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Downtown Gallery records, 1824-1974, bulk 1926-1969

Creator:
Downtown Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Subject:
Stella, Joseph  Search this
Stieglitz, Alfred  Search this
Storrs, John Henry Bradley  Search this
Sunami, Soichi  Search this
Spencer, Niles  Search this
Stasack, Edward  Search this
Steichen, Edward  Search this
Steig, William  Search this
Van Vechten, Carl  Search this
Varian, Dorothy  Search this
Walters, Carl  Search this
Webb, Electra Havemeyer  Search this
Tam, Reuben  Search this
Tannahill, Robert Hudson  Search this
Tseng, Yu-ho  Search this
Valente, Alfredo  Search this
Pippin, Horace  Search this
Pattison, Abbott L. (Abbott Lawrence)  Search this
Rattner, Abraham  Search this
Pollet, Joseph C.  Search this
Osborn, Robert Chesley  Search this
Pascin, Jules  Search this
Crawford, Ralston  Search this
Shahn, Ben  Search this
Sheeler, Charles  Search this
Siporin, Mitchell  Search this
Siegel, Adrian  Search this
Reynal, Kay Bell  Search this
Ray, Man  Search this
Saklatwalla, Beram K.  Search this
Rockefeller, Abby Aldrich  Search this
O'Keeffe, Georgia  Search this
Zorach, William  Search this
Zorach, Marguerite  Search this
Zerbe, Karl  Search this
Zajac, Jack  Search this
Yavno, Max  Search this
Wilde, Isabel Carleton  Search this
Weber, Max  Search this
Adams, Ansel  Search this
Breinin, Raymond  Search this
Broderson, Morris  Search this
Laurent, Robert  Search this
Brook, Alexander  Search this
Bry, Doris  Search this
Burlin, Paul  Search this
Carlen, Robert  Search this
Cikovsky, Nicolai  Search this
Coleman, Glenn O.  Search this
Klein, Carl  Search this
Kuniyoshi, Yasuo  Search this
Karfiol, George  Search this
Karolik, Maxim  Search this
Lawrence, Jacob  Search this
Lea, Wesley  Search this
Lane, William H.  Search this
Lewandowski, Edmund  Search this
Marin, John  Search this
Levi, Julian E. (Julian Edwin)  Search this
Levine, Jack  Search this
Nakian, Reuben  Search this
Newman, Arnold  Search this
Maya, Otto  Search this
Morris, George L. K.  Search this
Dove, Arthur Garfield  Search this
Dole, William  Search this
Doi, Isami  Search this
Davis, Stuart  Search this
Fredenthal, David  Search this
Felix Landau Gallery  Search this
Halpert, Samuel  Search this
Halpert, Edith Gregor  Search this
Guglielmi, Louis  Search this
Garbisch, Edgar  Search this
Karfiol, Bernard  Search this
Demuth, Charles  Search this
Hartley, Marsden  Search this
Cahill, Holger  Search this
Hart, George Overbury  Search this
Harnett, William Michael  Search this
Our Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
American Folk Art Gallery  Search this
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Ernest Brown & Phillips  Search this
Type:
Video recordings
Photographs
Motion pictures (visual works)
Citation:
Downtown Gallery records, 1824-1974, bulk 1926-1969. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Fraktur art  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- United States  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Printmakers -- United States  Search this
Sculptors -- United States  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
Artists -- United States  Search this
Weather vanes  Search this
Chalkware  Search this
Figureheads of ships  Search this
Folk art  Search this
Theme:
African American  Search this
Art Gallery Records  Search this
Art Market  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6293
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)221206
AAA_collcode_downgall
Theme:
African American
Art Gallery Records
Art Market
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_221206
Online Media:

Boris Mirski Gallery records, circa 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972

Creator:
Boris Mirski (Gallery : Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Subject:
Mirski, Boris  Search this
Aronson, David  Search this
Baskin, Leonard  Search this
Bloom, Hyman  Search this
Geller, Esther  Search this
Lebrun, Rico  Search this
Mazur, Michael  Search this
Polonsky, Arthur  Search this
Shahn, Ben  Search this
Siporin, Mitchell  Search this
Swan, Barbara  Search this
Zerbe, Karl  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Citation:
Boris Mirski Gallery records, circa 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Expressionism (Art)  Search this
Jewish artists  Search this
Modernism (Art)  Search this
New York school of art  Search this
Sculptors  Search this
Theme:
Art Gallery Records  Search this
Art Market  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9939
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212490
AAA_collcode_mirsbori
Theme:
Art Gallery Records
Art Market
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_212490

Oral history interview with Robert O. Preusser, 1991 January-October

Interviewee:
Preusser, Robert O. (Robert Ormerod), 1919-1992  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F  Search this
Subject:
Davidson, Ola McNeill  Search this
Kepes, Gyorgy  Search this
White, Minor  Search this
Art Center School (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Center for Advanced Visual Studies  Search this
Downtown Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Institute of Design (Chicago, Ill.)  Search this
Joan Peterson Gallery  Search this
Massachusetts Institute of Technology  Search this
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. School  Search this
Newcomb College. School of Art  Search this
University of Houston  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Robert O. Preusser, 1991 January-October. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching -- Massachusetts  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching -- Texas -- Houston  Search this
Camouflage (Military science)  Search this
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Interviews  Search this
Painters -- Texas -- Houston -- Interviews  Search this
Painting -- Study and teaching  Search this
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)13337
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215616
AAA_collcode_preuss91
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_215616
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Bernard Chaet, 1997 June 18-August 15

Interviewee:
Chaet, Bernard, 1924-2012  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F.  Search this
Subject:
Albers, Josef  Search this
Zerbe, Karl  Search this
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Yale University. School of Art  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Bernard Chaet, 1997 June 18-August 15. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Interviews  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)13280
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)216431
AAA_collcode_chaet97
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_216431
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Ralph Coburn, 1995 May 25-June 23

Interviewee:
Coburn, Ralph, 1923-  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F  Search this
Subject:
Kelly, Ellsworth  Search this
Nelson, Carl Gustaf  Search this
Netsch, Walter  Search this
Plaut, James S. (James Sachs)  Search this
Polonsky, Arthur  Search this
Saltonstall, Nathaniel  Search this
Swetzoff, Hyman Wulf  Search this
Wilson, John  Search this
Zerbe, Karl  Search this
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Massachusetts Institute of Technology  Search this
Type:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Ralph Coburn, 1995 May 25-June 23. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Architecture -- Study and teaching  Search this
Designers -- Massachusetts -- Gloucester -- Interviews  Search this
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Gloucester -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
Architecture & Design  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)13209
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)216509
AAA_collcode_coburn95
Theme:
Architecture & Design
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_216509
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Bernard Chaet

Interviewee:
Chaet, Bernard  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F.  Search this
Names:
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Yale University. School of Art  Search this
Albers, Josef  Search this
Zerbe, Karl, 1903-1972  Search this
Extent:
5 Items (sound files (3 hrs., 30 min.), digital, wav file)
92 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1997 June 18-August 15
Scope and Contents:
An interview with Bernard Chaet conducted 1997 June 18-August 15, by Robert Brown, for the Archives of American Art, at Chaet's home in Rockport, Massachusetts.
Chaet briefly speaks of his life growing up in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston and his family, in particular his father, before segueing into his early beginnings as an artist and his acceptance into the School of the Museum of Fine Arts; he discusses his training there, as well as the three-year interim after he quit and before he completed his education at Tufts University when he worked alone; he refers to his teacher and the head of the Department of Painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Karl Zerbe, often, including his falling out with Zerbe, citing this as the reason his quit the school; he recalls his relationship with Boston art gallery owner Boris Mirski, who supported him from an early stage and sent him to Europe when he was young, the evolution of his relationship with Mirski, and the reason for their eventual falling out; Chaet describes his trip to Europe, where he traveled for several months with friends, at length, including the art museums and the suffering he witnessed in Italy and Spain, as well as accidentally meeting Picasso in Antibes, and the influence the trip had on his work; he recalls how he became an art teacher, how he was hired by Josef Albers at Yale, his tenure at Yale, some of the students there, including Chuck Close, Nancy Graves, and Richard Serra, as well as the internal politics and his accomplishments; he discusses his own evolution as an artist, including his use of watercolors, as well as his return to certain themes, such as his painting of cows (and how, more generally, artists do return to themes throughout their lives), and the balance between teaching and being an artist; Chaet mentions the beginnings of Artists Equity and Cold War politics. Chaet also recalls his wife, the artist Ninon Lacey, his former roommate, the artist David Aronson, and art world figures: Hyman Swetzoff, Edith Halpert, Dorothy Adlow, Charles Sawyer, Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, Hyman Bloom, Willem de Kooning, Rico Lebrun, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Bernard Chaet (1924-2012) was a painter and teacher from New Haven, Connecticut and Rockport, Massachusetts.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 29 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Restrictions:
This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire audio recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- Connecticut -- Interviews  Search this
Art teachers -- Connecticut -- New Haven -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.chaet97
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ece6734d-fae8-47b2-b7af-301c64a1ccdd
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-chaet97
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Ralph Coburn

Interviewee:
Coburn, Ralph, 1923-  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F.  Search this
Names:
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- Students  Search this
Kelly, Ellsworth, 1923-  Search this
Nelson, Carl Gustaf, 1898-1988  Search this
Netsch, Walter  Search this
Plaut, James S. (James Sachs), 1912-1996  Search this
Polonsky, Arthur  Search this
Saltonstall, Nathaniel, 1903-1968  Search this
Swetzoff, Hyman Wulf, 1920-1968  Search this
Wilson, John, 1922-2015  Search this
Zerbe, Karl, 1903-1972  Search this
Extent:
48 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Interviews
Sound recordings
Date:
1995 May 25-June 23
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Ralph Coburn conducted 1995 May 25 and 1995 June 23, by Robert F. Brown, for the Archives of American Art, in Coburn's home, Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Coburn talks about his parents and his childhood in Miami Beach, Florida; his early schooling; and entering Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in 1941, in its 5-year architecture program. He recalls Walter Netsch, a classmate at MIT, who later became a partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, who introduced Coburn to modern design and to avant-garde music. He also recalls the painter and head of painting at the Museum of Fine Arts School, Karl Zerbe, his teacher in the course of his work for advanced MIT architecture students. He talks about his return to Florida as a draftsman for an aircraft equipment company in Miami, outfitting planes for the African campaign, and his foreman, a son of Al Capone; then returning to Massachusetts to work with an electrical company making secret military components.
Coburn discusses returning to and dropping out of MIT; working at the Institute of Modern Art in Boston through Hyman Swetzoff; following Swetzoff to the Boris Mirski Gallery; studying at Mirski's art school with Esther Geller and John Wilson and friends made at the school, including Ellsworth Kelly, Arthur Polonsky, and Reed Kaye. He recalls Carl Nelson, one of his teachers. He talks about the change in atmosphere at the Institute with the replacement of Thomas Metcalf by James Plaut and Nathaniel Saltonstall who changed the Institute's name to Institute of Contemporary Art and the protest surrounding the name change.
Biographical / Historical:
Ralph Coburn (1923- ) is an architect, painter, and designer currently living in Gloucester, Massahusetts.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 36 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Occupation:
Architects -- Massachusetts  Search this
Topic:
Architecture -- Study and teaching  Search this
Designers -- Massachusetts -- Gloucester -- Interviews  Search this
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Gloucester -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.coburn95
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9bdafcb74-8cc1-4eb9-a579-5765ce77d004
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-coburn95
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Robert O. Preusser

Interviewee:
Preusser, Robert O. (Robert Ormerod), 1919-1992  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F.  Search this
Names:
Art Center School (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Center for Advanced Visual Studies  Search this
Downtown Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Institute of Design (Chicago, Ill.)  Search this
Joan Peterson Gallery  Search this
Massachusetts Institute of Technology  Search this
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. School  Search this
Newcomb College. School of Art  Search this
University of Houston  Search this
Davidson, Ola McNeill  Search this
Kepes, Gyorgy, 1906-2001  Search this
White, Minor  Search this
Extent:
106 Pages (Transcipt)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1991 January-October
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Robert O. Preusser conducted 1991 January-October, by Robert F. Brown, for the Archives of American Art.
Preusser discusses the establishment of an art department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his involvement with it first as a visiting lecturer and then as a professor of visual design. He speaks often of Gyorgy Kepes, whom he had known at the Institute of Design, Chicago, in the early 1940s, and who recruited him to M.I.T; he also discusses other faculty members, like Minor White, professor of photography. He gives attention to his courses at M.I.T., 1954-1985; early computer design projects by students; his writings on the importance of visual arts to technology; and his supervision of educational programs at M.I.T.'s Center for Advanced Visual Studies, 1974-85. An extensive part of the interview is held in an exhibition of Preusser's work at the M.I.T. Museum (April 4, 1991), discussing in particular his incorporation of various plastic and metallic materials in his works from the 1960s and 1970s. He speaks as well of the importance of his inclusion in group exhibitions at the Downtown Gallery, New York, ("Newcomers," 1951, and "Recent Arrivals, 1952) and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston ("Collectors Exhibition," 1954), and of his exhibitions at the Boris Mirski Gallery and the Joan Peterson Gallery, Boston, during the 1950s and 1960s, and at various galleries in Houston during the 1980s. Other topics of discussion are his early art instruction in his native Houston, Texas, by the painter Ola McNeill Davidson, 1930-39; further training in painting and design at the Institute of Design, Chicago, 1930-39, 1941-42; Newcomb School of Art at Tulane University, 1940-41; service with a camouflage unit in the U.S. Army, 1942-45; classes at the Art Center School, Los Angeles, 1946-47; his teaching at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1947-54, and at the University of Houston, 1951-54, and his role as co-director of the Houston Contemporary Arts Association, 1948-50.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Preusser (1919-1992) was a painter and art instructor from Houston, Texas and Cambridge, Massachusetts.
General:
Poor sound quality. The first 35 minutes of the interview have been lost.
Originally recorded on 1 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 7 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 18 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching -- Massachusetts  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching -- Texas -- Houston  Search this
Camouflage (Military science)  Search this
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Interviews  Search this
Painters -- Texas -- Houston -- Interviews  Search this
Painting -- Study and teaching  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.preuss91
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d0f751ba-baf0-462a-afe1-d515af6a5df4
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-preuss91
Online Media:

Boris Mirski Gallery records

Creator:
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Names:
Aronson, David, 1923-2015  Search this
Baskin, Leonard, 1922-2000  Search this
Bloom, Hyman, 1913-  Search this
Geller, Esther  Search this
Lebrun, Rico, 1900-1964  Search this
Mazur, Michael, 1935-2009  Search this
Mirski, Boris, 1898-1974  Search this
Polonsky, Arthur  Search this
Shahn, Ben, 1898-1969  Search this
Siporin, Mitchell, 1910-1976  Search this
Swan, Barbara, 1922-  Search this
Zerbe, Karl, 1903-1972  Search this
Extent:
6.2 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Date:
circa 1936-2000
bulk 1945-1972
Summary:
The Boris Mirski Gallery records measure 6.2 linear feet and date from 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972. They include gallery administrative files; artist files including correspondence, exhibition and loan paperwork as well as photographic documentation of artwork; gallery correspondence; financial materials including outgoing and incoming invoices and sales records; printed materials promoting the gallery and its artists; press materials; and a number of photographs of Boris Mirski at events and with others, as well as photographs of artwork. Artists particularly well represented in the collection include David Aronson, Leonard Baskin, Hyman Bloom, Esther Geller, Rico Lebrun, Michael Mazur, Arthur Polonsky, Ben Shahn, Mitchell Siporin, Barbara Swan, and Karl Zerbe.
Scope and Contents:
The records of the Boris Mirski Gallery, which showed the avant-garde art of the Boston Expressionist school, as well as New York and international modern art styles and non-western art, measure 6.2 linear feet and date from 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972. They include gallery administrative files; artist files including correspondence, exhibition and loan paperwork as well as photographic documentation of artwork; gallery correspondence; financial materials including outgoing and incoming invoices and sales records; printed materials promoting the gallery and its artists; press materials; and a number of photographs of Boris Mirski at events and with others, as well as photographs of artwork. Artists particularly well represented in the collection include David Aronson, Leonard Baskin, Hyman Bloom, Esther Geller, Rico Lebrun, Michael Mazur, Arthur Polonsky, Ben Shahn, Mitchell Siporin, Barbara Swan, and Karl Zerbe.

The administrative files cover a number of topics including documents related to various properties, mortgages, and insurance, copyrights, legal cases, administrative events, and select group exhibitions at the gallery.

The artist files document each gallery artist's exhibition history in the gallery and include correspondence with the artist as well as files documenting significant outside exhibitions, projects and the placement of artworks. While exhibiting artists showed a range of sculpture, painting, and drawing at the gallery, there was a tendency towards highly expressive figurative artwork sometimes referred to as Boston Expressionism, often associated with the first generation Jewish American experience.

The gallery correspondence, primarily with patrons and institutions, is arranged alphabetically with select regular correspondents of the gallery having their own file, in addition to a folder of holiday cards.

The financial files include both outgoing and incoming transactions as invoices and sales records, organized by patron or vendor.

The printed materials are a records of the printing activities of the gallery as well as a press archive, with select printed materials from outside the gallery reflecting the activities of the gallery and gallery artists.

The photographic materials include both images that include the gallerist as well as images that document artworks.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 6 series.

Series 1: Administrative Files, circa 1948-1995 (0.5 Linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Artist Files, circa 1945-2000 (2.7 Linear feet; Boxes 1-4, OV 7)

Series 3: Gallery Correspondence, circa 1936-1976 (1 Linear feet; Boxes 4-5)

Series 4: Financial Files, circa 1958-1974 (1.2 Linear feet; Boxes 5-6)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1944-1981 (0.7 Linear feet; Box 6, OV 8)

Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1945-1976 (0.1 Linear feet; Box 6)
Biographical / Historical:
The Boris Mirski Gallery (est.1944; closed 1979) was a gallery in Boston, Massachusetts owned and operated by Boris Mirski (1898-1974). The gallery evolved out of various businesses owned by Mirski from the late 1910s, including his first formal gallery established alongside a framing shop on Charles Street in Beacon Hill in 1927. The gallery moved to its final incarnation on the lower level of 166 Newbury in 1972, and closed in 1979 following the gallerist's death in 1974.

Boris Chaim Mirski, born 1898, immigrated to the United States at the age of fourteen, leaving behind his troubled youth as a Lithuanian Jew in a harsh political climate that included frequent pogroms. At the advice of his mother, an activist in the resistance, Boris acquired a number of marketable skills including metalwork and framing, which allowed him to establish a lucrative business while he developed opportunities to show art that interested him. Early in his career this included a home for non-western and "primitive" art styles from around the globe, as well as the work of emerging local artists. Mirski's gallery created opportunities for artists working against the generally conservative tradition of the Boston School, and helped establish an identity for the local avant-garde. The gallery program had strong ties with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston alumni and faculty, and frequently hosted exchange shows with New York City's Downtown Gallery, whose director Edith Halpert acted as a mentor. While exhibiting artists showed a range of sculpture, painting, and drawing at the gallery, there was a tendency towards highly expressive figurative artwork sometimes referred to as Boston Expressionism, often associated with the first generation Jewish American experience. Gallery artists included David Aronson, Leonard Baskin, Hyman Bloom, Esther Geller, Rico Lebrun, Michael Mazur, Arthur Polonsky, Ben Shahn, Mitchell Siporin, Barbara Swan, and Karl Zerbe.
Related Materials:
Related materials include Archives of American Art's Oral history interview with Boris Mirski, 1973 June 19.
Provenance:
The Boris Mirski Gallery records were donated by Deborah Mirski Brown, Boris Mirski's daughter from 1989-1996, with additions in 2007 and 2017.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Topic:
Expressionism (Art)  Search this
Jewish artists  Search this
Modernism (Art)  Search this
New York school of art  Search this
Sculptors  Search this
Function:
Art galleries, Commercial -- Massachusetts
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Citation:
Boris Mirski Gallery records, 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.mirsbori
See more items in:
Boris Mirski Gallery records
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw97a5810a0-f6bb-4929-9fa5-c484ee8c9cdc
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-mirsbori

Artist Files

Collection Creator:
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Extent:
2.7 Linear feet (Boxes 1-4, OV 7)
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1945-2000
Scope and Contents:
The artist files document each gallery artist's exhibition history in the gallery and include correspondence with the artist as well as files documenting significant outside exhibitions, projects and the placement of artworks.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Boris Mirski Gallery records, 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.mirsbori, Series 2
See more items in:
Boris Mirski Gallery records
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9e6c50768-a3d1-49bd-84a9-75364fb8de74
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-mirsbori-ref1

Holiday and Other Group Shows

Collection Creator:
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 4
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1960-1970
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Boris Mirski Gallery records, 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Boris Mirski Gallery records
Boris Mirski Gallery records / Series 1: Administrative Files
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d8289a32-500a-43af-a46d-11acc53994b3
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-mirsbori-ref10

Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University

Collection Creator:
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Container:
Box 4, Folder 30
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1961-1963
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Boris Mirski Gallery records, 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Boris Mirski Gallery records
Boris Mirski Gallery records / Series 3: Gallery Correspondence
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw95887e9d6-b6ec-4fc9-b181-d6ac35ff0846
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-mirsbori-ref100

S

Collection Creator:
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Container:
Box 4, Folder 31-32
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1961-1971
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Boris Mirski Gallery records, 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Boris Mirski Gallery records
Boris Mirski Gallery records / Series 3: Gallery Correspondence
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b81998fa-424d-440d-bc30-875d7c1659a3
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-mirsbori-ref101

T,U,V

Collection Creator:
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Container:
Box 5, Folder 1
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1965, 1971
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Boris Mirski Gallery records, 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Boris Mirski Gallery records
Boris Mirski Gallery records / Series 3: Gallery Correspondence
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90ac2e764-dbe5-41f5-9886-9db95a4e4cf0
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-mirsbori-ref102

W

Collection Creator:
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Container:
Box 5, Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1962-1973
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Boris Mirski Gallery records, 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Boris Mirski Gallery records
Boris Mirski Gallery records / Series 3: Gallery Correspondence
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw96662bd61-5065-4ab1-9acb-4ad8647220a3
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-mirsbori-ref103

Traore Yacuba

Collection Creator:
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Container:
Box 5, Folder 3
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1972-1974
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Boris Mirski Gallery records, 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Boris Mirski Gallery records
Boris Mirski Gallery records / Series 3: Gallery Correspondence
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9180b9e78-0d2b-46ee-ba61-ea03bc00112d
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-mirsbori-ref104

X,Y,Z

Collection Creator:
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Container:
Box 5, Folder 4
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1962-1970
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Boris Mirski Gallery records, 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Boris Mirski Gallery records
Boris Mirski Gallery records / Series 3: Gallery Correspondence
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw99c46f252-b7e6-47cc-96a7-017716ddf086
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-mirsbori-ref105

Holiday Cards

Collection Creator:
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Container:
Box 5, Folder 5
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1946-1976
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Boris Mirski Gallery records, 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Boris Mirski Gallery records
Boris Mirski Gallery records / Series 3: Gallery Correspondence
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw92980afb5-1bb5-48e7-979a-8189c378fe39
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-mirsbori-ref106

Gallery Invoices

Collection Creator:
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1961-1974
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Boris Mirski Gallery records, 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.mirsbori, Subseries 4.1
See more items in:
Boris Mirski Gallery records
Boris Mirski Gallery records / Series 4: Financial Records
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw96b5b9c7c-af94-473b-a068-353f10123af0
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-mirsbori-ref107

Vendor Receipts and Invoices

Collection Creator:
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1958-1973
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Boris Mirski Gallery records, 1936-2000, bulk 1945-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.mirsbori, Subseries 4.2
See more items in:
Boris Mirski Gallery records
Boris Mirski Gallery records / Series 4: Financial Records
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90beeeb3f-32e5-4e03-a30c-526ccbb5b29b
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-mirsbori-ref108

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