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Interviewee:

Crain, E. Gene, 1934-  Search this

Interviewer:

Anderson, Susan  Search this

Names:

Walt Disney Productions  Search this

Brandt, Rex, 1914-2000  Search this

Dike, Phil, 1906-1990  Search this

Sheets, Millard, 1907-1989  Search this

Extent:

107 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1999 March 7-May 22

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Gene Crain, conducted 1999 March 7-May 22, by Susan Anderson, for the Archives of American Art, in the law offices of Gene Crain, Newport Beach, California.

Crain describes the focus of his collection of some 1000 works of art, and how it grew out of his longstanding relationships with artists Millard Sheets, Phil Dike, Rex Brandt, and others. He recalls his relationships with Sheets, Dike, and Brandt at some length, including their feelings for the land as well as their personalities and work. He discusses urban growth, disappearance of the locale and nostalgia in the context of art collecting, and his collection as an important record of a certain time and place. He discusses convenience, climate, and topography as contributing factors to the emergence of the watercolor school as well as other important influences: Pacific rim culture and Far Eastern Art and philosophy; Mexican art and culture; the film industry, especially the Disney Studios; and the federal art projects as a catalyst and support system. Crain discusses the impact of social and economic factors in Southern California during the Depression, contrasting them with harsher conditions in other parts of the country; the development of his eye an aesthetic taste and his patronage of the artists beginning in the early 1960s; the artists' critical standing in the post-World War II period and the "crowding out" of the school by other movements such as Abstract Expressionism and Pop; and the viability of the school in the post-war period, its legacy, and comments on the present market value of the art.

Biographical / Historical:

E. Gene Crain (1934- ) is a lawyer and art collector from Newport Beach, California. Full name Ernst Gene Crain. Crain's art collection includes extensive holdings of prominent artists of the California School, a West Coast watercolor movement that arose during the Depression era.

General:

Originally recorded on 8 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 13 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 38 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

Abstract expressionism  Search this

Pop art  Search this

Depressions -- 1929 -- California  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funded by the Orange County Museum of Art Historical Collections Council.

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.crain99

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90263dca9-32c3-4ce5-98b1-2ef0e1024a5f

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-crain99

Artist:

Brandt, Rex 1914-2000  Search this

Type:

Photograph

Date:

1967

Image number:

JUL J0120353

See more items in:

Photograph Study Collection

Data Source:

Photograph Study Collection, Smithsonian American Art Museum

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_jul_120354

Artist:

Brandt, Rex 1914-2000  Search this

Type:

Photograph

Date:

1964

Image number:

JUL J0120369

See more items in:

Photograph Study Collection

Data Source:

Photograph Study Collection, Smithsonian American Art Museum

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_jul_120370

Artist:

Brandt, Rex 1914-2000  Search this

Type:

Photograph

Date:

1969

Image number:

JUL J0120386

See more items in:

Photograph Study Collection

Data Source:

Photograph Study Collection, Smithsonian American Art Museum

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_jul_120387

Artist:

Brandt, Rex 1914-2000  Search this

Physical description:

1 folder

Type:

Photograph

Artist files

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Image number:

VFM VF000400

See more items in:

Photograph Study Collection

Data Source:

Photograph Study Collection, Smithsonian American Art Museum

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_jul_137238

Creator:

Challis Galleries (Laguna Beach, Calif.)  Search this

Names:

Adele Bednarz Galleries  Search this

Laguna Art Museum (Laguna Beach, Calif.)  Search this

Laguna Beach. City Council (Calif.)  Search this

Bongart, Sergei, 1918-1985  Search this

Bradbury, Bennett  Search this

Brandt, Rex, 1914-2000  Search this

Challis, Richard  Search this

Dan, Virginia  Search this

DiBert, Paul  Search this

Dike, Phil, 1906-1990  Search this

Farron, Paul  Search this

Franks, Leon  Search this

Kuntz, Roger, 1926-1975  Search this

Marlette, Lacy  Search this

O'Hara, Frank, 1926-1966  Search this

Pillin, Polia  Search this

Proctor, Burt  Search this

Extent:

2.2 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1950-1994

Summary:

The records of Challis Galleries located in Laguna Beach, California, measure 2.2 linear feet and date from 1950 to 1994. The bulk of the records consist of artists' files and sales ledgers. Also included are a few administrative files and business correspondence.

Scope and Contents:

The records of Challis Galleries located in Laguna Beach, California, measure 2.2 linear feet and date from 1950 to 1994. The bulk of the records consist of artists' files and sales ledgers. Also included are a few administrative files and business correspondence.

Administrative files include Challis Galleries brochures, materials related to exhibitions and events; one folder on Adele Bednarz Galleries, which Richard Challis ran for two years; and one folder of miscellaneous printed material.

Business correspondence is from art world colleague Paul Farron, accountant Lacy Marlette, Laguna Beach City Council, and Laguna Beach Museum of Art on matters relating to operating Challis Galleries.

Artists' files include a range of materials on artists represented by Challis Galleries such as biographical outlines, photographs, printed material and price lists. Notable artists include Bennett Bradbury, Sergei Bongart, Rex Brandt, Virginia Dan, Paul Di Bert, Phil Dike, Leon Franks, Roger Kuntz, Eliot O'Hara, Polia Pillin and Burt Proctor, among others.

There are 16 ledgers that record the sales of artwork at Challis Galleries.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as four series.

Series 1: Administrative Files, 1965-1989 (Box 1; 6 folders)

Series 2: Business Correspondence, 1951-1983 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 3: Artists' Files, 1950-1994 (Boxes 1-2; 1.3 linear feet)

Series 4: Sales Ledgers, 1958-1984 (Boxes 2-3; 0.6 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical:

Challis Galleries (1950-1984) was an art gallery in Laguna Beach, California, that featured the work of local and regional artists.

Richard Challis was born in London, England in 1920 and moved to Laguna Beach, California in 1946. Roughly three years after arriving in California, he purchased a building at 1390 South Coast Highway which became Laguna Studio Gallery, later renamed as Challis Galleries in 1966. The gallery officially opened its doors in 1950.

Challis Galleries showcased the work of California watercolorists and regional artists. Among the artists represented are Bennett Bradbury, Sergei Bongart, Rex Brandt, Virginia Dan, Paul Di Bert, Phil Dike, Leon Franks, Roger Kuntz, Eliot O'Hara, Polia Pillin, Burt Proctor, and many others. The gallery held regular exhibitions with Richard Challis as its director until his retirement in 1984. Shortly thereafter the gallery was sold to Esther Wells and became known as the Esther Wells Collection.

Provenance:

The Challis Galleries records were donated to the Archives of American Art by gallery owner Richard Challis in 1994.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.

Topic:

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- California -- Exhibitions  Search this

Function:

Art galleries, Commercial -- California

Citation:

Challis Galleries records, 1950-1994. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.chalgall

See more items in:

Challis Galleries records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw92cf3eb48-bf4c-498e-8fc5-126d9143dd71

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-chalgall