An interview with Rosalyn Drexler conducted 2017 May 17 and June 2 by Christopher Lyon, for the Archives of American Art, at Garth Greenan Gallery in New York, New York.
Drexler discusses her childhood in the Bronx; her experiences studying dance and music; her higher education at Hunter College; attending films and the Yiddish Theater; meeting her husband Sherman Drexler; her time as a professional wrestler; her memories of traveling to the South and encountering Jim Crow segregation; she describes learning about art from Sherman Drexler and her joint exhibition with Sherman; her early work in sculpture; participating in Happenings with Jim Dine; joining Anita Reuben's gallery; her debut as a playwright; her experience writing "I am the Beautiful Stranger;" the changing public perception of her and being classified as an artist; her decision to become a painter and appropriating images for her work; the influence of S. J. Perelman on her plays; her play about Joseph Cornell and ballerina Allegra Kent, and interviewing Allegra Kent; her recent artwork and preparing for her 2017 show at Garth Greenan Gallery; her artwork from the 1980s and 1990s; her comedy writing and sense of humor. Drexler also recalls Chico Marx, Jack Newfield, Igor Youskevitch, Ivan Karp, Anita Reuben, Lucas Samaras, Richard Gilman, Al Carmines, Amiri Baraka, Barbara Ann Teer, Franz Kline, Elaine De Kooning, Bill de Kooning, Andy Warhol, Jack Kroll, Lawrence Alloway, Tom Hess, Barney Newman, Harold Rosenberg, Susan Sontag, Joe Hirshhorn, Henry Geldzahler, Donald Barthelme, Kornblee Gallery, Eva Hesse, Tom Doyle, William Klein, Marilyn Monroe, Alex Katz, Alice Neel, Basquiat, Saturday Night Live, and Lenny Bruce, among others.
Biographical / Historical:
Rosalyn Drexler (1926- ) is a sculptor, playwright, and novelist in New York, New York. Christopher Lyon (1949- ) is a writer 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.
Occupation:
Authors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Playwrights -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The papers of sculptor and educator Tom Doyle measure 5.2 linear feet and date from 1956-2014. The collection contains biographical material, correspondence, commission files, printed material, and four sketchbooks.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptor and educator Tom Doyle measure 5.2 linear feet and date from 1956-2014. The collection contains biographical material, correspondence, commission files, printed material, and four sketchbooks.
Biographical material dates from 1966-circa 1980s and includes an address book, scattered notes, and receipts. Correspondence dates from 1959-2013 and is both personal and professional in nature. There are letters, postcards, holiday cards, greeting cards, invitations, and printed material from friends and family. Noteworthy artists represented in the correspondence include Stephen Antonakos, Lawrence Fane, Bruce and Sarah Breckenridge, Andy F. Klimko, Alfred Jensen, Mel Shestack, Jack Troy, and Christos Gionakos. Professional correspondence is with galleries, museums, and other arts organizations regarding exhibitions, commissions, and other projects. Commission files date from 1978 to 1985 and detail Doyle's sculpture Map of Alaska, commissioned by the General Services Administration for the Federal Building and Courthouse in Fairbanks, Alaska. Printed material dates from 1956-2014 and includes articles and clippings, a book, booklets, brochures, exhibition announcements and catalogs, journals, magazines, bulletins, press releases, and price lists. Four sketchbooks date from circa 1960s-1974. Sketches are completed in pen, pencil, colored pencil, and marker, and appear to be studies and preliminary drawings for sculptures.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as five series
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1966-circa 1980s (0.1 linear foot; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1959-2013 (2.7 linear feet; Box 1-3)
Series 3: Commission Files, 1978-1985 (0.3 linear feet; Box 3-4)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1956-2014 (1.9 linear feet; Box 4-5, OV 6-7)
Series 5: Sketchbooks, circa 1960-1974 (0.2 linear feet; Box 5)
Biographical / Historical:
Tom Doyle (1928- ) is a sculptor and educator currently residing in Roxbury, Connecticut. Previously, he lived and worked in New York City and Three Springs, Pennsylvania.
Tom Doyle was born in Jerry City, Ohio in 1928 and received his BFA in 1952 and MFA in 1953 from Ohio State University, where he studied with Roy Lichtenstein. In 1957, he moved to New York City and in 1960 was included in a group exhibition at the Martha Jackson Gallery.
In 1961 Doyle met and married Eva Hesse, but they separated in 1965 after spending a year in Germany together. He later married Jane Doyle, his current wife. Doyle was a member of and exhibited at 55 Mercer, a cooperative gallery in SoHo established in 1969. Doyle and Jane shared a studio with a number of other artists at 135 Bowery.
Although Doyle primarily creates sculptures from wood, he also uses metals, and experimented with synthetic materials in the 1960s. Franz Kline, Henry Moore, and Alexander Calder are among his influences.
Doyle taught at the Brooklyn Museum Art School from 1960-1968, the New School from 1961-1968, the School for Visual Arts in 1969, and at Queens College from 1970-1992. His work has been shown extensively throughout the United States and Europe, and he is the recipient of NEA and Guggenheim fellowships.
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives of American Art in 1982, 1983, and 2014 by Tom Doyle.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
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.
Biographical material dates from 1966-circa 1980s and includes an address book, scattered notes, and receipts that document the purchase of materials.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Correspondence dates from 1959-2013 and is both personal and professional in nature. The series is primarily comprised of letters addressed to Tom and/or Jane Doyle. In some cases, drafts or copies of Doyle's letters or responses are included. There are letters, postcards, holiday cards, greeting cards, invitations, and printed material from friends and family. Noteworthy friends include artists Stephen Antonakos, Lawrence Fane, Bruce and Sarah Breckenridge, Andy F. Klimko, Alfred Jensen, Mel Shestack, Jack Troy, and Christos Gionakos. Professional correspondence is with galleries, museums, and other arts organizations regarding exhibitions, commissions, and other projects. Loan agreements and proposals are mixed in with the items of professional correspondence.
Arrangement:
Correspondence is arranged chronologically, with the exception of two subject files at the end of the series.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Commission files date from 1978 to 1985 and detail Doyle's sculpture Map of Alaska, commissioned by the General Services Administration for the Federal Building and Courthouse in Fairbanks, Alaska. Material in this series includes printed material, contracts, construction and shipping records, correspondence, notes, articles, and one roll of negatives and corresponding contact sheet.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Printed material, dating from 1956-2014, consists of articles and clippings (some of which are photocopies), a book, booklets, brochures, exhibition announcements and catalogs, journals, magazines, bulletins, press releases, and price lists. Items reflect Doyle's exhibitions and publicity.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Four sketchbooks date from circa 1960-1974. Sketches are completed in pen, pencil, colored pencil, and marker, and appear to be studies and preliminary drawings for sculptures. The sketchbook dating from circa 1960 in Box 5, Folder 14 had four images reproduced from it. The corresponding negatives and photocopies are included here.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Tom Doyle papers, 1956-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
