Ain't misbehavin' [videorecording] : the Coit Tower murals / New Pacific Productions ; producers, David Bolt, John Esterle, and Sue Ellen McCann ; director, David Bolt ; writer, John Esterle ; art director, Sue Ellen McCann ; narrator, Bruce Holbert, c1986
An interview of George Gaethke conducted 1964 Sept 26 by Mary McChesney for the Archives of American Art.
Gaethke speaks of his background and art training in California and Chicago; his work on the Coit Tower murals; working on a mosaic under the Federal Art Project; printmaking under the FAP; his post-FAP career. He recalls Maxine Albro and Ray Bertrand.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, printmaker, mosaicist, mural painter; San Francisco, Calif.
Provenance:
This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Restrictions:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
An interview of Alfred Victor Frankenstein conducted 1965 Nov. 9, by Mary McChesney, for the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project.
Frankenstein speaks of the WPA mural project and its value; problems with the project; Hans Hofmann's influence; the influence of surrealism; the Coit Tower murals and the controversy surrounding them; the easel painting project and its value; political problems with the Federal Art Project; the project's relevance to current problems; art in architecture; the Index of American Design. He recalls Beniamino Bufano.
Biographical / Historical:
Alfred Victor Frankenstein (1906-1981) was an art historian from San Francisco, Calif.
Provenance:
Conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Restrictions:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Art historians -- California -- Interviews Search this
An interview of John Langley Howard (1902-1999) and his wife, Mary conducted by Robert Campbell. The interview was conducted for a proposed article by Campbell about the WPA Coit Towers murals in San Francisco.
Biographical / Historical:
John Langley Howard was a muralist who worked on the often controversial murals for the Coit Tower for Public Works of Art Project. The interviewer and donor, Bob Campbell, is a retired librarian for the San Franscisco School District, who conducted the interview as part of an educational multimedia database "Voices of the 30s."
Provenance:
Donated 2002 by Robert Campbell.
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.
Topic:
Coit Memorial Tower (San Francisco, Calif.) Search this
Ain't misbehavin' [videorecording] : the Coit Tower murals / New Pacific Productions ; producers, David Bolt, John Esterle, and Sue Ellen McCann ; director, David Bolt ; writer, John Esterle ; art director, Sue Ellen McCann ; narrator, Bruce Holbert
Reviews the history of the San Francisco Coit Tower from its building, the commissioning of the often controversial murals by the Public Works of Art Project in 1933, and their significance in both artistic and political terms, through to the more recent problems of restoration and the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the murals in 1984. Appearing in the video are Coit Tower muralists, Ralph Chessé, John Langley Howard and Bernard Zakheim. Offering commentary and analysis are: Masha Zakheim Jewett, author of COIT TOWER, Michael Bell, Assistant Director, San Francisco Art Commission, and art historian Francis V. O'Connor.
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
San Francisco, Calif. : New Pacific Productions [production company], c1986.
Provenance:
Donated 1986 by David Bolt.
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:
To be used for research purposes only. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Coit Memorial Tower (San Francisco, Calif.) Search this
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Mural painting and decoration, American -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Zakheim, Bernard Baruch, 1898-1985 -- Photographs Search this
Extent:
7 Items (photographic prints, b&w, 15 x 10 cm.)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1934
Scope and Contents:
Photographs donated and annotated by Shirley Triest, and taken by Peter Stackpole of artists working on the Coit Tower, San Francisco, 1934, for the Public Works of Art Project. Pictured are George Harris, John Howard, Lucien Labaudt, Fred Olmstead, Ralph Stackpole, and Bernard Zakheim, and assistants Julia Rogers and Shirley Staschen Triest.
Biographical / Historical:
The mural decoration of the Coit Memorial Tower, San Francisco, was commissioned in 1933 by the Public Works of Art Project, a relief project for artists unemployed due to the Depression. At one point, the project was temporarily closed down due to a controversy surrounding the murals, which were criticized as pro-Communist.
General:
Photographs microfilmed with AAA's Photographs of Artists Collection Two, and appear on microfilm in alphabetical order with other unrelated photographs.
Provenance:
Donated 1974 by Shirley S. Triest. Microfilmed in 1980 as part of AAA's Photographs of Artists Collection Two.
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.
Topic:
Coit Memorial Tower (San Francisco, Calif.) Search this
Art and state -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Artists -- California -- San Francisco -- Photographs Search this
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- United States Search this
Research notes consisting mainly of abstracts of articles primarily from the San Francisco CHRONICLE, 1936-1942. Included are material on the Writer's Project, Theater Project, Photography Project, Music Project, the Coit Tower Murals, artists Beniamino Bufano, Stanton Macdonald-Wright and Anton Refregier.
Provenance:
Provenance unknown.
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.
Topic:
Coit Memorial Tower (San Francisco, Calif.) Search this
An interview of José Moya del Pino conducted 1964 Sept. 10, by Mary McChesney, for the New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project.
Moya del Pino speaks of his youth in Spain, and his education in Rome and in Paris; meeting Matisse; moving to San Francisco and taking up portraiture there; starting with the Federal Art Project (FAP) and working on a mural at Coit Tower; political problems with the murals and other work done under the FAP; painting a mural in a post office in Alpine, Tex., and other murals; how work was assigned; his mural for the Social Security Building in Washington, D.C.; and his feelings about government support for the arts and how it should be administered. He recalls Diego Rivera and Victor Arnautoff.
Biographical / Historical:
José Moya del Pino (1891-1969) was a Spanish born painter and mural painter from Calif.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hrs., 57 min.
Provenance:
Conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Topic:
Coit Memorial Tower (San Francisco, Calif.) Search this
An interview of Dorothy Cravath conducted 1964 May 13 - 27, by Minette Martin for the Archives of American Art.
Interview conducted at the home of Leota Molten in Berkeley, California. Cravath speaks of her youth and art education at the California School of Fine Arts; painting murals for the Federal Art Project; and restoring the murals at Coit Tower. She recalls Diego Rivera and discusses his influence on muralists.
Biographical / Historical:
Dorothy Cravath (1901-1974) was a mural painter in San Francisco, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav file. Duration is 55 min.
Provenance:
This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Muralists -- California -- San Francisco Search this
An interview of Robert Boardman Howard conducted 1964 Sept. 16 by Mary McChesney.
Howard speaks of his background and education; his early paintings and sculptures; his involvement with the Federal Art Project in San Francisco; Coit Tower; and his opinions of federal support for the arts.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Boardman Howard (1896-1983) was a sculptor from San Francisco, Calif.
Provenance:
Conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Topic:
Coit Memorial Tower (San Francisco, Calif.) Search this
An interview of Ralph Chessé conducted 1964 October 22, by Mary McChesney for the Archives of American Art.
Chessé speaks of his background and early interest in art; experimenting in puppetry; his first involvement with the WPA mural project; working on frescos for Coit Tower; technical aspects of the work; subject matter for frescos and how it was chosen; the importance of the Federal Art Project in that period in art history; political problems with the Federal Art Project; switching to the Federal Theater Project; some of the work he did for the Federal Theater Project; building and operating marionettes; his work in silkscreen; the WPA's value and contribution. He recalls Lucien Labaudt.
Biographical / Historical:
Ralph Chessé (1900-1991) was a mural painter and puppeteer, in San Francisco, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 11 min.
Provenance:
This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Restrictions:
This transcript is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Topic:
Coit Memorial Tower (San Francisco, Calif.) Search this
