The collection is open for research. Use of unmicrofilmed material requires an appointment.
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:
Fendrick Gallery records, 1952-2001. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection is open for research. Use of unmicrofilmed material requires an appointment.
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:
Fendrick Gallery records, 1952-2001. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The papers of curator and art historian Ruth Fine measure 24.1 linear feet and 22.43 GB and date from 1929 to 2016, with the bulk of the records dating from the 1950s to 2016. Fine's career is documented through correspondence with art historians, museum professionals, and notable figures; files pertaining to writing projects, lectures and speeches, her time at the National Gallery of Art, and research subjects; association and membership records; and printed and digital material. The bulk of the collection is composed of artist and subject files, which include correspondence, printed and digital material, exhibition and writing files, photographs, and some artwork. These records include a significant number of audiovisual recordings, including dozens of interviews with artists and others. Notable within the collection are extensive interviews documenting the works of Romare Bearden, Crown Point Press, and Gemini G.E.L.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of curator and art historian Ruth Fine measure 24.1 linear feet and 22.43 GB and date from 1929 to 2016, with the bulk of the records dating from the 1950s to 2016. Fine's career is documented through correspondence with art historians, museum professionals, and notable figures; files pertaining to writing projects, lectures and speeches, her time at the National Gallery of Art, and research subjects; association and membership records; and printed and digital material. The bulk of the collection is composed of artist and subject files, which include correspondence, printed and digital material, exhibition and writing files, photographs, and some artwork. These records include a significant number of audiovisual recordings, including dozens of interviews with artists and others. Notable within the collection are extensive interviews documenting the works of Romare Bearden, Crown Point Press, and Gemini G.E.L.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 10 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1953-2013 (Box 1, 5 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1958-2014 (Box 1, 0.5 linear feet)
Series 3: Interviews, 1970-2009 (Box 1-2, 0.5 linear feet)
Series 4: Writings, 1979-2013 (Box 2, 0.8 linear feet, ER01-ER04; 5.44 GB)
Series 5: Lectures and Speeches, 1963-2012 (Box 3-4, 1.8 linear feet, ER05-ER08; 0.292 GB)
Series 6: National Gallery of Art Administrative Records, 1971-2011 (Box 4-5, 0.8 linear feet)
Series 7: Artist Files, 1947-2016 (Box 5-18, OV 25, 15 linear feet, ER09-ER26; 14.11 GB)
Series 8: Subject Files, 1929-2014 (Box 19-22, 3.5 linear feet, ER27-ER29; 0.604 GB)
Series 9: Association and Membership Files, 1962-2014 (Box 22-23, 0.5 linear feet, ER30; 1.99 GB)
Series 10: Printed Material, 1936-2015 (Box 23-24, 1 linear foot)
Biographical / Historical:
Ruth Fine (1941-) is a curator and art historian most active in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fine received her B.F.A from the Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts, 1962), an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania (1964), and was a student at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (1961). She was an instructor at the Philadelphia College of Art from 1965 through 1969, and at Beaver College (now Arcadia University) from 1968 to 1972 and 1978 to 1979, and also taught at the University of Vermont (1976, 1977). Fine continued lecturing on a variety of topics throughout her career.
As an artist, Fine's exhibitions include those at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, Beaver College, Ryder University, Bryn Mawr College, Bennington College, and Anna Leonowens Gallery in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was awarded a grant from the Ingram Merrill Foundation for work in etching (1989), and had studio residencies at The Vermont Studio Center (1992) and the Anni and Josef Albers Foundation (2000).
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Ruth Fine in 2017.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Access to original papers and audio visual material 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.
Ruth Fine Papers, 1929-2016. 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.
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 and born-digital records in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Collection Rights:
All collection material in boxes 1-52, except photographs: Permission to quote, publish or reproduce requires written permission from Paula Cooper. 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.
Collection Citation:
Park Place, the Gallery of Art Research, Inc. records and Paula Cooper Gallery records, 1961-2006. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collection Care Preservation Fund
The Fred Martin papers measure 10.8 linear feet and 0.886 gigabytes and date from circa 1949-2022. Martin's career as a painter, author, arts administrator, and educator are highlighted in biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records, exhibition and gallery files, teaching files, printed material, photographic material, and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The Fred Martin papers measure 10.8 linear feet and 0.886 gigabytes and date from circa 1949-2022. Martin's career as a painter, author, arts administrator, and educator are highlighted in biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records, exhibition and gallery files, teaching files, printed material, photographic material, and artwork.
Biographical material includes school records and transcripts, resumes and membership materials, and personalized astrological charts, as well as signature books related to award ceremonies and birthday celebrations. Correspondence is a combination of personal and professional, and is organized by year. The writings series is comprised of Martin's studio notes, travel journals, and general writings including manuscript drafts and lecture notes. Personal business records include daily planners, employment records with a particular emphasis on the San Francisco Art Institute, itineraries and travel documents, mailing lists, painting lists, conference documentation, and shipping documents.
Exhibition and gallery files include documents related to galleries and museums Martin had exhibited or sold artwork with, as well as files related to select shows from Martin's career. Teaching files includes course outlines and lesson notes as well as curriculum planning documents for the San Francisco Art Institute. Printed material includes exhibition announcements and invitations, exhibition catalogs, and clippings related both to Fred Martin and his Art Week article series, as well as printed copied of select publications by Martin. Photographic material includes photographs of Martin's artwork as well as that of other artists, slides of artwork for certain years, and some photographs of friends and family. Artwork includes works on paper including watercolors created in Rome.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as nine series:
Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1949-2014 (0.3 Linear feet; box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1955-2022 (1 Linear foot; boxes 1-2)
Series 3: Writings, circa 1950-2013 (6.2 Linear feet; boxes 2-8; 0.008 Gigabytes: ER0001)
Series 4: Personal Business Records (1 Linear foot; Boxes 8-9)
Series 5: Exhibition and Gallery Files, circa 1958-2012 (0.5 Linear feet; Boxes 9-10; 0.53 Gigabytes: ER0002-ER0006)
Series 6: Teaching Files, circa 1967-2011 (0.7 Linear feet; Box 10; 0.348 Gigabytes: ER0007)
Series 7: Printed Material, circa 1951-2016 (0.5 Linear feet; Boxes 10-11)
Series 8: Photographic Material , circa 1950s-2000s (0.2 Linear feet; Box 12)
Series 9: Artwork, circa 1960s-1990s (0.2 Linear feet; Box 12)
Biographical / Historical:
Fred Martin (1927-2022) was a painter, author, arts administrator, and educator in San Francisco, California.
Born in San Francisco on June 13, 1927, Martin's family relocated to the East Bay when he was a child, and he was raised in Alameda and Oakland primarily. Focusing on art early in his life, Martin received his bachelor's degree in 1949 and master's degree in 1954, both from the University of California at Berkeley. Soon after graduation Martin began working as a registrar at the Oakland Art Museum for four years before joining the San Francisco Art Institute (then known as the California School of Fine Arts) as a gallery director and faculty member. He served as the director of the San Francisco Art Institute from 1965 until 1975, after which he continued teaching and was later named the Emeritus Dean of Academic Affairs.
Martin had his first solo exhibition in 1949 at the Contemporary Gallery in Sausalito, California, and his work was included that same year in a group exhibition of painting and sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The Oakland Museum of California organized a retrospective exhibition in 2003.
Martin's writing was key to his practice and shaped his artistic and teaching careers. He served as a contributing editor to Artweek from 1976-1992. He also authored a number of artists' books including Beulah Land, published by Crown Point Press in 1966; A Travel Book, published by Arion Press in 1977; and From an Antique Land, published in 1979 by Green Gates Press. His work is represented in the collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Oakland Art Museum, the Richmond Art Center, the Crocker Art Museum, the Fogg Museum at Harvard University, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Martin continued to teach until his retirement in 2016. He passed away at his home in Berkeley, California on October 8, 2022.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds an interview of Fred Martin conducted 1980 Aug. 27-Sept. 19, by Terry St. John, for the Archives of American Art.
Provenance:
A small portion of the collection was donated in 1975 by Fred Martin. The bulk of the collection was donated in 2023 by Demian Martin, Fred Martin's son.
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 born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References 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:
Painters -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Educators -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Arts administrators -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Authors -- California -- Santa Barbara Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketchbooks
Drawings
Interviews
Citation:
Fred Martin papers, circa 1949-2022. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Kathan Brown, 2017 December 15-18. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection is open for research. Access to original papers and audio visual material requires an appointment, and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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:
Ruth Fine Papers, 1929-2016. 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.
Wayne Thiebaud and Ruth Fine. Interview about Crown Point Press with Wayne Thiebaud, 1996 June 12. Ruth Fine papers, 1929-2016. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Bob Feldman and Ruth Fine. Interview about Kathan Brown and Crown Point Press with Bob Feldman, 1996 February 16. Ruth Fine papers, 1929-2016. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Robert Kushner and Ruth Fine. Interview about Kathan Brown and Crown Point Press with Bob Kushner, 1996 June 6. Ruth Fine papers, 1929-2016. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Constance Lewallen and Ruth Fine. Interview about Kathan Brown and Crown Point Press with Connie Lewallen, 1996 June 12. Ruth Fine papers, 1929-2016. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Daria Sywulak and Ruth Fine. Interview about Crown Point Press with Daria Sywulak, 1996 January 11. Ruth Fine papers, 1929-2016. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Kathan Brown and Ruth Fine. Interview about Crown Point Press with Kathan Brown, 1996 January 11. Ruth Fine papers, 1929-2016. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.