The papers of abstract expressionist painter and playwright Paul Jenkins measure 11.1 linear feet and date from circa 1915 to 2010. Jenkins's career in New York and Paris is documented through biographical material, family papers, correspondence, writings, personal business records, printed material, photographs of Jenkins in his studio and at various events, and original artwork by Jenkins and others.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of abstract expressionist painter and playwright Paul Jenkins measure 11.1 linear feet and date from circa 1915 to 2010. Jenkins's career in New York and Paris is documented through biographical material, family papers, correspondence, writings, personal business records, printed material, photographs of Jenkins in his studio and at various events, and original artwork by Jenkins and others.
Biographical material and family papers consist of awards and certificates, calendars, marriage, divorce, and estate papers, and military service records. Also included are family papers and a scrapbook belonging to Jenkins's aunt, Louise Jenkins.
Correspondence, which makes up the bulk of the collection, is with family, friends, and fellow artists, including Alice Baber, Norman Bluhm, Willem de Kooning, and Lee Krasner Pollock, as well as art organizations, schools, museums, galleries, and gallery owners, such as the Art Students League of New York, New York University, Museum of Modern Art, Martha Jackson Gallery, Zoe Dusanne, and Peggy Guggenheim.
Writings includes scattered writings by Paul Jenkins, two of his travel diaries, and the guest book for an exhibition in Tokyo. Also found are a copy of Lili Krahmer Verame's China travel diary and the writings and research materials of others.
Personal business records consist of financial records, lease documents, price lists, travel documents, and papers regarding Jenkins's rental property. Also included are a file on the New York University medal designed by Jenkins and a file concerning a Karl Prantl statue.
Printed material consists of event programs, newsletters, bulletins, member reports, press releases, art exhibition announcements and catalogs, concert and theater announcements and programs, news and magazine clippings, and obituaries and memorial announcements.
Artwork contains miscellaneous sketches and collages by Paul Jenkins. Additional artworks include sketches, watercolors, and prints by other artists, as well as 8 oversize mixed media sketches by Frank Prince of Jenkins's Meditation Mandala Sundial sculptures.
Photographs of Paul Jenkins depict him in his studio, with family and friends, and at events. Photographs of family and friends include Esther Ebenhoe Jenkins, Alice Baber Jenkins, Norman Bluhm, Thomas Erma, Françoise Gilot, Matsumi "Mike," Carole, and Bunshi Paul Kanemitsu, and Frank Prince.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 7 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1915-1997 (Box 1; 9 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1930-2010 (Box 1-9, 13; 9 linear feet)
Series 3: Writings, circa 1950-2003 (Box 9-10; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1944-1990 (Box 10; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1952-2010 (Box 10-11; 0.6 linear feet)
Aeries 6: Artwork, circa 1935-2007 (Box 11-12, OV 14; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 7: Photography, circa 1940-1998 (Box 12; 0.4 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Paul Jenkins (1923-2012) was an abstract expressionist painter and playwright in New York, New York, and Paris, France. Jenkins was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1923, and moved to Youngstown, Ohio as a teenager. After serving in the U.S. Maritime Service and the U.S. Naval Air Corps, Jenkins studied playwriting with George McCalmon at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University). In 1948, he moved to New York City, where he studied with Yasuo Kuniyoshi at the Art Students League of New York.
Over the course of his career, Jenkins experimented with multiple techniques, including oil on primed canvas, flowing paints, acrylics, watercolor, and mixed media collages. After traveling extensively and meeting many artists, Jenkins ultimately became associated with the Abstract Expressionists. His work gained the attention of other members of the art world and he held solo exhibitions at venues such as the Zoe Dusanne Gallery in Seattle and the Martha Jackson Gallery in New York. Jenkins' paintings were purchased by both museums and private collectors, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Peggy Guggenheim.
In addition to his painting, Jenkins continued to explore other creative endeavors. He experimented with sculpture, producing works for events and permanent displays, including the Sculptors' Symposium at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum and the Sculpture Garden of the Hofstra Museum. His plays, such as Strike the Puma, were published and performed off Broadway in New York City. Jenkins's art served as the backdrop for multiple stage productions, and in 1978, his paintings were featured in the Academy Award nominated movie An Unmarried Woman. Jenkins also collaborated on a number of book projects, including Anatomy of a Cloud, a collection of autobiographical collages and texts.
Throughout his adult life, Jenkins split most of his time between New York and Paris. He continued to create and exhibit new works until his death in New York in 2012.
Related Materials:
Also found at the Archives of American Art are an interview of Paul Jenkins, August 1969, conducted by Albert Elsen, and an oral history interview, 1968, conducted by Colette Roberts.
Provenance:
The papers were donated 2007-2009 and in 2012 by Paul and Suzanne Jenkins.
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 donor has retained all intellectual property rights, including copyright, that they may own.
An interview of Alice Baber conducted 1973 May 24, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.
Biographical / Historical:
Alice Baber was a painter and printmaker from New York, N.Y.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 3 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 12 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:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Collection Rights:
The donor has retained all intellectual property rights, including copyright, that she may own in the following material: photographs taken by Rudy Burckhardt.
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:
Rudy Burckhardt papers, 1934-2015. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Reels 4030-4032 A passport, 1951; 5 biographical accounts; 2 lists of exhibitions; correspondence, 1958-1983; the will of Dexter Baber; an inventory of possessions; income tax returns; loan applications; price lists, 1966-1981; contracts, 1968-1980; consignment agreements, 1976-1981; miscellaneous business records, 1962-1982; notes on poetry; notebooks from classes on religion and writing; course outlines, 1972; notes on color forum, 1972; notes for "Age of Color" article; essays by Baber on Paul Jenkins, on color, and on organic found form; writings about Baber; reviews of Baber's work, 1963-1975;
a scrapbook of printed material, 1973-1978; clippings, 1957-1983; press releases, 1963-1978; exhibition announcements and catalogues, 1958-1983; reproductions of works of art; articles "Women Artists on Tenth Street," by Nancy Ungar, "Conference of Women in the Visual Arts," 1972, and "Report on the Status of Faculty Women at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs," 1972; manuscript "Index for Nancy Hanks - Undistinguished Families" by Adin Baber; miscellaneous printed material, 1965-1978;
interview transcripts, "Reminiscences of the Tenth Street Days," with Charles Cajori and Lois Dodd, "American Women and Social Change - Women in Politics" with Mary Lou Burg, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, and Patricia Lindh, "American Women and the Spirit of '76 - Women and Political Office" with Rita Hauser, and Magda Bleier, and "Women and the Law" with Marguerite Rawalt, Susan Ross, and Ruth Osborn;
photographs of Baber, 1957-1977, her family, Baber with Paul Jenkins, 1965, Baber participating in panel discussions and in the Professional Women Artists Project in Central Park, exhibition openings, installations, and of works of art and quilts;
Unfilmed material: untranscribed audio tape of a 1972 interview with Karl Fortess for the Archives of American Art; audio dub of a 1974 television program "Woman: the Artist," with Barbara Braathen; six video 1/2" video reels from "Funtioning in the Art World," 1977, with Sari Diemes, Isabel Bishop, C. Von Wiegand, Lil Picard, M. Citron, and Alice Neel; 61 slides of works of art; thirteen slides of a demonstration march; and twelve slides of a house.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter and printmaker; b. 1928, d. 1982.
Provenance:
Donated 1979-1985 by Alice Baber and Norbert Nelson.
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:
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
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:
Henri Gallery records, circa early 1900s, 1940-1996, bulk 1957-1995. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care Preservation Fund.
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:
Henri Gallery records, circa early 1900s, 1940-1996, bulk 1957-1995. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care Preservation Fund.
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.
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:
Ethel Fisher papers, 1930-2017. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Correspondence is primarily between Gershoy and family members and colleagues. Correspondence with her sister and brothers and their families discusses Gershoy's activities, including her relationships with Harry Gottlieb and Juliana Force. Correspondence with colleagues includes letters from Elizabeth Ames of Yaddo, Mildred Baker, Arnold and Lucile Blanch, Virginia Dehn, Aline Fruhauf, Agnes Hart, Frederic Knight, Josef Presser, and Virgil Thomson. There are Christmas cards from Irving Marantz, George Picken, Anton Refregier, Moses Soyer, and Raphael Soyer. Correspondence found in box 9 is primarily from museum colleagues including Alfred Barr, Adelyn Breeskin, Juliana Force, and A. Hyatt Mayor. There is also a recommendation from Anton Refregier.
See Appendix for a list of notable correspondents from Series 2.
Appendix: List of Notable Correspondents from Series 2:
Baker, Mildred: undated letters (20); May 22, 1969; [Aug 1971]; May 25, 1980; Mar 10, 1981; Mar 17, 1981; Mar 26, 1981; Jun 5, 1981; 1981 Christmas card; 1982 Christmas card
Bertoia, Harry: see Printed Material for autographed exhibition announcement
Blanch, Arnold and Lucile: undated letters (2); Jan 1975; Dec 18, 1975; 1977 Christmas card; Jan 1977; Jan 1978; also see Printed Material for exhibition announcements and catalogs; also see Photographs
Botkin, Henry and Rhoada: undated cards (5); 1973 Christmas card; Jul 29, 1974; Aug 15, 1975; 1975 Christmas card; 1976 Christmas card; 1977 Christmas card; also see Printed Material for an exhibition announcement
Breeskin, Adelyn: May 23, 1969; Dec 19, 1969; Feb 17, 1970; Nov 24, 1970; Jan 14, 1971; Feb 22, 1971; Jul 14, 1971; Sep 13, 1971; Dec 22, 1971; Feb 8, 1972; Mar 30, 1972; May 30, 1972; May 16, 1975; Oct 29, 1975; Nov 21, 1975
Cadmus, Paul: Oct 18, 1956 postcard
Calder, A. Stirling: see Photographs
Castellon, Rolando: undated letter; [Apr 1968]; May 13, 1968; Jan 6, 1972; Apr 5, 1979
Chase, Doris: undated letter
De Creeft, Jose: see Printed Material for an exhibition catalog
Dehn, Virginia (Mrs. Adolph Dehn): undated Christmas card; Dec 9, 1975; [Jan 1976]; Dec 18, 1977; Feb 17, 1978; Dec 16, 1978; Dec 5, 1980; 1981 Christmas card; 1982 Christmas card; also see Printed Material for exhibition announcements and catalogs
Dixon, Constance ("Consie," daughter of painter of the West, Maynard Dixon): 1949 Christmas card; May 5, 1952; 1961 Christmas card
Engelking, Roberto (architect): undated letter; Jan 16, 1949; Mar 22, 1949
Evergood, Philip: see Printed Material for an exhibition catalog
Ferber, Herbert: see Printed Material for an exhibition catalog
Force, Juliana: [mentioned in Oct 16, 1929, Apr 1930, April 29, 1930, Oct 1, 1930, Oct 25, 1930, Nov 1, 1930, Sep 12, 1932, and Sep 20, 1932 postcards]
Fortess, Karl and Lillian: 1977 Christmas card; Aug 14, 1979; Dec 3, 1979; Jan 8, 1980; 1980 Christmas card; 1981 Christmas card; 1982 Christmas card
Freilich, Michael: undated letter; also see Printed Material for exhibition announcement; also see Photographs
Fruhauf [Vollmer], Aline: undated letters (22); Mar 31, 1944; Jan 3, 1948 (note from Susie Vollmer); Jan 18, 1950; Jan 27, 1950; Apr 15, 1950; Sep 9, 1957; Nov 29, 1957; Jan 15, 1958; Nov 1, 1958; Feb 1, 1961; Dec 21, 1970; Apr 14, 1972; Jan 15, 1974; Jun 12, 1974; Jun 18, 1975; Jun 3, 1977; Oct 23, 1977; 1977 Christmas card; Mar 11, 1978; Jul 18, 1979 (letter from Erwin Vollmer); 1980 Christmas card (from Erwin Vollmer)
Gikow, Ruth: see Printed Material for exhibition announcements
Glassgold, Adolph Cook (painter, former Whitney Museum curator): undated letter; May 26, 1948; 1972 Christmas card; 1977 Christmas card; 1978 New Year's card
Gottlieb, Harry: [postcards dated 1923-1934 mention Gottlieb]; undated letter; Apr 27, 1977; also see Printed Material for an exhibition catalog; also see Photographs
Goulet, Lorrie: see Printed Material for exhibition announcements
Hardy, Marcella (writer from India): May 18, 1956
Hart, Agnes: see Presser, Agnes Hart
Hartwig, Cleo: see Printed Material for an exhibition announcement
Knight, Frederic and Dorothy: undated letters (6); May 19, 1953
Knight, Frederic and Hortense: undated letters (3); Dec 5, 1975; 1977 Christmas card; Nov 18, 1978; Sep 16, 1979; Dec 7, 1980; Nov 23, 1981; also see Printed Material for exhibition announcements and catalogs
Kosloff, Alexis (Russian dancer): [mentioned in Jul 5, 1928 postcard]
Lonergan, Joy (Mrs. John Lonergan): undated letter; Jul 25, 1975; Jul 19, 1977; Apr 27, 1978; Mar 7, 1979; May 25, 1979; Sep 12, 1979; 1981 Christmas card
Marantz, Irving and Evelyn: undated Christmas card; 1971 Christmas card; Jun 4, 1975; 1975 Christmas card; [Sep 5, 1978]; also see Printed Material for an exhibition catalog
Mayer, Ralph and Bena: undated letters (3); Feb 10, 1975; Nov 29, 1977; May 16, 1980; Jan 1, 1981; Aug 7, 1981; 1981 Christmas card
Nakian, Reuben: see Photographs
O'Connor, Francis V.: undated letters (2); Jun 19, 1970; Nov 11, 1970; Dec 22, 1975
Olds, Elizabeth: undated card
Picken, George and Viola: undated letters (3); 1944 Christmas card; 1972 Christmas card; 1974 Christmas card; 1977 Christmas card; also see Printed Material for an exhibition catalog
Pollet, Joseph: see Printed Material for an exhibition catalog; also see Photographs
Presser, Josef and Agnes Hart: undated letters (3); [Sep 1970]; Nov 6, 1973; Feb 25, 1978; Feb 14, 1979; Feb 21, 1979; Mar 4, 1979; Mar 19, 1979; Jun 13, 1979; Sep 7, 1979; [Nov 4, 1979]; also see Printed Material for exhibition announcements and catalogs
Robinson, Gertrude (author of -- The Cardinal -- , wife of Morton Robinson, novelist and poet): undated letter; Feb 6, 1972; 1974 Christmas card; 1977 Christmas card; Feb 16, 1978; Jun 20, 1978; 1978 Christmas card; Jun 20, 1978; Apr 17, 1979; Sep 10, 1979; Dec 19, 1980; Sep 22, 1981; Oct 17, 1981; Nov 12, 1981
Rockwood, Paul and Alice (painter and Bishop Museum Director): undated letter; Dec 8, 1951; Jan 7, 1960
Rogers, Jane C. (painter, sister of Leon Kroll): undated Christmas card; Dec 30, 1948
Rose, Phyllis (writer): un Christmas card; Jan 23, 1977; Jul 1978; Dec 1981
Sarg, Tony: [mentioned in Oct 30, 1923 and Nov 7, 1923 postcards]
Scaravaglione, Concetta: Dec 22, 1959; Jun 24, 1960; also see Photographs
Shibley, Gertrude (Painter): 1977 Christmas card; Jun 5, 1979
Smith, Gretchen and Mary (daughters of Judson Smith): [Judson Smith mentioned in Feb 17, 1925 postcard]; undated Christmas cards (3); 1977 Christmas card; Sep 16, 1980; see Printed Material for an exhibition catalog for Judson Smith
Soyer, David (son of Moses Soyer): 1977 Christmas card
Soyer, Moses: undated Christmas card
Soyer, Raphael: undated Christmas cards (3); 1980 Christmas card; 1981 Christmas card; 1982 Christmas card; also see Printed Material for exhibition announcements
Still, James (Writer): Nov 8, 1950; Jun 8, 1979
Striebel, Fritzi (Mrs. John Striebel, ceramic sculptor, writer): undated letters (11); Jun 6, 1975; Oct 14, 1975; Feb 1, 1976; [May 1976]; Aug 21, 1976; 1976 Christmas card; 1977 Christmas card; Feb 17, 1979; Apr 11, 1979; Jul 3, 1979; Oct 22, 1979; Nov 6, 1979; Nov 20, 1979; [1979 Christmas card]; Apr 5, 1980; Oct 5, 1980; Dec 30, 1980; Jan 9, 1981; Apr 22, 1981; May 12, 1981; Oct 22, 1981; Nov 16, 1981; 1981 Christmas card; 1982 Christmas card; Feb 26, 1983; [Mar 1983]
Taylor, Joshua: Dec 20, 1972; Dec 5, 1975
Thomson, Virgil (composer): undated letters (2); Apr 1, 1970; Jun 8, 1971; Nov 8, 1971; Jan 1, 1972
Van Veen, Stuyvesant: undated letter; Nov 23, 1976
Whitney Studio Club: [mentioned in Jan 31, 1928, Apr 9, 1928, and Feb 16, 1929 postcards]
Wilder, Thornton: Jul 20, 1953
Wright, Russell (industrial designer): undated Christmas cards (5); Dec 12, 1972; Feb 2, 1976
Yaddo: undated letters (4): Oct 17, 1949; Dec 12, 1949; Jan 9, 1950; Jan 24, 1950; Mar 31, 1950; Aug 23, 1950; Aug 24, 1950; Oct 9, 1950; Oct 11, 1950; Feb 26, 1951; also see Photographs
Zorach, Tessim: May 11, 1968; Nov 20, 1970; Nov 28, 1970
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy.
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:
Eugenie Gershoy papers, 1914-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Roberts, Colette Jacqueline, 1910-1971 Search this
Type:
Sound Recording
Date:
1969
Citation:
Alice Baber and Colette Jacqueline Roberts. Interview with Alice Baber, 1969. Colette Roberts Papers and Interviews with Artists, 1918-1971. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
