The papers of sculptor and painter Mary Frank measure 4.2 linear feet and date from 1884-2017. Included are correspondence, writings, photographs, artwork and printed material documenting Frank's career. Correspondence is both personal and professional. Writings include dreams recounted in detail, poems, and ideas for works of art, some illustrated. Black and white photographs are of Frank, her sculptures, friends and family, and source material. Artwork includes drawings and sketches in dry point, pencil and watercolor. Printed material includes exhibition catalogs, announcements, brochures and clippings.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptor and painter Mary Frank measure 4.2 linear feet and date from 1884-2017. Included are correspondence, writings, photographs, artwork and printed material documenting Frank's career. Correspondence is both personal and professional. Writings include dreams recounted in detail, poems, and ideas for works of art, some illustrated. Black and white photographs are of Frank, her sculptures, friends and family, and source material. Artwork includes drawings and sketches in dry point, pencil and watercolor. Printed material includes exhibition catalogs, announcements, brochures and clippings.
Materials in this collection document Mary Frank's career as an artist in New York through correspondence with family, friends, and artists; original drawings and watercolors; writings about ideas for her artwork; photographs of Frank in her studio and artwork; clippings reviewing her work and documenting her interest and support in the solar cooker movement; and exhibition catalogs and announcements. Also included are photographs from Frank's travels with Red Grooms and other artists in Italy in the 1960s, which was a formative experience in Frank's artistic development. The collection provides an illuminating context for Frank's artwork of the 1970s and 1980s, present in the collection as photographed sculpture but also as original drawings and watercolors.
The collection also offers a glimpse of her family life and early childhood documented through photographs of Robert Frank, and their children; photographs taken by Robert Frank and other known photographers; photographs that belonged to her parents and aunt; drawings by her son, Pablo, and aunt, Sylvia Weinstein; writings by her maternal grandfather; and writings that document personal struggles she experienced throughout her life. The collection provides a penetrating glimpse into the emotional turmoil of the years before Frank's divorce from Robert Frank, and documents through letters and writings Frank's struggles with her daughter's early death in 1974 and her son's illness that began in 1975 and ended in his death in 1994.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in five series.
Series 1: Correspondence, 1943-2001 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Writings, 1936-circa 1990 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 3: Printed Material, circa 1960-2013 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1-2)
Series 4: Artwork, circa 1930-circa 1990s (0.6 linear feet; Box 2, 4; OV 5)
Series 5: Photographic Material, 1884-circa 2006 (2.4 linear feet; Box 2-3; OV 6-12)
Biographical / Historical:
Mary Frank (1933-) is a sculptor, ceramicist, and painter in New York, New York. She was born in London, England in 1933 to writer, Edward Lockspeiser, and artist, Eleanore Weinstein. In 1940, she and her mother moved to Brooklyn, New York and moved in with her mother's parents, Gregory and Eugenie Weinstein. Eventually Frank and her mother moved to the Village in Manhattan. Frank studied modern dance with Martha Graham and attended the High School of Music and Art, the Professional Children's School, and studied under artists Hans Hofmann and Max Beckmann. While still in high school, she met photographer, Robert Frank, whom she eventually married in 1950. They had two children, Pablo and Andrea, and divorced in 1969. Frank first exhibited her artwork at Poindexter Gallery in 1958 and traveled with Red Grooms across Italy in the 1960s, which had a significant impact on her artistic development. Her work is also influenced by her daughter's untimely death in 1974 and her son's illness that began in 1975 and ended in his death in 1994.
Mostly self-taught, Frank works across multiple disciplines including sculpture, painting, ceramics, and drawing. Reflected in her work are themes of grief, loss, love and sorrow. He career has spanned over five decades where she has exhibited works at numerous galleries and museums around the country. She has been the recipient of many awards and honors, including two Guggenheim Foundation Fellowships, and taught classes at Bard College. Mary Frank's works are included in the permanent collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Brooklyn Museum, National Museum of American Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, and many others. She has also been a longtime advocate of solar cooking.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Mary Frank conducted by Judith Olch Richards on January 10, 11, and February 3, 2010.
Provenance:
Donated in 2014 and 2019 by Mary Frank.
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:
Ceramicists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The records of Castelli Graphics measure 45.7 linear feet and date from 1965 to 2001. Administrative files, correspondence, exhibition and project files, artists' files, financial and legal records, inventory and stock records, printed materials, and photographic materials document the activities of the New York art gallery and publishing firm founded by Antoinette Castelli.
Scope and Contents:
The records of Castelli Graphics measure 45.7 linear feet and date from 1965 to 2001. Administrative files, correspondence, exhibition and project files, artists' files, financial and legal records, inventory and stock records, printed materials, and photographic materials document the activities of the New York art gallery and publishing firm founded by Antoinette Castelli.
Administrative files include documents about the gallery's history, three appointment books, floor plans, mailing lists, notes, and advertising plans. Correspondence is with artists, dealers and collectors, and others. Exhibition and project files document exhibitions of artwork by Eve Arnold, Robert Rauschenberg, Keith Sonnier, Roy Lichtenstein, Mary Ellen Mark, Hans Namuth, Frank Stella, and Jasper Johns, and many others, as well as, records of a book project and sales promotion projects.
Artists' files are for Lewis Baltz, James Brown, Robert Cumming, Ralph Gibson, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, Bruce Nauman, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Frank Stella, and Andy Warhol. Client and collector files include business records for individual clients and organizations.
A few legal files, appraisals, check stubs, consignment and loan documents, invoices, royalty statements, and ledgers are in financial and legal records. Inventory and stock records contain inventory, exhibition, and sales lists. Printed materials include exhibition catalogs and announcements. Photographs and negatives are of exhibition installations and works of art. 3D negatives and snapshots are also included.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as nine series.
Series 1: Administrative Records, 1969-1997 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1979-1997 (3.0 linear feet; Boxes 2-5)
Series 3: Exhibition and Project Files, 1975-1997 (1.0 linear feet; Boxes 5-6)
Series 4: Artists' Files, 1965-2001 (17.0 linear feet; Boxes 6-23, 47)
Series 5: Client and Collector Files, 1966-1997 (4.5 linear feet; Boxes 23-27)
Series 6: Financial and Legal Records, 1969-1997 (12.2 linear feet; Boxes 28-39, 47)
Series 7: Inventory and Stock Records, 1970-1995 (2.0 linear feet; Boxes 39-41)
Series 8: Printed Materials, 1969-1997 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 41-42)
Series 9: Photographic Materials, circa 1970-circa 1993 (3.5 linear feet; Boxes 42-46)
Biographical / Historical:
Castelli Graphics (est. 1969, closed 1997) was an art gallery and publishing firm in New York, NY.
The gallery was founded by Antoinette (Toiny) Castelli, wife of Leo Castelli, in 1969 and focused on prints and graphic arts. The gallery promoted prominent artists such as Richard Artschwager, Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, Mary Ellen Mark, Bruce Nauman, Robert Rauschenberg, Eve Sonneman, Andy Warhol, and many others. After the death of Toiny in 1987, the gallery remained opened until 1997.
Related Materials:
Also found at the Archives of American Art are the Leo Castelli Gallery Records, circa 1880-2000, bulk 1957-1999, which include 16 linear feet of additional Castelli Graphics records.
Provenance:
The Castelli Graphics records were donated in 2011 by Jean-Christophe Castelli, son of Leo and Antoinette Castelli.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Occupation:
Publishers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Citation:
Castelli Graphics records, 1965-2001. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Realities : final revised vision version III / David Howard ; with conversations Keith Haring, Christo, Nam June Paik, Ansel Adams, Aaron Siskind, Ralph Gibson, Jerry Uelsmann, Robert Heinecken
Overtones : diptychs and proportions / Ralph Gibson ; edited by Ray Merritt ; introduction by Tom Beck ; contributing writers: Miles Barth ... [et al.]
