0.2 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 1 reel))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
[ca. 1965-1985]
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence, writings and research material concerning Thomas Hart Benton and Baigell's other writings. Also included is a ca. 1965 interview with Hoyt Sherman conducted by Baigell.
REEL 2086: Letters, notes, and writings, some illustrated, ca. 1967-1972, from Thomas Hart Benton to Baigell for Baigell's writings and biography of Benton. Benton writes about synchronism, cubism, regionalism, social realism, John Weichsel, Stuart Davis, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Reginald Marsh, and others, and his life. Inluded is a copy of Benton's 53-page handwritten manuscript, "The Thirties," describing his mural commissions and the controversies with the social realists over his regionalist style of painting. Also included are 2 letters from Louis Lozowick, and one each from William Gropper and Harry Gottlieb in response to Baigell's questions of social realism, regionalism, and art in the 1930's.
Art historian; New York, N.Y. b. 1933. Baigell is associate professor of art, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Provenance:
Donated 1980, 2002 and 2004 by Matthew Baigell.
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.
The papers of painter Stuart Davis measure 0.8 linear feet and date from 1934 to 1940. The collection is comprised of correspondence that includes letters from Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Arnold Blanch, Rockwell Kent, and others regarding Pablo Picasso's statement against the fascist dictatorship in Spain, as well as a letter from Davis to Picasso inviting him to speak at the 2nd Annual American Artists' Congress meeting. Also found are files from Davis's position as editor of Art Front magazine; membership files documenting Davis's activities with the American Artists' Congress, Fine Arts Federation of New York, the New York World's Fair Artists Committee, and other organizations; printed materials; a project file for the Federal Art Project; and editorials. Additional items include an article manuscript and a draft of a letter to Ben Shahn suggesting that Downtown Gallery artists provide funding to Edith Halpert in order to open another gallery.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter Stuart Davis measure 0.8 linear feet and date from 1934 to 1940. The collection is comprised of correspondence that includes letters from Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Arnold Blanch, Rockwell Kent, and others regarding Pablo Picasso's statement against the fascist dictatorship in Spain, as well as a letter from Davis to Picasso inviting him to speak at the 2nd Annual American Artists' Congress meeting. Also found are files from Davis's position as editor of Art Front magazine; membership files documenting Davis's activities with the American Artists' Congress, Fine Arts Federation of New York, the New York World's Fair Artists Committee, and other organizations; printed materials; a project file for the Federal Art Project; and editorials. Additional items include an article manuscript and a draft of a letter to Ben Shahn suggesting that Downtown Gallery artists provide funding to Edith Halpert in order to open another gallery.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Series 1: Stuart Davis papers, 1934-1940 (Boxes 1-2; 0.8 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Stuart Davis (1892-1964) was a painter in New York, N.Y.
Davis was born in Philadelphia to Edward Wyatt Davis, who was the art editor of The Philadelphia Press, and sculptor Helen Stuart Foulke. He began his art training under Robert Henri at the Robert Henri School of Art in New York in 1909. His works were selected by artist William Glackens to be exhibited at the 1913 Armory Show making Davis one of the youngest artists to participate. In 1928, he traveled to Paris for a year where he painted street scenes of the city. While there, he married Bessie Chosak who later died in 1932. He remarried in 1938 to Roselle Springer. In 1933, Davis began painting murals for the for the Federal Art Project, a government project sponsored by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Throughout his career, Davis was involved with many art groups including the American Artists' Congress, the Fine Arts Federation of New York, and others. Davis had a strong interest in politics that was often expressed through his artwork and as the editor of Art Front, a publication of the Artists Union in New York that was associated with communist ideology.
Davis taught at the Art Students League, New York School for Social Research, and Yale University. He was represented by the Downtown Gallery in New York. He died in 1964 in New York.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Stuart Davis conducted on May 18-June 19, 1962 by Harlan Phillips, for the Archives of American Art and Brandeis University.
Additional Stuart Davis papers are also located at the Fogg Museum at Harvard University and Pierpont Morgan Library.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming including 9 scrapbooks (reels N584-N586 and N696) containing newspaper clippings, magazine articles, exhibition notices and catalogs that are in the possession of Earl Davis, son of Stuart Davis; 1 notebook (reel 3842) that is located at the Pierpont Morgan Library; and approximately 85 letters to Davis from his mother, Helen Stuart Davis (reel N70-12) dating from 1935-1939, in which she describes her work as a sculptor on the Federal Art Projects in Dade County, Florida and Berkeley, California, detailing administrative difficulties and daily work, and alluding to her son's work with the American Artists' Congress, his influence with Holger Cahill and other federal officials; her sketchbooks; and approximately 90 photographs of work done by her and others on the Federal Art Project in Florida. The material was returned to Mrs. Stuart Davis after microfilming.
Provenance:
The Stuart Davis papers were donated by Earl Davis from 1984-1988.
Restrictions:
This collection is access restricted except for a handwritten draft of a letter to Ben Shahn and a photocopy of an article by Davis titled "Abstract Painting Today"; written permission is required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Access, with permission, 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:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The collection is comprised of correspondence that includes letters from Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Arnold Blanch, Rockwell Kent, and others regarding Pablo Picasso's statement against the fascist dictatorship in Spain, as well as a letter from Davis to Picasso inviting him to speak at the 2nd Annual American Artists' Congress meeting. Also found are files from Davis's position as editor of Art Front magazine; membership files documenting Davis's activities with the American Artists' Congress, Fine Arts Federation of New York, the New York World's Fair Artists Committee, and other organizations; printed materials; a project file for the Federal Art Project; and editorials. Additional items include an article manuscript and a draft of a letter to Ben Shahn suggesting that Downtown Gallery artists provide funding to Edith Halpert in order to open another gallery.
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is access restricted except for a handwritten draft of a letter to Ben Shahn and a photocopy of an article by Davis titled "Abstract Painting Today"; written permission is required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Access, with permission, to original papers 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:
Stuart Davis papers, 1934-1940. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
This collection is access restricted except for a handwritten draft of a letter to Ben Shahn and a photocopy of an article by Davis titled "Abstract Painting Today"; written permission is required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Access, with permission, to original papers 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:
Stuart Davis papers, 1934-1940. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
This collection is access restricted except for a handwritten draft of a letter to Ben Shahn and a photocopy of an article by Davis titled "Abstract Painting Today"; written permission is required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Access, with permission, to original papers 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:
Stuart Davis papers, 1934-1940. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
This collection is access restricted except for a handwritten draft of a letter to Ben Shahn and a photocopy of an article by Davis titled "Abstract Painting Today"; written permission is required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Access, with permission, to original papers 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:
Stuart Davis papers, 1934-1940. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
This collection is access restricted except for a handwritten draft of a letter to Ben Shahn and a photocopy of an article by Davis titled "Abstract Painting Today"; written permission is required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Access, with permission, to original papers 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:
Stuart Davis papers, 1934-1940. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
This collection is access restricted except for a handwritten draft of a letter to Ben Shahn and a photocopy of an article by Davis titled "Abstract Painting Today"; written permission is required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Access, with permission, to original papers 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:
Stuart Davis papers, 1934-1940. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
This collection is access restricted except for a handwritten draft of a letter to Ben Shahn and a photocopy of an article by Davis titled "Abstract Painting Today"; written permission is required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Access, with permission, to original papers 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:
Stuart Davis papers, 1934-1940. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
This collection is access restricted except for a handwritten draft of a letter to Ben Shahn and a photocopy of an article by Davis titled "Abstract Painting Today"; written permission is required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Access, with permission, to original papers 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:
Stuart Davis papers, 1934-1940. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
