An interview with Tom Jancar conducted June 23 2017, by Hunter Drohojowska-Philp, for the Archives of American Art, at Pomona College, Art Department, Claremont, California.
Mr. Jancar discusses his family's origins in the Pasadena, California area; his mother's interest in painting and his early exposure to art in their home; the impact of music on his early art understanding; his first classes in art history at Orange Coast College and subsequent art degrees from UC Irvine; his interest in collecting Pictorialist photography in the Los Angeles area; his first exposures to Conceptual art at UC Irvine; his time as a teaching assistant for Bas Jan Ader at UCI; the impact of visits as a student to galleries in the L.A. area, especially the Claire Copley Gallery. Mr. Jancar also describes his work as an art preparator at the Bowers Museum; his time performing construction work with Tom Jimmerson for galleries in the L.A. area; his friendship with Richard Kuhlenschmidt and the opening of the Jancar/Kuhlenschmidt Gallery in the Los Altos Apartments building in 1980; Mr. Jancar's decision to leave the gallery business in 1982 and to devote his time to working in corporate architecture; his return to the gallery world in 2006 and the opening of the Thomas Jancar Gallery; his focus on women artists and emphasis on showing the work of emerging artists alongside more established artists; his decision to leave the gallery world once again in 2015, and the closing of his gallery. Mr. Jancar also recalls Hal Glicksman, Tom Jimmerson, Craig Kauffman, Tom Garver, Phil Tippett, Tony DeLap, Ilene Segalove, Hiromu Kira, Guy de Cointet, as well as Kim Hubbard, David Amico, Phil Leider, Larry Gagosian, Louise Lawler, Jean Milant, Micol Hebron, Richard Prince, Annie Sprinkle, and David Askevold, among others.
Biographical / Historical:
Tom Jancar (1950- ) a contemporary art dealer who owns Jancar Gallery in Los Angeles, California. Hunter Drohojowska-Philp is a writer in Los Angeles, California.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Jancar Gallery records.
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 dealers -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews Search this
Gallery owners -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews Search this
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice. 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:
Lucy R. Lippard papers, 1930s-2007, bulk 1960s-1990s. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art
