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Peter Howard Selz papers

Creator:
Selz, Peter Howard, 1919-2019  Search this
Names:
College Art Association of America  Search this
Institute of Design (Chicago, Ill.) (Faculty)  Search this
Marlborough Gallery  Search this
Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Pomona College (Claremont, Calif.)  Search this
San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (Calif.)  Search this
University of California, Berkeley. University Art Museum  Search this
Baykam, Bedri, 1957-  Search this
Beckmann, Max, 1884-1950  Search this
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Bergman, Ciel, 1938-  Search this
Bury, Pol, 1922-2005  Search this
Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976  Search this
Chase-Riboud, Barbara  Search this
Christo, 1935-  Search this
Conner, Bruce, 1933-2008  Search this
Dubuffet, Jean, 1901-  Search this
Feininger, Lyonel, 1871-1956  Search this
Giacometti, Alberto, 1901-1966  Search this
Golub, Leon, 1922-2004  Search this
Graves, Morris, 1910-  Search this
Guston, Philip, 1913-1980  Search this
Hadzi, Dimitri, 1921-2006  Search this
Lebrun, Rico, 1900-1964  Search this
Lindner, Richard, 1901-1978  Search this
Lipchitz, Jacques, 1891-1973  Search this
O'Keeffe, Georgia, 1887-1986  Search this
Onslow-Ford, Gordon  Search this
Paris, Harold, 1925-1979  Search this
Petlin, Irving, 1934-  Search this
Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967  Search this
Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this
Tinguely, Jean, 1925-  Search this
Extent:
31.5 Linear feet
0.696 Gigabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Place:
San Francisco Bay Area (Calif.)
Date:
1929-2014
bulk 1950-2005
Summary:
The papers of art historian and writer Peter Howard Selz measure 31.5 linear feet and 0.696 GB and date from 1929 to 2018, with the bulk of the materials from 1950 to 2005. The papers document Selz's long career via correspondence, writings, professional files, project files, membership and association records, artists' research files, exhibition files, personal business records, printed and digital materials, and nine scrapbooks.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of art historian and writer Peter Howard Selz measure 31.5 linear feet and 0.696 GB and date from 1929 to 2018, with the bulk of the materials from 1950 to 2005. The papers document Selz's long career via correspondence, writings, professional files, project files, membership and association records, artists' research files, exhibition files, personal business records, printed and digital materials, and scrapbooks.

Correspondence is with colleagues, artists, museums, and galleries concerning a wide variety of topics, including exhibitions and publications. The bulk of the correspondence consists of alphabetical files (two linear feet) that includes correspondence with artists. Notable correspondents include Pol Bury, Alexander Calder, Gordon Onslow Ford, Alberto Giacometti, Morris Graves, Philip Guston, Dimitri Hadzi, Jacques Lipchitz, Georgia O'Keeffe, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, Jean Tinguely, and others. Eight additional files of chronological correspondence is with curators, arts organizations, and publishers. Additional correspondence is found in the professional files, project files, membership files, artists' research files, and exhibition files.

The bulk of the writings series is comprised of files related to Selz's books and includes typescript drafts and galleys, printed and digital material, correspondence, and publishing contracts. Files are found for Art in Our Times, Art of Engagement, Beyond the Mainstream, and Theories of Modern Art. Other writings consist of drafts of articles, essays, notes, and lectures by Selz. Also included are writings by others, including materials related to Paul Karlstrom's biography of Selz.

Professional files document curatorial and teaching positions at the Chicago Institute of Design, Pomona College, University of California, Berkeley, and the Museum of Modern Art. The series includes contracts, recommendations, syllabi, and correspondence.

Project files document Selz's professional work on specific art projects, panels, and symposiums. There is extensive documentation of Selz's work as project director of Christo's Running Fence, as well as other environmental art work projects by Christo, the Berkeley Art Project, Disney Art Project, "Funk Art" symposium, and the "Art and Politics in the 20th Century" symposium. Project files contain a wide variety of materials, such as correspondence, printed material, financial records, reports, photographs, and other documents. There are 2 tape reels, 1 VHS, and 1 sound cassette.

Membership and association records document Selz's involvement with or membership in various art councils, trustee boards, such as the College Art Association, Art in Chicago Advisory Committee, Bay Area Rapid Transit (B.A.R.T.) Art Council, and the San Francisco Crafts and Folk Art Museum Advisory Board, among others. Materials include meeting minutes, bulletins, correspondence, and memoranda.

Artists' Research Files consist of a wide variety of research materials Selz compiled about artists for lectures, writings, projects, exhibitions, etc. Files vary and may include original and photocopied correspondence, photographic material, resumes, printed and digital material, and writings. There is also 1 sound cassette. Files are found for Bedri Baykam, Max Beckmann, Fletcher Benton, Ciel Bergman, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Bruce Conner, Jean Dubuffet, Lyonel Feininger, Leon Golub, Dimitri Hadzi, Rico Lebrun, Harold Paris, Irving Petlin, among many others.

Exhibition files include catalogs, reviews, clippings, writings, correspondence, and other material documenting exhibitions organized by Selz. Limited materials are found for the MOMA Art Nouveau exhibition. More extensive documentation is found for Seven Decades of Modern Art, 1895-1965, The Joint Show (1967), The American Presidency in Political Cartoons (1976), American Modern Art Between the Two World Wars (1979), German Realism in the Twenties: Artist As Social Critic (1980), Twelve Artists from the German Democratic Republic (1989), a Richard Lindner Retrospective (1996), Spaces of Nature (1999), Color and Fire: Defining Moments in Studio Ceramics, 1950-2000 (2000), and a Nathan Oliviera Retrospective (2002), among others. Some of the materials are in digital format.

Personal business records are related to the Mark Rothko estate and Kate Rothko's legal case against Marlborough Gallery, Inc. Also included in this series are Peter Selz's school transcripts, bequests, royalty statements, house designs, and other material.

Printed materials include clippings, prints of articles written by Peter Selz, exhibition announcements and invitations, and photocopies of artwork images.

There are nine disbound scrapbooks dating from the 1940s up through 2012 containing clippings, exhibition announcements, and photographs of art events, Selz, and artists. This series also includes materials from the 2018 addition that may have previously been compiled in binders.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 10 series. When possible the original order of Peter Selz was maintained. However, multiple accessions were merged and integrated.

Missing Title

Series 1: Correspondence, 1942-2013 (2.3 linear feet; Box 1-3, Box 37)

Series 2: Writings, 1942- circa 2014 (8.3 linear feet; Box 3-10, OV 32, Box 37, 0.035 GB; ER01, ER12)

Series 3: Professional Files, 1949-2012 (1 linear feet; Box 11, Box 37)

Series 4: Project Files, 1962-2015 (2.8 linear feet; Box 12-14, OV 33, Box 37)

Series 5: Membership and Association Records, 1958-2014 (1.1 linear feet; Box 14-15, Box 37)

Series 6: Artists' Research Files, 1955-2014 (7.9 linear feet; Box 15-22, OV 34-35, 0.520 GB; ER02-ER08)

Series 7: Exhibition Files, 1959-2014 (5.2 linear feet; Box 23-27, Box 38, 0.093 GB; ER09-ER11)

Series 8: Personal Business Records, 1929-2014 (1.2 linear feet; Box 28-29, OV 36, Box 38)

Series 9: Printed Material, 1957-2014 (0.3 linear feet; Box 29, Box 38)

Series 10: Scrapbooks, 1947-2018 (1.4 linear feet, Box 29-31, Box 38)
Biographical / Historical:
Peter Howard Selz (1919-2019) was a pioneering historian of modern art, professor, and writer who taught at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1965-1988 and founded and directed the Berkeley Art Museum from 1965-1973.

Selz was born in 1919 in Munich, Germany to Eugene Selz and Edith Drey Selz. In 1936, the family fled Nazi Germany and immigrated to the United States. Selz attended Columbia University from 1937 to 1938 and became a naturalized citizen in 1942. During World War II, Selz served in the U.S. Army in the Office of Strategic Services. He married writer Thalia Cheronis in 1948 but they later divorced in 1965; he married several times afterwards.

After the war, Selz attended and taught at the University of Chicago where he received a Ph. D. in German Expressionism. He spent a year in Paris, 1949-1950, at the Sorbonne and École du Louvre on a Fulbright grant. He received a second Fulbright grant in 1953 to study at the Royal Museums of Art and History in Belgium. From 1953-1955, Selz also taught at the Chicago Institute of Design.

In 1955 Peter Selz accepted a position to chair the art history department at Pomona College in Claremont and relocated to California for a few years. He also became director of the college's art gallery.

In 1958 Selz moved to New York City to become curator of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art and was there through the transformative mid-1960s. While at MOMA, he organized several significant exhibitions of modern art, including the 1960 Jean Tinguely "Homage to New York," a sculpture that destroyed itself (and started a fire) in the sculpture garden of the museum; New Images of Man (1959), the Art Nouveau show (1960), and the Art of Assemblage (1961). He also launched important retrospectives, including the first Rodin retrospective in the United States and a comprehensive exhibition of Alberto Giacometti's work in 1965.

In 1965, Peter Selz returned to California to become the founding director of the Berkeley Art Museum at the University of California, Berkeley, a position he held until 1973. He organized exhibitions of Funk, film, and ceramicists like Peter Voulkos and Robert Arneson. Peter Selz later became project director for Christo's "Running Fence", the 24.5-mile long fabric fence over the Marin County hills in 1976. He also served concurrently as a professor of art history at UC until retiring in 1988.

Peter Selz was a member of the College Art Association's board of directors for two terms, 1958-1964 and 1966-1971. Selz is a prolific writer, and the author or co-author of numerous books, exhibition catalogs, and articles. Notable books include German Expressionist Painting (1957), Art in a Turbulent Era (1965), Art in Our Times (1981), and Sam Francis (1975).

In 1988 Peter Selz was named emeritus professor at University of California, Berkeley. In 1993 he was on the acquisitions committee of the Museums of Fine Arts, San Francisco. In 2012, Selz curated The Painted Word exhibition. Selz died in 2019 in Albany, California.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds oral history interviews of Peter Selz conducted by Paul J. Karlstrom on July 28, 1982, October 12, 1982, and November 3, 1999.
Provenance:
The Peter Howard Selz papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Peter Selz in multiple installments from 1976 through 2014. Additional papers were donated in 2018 by Gabrielle Selz, Peter Selz's daughter.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate copies requires advance notice.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Authors -- California -- Berkeley  Search this
Art historians -- California -- Berkeley  Search this
Topic:
Realism  Search this
Political cartoons  Search this
Pop art  Search this
Environment (Art)  Search this
Painting, Abstract  Search this
Ceramics  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching -- California  Search this
Art -- Political aspects  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Exhibitions  Search this
Art -- Germany  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Citation:
Peter Howard Selz papers, 1929-2018, bulk 1950-2005. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.selzpete
See more items in:
Peter Howard Selz papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ce9d9d14-7599-455d-828d-57077e76ef17
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-selzpete
Online Media:

[Photographs of artists taken by Mimi Jacobs, photographer]

Photographer:
Jacobs, Mimi  Search this
Names:
Adams, Ansel, 1902-1984 -- Photographs  Search this
Adams, Mark, 1925-2006 -- Photographs  Search this
Allan, William George, 1936- -- Photographs  Search this
Anderson, Jeremy, 1921-1982 -- Photographs  Search this
Armer, Ruth, 1896-1977 -- Photographs  Search this
Arneson, Robert, 1930-1992  Search this
Arnoldi, Charles, 1946- -- Photographs  Search this
Asawa, Ruth -- Photographs  Search this
Beall, Dennis Ray, 1929- -- Photographs  Search this
Beasley, Bruce, 1939- -- Photographs  Search this
Bechtle, Robert, 1932-2020 -- Photographs  Search this
Bengston, Billy Al -- Photographs  Search this
Benton, Fletcher, 1931- -- Photographs  Search this
Berlant, Anthony -- Photographs  Search this
Bischoff, Elmer, 1916-1991 -- Photographs  Search this
Blunk, J. B., 1926- -- Photographs  Search this
Brice, William, 1921-2008 -- Photographs  Search this
Brown, Joan, 1938-1990  Search this
Celmins, Vija, 1938- -- Photographs  Search this
Chicago, Judy, 1939- -- Photographs  Search this
Conner, Bruce, 1933-2008 -- Photographs  Search this
Cunningham, Imogen, 1883-1976 -- Photographs  Search this
De Forest, Roy, 1930-2007 -- Photographs  Search this
DeFeo, Jay, 1929-1989 -- Photographs  Search this
DeLap, Tony, 1927-2019 -- Photographs  Search this
Dickinson, Eleanor, 1931- -- Photographs  Search this
Diebenkorn, Richard, 1922-1993 -- Photographs  Search this
Dill, Guy, 1946- -- Photographs  Search this
Falkenstein, Claire, 1908-1997 -- Photographs  Search this
Francis, Sam, 1923- -- Photographs  Search this
Gilhooly, David -- Photographs  Search this
Goldyne, Joseph R.  Search this
Gooch, Gerald -- Photographs  Search this
Gordon, Russell Talbert, 1936- -- Photographs  Search this
Graham, Robert, 1938- -- Photographs  Search this
Hedrick, Wally, 1928-2003 -- Photographs  Search this
Holland, Tom, 1936- -- Photographs  Search this
Hopkins, Henry, 1928-2009  Search this
Howard, Robert Boardman, 1896-1983 -- Photographs  Search this
Hudson, Robert, 1938- -- Photographs  Search this
Ihle, John Livingston, 1925- -- Photographs  Search this
Irwin, Robert, 1928- -- Photographs  Search this
Johnson, Robert E. (Robert Emory), 1932- -- Photographs  Search this
Kauffman, Craig, 1932-2010  Search this
Light, Alvin, 1931- -- Photographs  Search this
Lobdell, Frank, 1921- -- Photographs  Search this
Martin, Bill, 1943- -- Photographs  Search this
McLean, Richard Thorpe, 1934- -- Photographs  Search this
Mullican, Lee, 1919-1998 -- Photographs  Search this
Nauman, Bruce, 1941- -- Photographs  Search this
Neri, Manuel, 1930- -- Photographs  Search this
Noguchi, Isamu, 1904-1988 -- Photographs  Search this
Oliveira, Nathan, 1928-2010 -- Photographs  Search this
Paris, Harold, 1925-1979 -- Photographs  Search this
Raffael, Joseph, 1933- -- Photographs  Search this
Ramos, Mel, 1935-2018 -- Photographs  Search this
Reichman, Fred, 1925- -- Photographs  Search this
Richardson, Sam, 1934- -- Photographs  Search this
Ruscha, Edward -- Photographs  Search this
Saar, Betye -- Photographs  Search this
Saunders, Raymond, 1934- -- Photographs  Search this
Shaw, Richard, 1941 Sept. 12- -- Photographs  Search this
Siegriest, Louis B., 1899- -- Photographs  Search this
Sinton, Nell, 1910-1997 -- Photographs  Search this
Thiebaud, Wayne -- Photographs  Search this
Todd, Mike, 1935- -- Photographs  Search this
Valledor, Leo, 1936-1989 -- Photographs  Search this
Villa, Carlos, 1936-2013 -- Photographs  Search this
Voulkos, Peter, 1924-2002 -- Photographs  Search this
Wasserstein, Julius -- Photographs  Search this
Wiley, William T., 1937-2021  Search this
Woelffer, Emerson, 1914- -- Photographs  Search this
Wonner, Paul, 1920-2008 -- Photographs  Search this
Zammitt, Norman, 1931- -- Photographs  Search this
Extent:
140 Items (photographic prints, b&w)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1971-1981
Scope and Contents:
Photographs of artists, many from the San Francisco Bay Area, taken by Mimi Jacobs.
Artists photographed: Ansel Adams, Robert Arneson, Ruth Asawa, Billy Al Bengston, Fletcher Benton, Robert Bechtle, J. B. Blunk, William Brice, Joan Brown, Imogen Cunningham, Jay De Feo, Eleanor Dickinson, Richard Diebenkorn, Laddie John Dill, Archeliat Esherick, Sam Francis, David Gilhooly, Joseph Goldyne, Robert Graham, Henry Hopkins, Robert B. Howard, John Ihle, Robert Irwin, Allen Jones, Alvin Light, Lee Mullican, Isamu Noguchi, Howard Paris, Joseph Raffael, Fred Reichman, Ed Ruscha, Betye Saar, Raymond Saunders, Richard Shaw, Louis Siegriest, Nell Sinton, Wayne Thiebaud, DeWain Valentine, Leo Valledor, Carlos Villa, Peter Voulkos, William T. Wiley, Emerson Woelffer.
Photographs of Mark Adams, William Allan, Jeremy Anderson, Ruth Armer, Charles Arnoldi, Dennis Beall, Bruce Beasley, Tony Berlant, Elmer Bischoff, Vija Celmins, Judy Chicago, Bruce Conner, Roy de Forest, Tony DeLap, Guy Dill, Claire Falkenstein, Gerald Gooch, Russell Gordon, Wally Hedrick, Tom Holland, Robert Hudson, Robert Emory Johnson, Frank Lobdell, Robert Craig Kaufman, Richard McLean, Bill Martin, Manuel Neri, Bruce Nauman, Nathan Oliveira, Mel Ramos, Sam Richardson, Michael Todd, Julius Wasserstein, Paul Wonner and Norman Zammitt.
In 1999, additional photographs were donated including many duplicates of the previous donations. These include 50 mounted photographs of West Coast artists, twenty-four of which were exhibited in 1980 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and published in 50 West Coast Artists: A Critical Selection of Painters and Sculptors (1981, Chronicle Books). Photographs are of Ansel Adams, Robert Arneson, Billy Al Bengston, Robert Bechtle, Fletcher Benton, J. B. Blunk, William Brice, Joan Brown, Imogen Cunningham, Jay De Feo, Eleanor Dickinson, Richard Diebenkorn, Laddie John Dill, Archeliat Esherick, Sam Francis, David Gilhooly, Joseph Goldyne, Robert Graham, Henry Hopkins, Robert Howard, John Ihle, Robert Irwin, Allen Jones, Alvin Light, Lee Mullican, Isamu Noguchi, Howard Paris, Joseph Raffael, Fred Reichman, Ed Ruscha, Betye Saar, Richard Shaw, Louis Siegrist, Nell Sinton, Wayne Thiebaud, De Wain Valentine, Leo Valledor, Carlos Villa, Peter Voulkos, William Wiley, and Emerson Woeffer.
Biographical / Historical:
Photographer; Kentfield, Calif.; b. 1911; d. April 1, 1999. Known in the San Francisco Bay Area for her portraits of prominent local figures, many of whom were artists. She eventually expanded her scope beyond Northern California to included artists in the Los Angeles region as well. These images were widely reproduced in books and in exhibitions and in many cases became the portraits by which the individuals were best known. Among her subjects were Ed Ruscha, Robert Graham, Peter Voulkos, Joan Brown, Isamu Noguchi, Jay DeFeo, Wayne Thiebaud, Imogen Cunningham, and Richard Diebenkorn. Several exhibitions were devoted to the photographs as independent works of art, an acknowledgement of their pictorial qualities as well as their value as documents.
Provenance:
Donated 1976-1992 by Mimi Jacobs. Additional photos, many of them duplicates of previous donations, were donated in 1999 by Leslie Fleming, Jacobs' daughter, for the Estate.
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:
Photographers -- California  Search this
Topic:
Artists -- California -- Portraits  Search this
Artists -- California -- Photographs  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.jacomimi
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw99e52eeab-c8aa-437c-9967-ac2af528c69f
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-jacomimi

[Magowan Garden]: North garden from terrace.

Sculptor:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Photographer:
Owens, Jane  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Extent:
1 Slides (photographs) (col., 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
California -- Hillsborough
United States of America -- California -- San Mateo County -- Hillsborough
Date:
1996 Aug. 15.
Local Call Number(s):
12636
General:
The garden is thought to be among the first (if not the first) commission for the Thomas Church in Hillsborough. The earth was moved by a pack of mules and the total installation cost was $5000.00.
Sculpture by Fletcher Benton "Balanced and Unbalanced D".
Vertical slide. See also CA001.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Sunken gardens  Search this
Lawns  Search this
Hedges  Search this
Topiary work  Search this
Sculpture  Search this
Walkways, gravel  Search this
Box  Search this
Autumn  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, Item CA339001
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / California / CA339: Hillsborough -- Magowan Garden
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb60f2b45a9-ae19-47c9-8100-89af953a2c97
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref24812

[Magowan Garden]: North garden.

Sculptor:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Photographer:
Owens, Jane  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Extent:
1 Slides (photographs) (col., 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
Magowan Garden (Hillsborough, California)
United States of America -- California -- San Mateo County -- Hillsborough
Date:
1996 Aug. 15.
Local Call Number(s):
12635
General:
Sculpture by Fletcher Benton "Balanced and Unbalanced D". Vertical slide.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Sunken gardens  Search this
Lawns  Search this
Hedges  Search this
Topiary work  Search this
Sculpture  Search this
Walkways, gravel  Search this
Box  Search this
Autumn  Search this
Stairs  Search this
Gardens -- California -- Hillsborough  Search this
Houses  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, Item CA339002
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / California / CA339: Hillsborough -- Magowan Garden
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6d17ab911-d966-4c63-8e7e-d5ba03f8bfbb
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref24813

[Magowan Garden]: Spring view of North Garden.

Sculptor:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Photographer:
Owens, Jane  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Extent:
1 Slides (photographs) (col., 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
California -- Hillsborough
Magowan Garden (Hillsborough, California)
United States of America -- California -- San Mateo County -- Hillsborough
Date:
1997 April 4
Local Call Number(s):
12629
General:
Sculpture by Fletcher Benton "Balanced and Unbalanced D". View of north garden looking north with flowering apple allee.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Walkways, gravel  Search this
Sunken gardens  Search this
Lawns  Search this
Walkways, gravel  Search this
Hedges  Search this
Box  Search this
Topiary work  Search this
Sculpture  Search this
Spring  Search this
Allées  Search this
Apples  Search this
Flowering trees  Search this
Gardens -- California -- Hillsborough  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, Item CA339003
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / California / CA339: Hillsborough -- Magowan Garden
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6a696ee74-6e91-49fd-9012-cb4aca5bc0e4
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref24814

[Magowan Garden]: Sculpture and treillage.

Sculptor:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Photographer:
Owens, Jane  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Extent:
1 Slides (photographs) (col., 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
California -- Hillsborough
United States of America -- California -- San Mateo County -- Hillsborough
Date:
1997 Apr. 4
Local Call Number(s):
12633
General:
Focal point of north garden. Sculpture by Fletcher Benton "Balanced and Unbalanced D". Vertical slide.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Sculpture  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, Item CA339005
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / California / CA339: Hillsborough -- Magowan Garden
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb60ba8efb7-0ab8-409d-8f84-8464d37db9b3
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref24816

[Magowan Garden]: Sculpture and treillage.

Sculptor:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Photographer:
Owens, Jane  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Extent:
1 Slides (photographs) (col., 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
California -- Hillsborough
United States of America -- California -- San Mateo County -- Hillsborough
Date:
1997 Apr. 4.
Local Call Number(s):
12634
General:
Finials of rear treillage visible. North view Sculpture by Fletcher Benton "Balanced and Unbalanced D". Vertical slide.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Sculpture  Search this
Finials  Search this
Hedges  Search this
Box  Search this
Walkways, gravel  Search this
Spring  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, Item CA339006
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / California / CA339: Hillsborough -- Magowan Garden
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6c95a29f0-2e74-4658-a70b-aa4752eec766
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref24817

[Magowan Garden]: North Garden.

Sculptor:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Photographer:
Owens, Jane  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Extent:
1 Slides (photographs) (col., 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
California -- Hillsborough
United States of America -- California -- San Mateo County -- Hillsborough
Date:
1996 Aug. 15.
Local Call Number(s):
12630
General:
Border in north garden, boxwood hedges. Vertical slide.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Garden borders  Search this
Perennials  Search this
Hedges  Search this
Box  Search this
Autumn  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, Item CA339007
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / California / CA339: Hillsborough -- Magowan Garden
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb686f25b27-1340-4c43-a8ca-ef3c5215983a
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref24818

[Magowan Garden]: North garden at seating area.

Sculptor:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Photographer:
Owens, Jane  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Extent:
1 Slides (photographs) (col., 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
California -- Hillsborough
United States of America -- California -- San Mateo County -- Hillsborough
Date:
1996, Aug. 15.
Local Call Number(s):
12627
General:
North garden at northeast end seating area with birdbath and bench.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Sculpture  Search this
Birdbaths  Search this
Settees  Search this
Outdoor furniture  Search this
Autumn  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, Item CA339008
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / California / CA339: Hillsborough -- Magowan Garden
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6772d7f53-07d4-45c3-a7a9-e3a40240dae1
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref24819

[Magowan Garden]

Sculptor:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Photographer:
Owens, Jane  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Extent:
1 Slides (photographs) (col., 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
California -- Hillsborough
United States of America -- California -- San Mateo County -- Hillsborough
Date:
1996 Aug.
Local Call Number(s):
12625
General:
South garden, south end, second tier of lawn, natural planting. Waterfall pond set in river rock.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Ponds  Search this
Rocks  Search this
Sculpture  Search this
Naturalized plantings  Search this
Autumn  Search this
Birds -- Design elements  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, Item CA339010
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / California / CA339: Hillsborough -- Magowan Garden
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6c06890f5-2ffd-4dd6-8035-b09b9ab81e8e
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref24821

[Magowan Garden]

Sculptor:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Photographer:
Owens, Jane  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Extent:
1 Slides (photographs) (col., 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
California -- Hillsborough
United States of America -- California -- San Mateo County -- Hillsborough
Date:
1996 Aug.
Local Call Number(s):
12631, 12632
General:
Closeup of pond with Heron sculpture. Vertical slide.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Ponds  Search this
Rocks  Search this
Sculpture  Search this
Naturalized plantings  Search this
Autumn  Search this
Birds -- Design elements  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, Item CA339011
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / California / CA339: Hillsborough -- Magowan Garden
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6b2ca6ce1-9108-46a7-b2fc-984c288283a8
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref24822

Fletcher Benton papers

Creator:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Names:
André Emmerich Gallery  Search this
Galerie Denino  Search this
Bury, Pol, 1922-2005  Search this
De Wilde, Dan  Search this
Finn, David  Search this
Jones, Lillian E.  Search this
Louchheim, Marlene  Search this
Lucie-Smith, Edward  Search this
Marquand, Ed  Search this
Neubert, George W.  Search this
Rickey, George  Search this
Sanders, Pieter  Search this
Tooker, Dan  Search this
Valentine, DeWain, 1936-  Search this
Wilke, Ulfert, 1907-1987  Search this
Extent:
8.7 Linear feet
1.47 Gigabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Interviews
Motion pictures (visual works)
Drawings
Video recordings
Transcripts
Sound recordings
Photographs
Christmas cards
Date:
1934-2014
Summary:
The papers of sculptor and painter Fletcher Benton measure 8.2 linear feet and 1.47 GB and date from 1934 to 2014. They document his career as a sculptor with international presence through certificates, personal photographs, legal papers, correspondence, exhibition and commission documentation, clippings, exhibition-related printed materials, broadcast materials, publications about his work, an editioned kinetic Christmas card, and photographs, sound and video recordings, and motion picture film documenting his work and career.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptor and painter Fletcher Benton measure 8.2 linear feet and 1.47 GB and date from 1934 to 2014. They document his career through personal photographs, legal papers, correspondence, exhibition and commission documentation, clippings, exhibition-related printed materials, broadcast materials, publications about his work, an editioned kinetic Christmas card, photographs, sound and video recordings motion picture film, some of which also appears in digitized form.

Biographical Materials include personal photographs, legal documents related to a court case with book designer Ed Marquand, biographical texts, interview transcripts, and a home video made by the artist. Correspondence is with other artists, friends, galleries, museums and other institutions, including George W. Neubert, André Emmerich Gallery, Pieter Sanders, Pol Bury, George Rickey, Ulfert Wilke, Marlene Louchheim, DeWain Valentine, Lillian E. Jones, and Edward Lucie-Smith. Interviews include sound recordings of interviews with Benton by academics and journalists, including Edward Lucie-Smith, Dan Tooker, and Dan De Wilde.

Exhibition and Commission Files consist of correspondence with galleries, museums and commission patrons; financial records; shipping and subcontracting documentation; motion picture film, video, and sound recordings related to exhibitions and installations; and planning and design materials. Series includes a significant amount of oversized drawings and plans for site-specific work. There is a large volume documentation from the Folded Circle-Arc commission by Stanley Consultants, Inc. in Muscatine, Iowa; the California/International Arts Foundation Traveling Sculpture Exhibition; Double Folded Circle Ring in Brussels and Double Circle Folded by Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Printed Materials include news clippings related to Benton's career, as well as brochures, exhibition catalogs, posters and other printed materials related to exhibitions and commissions. Broadcast materials include television news footage, radio and television interviews, documentaries, and promotional materials made by galleries and other cultural institutions.

Photographic and Moving Image Materials include art-related images showing Benton in his studio and images of exhibitions, installations and inaugurations. Also found are still photographs and motion picture films of artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and kinetic drawings, and a series of photographs of sculptures taken by David Finn.

Artwork consists of an editioned art Christmas card created by Benton for Galeria Bonino in New York from 1969. An American Artist Moving Image Materials consist of 13 videocassettes (VHS) which document the production process of the documentaryFletcher Benton: An American Artist by Morgan Cavett. There is footage from interviews with Benton and with curator George W. Neubert, footage of San Francisco with comments from Benton about his time there, interviews with the artist's studio assistants, images of his studio in Dore street and a couple of almost finished rough versions of the documentary.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as nine series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material (0.3 linear feet; boxes 1, 9)

Series 2: Correspondence (1 linear foot; boxes 1, 2, OV 10)

Series 3: Interviews (0.3 linear feet; box 2)

Series 4: Exhibition and Commission Files (2 linear feet, 0.50 GB; boxes 2-4, OV 11-13, RD 14, FC 15, ER01)

Series 5: Printed Materials (2.3 linear feet; boxes 4-6, OV 10)

Series 6: Broadcast Materials (1.1 linear foot; boxes 6-7)

Series 7: Photographic and Moving Image Materials (0.5 linear feet, 0.97 GB; boxes 7, 9, FC 16-17, ER02)

Series 8: Artwork (1 item; box 7)

Series 9: -- An American Artist -- Video Recordings (0.6 linear feet; boxes 7-8)
Biographical / Historical:
Fletcher Benton was born in Jackson, Ohio in 1931 to Fletcher and Nell Cavett Benton and was the oldest of three children. Benton graduated from Jackson High School in 1949. After serving in the Navy he graduated from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) in 1956 and moved to San Francisco, where he started working as an instructor at the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1959. He was in San Francisco during the flourishing of the Beat generation, where he had a studio in the North beach area and exhibited at coffee house galleries.

After travelling around Europe in 1960, Benton moved to New York City where he tried to make his living through painting and teaching privately. During those years he was supported by Jackson's local arts patron and family friend, Lillian E. Jones. In 1960 he had his first solo exhibition at Gump's gallery in San Francisco, but his work was taken down after one day because it was considered obscene for including female nudes. He returned to San Francisco in late 1961.

In 1966 Fletcher started teaching at the San Francisco Art Institute and established himself as a primary figure of American kinetic art. In 1966, Peter Selz included his work in the exhibition Directions in Kinetic Sculpture at the University Art Gallery in Berkeley, CA. During the exhibition Benton met the artists Pol Bury and George Rickey with whom he became friends. The exhibition, along with an article "The Movement Movement" that appeared in Time magazine the same year, established Benton's reputation as a significant American Kinetic artist. He also started teaching at the California State University in San José in 1967 where he continued working until 1986.

By 1974 Benton abandoned kinetic art to continue exploring sculpture in three dimensions in a style that became known as "new constructivism." The artworks were conceived in the series Folded Circles and Folded Square Alphabets and were produced in bronze, aluminum and steel. It was also during the 1970s that he started doing large-scale commissions such as the 1977 IBM commission.

Between 1981 and 1984 Benton constructed his studio in Dore Street in the Market district of San Francisco where he continues to work today. During the 1980s Benton started his Balanced/Unbalanced series, which introduced the idea of gravity using geometric forms in different formats and sizes.

From 1984 he began to show more work in Europe, especially in Germany, where in 1993 he got a major commission to create a colossal public sculpture in Cologne entitled Steel Watercolor Triangle Ring. It was also in Germany where Benton encountered the work of Wassily Kandinsky and Kazimir Malevich, and he began work on his Construct Relief series in reponse, which he dedicated to Kandinsky. These geometric constructions are flat, canvas-like steel structures that combine features of painting and sculpture. As the series evolved, the work became more like painting, constructed to hang on the wall without a back piece, so they seem to be floating in the space.

Benton continues to live and work in San Francisco and is represented by multiple galleries in the United States and Germany.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Fletcher Benton conducted by Paul J. Karlstrom, 1989 May 2-4 is available on the Archives of American Art website.
Provenance:
Donated 2005-2006 and 2014 by Fletcher Benton. Benton's wife, Bobbie Benton, organized the material by subject matter and date.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of audiovisual material without a duplicate copy requires advanced notice.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Painters -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Sculptors -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Topic:
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Motion pictures (visual works)
Drawings
Video recordings
Transcripts
Sound recordings
Photographs
Christmas cards
Citation:
Fletcher Benton papers, 1934-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.bentflet
See more items in:
Fletcher Benton papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9951bf858-723f-4f17-804b-fc250edde964
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-bentflet

Hillsborough -- Magowan Garden

Former owner:
Pope, George  Search this
Landscape architect:
Church, Thomas Dolliver  Search this
Stafford, Jack Casper, 1921-1998  Search this
Architect:
Wurster, William  Search this
Sculptor:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Provenance:
Hillsborough Garden Club  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
Magowan Garden (Hillsborough, California)
United States of America -- California -- San Mateo County -- Hillsborough
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes a description and worksheet by the GCA researcher and plans of the garden.
General:
"Home was planned and built for the George Pope family in 1933. Pope family were the only owners for 50 years. The garden is thought to be among the first (if not the first) commission for Thomas Church in Hillsborough. The earth was moved by pack mules--the total installation cost $5000.00."
"One enters the property by a bridge over a creek which flows year round. The two story stucco house has a three story tower with a foundation planting, trellises and some original fixtures. Urns aand pots enhance the entry terraces."
The central focus of the front garden is a sunken grass allee bordered by narrow pea gravel paths. Boxwood hedges and elevated flower borders are backed by serpentine hedges. A row of flowering fruit trees define each side of the allee. Perennials are planted in the borders beneath the fruit trees.
A focal point is created at the end of the allee by a sculpture, Balanced and Unbalanced D by Fletcher Benton. Perennial borders flanks both left and right sides of the garden.
Magnificent California live oaks are a feature of the rear garden. A large sunken brick patio is directly off of the living room. Four pollared Plane trees planted in the patio provide shade in the summer and architectural interest in the winter. Beyond is lawn bounded on the left by a curving border of rhododendrons and azaleas. On the right is the swimming pool area separated from the lawn by a boxwood hedge.
A second tier of lawn is surrounded by a natural planting. The eye is carried to a small waterfall pond set in river rock and surrounded by large shade loving plants.
Persons associated with the property include: Thomas Church (landscape architect); Jack Stafford (landscape architect); William Wurster (architect); Fletcher Benton (sculptor).
Related Materials:
George Pope Garden related holdings consist of 1 folder (11 35-mm slides.)
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Gardens -- California -- Hillsborough  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, File CA339
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / California
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6b224af5c-b266-438e-9ee5-34985f6b092e
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref24210

Oral history interview with Fletcher Benton

Interviewee:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Interviewer:
Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this
Names:
Brown, Joan, 1938-1990  Search this
McLaughlin, John, 1898-1976  Search this
Extent:
150 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1989 May 2-4
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Fletcher Benton conducted 1989 May 2-4, by Paul J. Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, at the artist's studio, in San Francisco, California.
Benton speaks of his education in the Midwest and the decision to pursue an art career in California, and the problems of regionalism and provincialism in art. He describes the art scene in San Francisco in the 1950s, and talks about the effect of the San Francisco environment on him. He also speaks of art dealers and their methods, art criticism and museum politics. He discusses his methods and materials, his early ventures into sculpture, his involvement with kinetic sculpture, his work in watercolor. He recalls his acquaintance with John McLaughlin and discusses the influence of Joan Brown's work on his own.
Biographical / Historical:
Fletcher Benton (1931-2019) was a painter and sculptor from San Francisco, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 7 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 14 digital wav files. Duration is 7 hr., 9 min.
Provenance:
These interviews are part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Topic:
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
Kinetic sculpture, American. -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Painters -- California -- San Francisco -- Interviews  Search this
Sculptors -- California -- San Francisco -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.benton89
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw955409c03-3f94-4b9f-9a0b-83d9eff1a9a4
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-benton89
Online Media:

Dorothy Goldeen Gallery records

Creator:
Dorothy Goldeen Gallery (Santa Monica, Calif.)  Search this
Names:
Abakanowicz, Magdalena  Search this
Altoon, John, 1925-  Search this
Ben Tré, Howard, 1949-  Search this
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Bergman, Ciel, 1938-  Search this
Carnwath, Squeak, 1947-  Search this
Chihuly, Dale, 1941-  Search this
Cho, Tŏk-hyŏn, 1957-  Search this
De Forest, Roy, 1930-2007  Search this
Fasnacht, Heide, 1951-  Search this
Hudson, Robert, 1938-  Search this
La Noue, Terence  Search this
Lipski, Donald, 1947-  Search this
Paik, Nam June, 1932-2006  Search this
Paschke, Ed  Search this
Rath, Alan, 1959-  Search this
Raymond, Zizi, 1960-  Search this
Reinoso, Pablo, 1955-  Search this
Extent:
18.9 Linear feet
2.52 Gigabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Interviews
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Date:
1960-circa 2014
bulk 1987-1996
Summary:
The records of Dorothy Goldeen Gallery, based in Southern California, measure 18.9 linear feet and 2.52 GB and date from 1960 to circa 2014, with the bulk of the items dating from 1987 to 1996. The Dorothy Goldeen Gallery, operated from 1986-1996 and featured the work of prominent contemporary artists, such as Magdalena Abakanowicz, John Altoon, Fletcher Benton, Howard Ben Tre, Ciel Bergman, Squeak Carnwatch, Dale Chihuly, Duck-Hyun Cho, Roy De Forest, Heidi Fasnacht, Robert Hudson, Terence La Noue, Donald Lipski, Nam June Paik, Ed Paschke, Alan Rath, Zizi Raymond, Pablo Reinoso, among many others. The collection includes correspondence, scattered administration records, exhibition files, extensive artists' files that also include many video recordings, financial and legal records, printed and digital materials, and photographic materials.
Scope and Contents:
The records of Dorothy Goldeen Gallery, based in Southern California, measure 18.9 linear feet and 2.52 GB and date from 1960 to circa 2014, with the bulk of the items dating from 1987 to 1996. The Dorothy Goldeen Gallery, operated from 1986-1996 and featured the work of prominent contemporary artists, such as Magdalena Abakanowicz, John Altoon, Fletcher Benton, Howard Ben Tre, Ciel Bergman, Squeak Carnwatch, Dale Chihuly, Duck-Hyun Cho, Roy De Forest, Heidi Fasnacht, Robert Hudson, Terence La Noue, Donald Lipski, Nam June Paik, Ed Paschke, Alan Rath, Zizi Raymond, Pablo Reinoso, among many others. The collection includes correspondence, scattered administration records, exhibition files, extensive artists' files that also include many video recordings, financial and legal records, printed and digital materials, and photographic materials.

Correspondence is with artists, museums, galleries, and collectors regarding exhibitions, sales, and acquisitions of artwork. Administration records include appraisals, mailing lists, materials related to gallery events, a rolodex, and a list of artist contracts. Exhibition files are found for only a few of the gallery's exhibitions, including American Artists in Jewelry (1987), Private Reserve (1988), Fresh Visions 1 (1989), Fresh Visions 2 (1989), and Multiple Parts (1994).

There are extensive artists' files containing correspondence, printed and digital material, resumes, slides, and photographs documenting the gallery's relationship with and exhibitions of many prominent artists. These files also contain numerous audio and video recordings of interviews with artists, exhibitions, documentaries, and video art.

Financial and legal records mostly consist of sales records of artwork by various artists, in addition to materials on a lawsuit, a sublease for exhibition space, and a few invoices.

Printed materials include Dorothy Goldeen Gallery press releases, exhibition announcements, press reviews, newsletters, clippings, and one videocassette of a broadcast news program.

Photographic materials mostly consist of slides and transparencies of artwork by artists represented by the gallery. There are a few images of the gallery building.

Dorothy Goldeen papers include travel notebooks, itineraries, receipts, and other ephemera from domestic and international trips taken by Goldeen; lecture notes; personal correspondence with artists, associates, and others; and files for several exhibitions from after the Goldeen Gallery closed. Also present are blog posts and a contact list from the art advisory business Goldeen started after closing her gallery.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 8 series.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1979-2012 (1.3 linear feet; Box 1-2, 19)

Series 2: Administration Records, circa 1987-circa 2010 (1.2 linear feet; Box 2, 19)

Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1987-1995 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 2-3)

Series 4: Artists' Files, 1961-2007 (12.3 linear feet; Boxes 3-14, 19-20, OV 17-18, 2.52 GB; ER01-ER02)

Series 5: Financial and Legal Records, 1987-2005 (0.8 linear feet; Box 15)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1986-2014 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 15-16, 20, 22)

Series 7: Photographic Material, 1960-2005 (0.8 linear feet; Box 16, 20)

Series 8: Dorothy Goldeen Papers, 1976-2013 (1 linear feet; Box 20-21)
Biographical / Historical:
The Dorothy Goldeen Gallery (1987-1996) was an art gallery in Santa Monica, California, founded by Dorothy Goldeen.

Dorothy Goldeen graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied sculpture and textile design. In 1973, Goldeen began her career in the arts working in San Francisco, California at the Hansen Fuller Gallery which later became Fuller Goldeen Gallery.

In 1987, Goldeen moved to Los Angeles and founded the Dorothy Goldeen Gallery. Historically significant artists such as Magdalena Abakanowicz and Nam June Paik were represented by her gallery as well as influential, emerging Los Angeles artists. Other notable artists include Robert Arneson, Paul Kos, Ed Paschke, and Alan Rath.

In 1996, Goldeen closed her gallery and launched the Dorothy Goldeen Art Advisory in Santa Monica. Goldeen often travels internationally as an art consultant for private and institutional clients, advising them on the acquisition and resale of art.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also has an oral history interview with Dorothy Goldeen conducted by Hunter Drohojowska-Philp in 2014.
Provenance:
The Dorothy Goldeen Gallery records were donated by Dorothy Goldeen to the Archives of American Art in 2003, 2014, and 2021.
Restrictions:
Boxes 19-22 are access restricted; written permission is required. Contact Reference Services for more information. 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.
Rights:
All correspondence: Permission to publish, quote or reproduce requires written permission from Dorothy Goldeen. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Function:
Art galleries, Commercial -- California
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Citation:
Dorothy Goldeen Gallery Records, 1960-circa 2014, bulk 1987-1996. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.dorogolg
See more items in:
Dorothy Goldeen Gallery records
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9cb98cfb9-219a-4751-a22f-9ab3a05343ab
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-dorogolg
Online Media:

Correspondence and Documentation about the Commission

Collection Creator:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Container:
Box 2, Folder 36
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1980-1981
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of audiovisual material without a duplicate copy requires advanced 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:
Fletcher Benton papers, 1934-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Fletcher Benton papers
Fletcher Benton papers / Series 4: Exhibition and Commission Files / Folded Circle -- Arc (1980), Muscatine, Iowa, Stanley Consultants, Inc. Commission
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9e6bf6583-7000-453e-932c-6a1a764ba013
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-bentflet-ref135

Stanley Consultants, Inc. Dossier

Collection Creator:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Container:
Box 2, Folder 37
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1980
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of audiovisual material without a duplicate copy requires advanced 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:
Fletcher Benton papers, 1934-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Fletcher Benton papers
Fletcher Benton papers / Series 4: Exhibition and Commission Files / Folded Circle -- Arc (1980), Muscatine, Iowa, Stanley Consultants, Inc. Commission
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d6a67d57-ddac-4406-bb9f-3a99e81dc99c
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-bentflet-ref136

Sound Recording of Reception for Fletcher Benton

Collection Creator:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Extent:
1 Sound cassette (Hadwritten note on the cassette: "reception for Fletcher Benton Stanley Consultants, Muscatine, IOWA Sept. 12, 1980")
Container:
Box 2, Folder 38
Type:
Archival materials
Sound cassettes
Date:
1980
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of audiovisual material without a duplicate copy requires advanced 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:
Fletcher Benton papers, 1934-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Fletcher Benton papers
Fletcher Benton papers / Series 4: Exhibition and Commission Files / Folded Circle -- Arc (1980), Muscatine, Iowa, Stanley Consultants, Inc. Commission
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw923eb1e0b-acee-431d-985b-76912e2aec01
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-bentflet-ref137

Photographic Materials for a Public Exhibition

Collection Creator:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Container:
Box 2, Folder 39
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1980
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of audiovisual material without a duplicate copy requires advanced 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:
Fletcher Benton papers, 1934-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Fletcher Benton papers
Fletcher Benton papers / Series 4: Exhibition and Commission Files / Folded Circle -- Arc (1980), Muscatine, Iowa, Stanley Consultants, Inc. Commission
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw95443d6d0-67a5-4f0a-bfe0-4d2c67940f69
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-bentflet-ref138

Correspondence and Documentation

Collection Creator:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Container:
Box 3, Folder 6
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1985-1986
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of audiovisual material without a duplicate copy requires advanced 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:
Fletcher Benton papers, 1934-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Fletcher Benton papers
Fletcher Benton papers / Series 4: Exhibition and Commission Files / Art Insitute of Southern California, Exhibition and Lecture (1986)
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f5a2a965-c275-4d05-b0e4-9923c8a5d3d1
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-bentflet-ref158

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