Primarily records of the San Francisco Art Association (1871-1920), but also of the California School of Design (1873-1905) (briefly called the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art in 1893), the Palace of Fine Arts (1915-1945), The Western Round Table on Modern Art (1949), the San Francisco Art Institute (1911-1978), the San Francisco Museum of Art (1921-1970), and the Douglas MacAgy papers (1944-1950).
REELS 1288-1289: 3 vol. containing minutes of board of trustees meetings of the Association and Institute, 1871-1915, and minutes of the meetings of the board of directors of the California School of Design, 1873-1905.
REELS 2429-2433: Historical data contains material relating to the museum. San Francisco Art Association records include correspondence; photographs; membership records; organizational and registrarial records; reports; printed material; and materials regarding the Palace of Fine Arts. San Francisco Museum of Art section includes correspondence; minutes of board meetings; reports; legal documents; clippings; and printed materials. "Western Round Table on Modern Art" conference sponsored by SFAA, April 8-10, 1949, includes letters to organizer Douglas MacAgy regarding arrangements, publicity, and comments, including several from participants Gregory Bateson, Kenneth Burke, George Boas, Marcel Duchamp, Alfred Frankenstein, Norman Bel Geddes, Robert Goldwater, Darius Milhaud, Andrew Ritchie, Arnold Schoenberg, Mark Tobey, and Frank Lloyd Wright; Abstract of Proceedings; transcripts of the meeting edited by participants; clippings; and photographs. The microfilm also includes papers of Douglas MacAgy; and correspondence, clippings, and photographs of artists' models for the San Francisco Art Institute.
REELS 4962-4963: Files, primarily correspondence, from the director, J. Nilsen Laurvik, from the 43rd (1919) and 44th (1920) San Francisco Art Association Annual Art Exhibition of the Works of American Artists, pertaining to its organization, promotion and administration; and additional material relating to the "Western Round Table on Modern Art," including transcripts from the Apr. 8th session edited by participants, some with notes and letters, and a final draft of an edited version; a scrapbook of publicity clippings on the Round Table; and 30 photographs taken during the conference.
Also included are 9 audio cassettes (copied from original Webcor wire recordings) of the entire proceedings of the "Western Roundtable."
Biographical / Historical:
The San Francisco Art Association (SFAA) was founded in 1871 and incorporated in 1889. The California School of Design was established under the auspices of SFAA in 1874, changing its name to the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art in 1893 after the Mark Hopkins mansion was given to SFAA. It became the San Francisco Institute of Art in 1907, and the California School of Fine Arts in 1917. From 1916-1924, SFAA retained the Palace of Fine Arts, which had been part of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. In 1921, SFAA incorporated the San Francisco Museum of Art (SFMA) into its administration although each retained autonomy. In 1961, SFAA merged with the School and was renamed the San Francisco Art Institute. A change in the constitutional by-laws officially dissolved the SFAA in 1966, leaving the SFAI and the SFMA. In 1976, SFMA changed its name to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
On April 8-10, 1949, the SFAA sponsored the Western Round Table of Modern Art, organized by Douglas MacAgy for the purpose of bringing together a representation of the best informed opinion to discuss questions about art of the day.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1977-1987 by the San Francisco Art Institute. The sound recordings were borrowed from the San Francisco Art Institute, recorded on cassette in 1987 and then the orginal wire tapes were subsequently returned to the San Francisco Art Institute.
Restrictions:
Patrons must use microfilm copy.
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Interview of Ann Karlstrom and Mimi Luebbermann conducted 1982 March 4, by Betsy Mize Currie, for the Archives of American Art California Oral History Project. Karlstrom and Luebbermann discuss their experiences as models for Bay Area artists. They recall artist Samuel Clayberger and photographer Jack Welpott.
Biographical / Historical:
Ann Karlstrom is the publications manager at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco, California; Mimi Luebermann is an an amateur artists' model.
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:
Patrons must use transcript.
Topic:
Artists' models -- California -- Interviews Search this
An interview of Judy Dater conducted 2000 June 2, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art,
The interview took place in Dater's home, Berkeley, California. Dater focuses on her experiences photographing the nude. Dater discusses the early influence on her of Thomas Hart Benton's "Persephone," a work that she says affected her on an emotional level; how voyeurism depicted informs "looking," a basic activity of the photographer and of many other artists; her collaboration with husband, Jack Welpott, working from the same nude model, and the differences in their objectives; her main interest is human energy, male or female; finding it easier to work with women; her feminism in connection with the subject of the nude and issues of power that arise.
Biographical / Historical:
Judy Dater (1941- ) is a photographer and photography model from Berkeley, California. Among Dater's best-known images is one of Imogen Cunningham photographing Twinka Thiebaud, Wayne Theibaud's daughter, at a field workshop in Yosemite. Dater also posed for Cunningham, Wynn Bullock, Ruth Bernhard, and, as a graduate student at San Francisco State University, her teacher and husband-to-be, Jack Welpott.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound cassette. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav file. Duration is 1 hr., 2 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. Funding provided by Bente and Gerald E. Buck Collection.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
An interview of Gordon Cook conducted 1981 May 11-1981 June 2, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art.
Cook speaks of figurative art in California; his concern for the model's personality and expression; poses and props; interaction between the artist and the model; Patty Jordan as a model; professional and non-professional models. Cook also speaks of the San Francisco arts community and his association with Mark Adams, Elmer Nelson Bischoff, Joan Brown, William Theophilus Brown, Alvin Light, George Lloyd, Manuel Neri, Wayne Thiebaud, Beth Van Hoesen, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Gordon Cook (1927-1985) was a painter from San Francisco, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 59 min.
Provenance:
These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
Transcript: Patrons must use microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Artists' models -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Correspondence; Clancy's writings about Moses Soyer, whom she studied with, and modeled for; curriculum vitae; photographs of Clancy and of her art work; sketches; exhibition catalogs; and clippings.
Biographical / Historical:
Artist, illustrator, artists' model; San Francisco, California. Married name Judith Clancy Johns.
Provenance:
Donated 1978 by Judith Clancy Johns.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Artists' models -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Artists' models -- San Francisco, California Search this
An interview of Diana Crane conducted 1983 April 12, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art.
Crane speaks of her background and education; the beginning of her career as an artist's model; her interests in filmmaking and serigraphy; her first teaching job; posing for Mark Adams, Beth Van Hoesen, Wayne Thiebaud, William Theoophilus Brown, Gordon Cook, and Charles Griffin Farr; erotic aspects of nude modeling; the effect of her work upon her personal life; her self-portraiture; her photographic work.
Biographical / Historical:
Diana Crane (1946-) is a photographer and artist's model from San Francisco, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 3 digital wav file. Duration is 1 hr., 34 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Occupation:
Artists' models -- California -- San Francisco Search this
An interview of Paul Carey and Stephanie Caloia conducted 1997 October 26, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art.
The topic of discussion in this interview was pioneer modernist, Edward Hagedorn (1902-1982). Paul Carey was a fellow student at California School of Fine Arts and studio mate in San Francisco's "Monkey Block"; Stephanie Caloia was Hagedorn's final model and weekly companion. They shared reminiscences of Hagedorn from the 1920s and 1930s to the late 1970s. Carey began the interview with a discussion of Hagedorn's background, including his family circumstances, personality, ideas on art, and interest in women. Caloia recalls her years with Hagedorn (1975-1982), when he would engage models to pose for him in his Berkeley home. Eventually she became his only model and accompanied him to North Beach restaurants and bars where he apparently was a well-known character. Both interviewees related anecdotes about Hagedorn that create a picture of a complex, introspective, and mysterious loner whose striking expressionism reflects personal fears and obsessions. Hagedorn's work is receiving new attention after its "rediscovery" a decade ago.
Biographical / Historical:
Paul Carey (1904-2001) was an artist from Piedmont, California. Stephanie Caloia (1951-) is an artists' model.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound cassette. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 3 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.
Funding under project name "California Art Schools"
An interview of Mark Adams and Beth Van Hoesen conducted 1983 August 31-1984 February 24, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art. Adams and Van Hoesen speak of their backgrounds and art training; the figurative tradition in the Bay area; the importance of the model and the difference in Adams' and Van Hoesen's approaches to their subjects and to the nude. Van Hoesen discusses her series and book, "The Nude Man." Adams recalls Hans Hofmann.
Biographical / Historical:
Mark Adams, painter and tapissier (San Francisco, California) Beth Van Hoesen, painter and printmaker (San Francisco, California)
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes.
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.
Occupation:
Tapissiers -- California -- Interviews Search this
The papers of A.G. (Abel George) Warshawsky date from circa 1900 to 1988 and measure 3.8 linear feet. the papers contain biographical materials; scattered correspondence, most of which consists of letters from Warshawsky to his wife Ruth; writings, including versions of Warshawsky's autobiography; printed materials; two scrapbooks; photographs and eight photo albums; twenty-six sketchbooks; and artworks by Warshawsky and others.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of A.G. (Abel George) Warshawsky date from circa 1900 to 1988 and measure 3.8 linear feet. The papers contain biographical materials; scattered correspondence, most of which consists of letters from Warshawsky to his wife Ruth; writings, including versions of Warshawsky's autobiography; printed materials; two scrapbooks; photographs and eight photo albums; twenty-six sketchbooks; and artworks by Warshawsky and others.
Biographical materials consist of passports, an identification card, and a Who's Who entry. Correspondence is scattered and contains letters written by A.G. Warshawsky to his wife Ruth. There are also telegrams of congratulations for the Warshawskys' 1941 marriage and a few letters from museums and institutions regarding Warshawsky's art.
Writings and notes include three versions of Warshawsky's autobiography entitled: "My Brush with Life," "Adventures with Color and Brush," and "Warshawsky's Autobiography." The autobiography concerns his life in Paris, activities, and acquaintances as a young art student in Paris. Also found are other writings about art and a notebook.
Printed material includes exhibition catalogs, xeroxed copies of news clippings and a clippings file concerning Warshawsky's career, published material, and reproductions of works of art. Also found is a printed portfolio comprised of an introduction to Warshawsky and reproductions of his paintings.
There is one original and one xeroxed scrapbook, containing news clippings, and exhibition materials from 1913 to 1960.
Photographs includes eight photo albums and photographs of Warshawsky, of family and friends, and of works of art. The bulk of the photo albums contain photographs of works of art. Two photo albums consist of personal photos of Warshawsky and his wife Ruth in their home in California. Other photographs are of Warshawsky painting in his studio, with his art, and of his wife, family, friends, and artist models.
Twenty-six sketchbooks are primarily in pencil and are undated or unidentified. Some sketchbooks include place names such as Monterey and Carmel, California, Mexico, and Paris.
Additional artwork includes loose sketches and a print by Warshawsky. Also found are prints and drawings by others, including Goya, Edwin Kaufman, and Paul de Lassence.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 8 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1923-circa 1940 (3 folders; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1941-1964 (4 folders; Box 1)
Series 3: Writings and Notes, circa 1930-circa 1950 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1920-1964 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1, 6, OV 12)
Series 5: Scrapbooks, 1913-1960 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1, 9)
Series 6: Photographs, circa 1910-1988 (1.4 linear feet; Box 1-2, 5, 7-8, OV 10)
Series 7: Sketchbooks, circa 1910-circa 1950 (1.0 linear feet; Box 2-3, 5-6)
Series 8: Artwork, circa 1900-1951 (0.5 linear feet; Box 3-5, OV 11)
Biographical / Historical:
Impressionist painter A.G. Warshawsky (1883-1962) was active in Paris and Monterey, California.
Abel George "Buck" Warshawsky was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania in 1883. He spent his childhood in Cleveland, Ohio where he studied at the Cleveland Art Institute. Warshawsky moved to New York where he studied at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design. His brother, Alexander also became an artist.
In 1909, Abel Warshawsky left the U.S. for Paris where he remained for thirty years. There, he developed his unique style, combining Impressionism and Realism. He returned to the United States annually, mostly to sell his paintings, but remained active in the Parisian art scene until 1939. He exhibited his works in Cleveland, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Paris.
Before the start of World War II, Warshawsky left Paris and settled in Monterey, California. Warshawsky married Ruth Tate in 1941. He died from heart failure in 1962. His works are in the permanent collections of the Akron Art institute, the Cleveland museum of Art, the Luxembourg Museum, the De Young Museum, the Petit Palais, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Separated Materials:
The Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio holds the Abel G. Warshawsky Family papers.
Provenance:
The bulk of the A.G. Warshawsky papers were donated in 1996 by Froma Goldberg, Warshawsky's niece. In 1978, Ruth Warshawsky donated a typescript copy of her husband's autobiography, "My Brush with Life."
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington D.C. Research Facility. 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.
