The papers of public relations consultant and journalist Emily Nathan measure 5.0 linear feet and date from circa 1943-1985. Included are files on clients, among them Towle Manufacturing and its gallery; the Smithsonian Institution, including the Archives of American Art, Radio Smithsonian and the National Portrait Gallery.
Interviews conducted by Nathan for Radio Smithsonian include New York, N.Y. cartoonist and inventor Rube Goldberg (1883-1970), 1970; art historian and writer Richard B. K. McLanathan, 1970; Director of the Archives of American Art William E. Woolfenden, 1970, Abram Lerner, Director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, and art collector Joseph Hirshhorn, 1969. Also found is an interview of William Woolfenden May 6, 1983 upon his retirement as Director of the Archives of American Art.
Among the correspondence are letters to Georgia O'Keeffe regarding a pending oral history with the sculptors Dorothy Dehner and David Smith and a letter from museum administrator and lecturer Daniel Catton Rich expressing his pleasure at having met Jannis and Zoe Spyropoulous in Athens, Greece and describes the painting by Jannis that he purchased for the Worcester Art Museum. The majority of the photographs are of personalities long associated with the Archives of American Art. There are two photographs of Jasper Johns, and one each of Mark Rothko and Tony Smith, all taken by Hans Namuth, 1960.
Also found is a folder of material assembled by Nathan regarding Jose de Creeft's story, as told to Nathan, of his pet rooster, intended by Nathan to be submitted for publication under the title "Roosty Was My Friend." Included are an introduction by Nathan, providing biographical information on de Creeft; sample text for the story (2 pages) and an outline for the remainder (3 pages), 24 drawings by de Creeft illustrating the story; and a photograph of de Creeft with a wire sculpture of Roosty, 1957, taken by Budd studio.
Biographical / Historical:
Emily Nathan (1907-1999) was a journalist and public relations consultant specializing in arts and cultural heritage institutions.
Provenance:
Donated 1973-1988 by Emily Nathan and in 2000 by the Emily Nathan estate, via Edgar S. Nathan, III, executor. The letter to Nathan from Daniel Catton Rich was donated by Rich, 1977.
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.
An interview of Romare Bearden conducted 1968 June 29, by Henri Ghent, for the Archives of American Art.
Bearden speaks of his childhood in New York; the development of his artistic interests and ability; studying with George Grosz; his transition from cartoonist to painter; his first gallery show in Washington, D.C.; the influence of the Dutch masters; reactions to his work; his interest in gypsy culture; his travels; being a black artist; his work methods; and his future plans. He recalls the artist Carl Holty.
Biographical / Historical:
Romare Bearden (1911-1988) was painter from New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 15 min.
Provenance:
These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Cartoonists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The papers of painter Margarita Gibbons measure 2 linear feet and date from circa 1920 to 1976, with bulk dates from 1938 to 1946. The papers document her carreer as a painter in New York and her relationship with her husband, American illustrator Arthur Getz through biographical material; correspondence with Getz, friends, and other artists; gallery records such as price lists, dimension notes and a signed exhibition guestbook; news clippings, and exhibition flyers; photographs; detached scrapbooks of photographs of artwork, news clippings, and exhibition flyers; and artwork including two sketchbooks and an oil self portait by Arthur Getz.
Scope and Contents:
The Margarita Gibbons papers measure 2 linear feet and date from circa 1920 to 1976, with bulk dates from 1938 to 1946. The papers document her carreer as a painter in New York City and her relationship with her husband, American illustrator Arthur Getz through biographical material; correspondence with Getz, friends, and other artists including holiday cards from painter Moses Soyer. Also found are gallery records comprised of price lists, dimension notes and a signed exhibition guestbook. Printed material is comprised of news clippings and exhibition flyers. Additionally, there are detached scrapbooks of photographs of artwork, news clippings, and exhibition flyers. Photographs consist of black and white prints of artwork as well as portraits of Gibbons, her family and friends. Artwork includes two sketchbooks of graphite figure drawings as well as an oil self portrait of Arthur Getz.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as seven series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1960-1968 (0.2 Linear feet: Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1938-1973 (1.3 Linear Feet: Box 1-2)
Series 3: Gallery Records, circa 1960-1972 (0.2 Linear Feet: Box 2)
Series 4: Printed Material, circa 1944-1976 (0.1 Linear Feet: Box 2)
Series 5: Scrapbooks, circa 1942-1968 (0.2 Linear Feet: Box 2)
Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1920-1968 (0.2 Linear Feet: Box 2)
Series 7: Artwork, circa 1920-1976 (0.2 Linear Feet: Box 2)
Biographical / Historical:
Margarita Gibbons (1906-1976) was a painter from New York City. Gibbons originally performed as a ballerina for the Metropolitan Opera House before pursing a career as a fine artist. She studied at the Art Students League, Pratt institute and later in Paris and Amsterdam. Her work has been shown in a number of galleries and museums including the Argent gallery, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Gibbons first husband was Ecuadorian painter Camilo Egas, whom she brought to the United States. Her second husband was American illustrator and painter Arthur Getz.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is the Arthur Getz letter from Charles E. Burchfield March 19, 1961.
Provenance:
The records were donated to the Archives of American Art by owner Margarita Gibbons, February 1975 and the Arthur Getz letters were donated by William Gibbons, nephew of Margarita Gibbons, June 1977.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
Terms of Use statement: 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:
Cartoonists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Margarita Gibbons papers, circa 1920-1976. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
