The papers of sculptor, painter, and author Robert Smithson and sculptor, filmmaker, and earthworks artist Nancy Holt measure 18.9 linear feet and date from 1905 to 1987, with the bulk of the material dating from 1952 to 1987. Also included is Smithson's personal library of books, vinyl records, and magazine, measuring 48.4 linear feet. The papers consist of Smithson's biographical material; business and personal correspondence, much of it with artists; interview transcripts; extensive writings and project files; financial records; printed material; a scrapbook of clippings; holiday cards with original prints and sketches; photographic material; and artifacts. Also found are project files related to Nancy Holt's motion picture film Pine Barrens and her seminal environmental work of art Sun Tunnels, including a video documentary about Sun Tunnels.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of sculptor, painter, and author Robert Smithson and sculptor, filmmaker, and earthworks artist Nancy Holt measure 18.9 linear feet and date from 1905 to 1987, with the bulk of the material dating from 1952 to 1987. Also included is Smithson's personal library of books, vinyl records, and magazine, measuring 48.4 linear feet. The papers consist of Smithson's biographical material; business and personal correspondence, much of it with artists; interview transcripts; extensive writings and project files; financial records; printed material; a scrapbook of clippings; holiday cards with original prints and sketches; photographic material; and artifacts. Also found are project files related to Nancy Holt's film Pine Barrens and her seminal environmental work of art Sun Tunnels, including a video documentary about Sun Tunnels.
Biographical material includes Robert Smithson's curriculum vitae, personal identification and medical documents, eight engagement/day planners Smithson and Holt maintained from 1966 to 1973, and Smithson's funeral register.
Correspondence is primarily with Smithson's family, friends, fellow artists, and business associates discussing personal relationships, proposed art projects, and exhibitions. Correspondents of note include Carl Andre, the Dwan Gallery (Virginia Dwan), Dan Graham, Will Insley, Ray Johnson, Gyorgy Kepes, Sol Lewitt, Lucy Lippard, and Dennis Wheeler. There is also substantial correspondence received by Holt upon Smithson's death in 1973, and between Holt and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art regarding Smithson's retrospective exhibition in 1982.
There are nine interview transcripts with Smithson discussing his works and his general philosophy on art, and one transcript of the Andrew Dickson White Museum's Earth Art Symposium (1969) featuring the following artists: Mike Hiezer, Dennis Oppenheim, Robert Smithson, Neil Jenney, Gunther Uecker, Jan Dibbets, Richard Long, and Hans Haacke.
Writings are substantial and include 73 drafts of published and unpublished essays by Smithson on art, artists, and works in progress. The series also includes poems by Smithson, six notebooks containing notes and sketches by Smithson, and drafts of writings sent to Smithson and Holt by friends and colleagues, including Carl Andre, Terry Atkinson, Dan Flavin, Dan Graham, and Jack Thibeau.
Project files contain correspondence, project instructions, diagrams and sketches, research materials, photographic material, and maps related to over 50 of Smithson's artworks. These include concepts, proposed projects, sculptures, non-sites, and earthwork projects, including Spiral Jetty, Broken Circle, and Spiral Hill.
Personal business records include gallery related loan arrangements and receipts for miscellaneous art supplies. Financial records include tax forms and preparation documents, including cancelled checks, receipts, statements, and related correspondence.
Printed materials include books, clippings, and periodicals related to Smithson, either containing writings or sketches by him, or containing articles reviewing his work. There are also exhibition announcements and catalogs of Smithson's group and solo shows from 1959 to 1985.
The scrapbook contains clippings of Smithson's published articles from 1966 to 1973 with annotated shorthand notes.
Artwork consists of Christmas cards collaged by Smithson, and sketches by Smithson and Leo Valledor.
Photographic materials include prints and negatives of Smithson with friends, promotional Hollywood movie stills, and original prints and copyprints of other artists' artwork.
Artifacts consist of a paper bag silkscreened with a Campbell's soup can (Warhol), promotional buttons (N.E. Thing Co.), various organic materials, and two art kits.
Nancy Holt's papers consist of correspondence, a grant application, printed materials, and project files and audio visual material related to her motion picture film Pine Barrens (1975) and her seminal environmental work of art Sun Tunnels (1975).
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 14 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1905-1974 (Box 1; 14 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1959-1987 (Boxes 1-2, OV 21; 1.7 linear feet)
Series 3: Interview Transcripts, 1966-1973 (Box 2; 11 folders)
Series 4: Writings, 1959-1975 (Boxes 2-3; 1.1 linear feet)
Series 5: Project Files, circa 1950s-1982 (Boxes 4-5, Boxes 17-18, OV 20, OV 22-26, OV 36, RD 28-30, RD 32-35; 6.5 linear feet)
Series 6: Personal Business Records, circa 1967-1970s (Box 5; 4 folders)
Series 7: Financial Records, 1962-1972 (Box 6-7; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 8: Printed Material, 1955-1985 (Boxes 7-11, Box 18, RD 31; 5.6 linear feet)
Series 9: Scrapbook, 1966-1973 (Box 11, Box 16; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 10: Artwork, circa 1950s-1970s (Box 11; 4 folders)
Series 11: Photographs, circa 1950s-1970s (Box 11, Box 18; 5 folders)
Series 12: Artifacts, circa 1950s-1970s (Box 11, Box 14, OV 19; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 13: Nancy Holt Papers, circa 1960s-1980s (Box 12-13, 15, OV 27, FC 37-38; 1.9 linear feet)
Series 14: Robert Smithson Personal Library (Boxes 39-87; 48.4 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Robert Smithson (1938-1973) was a sculptor, painter, author, and lecturer who was known as a pioneer of land and earthworks art, based primarily in New York City. Nancy Holt (1938-2014) was a land artist, conceptual artist, and filmmaker. Smithson and Holt were married from 1963 until Smithson's death in 1973.
Born in Passaic, New Jersey, Smithson expressed an early interest in art, enrolling in classes at the Brooklyn Museum School and the Art Student's League in New York while still attending high school. Smithson's early works were primarily paintings, drawings, and collages. In 1959, he exhibited his first solo show of paintings at the Artists' Gallery in New York and had his first solo international show in Rome with the Galleria George Lester in 1961.
During the early to mid-1960s, Smithson was perhaps better known as a writer and art critic, writing numerous essays and reviews for Arts Magazine and Artforum. He became affiliated with artists who were identified with the minimalist movement, such as Carl Andre, Donald Judd, Nancy Holt, Sol LeWitt, Robert Morris and others. In 1963, Smithson married sculptor and filmmaker Nancy Holt and a year later started to create his first sculptural works. In 1966, Smithson joined the Dwan Gallery, whose owner Virginia Dwan was an enthusiastic supporter of his work.
Smithson's interest in land art began in the late 1960s while exploring industrial and quarry sites and observing the movement of earth and rocks. This resulted in a series of sculptures called "non-sites" consisting of earth and rocks collected from a specific site and installed in gallery space, often combined with photographs, maps, mirrors, or found materials. In September 1968, Smithson published the essay "A Sedimentation of the Mind: Earth Projects" in Artforum that promoted the work of the first wave of land art artists. Soon thereafter, he began creating his own large scale land art and earthworks.
From 1967 to 1973, Smithson's productivity was constant as he wrote, lectured, and participated in several solo and group shows a year, both at home and abroad. He explored narrative art as essay in "The Monuments of Passaic" and fully committed to his idea of visiting sites and using them as the basis for creating non-sites, Non-Site, Pine Barrens, (1968); incorporated and documented the use of mirrors at sites in Mirror Displacement, Cayuga Salt Mine Project (1968-1969); and created his first site-specific works through liquid pours of mud, asphalt, and concrete, including Asphalt Rundown (1969). In 1969, he also completed his first earth pour at Kent State University with his project Partially Buried Woodshed. Later that year, he created the sculptural artwork for which he is best known, Spiral Jetty (1969) on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. This was the first of his pieces to require the acquisition of land rights and earthmoving equipment, and would be followed two years later by Broken Circle and Spiral Hill in 1971.
On July 20, 1973, while surveying sites in Texas for the proposed Amarillo Ramp, Smithson died in a plane crash at the age of 35. Despite his early death, Smithson's writings and artwork had a major impact on many contemporary artists.
Nancy Holt began her career as a photographer and video artist. Today, Holt is most widely known for her large-scale environmental works, Sun Tunnels and Dark Star Park. Holt has also made a number of films and videos since the late 1960s, including Mono Lake (1968), East Coast, West Coast (1969), and Swamp (1971) in collaboration with her late husband Robert Smithson. Points of View: Clocktower (1974) features conversations between Lucy Lippard and Richard Serra, Liza Bear and Klaus Kertess, Carl Andre and Ruth Kligman and Bruce Brice and Tina Girouard. In 1978, she produced a film about her seminal work Sun Tunnels.
Related Material:
The Archives also holds several collections related to Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt, including an oral history interview with Robert Smithson conducted by Paul Cummings in 1972; an interview with Robert Smithson conducted by Tony Robbin in 1968; Robert Smithson letters to George B. Lester, 1960-1963; an oral history interviews with Nancy Holt conducted by Scott Gutterman in 1992 and Joyce Pomeroy Schwartz in 1993; and the Nancy Holt Estate records, circa 1960-2001.
Provenance:
The papers of Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt were donated by Nancy Holt in several accretions between 1986 and 2011.
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. Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, holds the intellectual property rights, including copyright, to all materials created by Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt with the exception of the following items: two holiday cards found in box 11, folders 22-23. For these two items, copyright held by Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Requests for permission to reproduce should be submitted to ARS.
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:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt papers, 1905-1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and the Alice L. Walton Foundation.
An interview of Alison Knowles conducted 2010 June 1-2, by Judith Olch Richards, for the Archives of American Art's Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project, at Knowles' home and studio, in New York, N.Y.
Knowles speaks of her family background; her father's (an English professor) influence on her education; her love of nature and isolation as a young girl; her French studies at Middlebury College; her transfer to Pratt Institute to study art; the social and academic environment at Pratt; her inclinations towards abstraction; her first marriage to Jim Ericson; her first studio at 423 Broadway; her early jobs as a commercial artist; her first gallery show at Nonagon, in 1958, and how she subsequently burned the paintings in that show; her second marriage to Dick Higgins in 1960; her Judson Gallery Show in 1962 and how she subsequently discarded those works; her involvement in the Fluxus group; her involvement with the "Cage class," and its early performances; her collaboration with John Cage on the book, "Notations" (1968); her collaboration with Marcel Duchamp on a print (1967); the circumstances surrounding her performance piece, "Make a Salad" (1962), her travels through Europe with Higgins; the birth of her twins; her computerized poetic piece and installation, "House of Dust" (1967) and how it was later vandalized; her move to Los Angeles to teach at CalArts; the rebuilding of "House of Dust" at CalArts; her move back to New York; the processes leading up to several projects and collaborations including "Loose Pages," "Big Book," "Bread and Water," and more; where she finds her inspiration; her thoughts on performance art; her studio environment in Barrytown, N.Y.; the influence and support of Germany on her work and Fluxus in general; her recent work, including "Identical Lunch"; and current challenges she faces as an artist.
She recalls Richard Lindner, Adolph Gottlieb, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Judy Chicago, Josef Albers, Dorothy Podber, Ray Johnson, Dick Higgins, Robert Rauschenberg, John Cage, Klaus Schöning, Jon Hendricks, Gilbert Silverman, George Maciunas, George Brecht, Jack Mac Low, Yoko Ono, Mieko Shiomi, Takako Saito, Joe Jones, Marcel Duchamp, Daniel Spoerri, Richard Hamilton, Nam June Paik, Charlotte Moorman, Helmut Becker, Coco Gordon, Jim Tenney, Cornelia Lauf, Rirkrit Tirvanija, Allan Kaprow, Simone Forte, Carolee Schneemann, Richard Teitelbaum, Miriam Schapiro, Miguel Abrau, James Fuentes, Cyrilla Wozenter, Kathy Kuehn, Ryszard Wasko.
Biographical / Historical:
Alison Knowles (1933- ) is an artist and a founding member of Fluxus in New York, N.Y. Judith Olch Richards (1947- ) is a former director of iCI in New York, N.Y.
General:
Originally recorded on 5 mini discs. Duration is 5 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:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The Mierle Laderman Ukeles papers measure 183.3 linear feet and date from circa 1960-2016. Included are correspondence, project files, fiscal files, teaching files, writings, interviews and printed material. A portion of the collection contains electronic media.
Biographical / Historical:
Mierle Laderman Ukeles (1939- ) is a conceptual artist, environmental artist, and public artist in New York, N.Y.
Provenance:
Donated 2020 by Mierle Laderman Ukeles.
Restrictions:
This collection is temporarily closed for processing. Contact References Services for more information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Environmental artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Public artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
An interview with Mark Dion conducted 2022 October 7, by Denise Markonish for the Archives of American Art, at Dion's home and studio in Copake, NY.
Biographical / Historical:
Mark Dion (1961- ) is a conceptual artist in Copake, New York whose installations often address the history of scientific thought and critical inquiry. Denise Markonish (1975- ) is the chief curator of MASS MoCA, where she has worked since 2007.
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:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its Oral History Program interviews available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. Quotation, reproduction and publication of the recording is governed by restrictions. If an interview has been transcribed, researchers must quote from the transcript. If an interview has not been transcribed, researchers must quote from the recording. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) Search this
An interview of Lorraine O'Grady conducted 2010 Apr. 12-15, by Judith Olch Richards, for the Archives of American Art, at O'Grady's home and studio in New York, N.Y.
Biographical / Historical:
Lorraine O'Grady (1934- ) is a conceptual artist in New York, N.Y. Judith Olch Richards (1947- ) is former executive director of iCI in New York, N.Y.
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:
This interview is access restricted; written permission is required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The papers of New York City and Berlin, Germany based multi-media and conceptual artist Matt Mullican measure 27.8 linear feet and date from circa 1968-2017. The collection consists of biographical material, including a few interview transcripts; correspondence; over 100 notebooks; gallery and exhibition files; project and commission files; personal business records; printed material; and photographs. The notebooks document nearly five decades of Mullican's work process and illustrate his material and conceptual explorations. Large sequences of gallery and exhibition files, as well as project and commission files comprise the remaining bulk of the collection, providing detailed documentation of his professional career, particularly from the 1980s-2000s.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of New York City and Berlin, Germany based multi-media and conceptual artist Matt Mullican measure 27.8 linear feet and date from circa 1968-2017. The collection consists of biographical material, including a few interview transcripts; correspondence; over 100 notebooks; gallery and exhibition files; project and commission files; personal business records; printed material; and photographs. The notebooks document nearly five decades of Mullican's work process and illustrate his material and conceptual explorations. Large sequences of gallery and exhibition files, as well as project and commission files comprise the remaining bulk of the collection, providing detailed documentation of his professional career, particularly from the 1980s-2000s.
Biographical material includes address books, high school and college ephemera, papers and photographs relating to Mullican's family, identification cards, interview transcripts, a resume, and a few writings.
The small amount of correspondence arranged in Series 2 is with friends, artists, colleagues, fans, and museum professionals. Notable correspondents include artist Lawrence Weiner and museum director Kasper König. Additional professional correspondence is located in the Gallery and Exhibition Files, as well as the Project and Commission Files.
Over 100 notebooks document nearly five decades of Mullican's work process and artistic explorations from the time he was a student up to the present.
A large sequence of gallery and exhibition files encompass a variety of material documenting Mullican's extensive solo and group exhibition history throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan.
Extensive project and commission files contain documentation of international public and corporate commissions, academic engagements, performances, publishing projects, print editions, illustrations, grants, residencies, and other project based artwork. Public and corporate commissions include artworks and installations for banks, airports, office complexes, university buildings, public transit stations, and other spaces.
Personal business records relate to bookkeeping and sales, donations, inventories, publication, copyright, supplies, invoicing, recommendations, residences, storage of works, and studio administration.
Printed material includes announcements, posters, articles, reviews, exhibition catalogs, and periodicals related to Mullican's career.
One folder of photographs documents Mullican, his family, and installations of his work at various venues and exhibitions.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as eight series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1968-2002 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1986-2000s (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 3: Notebooks, circa 1968-2017 (7.2 linear feet; Box 1-8)
Series 4: Gallery and Exhibition Files, 1985-2000s (6.1 linear feet; Box 9-13, OV and RD 23-25)
Series 5: Project and Commission Files, 1980-2000s (10.3 linear feet; Box 14-19, OV and RD 26-43)
Series 6: Personal Business Records, 1978-2000s (1.7 linear feet; Box 19-21)
Series 7: Printed Material, 1971-2000s (1.5 linear foot; Box 21-22, RD 44)
Series 8: Photographs, 1980s-1990s (1 folder; Box 22)
Biographical / Historical:
Matt Mullican (1951- ) is a multi-media and conceptual artist working in New York City and Berlin, Germany. Born in Santa Monica, he is the son of abstract surrealist painters Lee Mullican and Luchita Hurtado Mullican. Educated at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in the early 1970s, and mentored by John Baldessari, Mullican moved to New York City after earning his BFA and became associated with the "Pictures Generation" artists, including friends Troy Brauntuch, Jack Goldstein, James Welling, and Robert Longo. His multi-disciplinary practice encompasses drawing, painting, collage, video, installation, and performance under hypnosis as his alter ego, 'That Person.' Through these media, Mullican explores systems of knowledge, the construction of reality, as well as meaning, language, and signs. Throughout his career, Mullican has participated in international solo and group exhibitions, and has undertaken dozens of public and corporate commissions.
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives of American Art in 2014-2017 by Matt Mullican.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of born-digital records requires advance notice.
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.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- Germany -- Berlin -- Interviews Search this
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
Topic:
Artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
An interview of Allan McCollum conducted 2010 February 23-April 9, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art's U.S. General Services Administration, Design Excellence and the Arts oral history project, at the Archives of American Art, in New York, New York.
Biographical / Historical:
Allan McCollum (1944- ) is a contemporary artist in New York, New York. Avis Berman (1949- ) is an independent writer in New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 9 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:
This transcript is open for research. Access to audio is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
Authorization to quote or reproduce for the purposes of publication requires written permission Allan McCollum. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sponsor:
Funding for this interview was provided by the U.S. General Services Administration, Design Excellence and the Arts.
An interview of Sarah Edwards Charlesworth conducted 2011 November 2-9, by Judith Olch Richards, for the Archives of American Art at Charlesworth's home, in New York, New York.
Charlesworth speaks of growing up in Summit, New Jersey; her family members; her early decision to become an artist; her experiences in elementary, junior high, and high schools; attending Bradford College in Massachusetts; Douglas Huebler as an important professor and mentor; visiting her friend at Barnard College in New York City and being exposed to the art scene and museums; attending Barnard to finish her undergraduate degree; her college experience in NYC, meeting other artists, and visiting galleries in the 1960s and '70s; beginning to make money off of her photography; her relationship with Joseph Kosuth; the gender inequalities and dynamics in the art world and society and how it has changed; traveling to Europe; starting up The Fox magazine with Kosuth and others; participation in Artists' Movement for Cultural Change, other publications, and forums; continuing her education; her first shows in galleries; she discusses the series Modern History; the series Stills; the series Tabula Rasa; the series In-Photography; the multiple series Objects of Desire; the series Academy of Secrets; the series Renaissance paintings; meeting Amos Poe and getting married; having children and being a working artist at the same time; her teaching positions and experiences; her transition from "appropriated" images to her own photographic work; her process for creating works; her interest in the interpretation of visual language; her current work and lifestyle. Charlesworth also recalls Kiki Smith, Judy Hudson, Douglas Huebler, Carl Andre, Robert Rauschenberg Joseph Kosuth, Betsy Baker, Seth Siegelaub, Lawerance Weiner, Bob Barry, Barbara Novak prof, Roy Anderson, Meyer Shapiro, Fred Friendly, Amos Poe, Lisett Model, Lucy Lippard, Gian Enzo Sperone, Nancy Spero, Leon Golub, Anthony McCall, Richard Prince, Barbara Kruger, Laurie Simmons, Cindy Sherman, Jan Van (Vera) Cruz, Tony Shafrazi, Sara VanDerBeek, Pat Steir, Elizabeth Murray, Susan Sterling, Louis Grachos, Louise Lawler, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Sarah Edwards Charlesworth (1947- 2013) was a conceptual artist and photographer in New York, New York. Judith Olch Richards is a former executive director of iCI in New York, New York.
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:
This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
An interview with Luis Camnitzer conducted January 16 and 17, 2020, by Josh Franco for the Archives of American Art, at Camnitzer's home in Great Neck, N.Y.
Biographical / Historical:
Luis Camnitzer (1937- ) is a conceptual artist in Great Neck, New York. Interviewer Josh T. Franco (1985- ) is the National Collector at the Archives of American Art.
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:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Topic:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- Great Neck Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sponsor:
This interview received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.
An interview of Mel Bochner conducted 1994 May, by Lizbeth Marano, for the Archives of American Art.
Biographical / Historical:
Mel Bochner (1940- ) is a conceptual artist of New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 6 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. Funding for this interview was provided by the Horace Goldsmith Foundation.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sponsor:
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.
An interview of Elaine Reichek conducted 2008 Feb. 12, by Sarah G. Sharp, for the Archives of American Art, in Reichek's studio, in New York, N.Y.
Biographical / Historical:
Elaine Reichek (1943- ) is a conceptual artist from New York, N.Y. Sarah G. Sharp (1974- ) is an artist from New York, N.Y.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 8 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 29 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:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
An interview of Dennis Oppenheim conducted 2009 June 23-24, by Judith Olch Richards, for the Archives of American Art, at Oppenheim's studio, in New York, N.Y. Oppenheim speaks of his work in the past 15 years; the evolution of his work and its lack of continuity; his use of writing as a catalyst for constructing works and the importance of language in conceptual art; the role of the audience and the effects of positive reaction to one's work; the risks involved in moving away from successful work to find another avenue; experimentation and the ability to exhibit failures; the emotionality and detached qualities of Abstract Expressionism during the 1950s; the experimental side of studio art in comparison to public art; the seniority felt by fine artists over the applied arts, such as architecture, during the 1950s and 1960s; listening to the public opinion, including those that do not come from the art world; the theoretical progression of works such as, "Jump and Twist," [1999], and "Device to Root Out Evil," [1997]; how to react to controversial work; his lack of representation by galleries and dealers; his staff of assistants and his more theoretical role in the operation; his lack of fellowship with other artists and his dislike of collaboration; the Venice Biennale in 1997; the Olymics in Beijing in 2008; his current work and on-going commissions. Oppenheim also recalls Andy Warhol, Pierre Levai, Vito Acconci, Bruce Nauman, Robert Irwin, Richard Serra, Alice Aycock, Keith Sonnier, and Donald Lipski.
Biographical / Historical:
Dennis Oppenheim (1938- ) is a conceptual artist and sculptor in New York, N.Y. Judith Olch Richards (1947- ) is former executive director of iCI in New York, N.Y. Oppenheim was educated at California College of Arts and Crafts and Stanford University.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hrs., 31 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.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
Topic:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
An interview of Adrian Piper conducted 1990 Sept. 20, by Josephine Withers, for the Archives of American Art.
Biographical / Historical:
Adrian Piper (1948- ) is a conceptual artist and educator.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 7 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 2 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 others.
Rights:
Authorization to quote or reproduce for the purposes of publication requires written permission Adrian Piper. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The papers of conceptual artist and curator Norman B. Colp measure 4 linear feet and 0.031 GB and date between circa 1973 and 2005. The papers shed light on Colp's career through biographical material, project files, personal business records, printed and digital material, and sound and video recordings.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of conceptual artist and curator Norman B. Colp measure 4 linear feet and 0.031 GB and date between circa 1973 and 2005. The papers shed light on Colp's career through biographical material, project files, personal business records, printed and digital material, and sound and video recordings.
Biographical material includes correspondence with artists, museums, galleries, and municipalities, two sound recordings of interviews, biographical sketches, and a note from Colp's mother. Project files relate to works of art and exhibitions curated by Colp. Personal business records contain some inventories, expenses, sales and trade files as well as the records of Colp's various donations to archives, museums, and libraries between 1983 and 2004. Printed material includes postcards, catalogs, and invitations from group and solo exhibitions, reviews of Colp's artwork and his curated shows, and an artist-made Xerox calendar.
Arrangement:
This series is arranged as 4 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1974-2005 (Box 1; 10 folders)
Series 2: Project Files, circa 1973-2004 (Box 1-2; 1 linear feet)
Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1975-2005 (Box 2; .8 linear feet)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1974-2004 (Box 2-4; 2 linear feet, ER01; 0.031 GB)
Biographical / Historical:
Norman B. Colp was a conceptual artist and curator from New York City.
Colp received his bachelor's degree in art from Queens College in 1967, and took classes at the Pratt Institute and Parsons School of Design. Colp's artistic projects include 63 Artists' Objects (1974) and 24 Small Scale Art Thefts (1975), in which he "borrowed" door stops from 24 galleries and museums around the United States; both projects were exhibited individually as solo exhibitions. Additionally, in 1991 Colp was commissioned by the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority to install Commuter's Lament or a Close Shave, a poem and one photograph on nine porcelain tiles found in the Times Square subway.
Colp's solo exhibitions include those held at Hundred Acres Gallery in New York, and Victoria and Albert Museum, in London, England. He was also represented in group exhibitions at the Alternative Center for International Arts, Franklin Furnace, Artworks, and Boca Rotan Museum of Art, among others. Exhibitions curated by Colp include those held at the Center for Book Arts, Georgia State University Art Gallery, and White Plains Public Library. His work is found in the permanent collections of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, International Center of Photography, New York Public Library and many other museums and institutions.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Norman B. Colp in 1993 and 2005.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Curators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Norman Colp papers, circa 1973-2005. 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.
An interview with Robert Morris conducted 2018 April 19 and 20, by Svetlana Kitto, for the Archives of American Art at Morris' home in Ulster County, New York.
Mr. Morris discusses growing up in Kansas City, Missouri and his early memories of domestic support of the war effort during World War II; his early experiences making art and visits to the Nelson Gallery; his father and experiences in the stockyards in Kansas City; his close friendships growing up; his anti-war feelings and involvement in the Art Strike protests of Vietnam War at the Metropolitan Museum, the Whitney Museum and the Senate; his education at the San Francisco Art Institute; his experiences in the Korean War as an engineer, courier, and policeman; his return to the United States and experiences at Reed College in Oregon; his relationship with Simone Forti and moving together to San Francisco; his experience as a railroad switchman; his memories of Anna Halprin; his exploration with Forti in theater and dance; his studies in art history at Hunter in New York City, teaching and beginning sculpture; writing his thesis on Brancusi; his friendship with John Cage; his early sculptural work; his time in 1961 living in Yoko Ono's studio; his separation from Simone Forti but ongoing collaborations; his memories of Max's Kansas City; His memories of Judson Dance Theater; his collaborations with Carolee Schneemann and an in depth description of Site; his composition of Waterman Switch with Yvonne Rainer; his reaction to criticisms of his performance work; his thoughts about filming dance; his memories of Column; his relationship to The Green Gallery and Richard Bellamy; his perceptions and reactions to the critical response to his sculpture; his joining Castelli and the evolution of his work, making large Minimalist pieces, and felt pieces; his explorations of various materials; his encounters with collectors; his refusal to be interviewed; his creation of Earthworks; his relationship to Robert Smithson; his creation of the Blind Time Drawings; his friendship with Lynda Benglis and the controversy over his poster made in Exchange; his involvement with mirrors; his experience of his retrospective at the Guggenheim; his purchase of his home in upstate New York and moving out of New York City; his work with photoshop, and "curses" in his contemporary work.
Memories of Carl Andre, Tony Smith, Leo Steinberg, William Rubin, La Monte Young, Yvonne Rainer, Mark di Suvero, Henry Flynt, Mickey Ruskin, Howard Moody, Merce Cunningham, Lucinda Childs, Robert Rauschenberg, Gordon's Fifth Avenue Gallery, Joseph Beuys, Donald Judd, Robert Scull, Marcel Duchamp, David V. Hayes, Virginia Dwan, Ed Fry, Donald Davidson, Thomas Krens, David Antin, Craig Kauffman, Rosalind Krauss, Alan Buchsbaum, Ryan Roa, Nick Jacobs.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Morris (1931- 2018) was a sculptor and conceptual artist in Ulster County, New York. Svetlana Kitto (1980- ) is a writer and oral historian in Brooklyn, New York.
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:
This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire audio recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
Topic:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sponsor:
Funding for this interview was provided by the Lichtenberg Family Foundation.
The papers of New York-based, Argentinian born conceptual and performance artist Jaime Davidovich, measure 2.3 linear feet and date from 1949 to 2014. The collection document's Davidovich's transition from Argentina to the United States, his early artistic career in both countries, specific projects and exhibitions, and the way in which Davidovich's work intersected with audiovisual media and the New York avant-garde in the 1960s and 1970s. Papers include biographical materials, correspondence, writings including memoirs, exhibition and project files, scrapbooks, and printed materials.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of New York-based, Argentinian born conceptual and performance artist Jaime Davidovich, measure 2.3 linear feet and date from 1949 to 2014. The collection document's Davidovich's transition from Argentina to the United States, his early artistic career in both countries, specific projects and exhibitions, and the way in which Davidovich's work intersected with audiovisual media and the New York avant-garde in the 1960s and 1970s. Papers include biographical materials, correspondence, writings including memoirs, exhibition and project files, scrapbooks, and printed materials.
Biographical materials include Davidovich's contacts in address books, a certificate, curriculum vitae, a membership card, and a report card. A photograph album documents his New York apartment and studio after first coming to New York in the 1960s. Also found are records of the Wooster Street Corporation where Davidovich later lived and had his studio. A small amount of correspondence is with museums, galleries, artists, and curators, notably Julieta Hanono, Ilene Segalove, and Julia Herzberg, and includes early correspondence from Argentina during Davidovich's time as a student and a teacher in Buenos Aires.
Writings include artist statements, lecture note cards, a letter of recommendation, memoir drafts, and a manuscript about Davidovich by Carolyn Kinder Carr. Memoirs provide detailed information about Davidovich's childhood, education, and early career. Files for exhibitions consist of correspondence, notes, gallery floor plans, photographic material, lists of artwork, and exhibition announcements. Project files contain bound project books, proposals, correspondence, notes, sketches, photographic and source material for the Artists' Television Network, Wooster Enterprises, and other projects.
Three scrapbooks record Davidovich's career in fine arts and design. Printed material includes art reproductions, books, brochures and booklets, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, flyers, periodicals, posters, and press releases.
Much of the later correspondence found in the collection is in the form of printed email; later photographic material is in the form of digitially printed photograhs.
The bulk of material related to Davidovich's artworks, especially later ones, and the artworks themselves are located at NYU Fales Library.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as seven series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1949-2007 (Box 1, OVs 3, 5; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1958-2012 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 3: Writings, circa 1973, 2001-2009 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet)
Series 4: Exhibition Files, 2003-2011 (Box 1, OV 3; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 5: Project Files, circa 1960-2014 (Box 1-2, OVs 4-5; 0.6 linear feet)
Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1960s-circa 1971 (Box 2, OVs 3-4; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 7: Printed Materials, circa 1950s-2009 (Box 2, OVs 3, 5; 0.5 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Jaime Davidovich (1936-2016) was a conceptual and performance artist in New York, N.Y.
Davidovich was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As a child, he became ill with rheumatic fever and his parents gave him art materials with which to entertain himself during his months of illness. Davidovich studied at National College in Buenos Aires and graduated from the University of Uruguay in 1961. After graduation, he began teaching in Bahía Blanca, Argentina, and subsequently became the art superintendent at the visual arts school. In 1963 he was given the opportunity to travel to New York by the DiTella Foundation in Buenos Aires, after a grant to study in France fell through at the last minute. In New York he attended the School of Visual Arts and eventually began working as a graphic designer for Random House publishers.
In 1965, Davidovich and his wife, artist Judith Henry, moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked as a graphic designer and began working with video. His first video installation was exhibited at the Akron Art Institute in 1972. Davidovich's fascination with video and television continued when he moved back to New York City and created the nonprofit organization, Artists Television Network (ATN). The network produced television shows for Manhattan's public access channel using the name SoHo Television. Davidovich's avant-garde variety show, The Live! Show, was the organization's most well-known production. Davidovich hosted the show as the character Dr. Videovich, and invited guests including Laurie Anderson, Eric Bogosian, and other creatives.
In 1976, Davidovich and Henry established Wooster Enterprises, a design studio and retail outlet that created conceptual stationary in affiliation with the Fluxus movement. The company closed in 1979, but it's most popular stationary continued to be produced and sold at the Museum of Modern Art.
Related Materials:
The bulk of the records related to Davidovich's artworks, especially later ones, and artworks themselves, are located in the Jaime Davidovich Collection, 1952-2000, at New York University's Fales Library.
Provenance:
The papers were donated by Jaime Davidovich in 2016.
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:
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:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Performance artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Jaime Davidovich papers, 1949-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing and digitization of this collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. Additional funding for the digitization of the papers was provided by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.
An interview with Allen Ruppersberg conducted 2017 October 27, November 30, and 2018 January 15, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art, at Ruppersberg's studio in Brooklyn, New York.
Biographical / Historical:
Allen Ruppersberg (1944- ) is a conceptual artist In New York, New York, whose work includes paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures, installations, and books. Avis Berman (1949- ) is an art historian and author in New York, New York.
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:
The transcript and recording are open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sponsor:
Funding for this interview was provided by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation.
An interview of Brian O'Doherty conducted 2009 November 16 and 17, by James W. McManus, for the Archives of American Art, in New York, N.Y.
Biographical / Historical:
Brian O'Doherty (1934-) is a sculptor and conceptual artist in New York, N.Y. From 1972 to 2008 O'Doherty created work under the name Patrick Ireland, his alter ego.
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:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
Topic:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sponsor:
Funding for this interview was provided by the Brown Foundation.
An interview of Jennifer Bartlett conducted 1987 June 18-September 28, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art.
Bartlett discusses her family background and the dynamics within the family; her childhood interest in art; growing up in suburban Long Beach, California; attending Mills College and Yale School of Fine Arts; and her teachers and co-students there. She remembers in particular Elizabeth Murray, Jack Tworkov, and Richard Serra. She speaks about themes and intentions in her work, especially "Rhapsody" and various commissions including works created for ISI, Saatchi, Volvo, and Battery Park. Bartlett speaks about her writings "Cleopatra" and "History of the Universe" and their relationship to her painting. She concludes the interview with philosophical musings about art and taste.
Biographical / Historical:
Jennifer Bartlett (1941-2022) was a painter, writer, and art instructor in New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 8 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 15 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:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Authors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
An interview of Robert Barry conducted 2010 May 14-15, by Judith Olch Richards, for the Archives of American Art, at Yvon Lambert Gallery, in New York, New York.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Barry (1936- ) is a conceptual artist in Teaneck, New Jersey. Judith Olch Richards (1947- ) is a former executive of iCI in New York, New York. Barry is represented by the Yvon Lambert Gallery, New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 8 memory cards. Reformatted in 2010 as 8 digital wav files. Duration is 7 hr., 20 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:
This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sponsor:
Funding for this interview was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art
