwork sold at a 1970 auction liquidating the holdings of the Douglaston, New York gallery.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 5 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: General Artist Files, 1923-1972 (Boxes 1-2; 1.3 linear feet)
Series 2: Notebooks of Artist Files, 1929-1973 (Boxes 2-3; 1.4 linear feet)
Series 3: Financial Artist Files, 1921-1970 (Boxes 3-4; 0.6 linear feet)
Series 4: Eva Lee Gallery Consignment and Sales Artist Files, 1960-1972 (Box 4; 0.7 linear feet)
Series 5: Photocopy of Korvettes Art Galleries Auction Catalog, 1970 (Box 4; 1 folder)
Historical Note:
Eva Lee was born circa 1924. She fled from Nazi Germany to the United States, becoming an art dealer and the owner of the Eva Lee Gallery, Inc. Located in Great Neck, New York, the Eva Lee Gallery specialized in modern art and handled the work of many prominent artists including Alexander Calder, Lyonel Feininger, George Grosz, Marsden Hartley, Jacob Lawrence, Ben Shahn, and Max Weber. The gallery was in operation through the first half of 1973.
Eva Lee died suddenly on November 4, 1973 in Terre Haute, Indiana, while undergoing unspecified medical treatment.
Provenance:
The Eva Lee Gallery records were donated in 1973 by Eva Lee through Eloise Spaeth, and in 1978 by Neal Richmond of the Paul Klapper Library, Queens College, Flushing, New York, who had been asked to disperse Lee's gallery records following her sudden death in 1973. A photocopy of the Korvettes Art Galleries Auction Catalog was donated by Eva Lee in 1970.
Lee's records also contained financial files belonging to art dealer J. B. Neumann and his New Art Circle Gallery, whose estate she had worked on in 1966.
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.
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.
The Barbara Mathes Gallery records pertaining to Rio Nero lawsuit measure 1.4 linear feet and date from 1989-1995. The records, assembled by Barbara Mathes, relate to the lawsuit Greenberg Gallery, Inc., et al. v. Patricia Bauman, et al. and the authenticity of the Alexander Calder mobile Rio Nero. The files contain correspondence, purchase and shipping records, and legal documents. The collection also includes printed material and photographs of the mobile.
Scope and Content Note:
The Barbara Mathes Gallery records pertaining to Rio Nero lawsuit measure 1.4 linear feet and date from 1989-1995. The collection, assembled by Barbara Mathes, relates to the lawsuit Greenberg Gallery, Inc., et al. v. Patricia Bauman, et al. regarding the authentication of the Alexander Calder mobile Rio Nero. The Barbara Mathes Gallery, co-owner of the mobile was a plaintiff in the lawsuit. The files contain correspondence between co-owners of the mobile, letters and accompanying legal documents from their attorney, purchase and shipment records, and invoices for legal fees. Legal documents are comprised of depositions, findings of fact, transcripts of proceedings, trial exhibits, and appeal briefs. Printed material includes clippings and magazine articles relating to the trial. The collection also contains photographs of the mobile.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as four series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Correspondence, 1989-1995 (Box 1; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 2: Legal Documents, 1991-1994 (Box 2; 0.9 linear feet)
Series 3: Printed Material, 1993-1995 (Box 2; 1 folder)
Series 4: Photographs, 1989-1990, 1993 (Box 2; 2 folders)
Historical Note:
In 1959 Alexander Calder (1898-1976) created a black metal mobile titled Rio Nero which collector Lionel Bauman purchased from the Perls Galleries, New York City (1967). Patricia Bauman received Rio Nero from her father's estate in 1989 and consigned the mobile to the Herbert Palmer Gallery in Los Angeles and L & R Entwistle and Co., Ltd. in London. The Greenberg Gallery, Saint Louis, Missouri, purchased the mobile for $500,000 from L & R Entwistle in March 1990. The Barbara Mathes Gallery, New York; Donald Morris Gallery, Inc., Birmingham, Michigan; and John C. Stoller & Co., Minneapolis, Minnesota, each acquired a twenty-five percent share in the mobile from the Greenberg Gallery.
In May 1990, the gallery owners saw the mobile for the first time and noticed that the work neither hung properly nor moved in a manner consistent with other Calder mobiles. In December 1990, the owners asked Klaus Perls, the noted authority on Calder and the artist's primary dealer from 1955-1976, to authenticate the Rio Nero mobile. After Perls deemed the work a forgery, Patricia Bauman declined to reverse the sale and the four galleries instituted legal proceedings. The plaintiffs, Greenberg Gallery et al., contended that Patricia Bauman, or someone acting on her behalf, switched the original mobile with a forgery and then presented it to L & R Entwistle as a Calder mobile.
The papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Barbara Mathes in 2005.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
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