An interview of Bruce Conner conducted 1974 August 12, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art.
Conner speaks of the San Francisco art scene at the time of his arrival there in the 1950s; early experiments in art "happenings" and filmmaking; inspirations for his work and the relationships between the various media he uses; his work with found objects, his use of themes of violence in his art, the critics' reactions to his work, and the motivations for the creations of some of his pieces.
Biographical / Historical:
Bruce Conner (1933-2008) was a painter and filmmaker from San Francisco, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels.
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.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Topic:
Painters -- California -- San Francisco -- Interviews Search this
An interview of Bruce Conner conducted 1973 April 16, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art. Conner speaks of his family background and youth in Kansas; his early interest in art; his education at the University of Nebraska; an early Dada show he participated in; attending the Brooklyn Museum Art School; getting his work in the Charles Alan Gallery; his collages; the influence of music; his interests in magic and the occult; his involvement in filmmaking; and films he has made.
Biographical / Historical:
Bruce Conner (1933-2008) was a painter and filmmaker from San Francisco, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 7 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.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
The papers of artist Tony DeLap measure 1.4 linear feet and date from circa 1950 to 2015. The collection includes correspondence, writings, materials related to professional and teaching activities, printed material, a scrapbook, and photographic material.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of artist Tony DeLap measure 1.4 linear feet and date from circa 1950 to 2015. The collection includes correspondence, writings, materials related to professional and teaching activities, printed material, a scrapbook, and photographic material.
Correspondence includes greeting and holiday cards, postcards, and letters with family, friends, other artists, and museums and other arts institutions. Notable correspondents include Alan Solomon, Melinda Wortz, Marcia Hafif, Bruce Conner, John McCracken, Paul Darrow, Bruce Nauman, Craig Kauffman, Nell Stinton, Felix Landau, Wayne Thiebaud, and John McLaughlin.
Writings include autobiographical notes, DeLap's notes on art and magic, and notes and writings on John McLaughlin. Also included is a paper on DeLap's 1983 exhibition at Janus Gallery by Clare H. Rhinelander.
The professional activities series contains DeLap's resume and bibliography, as well as materials related to his teaching appointments and promotion, including letters of recommendation, course lists, and a graduate trip itinerary.
Printed Material includes exhibition materials including announcements, calendars, and catalogs; newsletters, newspapers, journals, and newspaper clippings. This series makes up the bulk of the collection.
One scrapbook in the collection contains clippings, exhibition announcements, posters, and catalogs, and award ribbons.
Photographic material includes slides of DeLap's work, as well as photographs of DeLap, his studio, exhibitions and installations, snapshots of family, friends, and travel.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in six series.
Series 1: Correspondence, circa 1967-2015 (Box 1; 2 folders)
Series 2: Writings, circa 1960-2013 (Box 1; 4 folders)
Series 3: Professional Activities, circa 1964-1983, circa 2015 (Box 1; 2 folders)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1955-2015 (Boxes 1 and 2, OV 3, 0.6 linear feet)
Series 5: Scrapbook, 1955-1967 (Box 2, 0.3 linear feet)
Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1950-2012 (Box 1, 0.2 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Tony DeLap is an artist and professor emeritus of art in Orange County, California. He is a pioneer of West Coast minimalism with a special interest in visual illusion including performed magic.
DeLap was born in 1927 in Oakland, California and grew up in the Bay Area. He studied art, illustration, and graphic design at colleges in the Bay Area and taught at institutions including the California College of Arts and at the University of California, Davis. In 1965 he was offered a position at the newly founded University of California, Irvine, where he taught until 1991.
Bruce Conner. Bruce Guldner Conner, Boulder, Colorado letter to Charles Alan, New York, New York, 1957. Alan Gallery records, 1953-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Bruce Conner. Campaign Speech by B. Conner as a Candidate for the Office of Supervisor / SF / 1967, 1967. Bruce Conner papers, 1956-1975. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Bruce Conner. Untitled lithograph, undated. Robert Alexander papers and Temple of Man records, 1938-2015. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Mimi Jacobs. Bruce Conner, 1975. [Photographs of artists taken by Mimi Jacobs, photographer], 1971-1981. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Michael McClure and Bruce Conner. Poet Michael McClure reading at the Lion-house, Fleishacker zoo, San Francisco, 1965. Wallace Berman papers, 1907-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
