An interview of Phillip A. Bruno conducted 2009 January 13-21, by James McElhinney, for the Archives of American Art, at the Archives of American Art, in New York, New York.
Bruno speaks of some his earliest impressions of art while growing up in New York and Paris; attending Columbia University, where he majored in the history of painting and architecture and studied under Meyer Schapiro; his first job at the Weyhe Gallery as a gallery assistant; helping create the Grace Borgenicht Gallery, where he served as director for five years; traveling to Mexico, meeting Jose Cuevas and exhibiting his work at the Edward Loeb Gallery in Paris; traveling to Brazil and meeting a family of naturalist painters who emphasized the importance of painting outdoors, unlike many painters from the New York school; working with Henry Clews and the La Napoule Art Foundation; selling a piece of Salvador Dali jewelry made by Carlos Alamanni to Hugh Hefner, founder of Playboy Magazine; working as director of The World House Gallery and selling works by Fancis Bacon and Max Ernst to clients such as Joseph Hirshhorn and Roy Neuberger; organizing a exhibition of artists shown at the Brussels World Fair in 1958 at World House and meeting George Staempfli through the artist Joan Brown; moving from World House to the Staempfli Gallery in 1960 to work as co-director; the Staempfli Gallery's role in the international art world; an original drawing by Leonard Baskin inscribed to Phillip in 1954; selling the work of artists such as Harry Bertoia, Fritz Koening, and David Park; meeting Henri Matisse in Paris at the age of 21; visiting the studios of Alexander Calder and Mark Rothko; the difference between galleries that can spot new talent and galleries that sell certain artists well; the art market becoming less idealistic and more commercial; the rising importance of auction houses and the possibility of their taking the place of traditional art galleries; the move of the Staempfli Gallery to the SoHo neighborhood and soon after, leaving Staempfli for Marlborough, where he was one of the New York directors for 18 years; his appreciation for the creativity of others, retirement and current plans to write his memoirs. Bruno also recalls Milton Avery, Gabor Peterdi, Hans Muller, Ralston Crawford, Randall Morgan, Charlotte Willard, Dorthy Satterlee, Masayuki Nagare, Claude Bemardin, Kubach-Wilmsen, Louise Nevelson, Cladio Bravo, Lopez Garcia, Alberto Giacometti, The Barnes Foundation, Richard Estes, Alex Katz, and Neil Wlliver.
Biographical / Historical:
Phillip A. Bruno (1930- ) is an art collector and director of Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 45 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:
Gallery directors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Collectors and collecting -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sponsor:
Funding for this interview was provided by the Widgeon Point Charitable Foundation.
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.
United States of America -- Rhode Island -- Newport County -- Newport
The Rocks (Newport, Rhode Island)
Varying Form:
Also known as the Boit-Clews Estate.
General:
Postcard circa 1915-1930.
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.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Richard Marchand historical postcard collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid in this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
Papers concerning the sculptor Henry Clews and his wife, the architect Marie Clews, and their rebuilding of Chateau de la Napoule.
REEL 2802: Papers of Marie Elsie Whelan Clews, including a letter from her to Mr. MacIlravy, June 19, 1948; a handwritten address delivered by her, May 1952; a typescript of an address delivered by Clews before the Colony Club of New York, March 15, 1955; and a clipping. [Microfilmed target reads Marie Clews papers.]
UNMICROFILMED: Postcards; 2 exhibition catalogs, from Clews' exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1939, and from Musée Jaquemart-André, 1959; publications, and clippings about Clews and his work, including an essay about Clews' Chateau de la Napoule, and a photocopy of the charter of Le Chateau la Napoule Art Foundation; and ca. 35 photographs of Clews, his chateau, and his art work.
ADDITION: Video of a lecture on Clews (?) delivered by Sigmund Ables at Brookgreen Gardens, S.C., May 1987.
Biographical / Historical:
Clews was a sculptor and painter, who bought Chateau de la Napoule, near Cannes, France in 1919. The Chateau housed his sculpture and other exhibits, and was endowed by Mrs. Clews to continue as the Henry Clews Memorial, a cultural arts center, and maintained by the La Napoule Art Foundation, a non-profit organization chartered by the State of New York.
Other Title:
Marie Elsie Whelan Clews papers (microfilm title)
Provenance:
Donated 1970 and 1971 by the La Napoule Art Foundation through Mrs. David Colton. The video was received via Mrs. Barbara Bratone, executive director of the Foundation, 1988.
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.
Research notes, printed matter, photographs, and correspondence, 1981-1983, of Lise Holst relating to her work on Robert Lea MacCameron; and photocopies of MacCameron's correspondence, 1900-1912, a journal, 1896-1912, and writings.
Holst's correspondence is mainly with museums and members of the MacCameron family. Photographs and other reproductions of MacCameron's artwork. Printed matter includes exhibition catalogs and articles.
MacCameron's correspondence is with clients concerning portrait commissions, and with family and friends, including a series of letters to Henry Clews, 1909-1912. Journal entries mainly record portraits painted and European travels. Writings include essays on art topics, reminiscences, an autobiographical account, "The People I Have Painted," and "Biographical Sketch of Robert Lea MacCameron," by Robert F. MacCameron [grandson], 1967.
Arrangement:
I. Lisa Holst's correspondence, notes, and research (1981-1983) II. MacCameron's journals and papers (1896-1912); dated correspondence arranged chronologically
Biographical / Historical:
Holst: Assisant Curator, Williams College Museum of Art. MacCameron: Painter, specializing in portraits; New York, N.Y.
Provenance:
Donated by Lise Holst, 1993.
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.
Occupation:
Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
