Correspondence in this series is primarily between Walt Kuhn and his professional and personal contacts and spans his entire career. Correspondents include family members, fellow artists, students, dealers, museum and gallery staff, collectors, friends, fans, critics and colleagues. Copies of outgoing correspondence are often present and are interfiled chronologically. Also included is scattered correspondence of Vera and Brenda Kuhn, and correspondence written after Kuhn died that documents his family's efforts to exhibit, sell, and donate his work.
The content of the correspondence ranges from personal and candid to purely transactional. Artists, collectors, dealers, and critics involved in the creation of significant works of art and collections in the early 20th century are represented. An alphabetical index of selected correspondents in this series is provided in the appendix. Another resource for accessing correspondence are the card files in Series 4.8: Notes and Writings, where correspondence with various contacts was indexed by the Kuhns and filed alphabetically by name.
In 1938, Walt and Vera Kuhn wrote and self-published the pamphlet, "The Story of the Armory Show" and sent it gratis to hundreds of interested parties. Among the correspondence from that year are many heartfelt reponses from fellow artists and other witnesses to the 1913 event, including Charles Sheeler, William Glackens, Stuart Davis, André Derain, Henri Roché, Walter Pach, and J.H. du Bois to name just a few.
Kuhn regularly instructed students through the mail with lengthy letters about painting techniques and methods. San Francisco painter Otis Oldfield is represented by over 100 lengthy letters in this subseries. Kuhn's letters to Oldfield, returned at Kuhn's request in 1945 for a publication project that was never realized, are interfiled. Other correspondence students include Patsy Santo, Frank di Gioia, Watson Bidwell, John Bernhardt, John Laurent, Goldie Paley, and Eric Lundgren. See the appendix for dates.
Types of material include letters (sometimes illustrated), postcards, invitations, announcements, and Christmas cards, which are sometimes made of original artwork. Enclosures are often found, such as photographs, clippings, tracings of art work, writings, receipts, passes and membership cards. Some letters indicate enclosures that were previously separated and can be found in other series.
Significant writings enclosed with correspondence include an early vaudeville script written by Kuhn and his friend, Archibald Macnab (1923); drafts of articles about Kuhn by the poet Genevieve Taggard (1931), critic Alan Burroughs (1930), and patron Eloise Spaeth (1950); and an unpublished history of the 1913 Armory Show by Paul Bird (1938). Photographs and photographic postcards are also found throughout the series. Included are photo postcards from Spain and France (1925), and from Arizona and California (1928); and photographs related to Kuhn's work for the Union Pacific Railroad Company (1936, 1938).
Additional correspondence can be found throughout the collection. See individual series descriptions for details.
See Appendix for a list of selected correspondents in Series 4.3.
Appendix: Selected Correspondents in Series 4.3:
The following is a selective list of correspondents represented in Series 4.3: General Correspondence, with cross-references to correspondence in 4.4: Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files and 4.5: Provenance Files. It is not comprehensive. An effort has been made to index regionally and nationally known artists, Kuhn's patrons and students, models, art historians, writers, museum and gallery staff, dealers, and persons known to be well-represented in other collections at the Archives of American Art. Cross-references to existing letters in other parts of the Kuhn papers and Armory Show records are included selectively. Correspondents who have not been indexed include family members, neighbors, business contacts from his theater and vaudeville work of the early 1920s, and from his railroad car design work from 1936 to 1948.
Barr, Alfred H. Jr. (Museum of Modern Art): 1929, 1934, 1945 (5 letters)
Barrie, Erwin S. (Grand Central Art Galleries): 1927, 1951 (5 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Barrington, Lewis: 1932
Barry, Bobby (see Provenance Files, "Portrait of Bobby Barry")
Bartlett, Frederic Clay, Jr.: 1939-1940, 1942-1943, 1945, 1947 (7 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Bartley, Louise: 1931
Baur, John I.H. (Brooklyn Museum): 1946 (see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Beals, Ralph A. (New York Public Library): 1949
Bear, Donald (Santa Barbara Museum of Art): 1936-1938, 1945, 1948, 1949 (6 items including Christmas cards with original prints; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Beerbohm, Marvin (Detroit School of Art): 1938
Bell, Janet M. (John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art): 1952 (4 letters)
Belmont, Eleanor R.: 1935 Benjamin, Ruth: 1940
Bernays, Edward L. (see also Doris E. Fleischman): 1928, 1935-1937 (4 letters)
Bernhardt, John: 1948-1950 (4 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files, 1947)
Frankenstein, Alfred V. ( -- San Francisco Chronicle -- ): 1940 (2 letters)
Frankfurter, Alfred M.: 1938, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1950 (10 letters)
Fraser, Joseph T. (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts): 1947, 1951 (3 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Free, Karl R.: 1935
Freeman, Anna (Whitney Museum of American Art): 1938 (2 letters)
Frey, Erwin F.: 1943, 1945, 1947 (4 letters)
Frueh, Alfred: 1925, 1953 (2 letters)
Freund, Frank E.W.: 1932, 1934-1935, 1938 (7 letters)
Friede, Donald S. (Boni and Liveright Publishers): 1927
Frink, Angelika W.: 1941 (see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Gallagher, Edward J.: 1952
Gallatin, Albert E.: 1927, 1928 (3 letters)
Gardner, Paul (William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art): 1936, 1938-1945, 1947-1950 (26 items including Christmas card with original print; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Gardner, Mrs. William (see Owen)
Garrett, Garet: 1928
Garrett, Alice (Mrs. John Work): 1938, 1939 (5 items, including Christmas card with original photograph)
Gates, Margaret (Studio House, Philips Memorial Gallery): 1935
Genauer, Emily (New York World Telegram): 1947
Gest, J.H. (Cincinnati Museum Association): 1928 (3 letters)
Gise, Margaret (Marie Harriman Gallery): 1938 (see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files and Provenance Files, "Girl in Shako" and "Guide")
Glackens, William and Edith: 1938
Glackens, Edith: 1938, 1941, 1943, 1949, 1950 (7 items, including outgoing letters of condolence when William Glackens died, and response from Edith with account of his last day)
Godwin, Black-More (Toledo Museum of Art): 1932 (2 letters)
Goodrich, Lloyd (Whitney Museum of American Art; see Provenance Files, "Man with Ship Model")
Goodyear, A. Conger: 1934, 1938, 1941, 1949 (5 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files, and Provenance Files, "Dryad" and "Man From Eden")
Goodyear, Mary (Mrs. A. Conger, also Mrs. John W. Ames): 1936-1942, 1947, 1949, 1954 (44 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Grace Horne Galleries (see M.E. Brown, Littlefield; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Graham, John D.: 1937
Greason, Donald (Deerfield Academy): 1942 (discussing Harry Whitney)
Grossman, Ted (Edwin Booth): 1938, 1940, 1941, 1945, 1948, 1951, 1952 (13 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Grumman, Paul H. (Joslyn Memorial Art Museum): 1943
Hagen, Oskar: 1938, 1939 (2 letters)
Hagerman, Percy (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center): 1949
Hale, Dorothea: 1928
Hale, Robert B. (Metropolitan Museum of Art): 1950-1951 (2 letters)
Halpert, Edith (Downtown Gallery): 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 (7 letters; New Year card 1928 printed with collage of Walt Kuhn)
Keppel, Frederick P. (Carnegie Corporation): 1938 (2 letters)
Kerr, George F. (Society of Illustrators): 1930 (2 letters)
Kimball, Fiske (The Pennsylvania Museum): 1928, 1939 (2 letters)
Kingman, Eugene (Joslyn Memorial Art Museum): 1951 (4 letters)
Kirsch, Dwight (University of Nebraska Department of Art): 1941, 1943-1944, 1946, 1950, 1953 (9 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Kirstein, Lincoln (Museum of Modern Art): 1932
Kissel, Eleanora: 1928
Kistler, Aline ( -- San Francisco Chronicle -- , -- The San Franciscan -- , M.H. de Young Memorial Museum): 1929, 1930, 1932, 1933 (6 letters)
Klopfer, Donald S. (Random House, Inc.): 1940
Kohl, Dorothy (Philadelphia Art Alliance): 1945 (3 letters)
Komroff, Manuel: 1938
Kravis, Hal: 1936, 1941 (3 letters)
Kunstverein München E.V.: 1930
Kurtzworth, Harry Muir (Los Angeles Art Association, California Academy of the Fine Arts): 1938 (2 letters)
Lahr, Bert: 1948 (see also Provenance Files, "Portrait of Bert Lahr")
Labaudt, Lucien: 1929, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1938 (5 items including Christmas card; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Lamb, James E.: 1928, 1930, 1935, 1937 (4 letters)
Larcada, Dick: 1963
Laurent, John: 1947-1950, undated (12 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Laurent, Mimi (Mrs. Robert): 1952
Laurent, Robert (Indiana University): 1923, 1949, 1953 (8 letters; see also Provenance Files, "Black Butterfly")
Lea, Lida Gorwin; 1935-1938, 1942 (8 letters, including Christmas card with original print; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Mencken, H.L.: 1945, 1946, 1947 (3 letters; see also Series 4.8: Notes and Writings)
Merrick, James Kirk (Philadelphia Art Alliance): 1945
Messer, Thomas M. (American Federation of Arts): 1952-1954 (5 letters)
Metcalf, Thomas N. (Boston Museum of Modern Art, Inc.): 1938, 1940 (2 letters)
Metropolitan Museum of Art: 1949, 1956 (5 letters; see also Hale, F.H. Taylor, Wehle)
Mellon, Minna (Mrs. Paul): 1946
Millay, Edna St. Vincent (typed copy): 1947 (see also Engen Boissevain in Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Miller, Dorothy C. (Museum of Modern Art): 1943
Miller, Lulu F. (The Hackley Gallery of Fine Arts): 1928
Milliken, William M.: 1936 (2 letters)
Minnigerode, C. Powell (Corcoran Gallery of Art): 1928 (2 letters)
Montclair Art Museum: 1928, 1932 (2 letters)
Montgomery, Gertrude: 1928
More, Hermon (Whitney Museum of American Art): 1933, 1935, 1943, 1948-1950 (8 letters)
Morgan, Agnes: 1938
Morison, David (Hamilton Easter Field Art Foundation): 1930
Morley, Grace: 1936, 1937-1939, 1943 (11 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Morse, John (see Provenance Files, "Man and Sea Beach")
Muguruza Otaño, Pedro: 1928
Museum of Art of Ogonquit: 1953 (see also Strater)
Museum of Modern Art (see Barr, Catlin, Haven, Hawkins, Kirstein, D. Miller, Pelles, A. Porter)
Nadelman, Viola M. (Mrs. Elie): 1947
Nankivell, Frank: 1934-1935 (Christmas cards with signed prints)
National Arts Club: 1932
Newhall, Beaumont (Museum of Modern Art): 1938
Nichols, Hobart (National Academy of Design): 1948
Nichols, J.C. (William Rockhill Nelson Trust): 1948
North, Henry Ringling (Ringling Brothers): 1941 (2 letters)
Norton Gallery and School of Art (see Hunter)
Norton, Ralph H. (Norton Gallery and School of Art): 1948
O'Connor, John Jr. (Carnegie Institute): 1943, 1945-1946, 1948 (8 letters)
Oldfield, Otis: 1928-1946, 1948-1949, 1951-1952, undated (111 letters; 1931, 1941, undated include Chritmas cards with print; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
O'Neil, John (University of Oklahoma): 1946
Owen, Ronnie (Mrs. William Gardner): 1941-1942, 1944-1946, 1948-1949 (15 letters)
Owens, Virginia B.( -- Christian Science Monitor -- ): 1943 (2 letters)
Roullier, Alice F. (Arts Club of Chicago): 1925, 1927, 1933, 1941 (8 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Rousseau, Théodore: 1935
Rumsey, Mary H. (Mrs. C.C.): 1930, 1934-1936, 1938, 1940, 1945, 1949, undated (11 items including Christmas card and receipts for paintings sold)
Ryan, Beatrice Judd (Beaux Arts Galerie): 1928, 1929 (4 letters)
Saint-Gaudens, Homer (Carnegie Institute): 1931, 1933, 1940, 1946-1949 (18 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Saklatwalla, Ann: 1944-1945 (2 letters; see also Provenance Files, "Bareback Rider")
Saklatwalla, B.D.: 1928, 1930-1936, 1941 (2 letters, 7 Christmas cards containing prints, 1931 print signed Jean Crotti)
Salinger, Jehanne Bietry: 1928-1930, 1933, 1935, 1946-1948 (includes signed print by Harry Wickey; 17 letters)
Salons of America: 1923, 1924
Salpeter, Harry ( -- Esquire -- ): 1936-1938 (6 letters)
Sanborn, Robert Alden: 1945
Sands, Mary (Museum of Modern Art): 1930
Sanger, Helen: 1948-1950, 1953, 1963 (16 letters)
Sanger, Margaret (American Birth Control League, Inc.): 1928
Santa Barbara Museum of Art (see Bear, Steele, Story; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Santo, Patsy: 1937-1946, 1948-1949, 1953 (103 letters, some illustrated)
Sardi Gina, Anne (Marie Harriman Gallery): 1941-1942, 1947, 1949 (6 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files and Provenance Files, "Girl in Shako" and "Guide")
Schulte, Antoinette: 1932-1938 (8 items, including Christmas card with original print)
Seiberling, Frank Jr. (Toledo Museum of Art): 1943, 1946 (3 letters)
Seymour Halpern Associates: 1945
Shapiro, Meyer: 1938
Sharkey, Alice M. (Whitney Museum of American Art): 1944
Shaw, Marjorie: 1930 (Christmas card with woodblock print)
Sheeler, Charles: 1938 (See also Series 4.2: Walt Kuhn Letters to Family)
Shostac, Percy (Labor Division, Greater New York Fund): 1941
Shyrock, Burnett H.: 1938 (4 letters)
Siple, Walter H. (Cincinnati Art Museum): 1938, 1942, 1945 (4 letters)
Skeoch, Mary E.: 1934-1936, 1938 (8 letters)
Skira, Alfred: 1932 (5 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files, 1933)
Smith, Adele (Studio House, Philips Memorial Gallery, Museum of Modern Art Gallery of Washington): 1935, 1938, 1939 (5 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Smith, Cecil: 1937-1938 (3 letters)
Smith, Gordon M. (Currier Gallery of Art): 1950
Smoluchowska, Donia (Arden Gallery, Marie Harriman Gallery): 1929, 1932 (3 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Teigen, Peter (Princeton University School of Architecture): 1928, 1929 (2 letters)
Thayer, Ellen ( -- The Dial -- ): 1927, 1928 (2 letters)
Thompson, Mark B.: 1934, 1935, 1937 (3 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Thorp, George G. (American Federation of Arts): 1947
Toledo Museum of Art (see Godwin, Rivière, Seiberling)
Toler, Sidney: 1941
Todd, Bianca: 1929, 1933, 1934 (3 items including Christmas cards with original prints)
Trovato, Joseph (Munson-Williams-Proctor-Institute): 1946, 1949 (2 letters)
Tucker, Allen: 1938
Turney, Winthrop: 1924
Tyson, Carroll: 1934
Underwood, Gilbert Stanley (architect): 1938, 1948 (5 letters)
Valentiner, Dr. W.R. (Detroit Institute of Arts): 1945
Valez, Dr. Xavier de: 1934
Venendi, Mario: 1949 (3 letters)
Vidar, Frede: 1936
Vreeland, Mr. and Mrs. Francis (Toby and Marion): 1934-1938 (6 letters)
Wadsworth, Alice (Mrs. James W.): 1940, 1941, 1942, 1945 (8 letters)
Waida, Robert: 1928
Waldron, James M. K. (Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery): 1936, 1937, 1961 (3 letters)
Walker, Maynard: 1946, 1948-1949, 1951-1952, 1955, 1961 (10 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files and Provenance Files, "Guide" and "Veteran Acrobat")
Ward, William: 1949
Washburn, Gordon B. (Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art): 1945
Watkins, C. Law (Studio House, Phillips Memorial Gallery): 1933 (2 letters)
Watson, John (for John Quinn): 1914, 1921 (2 letters), 1938
Whitney, Harry: 1942 (see also Greason and Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Whitney Studio Galleries (see also Force): 1929
Whitney Museum of American Art (see Force, Free, More, Freeman, Sharkey, Goodrich)
Wilder, Mitchell A. (Colorado Springs): 1946-1953 (75 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Wilenski, R.H.: 1938, 1939, 1945-1946 (8 letters)
Williams, Adele (Women's club of Richmond): 1930
Williamson, Ada (Philadelphia Art Alliance): 1927, 1928, 1945, 1949 (19 letters; see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts (see Bissell)
Wilson, Henry J.: 1950
Winser, Beatrice: 1935, 1940 (7 letters)
Woelfle, Arthur M.: 1914 (see also Selected Gallery and Exhibition Files)
Woelfle, Georgiana: 1936, 1937, 1963 (3 letters)
Wood, Stanley: 1928
Zayas, Marius de: 1934, 1939, 1947, 1948 (10 letters)
Zügel, Heinrich von: 1904
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Walt Kuhn Family papers and Armory Show records, 1859-1984. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Getty Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art.
A panel discussion sponsored by the Archives of American Art at the Founders Luncheon and Museum Panel, held at the Beverly Hills Hotel, 1986 February 13. The participants were Richard Koshalek, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art; Earl A. Powell, Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Robert Middlekauff, Director of the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery. Paul Karlstrom is moderator.
Moderator Paul Karlstrom introduces the topic and panelists; identifies differences between the three institutions, the appeal of blockbuster shows, and with references to an article by Mortibello of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, questions whether a museum can successfully balance scholarship and interpretation; the high cost of research and programming; and the shift to temporary exhibitions.
Koshalek discusses how MOCA continues to look for a balance as a new organization and their decision to start with temporary exhibits to build an audience and collection. Middlekauff discusses the Huntington as a research institution and its policy to not loan books and papers and the impact then on hosting only temporary exhibits, and the parallel to problems universities face in funding programming. Powell discusses the benefits of blockbuster exhibits, the need to integrate scholarship, and the problems in corporate sponsorships.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound cassette. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hrs., 3 min.
Funding note:
Funding for the digital preservation of this recording was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Funding for the digital preservation of these recordings was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Recordings of an interdisciplinary conference co-sponsored by Humanities West and the Archives of American Art, held in San Francisco, California, 1985 March 29-31, at the Asian Art Museum. The participants speak about the environment for the arts in Los Angeles during the 1940s. They include: architectural historian Reyner Banham, actor Claudia Barr, columnist Digby Diehl, art historian Susan Ehrlich, writer William Fadiman, actor Hal Haswell, coordinator Paul Karlstrom, professor Edward Kaufmann, actor Douglas Leach, choreographer Bella Lewitzky, architectural historian Esther McCoy, music historian Michael Meyer, dancer Iris Pell, film critic Robert Rosen, historian Kevin Starr, and music historians Leonard Stein and Michael Steinberg.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes.
Provenance:
Donated 1985 by Humanities West.
Collection Restrictions:
Use requires an appointment.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Arts -- California -- Los Angeles -- History Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Sponsor:
Funding for the digital preservation of these recordings was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
The scattered papers of art historian and painter Janice Lovoos measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1966 to 1990. Found are biographical materials on Lovoos and her son Edmund Penney, copies of vintage family photographs, printed material, and writings by Lovoos relating to her work on California art and artists.
Scope and Contents:
The scattered papers of art historian and painter Janice Lovoos measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1966 to 1990. Found are biographical materials on Lovoos and her son Edmund Penney, copies of vintage family photographs, printed material, and writings by Lovoos relating to her work on California art and artists.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
California painter and art historian Janice Lovoos (1903-2007) attended the Chouinard School of Art in Los Angeles where she learned mural painting and illustration, and also studied rug and textile design. As a writer and art historian Lovoos documented the art of Southern California and was a contributing editor to American Artist magazine for almost 50 years.
Provenance:
Janice Lovoos donated her papers to the Archives of American Art in 1991 and 1993.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
The portable universe = El universo en tus manos : thought and splendor of Indigenous Colombia Julia Burtenshaw, Héctor García Botero, Diana Magaloni, María Alicia Uribe Villegas ; with contributions by Luis Cayón, Francisco Chimontero Nuibita Dingula, Juan Fernando Cobo Betancourt, Tom Cummins, Wade Davis, Ana María Falchetti, Santiago Giraldo, Ariel James, Carlos David Londoño Sulkin, Carl...
Aimée Brown Price research material regarding Peter Krasnow measures 1.0 linear feet and dates from 1946 to 2021, with the bulk dating between circa 1970 and circa 1998. The collection includes annotated slide dividers; correspondence and notes related to collectors of Krasnow's works and to Price's research; inventory notes of Krasnow's studio; writings and printed material both by and about Krasnow; print photographs and slides depicting Krasnow's work; and research material related to art critic Sadakichi Hartmann.
Scope and Contents:
Aimée Brown Price research material regarding Peter Krasnow measures 1.0 linear feet and dates from 1946 to 2021, with the bulk dating between circa 1970 and circa 1998. The collection includes annotated slide dividers; correspondence and notes related to collectors of Krasnow's works and to Price's research; inventory notes of Krasnow's studio; writings and printed material both by and about Krasnow; print photographs and slides depicting Krasnow's work; and research material related to art critic Sadakichi Hartmann.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Aimée Brown Price (1939- ) is an American art historian based in New York City.
Peter Krasnow (1886-1979) was a painter, sculptor, and printmaker who lived and worked primarily in Southern California. He was born on August 20, 1886 in the Ukraine to Jewish parents. Krasnow emigrated to the United States in 1907 and moved to Los Angeles in 1922 with his wife Rose (1885-1984). Earlier in his career, Krasnow created watercolor paintings of landscapes and wood carvings, but beginning in 1934, he began to create paintings which depicted geometric designs and often incorporated symbolism from his Jewish heritage. Krasnow continued to paint until his death on October 30, 1979 in Los Angeles.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the Peter and Rose Krasnow papers, 1914-1984.
Provenance:
Donated in 2022 by Aimée Brown Price and Monroe E. Price, executors of Krasnow's estate and trustees of the Peter and Rose Krasnow Foundation.
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 or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
An interview of Gerald Nordland conducted 2004 May 25-26, by Susan C. Larsen, for the Archives of American Art, in Chicago, Ill.
Nordland speaks about his birthplace and childhood home; parent's occupations; interests as a child; beginning interest in art history; first visits to the Los Angeles County Museum; relationship with Lincoln Kirstein; move to Yale; his book on Gaston Lachaise; attending the University of Southern California; meeting Man Ray; German sculpture; being drafted; first meeting with Richard Diebenkorn and working with Diebenkorn on a book; getting out of the Army; first paintings purchased; writing for "Frontier" magazine; the invitation to work at the Chouinard Art Institute; Institute teachers such as Richard Ruben, Robert Irwin, Don Graham; the founding of the California Institute of Arts (CalArts); classes and professors at CalArts; move to San Francisco in 1966; shows curated by Nordland on Gaston Lachaise, Fred Sommer, Peter Voulkos, Richard Diebenkorn, Burri, Caro, "African Art in Motion," Fritz Gardner, Jack Jefferson, Ed Moses, Controversial Public Art; meeting and marrying Paula Prokopoff; and other job offerings from Florida, Georgia, and California. Nordland also recalls Gifford Phillips, Mitchell Wilder, Josef Albers, Grace Moreley, Emerson Woelffer, Robert Motherwell, Arshile Gorky, Peter Voulkos, E. E. Cummings, Paul and Josephine Kantor, Adolph Gottlieb, Ynez Johnston, Richard Nickel, Clifford Still, A. E. Gallatin, Richard Diebenkorn and others. Nordland also comments on galleries including the Royer Gallery, Paul Kantor Gallery, Ferus Gallery, Landau Gallery, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Gerald Nordland (1927- 2019) was an art historian, critic, educator, curator, and author who resided in Chicago, Ill. at the time of the interview.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 8 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hrs., 56 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
The interviews conducted by curator Maurice Tuchman measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1976. The collection is a series of interviews with thirteen persons associated with the painter Richard Diebenkorn, including Diebenkorn's wife, his friends, as well as collectors, art historians, and others. The interviews were conducted in conjunction with the 1977 exhibition, "Richard Diebenkorn: Paintings and Drawings, 1943-1976" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Scope and Contents:
The interviews conducted by curator Maurice Tuchman measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1976. The collection is a series of interviews with thirteen persons associated with the painter Richard Diebenkorn, including Diebenkorn's wife, his friends, as well as collectors, art historians, and others. The interviews were conducted in conjunction with the 1977 exhibition, "Richard Diebenkorn: Paintings and Drawings, 1943-1976" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as one series.
Series 1: Interviews, 1976 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)
Biographical / Historical:
Maurice Tuchman (1936- ) was the curator of 20th Century art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Tuchman was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He attended City University of New York for his undergraduate studies and completed a PhD in art history at Columbia University. In 1964, he became the curator of 20th century art at LACMA, where he has established the Art and Technology program and showcased Southern California artists.
Provenance:
The interviews were donated to the Archives of American Art by Maurice Tuchman in 1988.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Art museum curators -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Citation:
Maurice Tuchman interviews, 1976. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
The papers of filmmaker and art historian Judith Wechsler measure 17.4 linear feet and consist of film production material from several of Wechsler's documentary films released between 1989 and 1994. Most of the collection consists of sound recordings and motion picture film. Notable content includes interviews with Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, David Hockney, Philip Pearlstein, Joel Meyerowitz, Jo Spence, Yolanda Sonnabend, Dominique de Menil, Walter Hopps, Aaron Siskind, and Harry Callahan, as well as footage of artists working in their studios. Production elements found include original sound recordings, original camera negative outtakes, work print picture and soundtrack, trims, various pre-print master material, and video copies of completed works.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of filmmaker and art historian Judith Wechsler measure 17.4 linear feet and consist of film production material from several of Wechsler's documentary films released between 1989 and 1994. Most of the collection consists of sound recordings and motion picture film. Notable content includes interviews with Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, David Hockney, Philip Pearlstein, Joel Meyerowitz, Jo Spence, Yolanda Sonnabend, Dominique de Menil, Walter Hopps, Aaron Siskind, and Harry Callahan, as well as footage of artists working in their studios. Production elements found include original sound recordings, original camera negative outtakes, work print picture and soundtrack, trims, various pre-print master material, and video copies of completed works.
Documentaries with production material in the collection include Jasper Johns: Take An Object, produced with Hans Namuth, Harry Callahan (1994), Aaron Siskind: Making Pictures (1991), and five episodes of The Painter's World: Changing Constants of Art from the Renaissance to the Present (1989), a six-part television series produced by WGBH in Boston. Episodes of the series for which records are found include "The Training of Painters," "The Arrested Moment," "Portraits," "Abstraction," and "Painting and the Public". Also found are two reels of soundtrack labeled "Two Photographers," a title for which no other documentation is found.
The Painter's World episodes "Abstraction," "The Arrested Moment," and "Portraits" address the evolution of painting style and traditions, and the "Painting and the Public" episode addresses the role of patronage and the evolution of art museums. Footage found for "The Training of Painters" consists of footage of Josef Albers teaching at Yale University shot around 1955, likely shot by John Cohen.
Jasper Johns: Take An Object was a collaborative project between Wechsler, Hans Namuth, and Paul Falkenberg, who worked together under the corporate name of Museum at Large. Footage consists of multiple interviews with Johns, a 1971 session of Johns working in his Houston Street studio, and a 1989 session of Johns working at Universal Limited Art Editions, as well as additional material of John Cage and others speaking about Johns' work.
In Harry Callahan, Callahan discusses the inspiration behind his work and recollects about his time with Ansel Adams, Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, and Aaron Siskind. For Aaron Siskind: Making Pictures, Siskind covers the beginning of his career, and the inspiration and methods behind his work. The "Two Photographers" content and relationship to the collection is unknown.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 5 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: -- The Painters World: Changing Constants of Art from the Renaissance to the Present -- Production Records, 1985-1989 (5.5 linear feet; Boxes 1, 3-6, 15, 20)
Series 2: -- Jasper Johns: Take an Object -- Production Records, 1971-1972, 1989-1990 (5.9 linear feet, Boxes 2, 7-11, 20-24)
Series 3: -- Aaron Siskind: Making Pictures -- Production Records, 1990-2003 (2.5 linear feet; Boxes 2, 11-12, 16-18, 21)
Series 4: -- Harry Callahan -- Production Records, 1992-1994 (3.3 linear feet; Boxes 2, 12-14, 18-19, 21)
Series 5: Unidentified Program Material, circa 1940-1994 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 2, 14, FC 147)
Biographical / Historical:
Judith Wechsler is an art historian, professor, and filmmaker. Wechsler studied at Brandeis University, Columbia University, and earned her Ph.D. at Univeristy of California, Los Angeles in 1972. She published On Aesthetics in Science in 1978 and A Human Comedy: Physiognomy and Human Caricature in 19th Century Paris, focusing on the work of Honoré Daumier, in 1982. She edited the memoirs of her father, literary scholar Nahum N. Glatzer, published in 1998, and has published dozens of articles, reviews, and catalog essays for American and European institutions and publications.
She has taught at Brown University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Hebrew University, and Rhode Island School of Design and joined the faculty at Tufts University in 1989, where she remained until her retirement in 2011.
Wechsler first worked on films with designer Charles Eames, co-directing films on her early scholarly subjects, Daumier and Cézanne. In the mid-1980s, she wrote and directed a series of art documentaries for television with the series title The Painter's World: Changing Constants of Art from the Renaissance to the Present. Since that time, Wechsler has directed dozens of films, primarily on artists and photographers, and in recent years has focused on the history of ideas in early twentieth century Europe, with films on Nahum Glatzer, Walter Benjamin, Aby Warburg, and Svetlana Boym.
Wechsler received a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government in 2007, and became professor emerita at Tufts in 2011. She lives and works in Massachusetts.
Related Materials:
Release prints of each of the titles represented in the collection are held by the Harvard Film Archive. Digital video copies of edited films are available on Judith Wechsler's website (http://www.judithwechsler.com/films, accessed 2017).
Provenance:
Donated 2008, 2017, and 2019 by Judith Wechsler.
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 copy requires advance notice.
Rights:
The Painter's World: Copyright retained by Judith Wechsler.
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 historians -- Massachusetts -- Boston Search this
