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Bernard Harper Friedman papers

Creator:
Friedman, B. H. (Bernard Harper), 1926-2011  Search this
Names:
Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center  Search this
Whitney Museum of American Art  Search this
Asher, Elise, 1914-  Search this
Baur, John I. H. (John Ireland Howe), 1909-1987  Search this
Bertoia, Harry  Search this
Biddle, Flora Miller  Search this
Bluhm, Norman, 1921-1999  Search this
Brooks, James, 1906-1992  Search this
Bultman, Fritz, 1919-1985  Search this
Castelli, Leo  Search this
Copley, William Nelson, 1919-1996  Search this
Dine, Jim, 1935-  Search this
Frankenthaler, Helen, 1928-2011  Search this
Gill, Brendan, 1914-1997  Search this
Goodnough, Robert, 1917-  Search this
Gray, Cleve  Search this
Gray, Francine du Plessix  Search this
Hall, Joellen  Search this
Huebler, Douglas  Search this
Kanovitz, Howard  Search this
Knowlton, Grace, 1932-  Search this
Krasner, Lee, 1908-1984  Search this
Kunitz, Stanley, 1905-2006  Search this
Marca-Relli, Conrad, 1913-2000  Search this
Matter, Mercedes  Search this
McDarrah, Fred W., 1926-2007  Search this
McEwen, Rory, 1932-  Search this
Motherwell, Robert  Search this
Newman, Arnold, 1918-2006  Search this
Newman, Barnett, 1905-1970  Search this
Norman, Dorothy, 1905-1997  Search this
Ossorio, Alfonso, 1916-1990  Search this
Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this
Richenburg, Robert  Search this
Rosset, Barney  Search this
Roth, Philip  Search this
Rothschild, Judith  Search this
Salvesen, Magda  Search this
Sandler, Irving, 1925-  Search this
Scarpitta, Salvatore, 1919-2007  Search this
Schueler, Jon, 1916-  Search this
Simon, Sidney, 1917-1997  Search this
Slivka, David, 1913-  Search this
Still, Clyfford, 1904-1980  Search this
Stout, Myron, 1908-1987  Search this
Interviewee:
Cage, John, 1912-1992  Search this
Correspondent:
Leary, Timothy Francis, 1920-  Search this
Extent:
30.6 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Diaries
Transcripts
Sound recordings
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Date:
1926-2011
bulk 1943-2010
Summary:
The papers of writer, art critic and collector Bernard Harper Friedman, 1926-2011, bulk 1943-2010, measure 30.6 linear feet. Extensive professional and personal correspondence, 41 diaries, a large number of his published and unpublished writings, and subject files document Friedman's career as a writer, relationships with cultural institutions and art world figures, and his personal life. Also included are biographical materials, interviews, printed material, 5 scrapbooks and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of writer, art critic and collector Bernard Harper Friedman, 1926-2011, bulk 1943-2010, measure 30.6 linear feet. Extensive professional and personal correspondence, 41 diaries, a large number of his published and unpublished writings, and subject files document Friedman's career as a writer, relationships with cultural institutions and art world figures, and his personal life. Also included are biographical materials, interviews, 5 scrapbooks, and photographs.

Biographical materials include educational records, documentation of Friedman's World War II service in the U.S. Navy, and birth, marriage, and death certificates.

Correspondence is with friends, family, artists, art world figures and institutions, writers, publishers, and literary agents. Among the correspondents are: John I. H. Baur, Harry Bertoia, Flora Biddle, Norman Bluhm, James Brooks, Fritz Bultman, Leo Castelli, William N. Copley, Jim Dine, Helen Frankenthaler, Brendan Gill, Robert Goodnough, Cleve and Francine Gray, Howard Kanovitz, Grace Knowlton, Stanley Kunitz, Conrad Marca-Relli, Mercedes Matter, Fred W. McDarrah, Rory McEwen, Robert Motherwell, Arnold Newman, Barnett Newman, Dorothy Norman, Alfonso Ossorio, Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, Robert Richenburg, Barney Rosset, Philip Roth, Judith Rothschild, Irving Sandler, Salvatore Scarpitta, Jon Schueler, Sidney Simon, David Slivka, Clyfford Still, Myron Stout, Calvin Tompkins, and David Windham.

There are transcripts of interviews with B. H. Friedman, his daughter and wife conducted by the Yale University School of Medicine's "Adult Development Study," and 2 recordings of interviews with Friedman for radio broadcast.

Writings by Friedman include manuscripts of novels, short stories, plays, articles, monographs, and art criticism, some published versions of his work, and a variety of notes. Also found are recordings of lectures by B. H. Friedman and panel discussions in which he participated. Other authors represented are John Cage, W. B. Henry, and Jon Schueler. Friedman's diaries, 1948-1993 (41 volumes) record activities, thoughts, and events.

Subject files compiled by Friedman reflect professional and personal interests, activities, and projects. Many concern publicity for published writings or efforts to find publishers. Especially well documented is his interest in Jackson Pollock, Timothy Leary, and Alfonso Ossorio, and his affiliation with the Whitney Museum of American Art.

The majority of printed material is about or mentions Friedman. Five scrapbooks consist mainly of printed material.

Most photographs are of B. H. and Abby Friedman, their family, and friends. Among the individuals pictured are: Elise Asher, Cary and Norman Bluhm, Sandy Friedman, Joellen Hall, Doug Huebler, Howard Kanowitz, Stanley Kunitz, Lee Krasner, Sheridan Lloyd, Barnett and Annalee Newman, Alfonso Ossorio, Magda Salvesen, Salvatore Scarpitta, John Schueler, and Myron Stout. A photograph album records scenes from a 1979 performance of Whispers, a stage adaptation by Alan Wynroth from Friedman's novel of the same title.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 9 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1926-2011 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1946-2011 (Boxes 1-15; 14.7 linear feet)

Series 3: Interviews, 1969-2001 (Box 15; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 4: Writings, 1940s-2010 (Boxes 16-23; 8 linear feet)

Series 5: Diaries, 1948-1993 (Boxes 24-25; 1.75 linear feet)

Series 6: Subject Files, 1940-2010 (Boxes 25-30; 4.45 linear feet)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1954-2010 (Box 30-31; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 8: Scrapbooks, 1960-2006 (Boxes 30-32; 0.8 lilnear feet)

Series 9: Photographs, circa 1950s-2008 (Box 30; 0.4 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Bernard Harper Friedman (1926-2011), a writer best known as the author of the first biography of Jackson Pollock, was also an art critic and art collector involved in the cultural life of New York City.

Bernard Harper Friedman, known professionally as B. H. Friedman, was called Bob by family and friends. After interrupting his studies at Cornell University to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he graduated in 1948 with a degree in English. Friedman and his new bride, fellow student Abby G. Noselson (1926-2003), returned home to New York City and he began a real estate career in his uncles' firm, Uris Buildings Corporation. While a businessman, Friedman spent much of his spare time writing. He produced fiction, plays, and criticism; Friedman's articles on art, literature and music appeared in a wide variety of periodicals. During this period, Friedman also pursued his interests in jazz, collecting abstract art, and psychedelic drug experiences with Timothy Leary.

His first published novel, Circles, about the Abstract Expressionist milieu, appeared in 1962. A year later, B. H. Friedman became a full-time writer. For nearly 20 years, he divided his time between New York City and Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he was affiliated with the Fine Arts Work Center as a director and consultant. During this period, he published several novels and two biographies: Jackson Pollock: Energy Made Visible and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, written with Flora Biddle. More novels and short story collections were published, and staged readings of seven plays were presented between 1987 and 2007. Tripping, a memoir of using psychedlics with Timothy Leary, appeared in 2006.

A founding member of Fiction Collective, a nonprofit publishing group run by and for writers, Friedman was also a member of several national writers' organizations. He served as a trustee of the Whitney Musuem of American Art, 1961-1968, and then as honorary trustee. B. H. Friedman died from complications of pneumonia on January 4, 2011 in New York City.
Related Materials:
Also available is an oral history interview with Bernard Harper Friedman, 1972 November 10, conducted by Paul Cummings for the Archives of American Art.
Provenance:
The Bernard Harper Friedman papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in 2012 by his daughter, Daisy Friedman.
Restrictions:
The collection is ACCESS RESTRICTED; written permission is required. Use of original materials requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
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:
Art critics -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Diaries
Transcripts
Sound recordings
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Citation:
Bernard Harper Friedman papers, 1926-2011, bulk 1943-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.friebern
See more items in:
Bernard Harper Friedman papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw97a7e6f48-cdda-41ab-921f-8919151a0609
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-friebern

Oral history interview with Alanna Heiss

Interviewee:
Heiss, Alanna  Search this
Interviewer:
McElhinney, James Lancel, 1952-  Search this
Creator:
Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project  Search this
Names:
Biennale di Venezia  Search this
Clocktower Gallery  Search this
Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project  Search this
Institute for Art and Urban Resources  Search this
Lawrence University  Search this
Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
New Museum (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center  Search this
University of Chicago -- Students  Search this
Callahan, Harry M.  Search this
Finkelpearl, Tom  Search this
Gill, Brendan, 1914-1997  Search this
Highstein, Jene, 1942-2013  Search this
Matta-Clark, Gordon, 1943-1978  Search this
Nonas, Richard, 1936-  Search this
Extent:
80 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Interviews
Sound recordings
Date:
2010 June 15-October 28
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Alanna Heiss conducted 2010 June 15 and October 28, by James McElhinney, for the Archives of American Art's Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts project, at Art International Radio, on Leonard Street, in New York, New York.
Heiss speaks of the Clocktower Gallery and the AIR offices; New York galleries and museums and the economic depression of the 1970s; art shows in Germany, France, Switzerland, and England and the role of foreign and West Coast curators in New York shows during the 1960s; founding the Institute for Art and Urban Resources with Brendan Gill; her lack of interest in collecting and the problems she feels it poses for organizations showing art; her attitudes about displaying art in the 1970s; growing up in a small town in Southern Illinois; spending summers as a child in South Dakota; her musical training; art in relation to Midwestern cultural values; her work on the exhibition "Stalin's Choice: Soviet Socialist Realism, 1932-1956" in 1993; her degree in music and the philosophy of aesthetics from Lawrence University; taking classes at the University of Chicago; moving to New York and deciding to focus on visual arts; her time in Europe and the various jobs she took while abroad including teaching, inspecting monuments for the Society for Ancient Buildings and Monuments, writing about animals, selling and transporting used cars, and serving as an artist liaison; and the exhibitions she saw during her travels.
Heiss also discusses trips she made across the United States after returning from Europe; working as a band road crew manger; her work in 1993 on the John Cage tribute show for the Venice Biennale called "Il Suono Rapido delle Cose" and the album produced in conjunction with the show called Caged/Uncaged - A Rock/Experimental Homage To John Cage; her marriage to the artist Jene Highstein and their friendships with the artists Richard Nonas and Gordon Matta-Clark; her return to New York from Europe around 1970 and her use of old or abandoned real estate as locations for contemporary art exhibitions; her first show, "Under the Brooklyn Bridge" in 1971; founding PS1; her work as a parole officer and her exposure to the culture of Harlem; the various shows held at PS1; urban art spaces in New York including the New Museum and the Coney Island Sculpture Museum; her exhibition space on Bleecker Street in New York; her disenchantment with the idea of community art; her work with Tom Finkelpearl; the way she publicized exhibitions; the underground culture of the 1970s; and the relationship between the Museum of Modern Art and PS1 and their eventual merger.
Biographical / Historical:
Alanna Heiss (1943-) is director of Art International Radio in New York, New York. James McElhinney (1952-) is an artist and educator in New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound disc. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 39 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 administrators.
Occupation:
Gallery directors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Arts administrators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Curators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Women arts administrators  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.heiss10
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw99e6f2c82-e682-4784-9927-1a9582dc615e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-heiss10
Online Media:

Abraham Joel Tobias papers

Creator:
Tobias, Abraham Joel, 1913-1996  Search this
Names:
Congress of Industrial Organizations (U.S.)  Search this
Fine Arts Federation of New York  Search this
United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this
Block, Irving  Search this
Brooks, James, 1906-1992  Search this
Caswell, Edward C.  Search this
Evergood, Philip, 1901-1973  Search this
Gaber, George  Search this
Gill, Brendan, 1914-1997  Search this
La Gambina, Vincent, 1909-1994  Search this
Lishinsky, Abraham  Search this
Orozco, José Clemente, 1883-1949  Search this
Spivak, Max, 1906-1981  Search this
Tobey, Alton S. (Alton Stanley), 1914-2005  Search this
Extent:
2.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Video recordings
Photographs
Date:
1913-2000
Summary:
The Abraham Joel Tobias papers date from 1913 to 2000 and measure 2.8 linear feet. Through project and exhibition files, printed material, correspondence, and photographs, the collection provides an overview of Tobias's career as a painter and muralist in New York City.
Scope and Content Note:
The Abraham Joel Tobias papers date from 1913 to 2000 and measure 2.8 linear feet. Through project and exhibition files, printed material, correspondence, and photographs, the collection provides an overview of Tobias's career as a painter and muralist in New York City.

General correspondence regards mural proposals, exhibitions, professional activities, and museums' acquisitions of artwork by Tobias. A file of correspondence with the Fine Arts Federation of New York concerns efforts to recognize murals by Irving Block, James Brooks, Philip Evergood, Abraham Lishinsky, José Clemente Orozco, and Max Spivak as landmarks; it also includes minutes of meetings, 1988-1995, that reflect Tobias's service as a board member. Other correspondence is with friends and artists including Edward Caswell, George Gaber, Filia Holtzman, Vincent La Gambina, and Alton S. Tobey.

Project files document murals such as: The Four Freedoms, Midwood High School, Brooklyn, New York, honoring students and teachers who died in World War II (circa 1946); Birth for the maternity ward at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City (1951-1953); and Medical Science and Medical Research, Long Island Jewish Hospital (1954). The Science and Engineering project file (1958) contains a patent certificate for striated plastic, a material Tobias used in two murals. Also of interest is correspondence with the Harman Foundation regarding a documentary film about Tobias's use of ethyl silicate for outdoor murals. Among the exhibitions documented are: "Plastics U.S.A.," "New York WPA Artists Then and Now," and "Abraham Joel Tobias: Sculptural Paintings of the 1930s."

Printed material consists of announcements, invitations, solo and group exhibition catalogs, and clippings relating to Tobias's artistic career. Also found are pamphlets he designed for the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Photographs are of Tobias's artwork and the artist with friends and family. There is a video recording of an interview with Tobias conducted by Brendan Gill in 1995.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 8 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1913-1996 (Boxes 1, 4; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1933-1997 (Box 1; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 3: Project and Exhibition Files, 1938-2000 (Boxes 1, 2, 4, OV 5; 1.6 linear feet)

Series 4: Writings, circa 1928-1992 (Box 2; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1913-1999 (Boxes 3, 4; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 6: Artwork, circa 1990s (Box 3; 1 folder)

Series 7: Photographs, 1929-1970 (Box 3; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 8: Video Recording, 1995 (Box 3, 1 folder)
Biographical Note:
Abraham Joel Tobias (1913-1996) was a painter, muralist, and educator in New York City. He was a pioneer in the use of shaped canvases.

A native of Rochester, New York, Tobias came to New York City to study at the Cooper Union School of Art, 1930-1931, and at the Art Students League, 1930-1933. He worked for the Federal Arts Project,1938-1940, where he continued his training as a muralist, working with artist and technicians.

During World War II, Tobias served in the armed forces. He was an art director with the Intelligence Division, Army Air Force, and in 1945 was employed as a graphic designer for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Tobias was artist-in-residence and served as instructor in painting and drawing at Adelphia College, Garden City, Long Island, 1947-1957. He also was was a visiting lecturer at various schools including Howard University, Brooklyn Museum Art School, Pratt Institute Art School, as well as at colleges in Illinois and Kansas.

Tobias completed over ten mural commissions for governmental agencies and educational institutions, including: United States Post Office, Clarendon, Arkansas; Howard University, Washington, D.C.; James Madison High School, Brooklyn, New York; Beth Israel Hospital, New York City; Domestic Relations Court Building, Brooklyn, New York; and Adelphi College, Garden City, New York. In 1962, Tobias began The History of Science mural for the lobby of the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn; it was never completed.

Tobias experimented with diverse materials such as terrazzo and mosaic for mural application. He also broke new ground with the use of ethyl silicate paint as a permanent medium for outdoor murals. In 1958, he patented striated plastic, a pliable material used to achieve an effect similar to stained glass.

He participated in many solo and group exhibitions. In 1935, Tobias presented his shaped canvas painting in the "Sculptural Painting" exhibition at Delphic Studios in New York City. In 1987, Tobias was recognized for his earlier pioneering work with a retrospective exhibition, "Abraham Joel Tobias: Sculptural Paintings" at The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum of Rutgers University. Other exhibitions included: "Plastics U.S.A.," the United States Information Service's exhibition in Moscow (1961); "New York City WPA Art," Parsons School of Design, New York City (1977); "For a Permanent Public Art," Tweed Gallery, New York City (1989); and "The Technological Muse," Katonah Museum of Art, New York (1991).

Tobias's professional memberships included the Architectural League of New York, National Society of Mural Painters, and New York Artists Equity Association. He served on the Board of Directors for the Fine Arts Federation of New York from 1988-1996. He won the Architectural League Award in 1952. The Art Commission of the City of New York recognized Tobias, posthumously, for distinguished service to public art.

Abraham Joel Tobias married Carolyn Pratt in 1949; the couple had one daughter. Abraham Joel Tobias died in Rego Park, New York, in 1996 at the age of 82.
Provenance:
The papers were donated in 2001 by Carolyn Tobias, the widow of Abraham Joel Tobias.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
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.
Topic:
Mural painting and decoration  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Video recordings
Photographs
Citation:
Abraham Joel Tobias papers, 1913-2000. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.tobijoel
See more items in:
Abraham Joel Tobias papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw98be0c478-da69-4155-9f53-1ac5d5ac617b
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-tobijoel

Henry-Russell Hitchcock papers

Creator:
Hitchcock, Henry-Russell, 1903-1987  Search this
Names:
Abbott, Jere  Search this
Austin, Arthur Everett, 1900-1957  Search this
Barr, Alfred H., Jr., 1902-1981  Search this
Berenson, Bernard, 1865-1959  Search this
Berman, Eugene, 1899-1972  Search this
Berman, Leonid, 1896-1976  Search this
Doesburg, Theo van, 1883-1931  Search this
Erffa, Helmut von, 1900-1979  Search this
Feininger, Lyonel, 1871-1956  Search this
Francis, Henry Sayles, 1902-1994  Search this
Gill, Brendan, 1914-1997  Search this
Goldwater, Robert John, 1907-1973  Search this
Howe, George, 1886-1955  Search this
Johnson, Philip C.  Search this
Kaufmann, Edgar, 1910-  Search this
Kirstein, Lincoln, 1907-  Search this
McCormick, Thomas J.  Search this
Mumford, Lewis, 1895-1990  Search this
Oud, J. J. P. (Jacobus Johannes Pieter), 1890-1963  Search this
Panofsky, Erwin, 1892-1968  Search this
Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1902-1983  Search this
Porter, Kingsley  Search this
Sachs, Paul J. (Paul Joseph), 1878-1965  Search this
Schindler, R. M. (Rudolph M.), 1887-1953  Search this
Scully, Vincent Joseph, 1920-  Search this
Sizer, Theodore, 1892-1967  Search this
Smith, E. Baldwin (Earl Baldwin), 1888-1956  Search this
Smith, Peter van der Meulen  Search this
Soby, James Thrall, 1906-  Search this
Spark, Victor D. (Victor David), 1898-1991  Search this
Sterner, Harold  Search this
Summerson, John Newenham, Sir, 1904-  Search this
Thomson, Virgil, 1896-  Search this
Vanderbilt, Paul  Search this
Washburn, Gordon B. (Gordon Bailey), 1904-1983  Search this
Wittkower, Rudolf  Search this
Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959  Search this
Extent:
24.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Writings
Photographs
Date:
1919-1987
Summary:
The papers of architectural historian, author, critic, teacher, and museum director, Henry-Russell Hitchcock, date from 1919-1987 and measure 24.8 linear feet. Almost all of the collection is comprised of Hitchcock's correspondence files relating to academic research, teaching, curatorial interests, and professional associations. Letters are from prominent architectural historians, architects, artists, preservationists, museum directors and curators, and family and friends. Also found are two feet of writings by Hitchcock and others, scattered biographical information, printed material, and photographs of Hitchcock and architecture.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of architectural historian, author, critic, teacher, and museum director, Henry-Russell Hitchcock, date from 1919-1987 and measure 24.8 linear feet. Almost all of the collection is comprised of Hitchcock's correspondence files relating to academic research, teaching, curatorial interests, and professional associations. Letters are from prominent architectural historians, architects, artists, preservationists, museum directors and curators, and family and friends. Also found are two feet of writings by Hitchcock and others, scattered biographical information, miscellaneous records, printed material, and photographs of Hitchcock and architecture.

Among the biographical documents are Hitchcock's birth certificate, passport, and wills. Awards, citations, honorary degrees and commendations are from the University of Pennsylvania, Wesleyan University, the Friends of Cast Iron Architecture, National Institute of Arts and Letters, and the Victorian Society in America.

Chronological name and subject files consist mostly of correspondence and printed material along with a small number of photographs. They include personal and professional correspondence and subject files relating to academic research, teaching, curatorial interests, and professional associations. The correspondence includes large numbers of letters from prominent architectural historians, architects, artists, preservationists, museum directors and curators. Also included are students, friends, relatives, publishers, and representatives of organizations and institutions. Among those of note are: Jere Abbott, Everett A. (Chick) Austin, Alfred H. Barr, Bernard Berenson, Eugene Berman, Leonid Berman, Lyonel Feininger, Henry (Harry) Sayles Francis, Brendan Gill, Robert Goldwater, George Howe, Philip C. Johnson, Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., Lincoln Kirstein, Thomas J. McCormick, Lewis Mumford, J.J.P. Oud, Erwin Panofsky, Nikolaus Pevsner, Kingsley Porter, Paul J. Sachs, R. M. Schindler, Vincent Scully, Jr., Theodore Sizer, E. Baldwin Smith, Peter van der Meulen Smith, James Soby, Victor Spark, Harold Sterner, John Summerson, Virgil Thomson, Paul Vanderbilt, Theo Van Doesburg, Helmut von Erffa, Gordon Washburn, Rudolf Wittkower, and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Writings by Hitchcock consist of manuscripts and drafts of numerous published and unpublished articles, book chapters, and his masters thesis. Other writings by Hitchcock include lecture notes and texts, book reviews, notes, outlines, photo lists, and a bibliography. Among the other authors represented in this series are John Coolidge and Sir Wilfred Green.

Miscellaneous records consist of the alien registration card of Hitchcock's friend Peter van der Meulen Smith, architectural drawings by Hitchcock, book contracts, and a small number of receipts and invoices.

Printed material consists of articles about, by, or mentioning Henry-Russell Hitchcock, along with advertisements for his books, and postcards of architectural subjects.

Photographs are of architecture, art work, events, people, places, and miscellaneous subjects; also included are color slides, negatives, and transparencies. Architectural subjects include the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and Gaudi, as well as interior and exterior views of buildings identified only by location. Photographs of people include Henry-Russell Hitchcock, Chick Austin and Ernestine Carter, Alexander Dorner, Tammy Grimes, Lincoln Kirstein, the Steinway family, and Edgar Tafel. Events recorded include the Society of Architectural Historians at the Newport Casino, Hitchcock receiving honorary degrees at the University of Glasgow and Wesleyan University, and a high tea sponsored by the Victorian Society in America. Family houses and views of Greece are among the photographs of places. Miscellaneous subjects include exhibition installations and family heirlooms.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 6 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Information, 1922-1984 (Box 1; 0.1 linear ft.)

Series 2: Chronological Name and Subject Files, 1919-1987 (Boxes 1-22; 21.9 linear ft.)

Series 3: Writings, 1922-circa 1978 (Boxes 23-24; 2.0 linear ft.)

Series 4: Miscellaneous Records, 1928-1977 (Box 25; 0.1 linear ft.)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1922-1984 (Boxes 25-26; 0.4 linear ft.)

Series 6: Photographs, circa 1926-1979 (Box 26; 0.3 linear ft.)
Biographical Note:
Henry-Russell Hitchcock, considered the "father" of modern architectural historiography, played a major role in bringing modern architecture to the United States. As an eminent professor for more than forty years, Hitchcock trained and influenced several generations of scholars and critics. He combined a love of architecture with criticism and scholarship to produce a large number of distinguished monographs and articles on a broad range of styles and periods.

Born in Boston in 1903, Henry-Russell Hitchcock was the son of Mayflower descendants. At Harvard University, he studied medieval history with A. Kingsly Porter as his mentor and completed the undergraduate curriculum in three years. Hitchcock spent his senior year studying architecture, graduated in 1924, and stayed to study for a master's degree, which was awarded in 1927. During his years at Harvard, he wrote for Hound and Horn and knew Alfred Barr, T. S. Eliot, Philip Johnson, Lincoln Kirstein, Virgil Thomson, and others who became leaders in the modernist movement.

Henry-Russell Hitchcock's teaching career began when he was appointed an assistant professor at Vassar College for the academic year 1927-28. In 1929, he joined the faculty of Wesleyan University, where he remained for two decades before moving to Smith College in 1949. During his tenures at Wesleyan and Smith, his services as a visiting lecturer were employed on many occasions by Cambridge University, Connecticut College, Harvard University, the Institute of Fine Arts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Yale University. Upon retiring from Smith College in 1968, Hitchcock moved to New York City and taught briefly at Columbia University, the Institute of Fine Arts, and the University of Massachusetts, at Amherst.

Best known as a proponent of modernism, Hitchcock wrote more than two dozen books about a wide range of styles and periods, and most are considered standard works on their subjects. His first, Modern Architecture: Romanticism and Reintegration, appeared in 1929 and was the first book on the subject to be published in English; his final book, German Renaissance Architecture, was published in 1981.

Henry-Russell Hitchcock served as director of the Smith College Museum between 1949 and 1955. In addition, he was curator of several exhibitions, the first and most important of which was Modern Architecture: International Exhibition, organized in collaboration with Philip C. Johnson and held at the Museum of Modern Art. Their book, The International Style: Architecture Since 1922, was published in 1932 in conjunction with the exhibition.

During World War II, Hitchcock's civilian service included working as director of the U. S. Navy's Photographic Library and writing Pratt and Whitney aircraft engine manuals.

Henry-Russell Hitchcock was an active member of many professional associations. He served as president of the Society of Architectural Historians from 1952 to 1954. In addition, he was a founding member of The Victorian Society in Great Britain, and between 1969 and 1974 was president of its sister organization, The Victorian Society in America.

During his long and illustrious career, Henry-Russell Hitchcock won many awards and honors. Awards for Early Victorian Architecture in Britain and Architecture: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries were conferred by the Society of Architectural Historians (1955) and College Art Association (1960), respectively. Hitchcock received the Royal Society of Arts Medal for Best Lecture (1956) and its Benjamin Franklin Medal (1970), in addition to the American Institute of Architects' Architectural Critics' Medal (1970). Other awards include: National Institute of Arts and Letters Award (1956), American Council of Learned Societies Prize for Distinguished Accomplishment in Humanistic Scholarship (1961), Friends of Cast-Iron Architecture Certificate of Commendation (1978), the American Institute of Architects Award of Merit (1978), and Municipal Art Society Certificate of Merit (1978).

He received honorary degrees from Glasgow University and the University of Pennsylvania in 1973, and in 1979 from Wesleyan University. In Search of Modern Architecture: A Tribute to Henry-Russell Hitchcock, edited by Helen Searing, was published by The Architectural History Foundation in 1982.

Due to declining health, Henry-Russell Hitchcock lectured rarely and wrote little in the three years preceding his death from cancer. He died in New York City, February 19, 1987.
Related Material:
The Archives of American Art also holds Henry-Russell Hitchcock letters to Dorothy Stroud and John N. Summerson, 1946-1949. Additional Henry-Russell Hitchcock papers (circa 8 linear feet) are in the Special Collections division of Wesleyan University Library.
Provenance:
Mosette Broderick, assistant to Hitchcock and his literary executor, donated the papers to the Archives of American Art in 1988.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
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:
Architectural historians -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Museum directors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Genre/Form:
Writings
Photographs
Citation:
Henry-Russell Hitchcock papers, 1919-1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.hitchenp
See more items in:
Henry-Russell Hitchcock papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9cb624d3d-e380-4dcf-859e-da6a6a651b2c
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-hitchenp
Online Media:

Urban pleasures : New York 1900-1940 : Whitney Museum of American Art at Philip Morris, February 7-April 3, 1986

Title:
New York 1900-1940
Author:
Whitney Museum of American Art at Philip Morris  Search this
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Subject:
Whitney Museum of American Art  Search this
Physical description:
1 folded sheet ([6] pages) : 3 illustrations (1 color) ; 20 x 72 cm folded to 20 x 24 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
In art
Art
Exhibition catalogs
Place:
New York (State)
New York
New York (N.Y.)
Date:
1986
C1986
20th century
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
Call number:
N6535.N5 W45 1986
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1060151

Arte en el cartel

Artist:
Steinberg, Saul  Search this
Writer of added commentary:
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Publisher:
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Centro de Investigación y Servicios Museológicos  Search this
Host institution:
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Museo Universitario de Ciencias y Arte  Search this
Subject:
Steinberg, Saul  Search this
Physical description:
1 portfolio : illustrations (some color) ; 28 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Date:
1980
Topic:
Posters, American  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_713558

Lindbergh alone / by Brendan Gill

Author:
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Subject:
Lindbergh, Charles A (Charles Augustus) 1902-1974  Search this
Physical description:
216 p. : ill. ; 26 cm
Type:
Biography
Place:
United States
Date:
1977
C1977
Topic:
Air pilots  Search this
Call number:
CT275.L745 G4
TL540.L5 G54X
CT275.L745G4
TL540.L5G54X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_86799

City of ambition : artists & New York, 1900-1960 / Elisabeth Sussman ; with by John G. Hanhardt and assisted by Corey Keller ; with an essay by Brendan Gill

Title:
Artists & New York, 1900-1960
Artists and New York, 1900-1960
Author:
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Sussman, Elisabeth 1939-  Search this
Hanhardt, John G  Search this
Whitney Museum of American Art  Search this
Physical description:
144 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 24 cm
Type:
Books
In art
Exhibitions
Place:
New York (State)
New York
New York (N.Y.)
Date:
1996
20th century
Topic:
Arts, American--Exhibitions  Search this
Arts, Modern--Exhibitions  Search this
Call number:
NX511.N4 C58 1996X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_501337

Cole / edited by Robert Kimball ; a biographical essay by Brendan Gill ; designed by Bea Feitler

Author:
Porter, Cole 1891-1964  Search this
Editor:
Kimball, Robert  Search this
Author:
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Subject:
Porter, Cole 1891-1964  Search this
Physical description:
xix, 283 pages : illustrations ; 32 cm
Type:
Excerpts
Texts
Date:
1971
Topic:
Musicals--Librettos  Search this
Songs  Search this
Call number:
CT275.P835 K4 1971
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_494370

Here at the New Yorker / Brendan Gill

Author:
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Subject:
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Physical description:
406 p. : ill. ; 25 cm
Type:
Biography
Place:
United States
New York (N.Y.)
Date:
1975
[1975]
20th century
Topic:
Authors, American  Search this
Journalists  Search this
Intellectual life  Search this
Call number:
PS3513.I468 Z52X
PS3513.I468Z52X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_48482

Many masks : a life of Frank Lloyd Wright / Brendan Gill

Author:
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Subject:
Wright, Frank Lloyd 1867-1959  Search this
Physical description:
544 p. : ill. ; 24 cm
Type:
Biography
Place:
United States
Date:
1988
1987
1988, c1987
20th century
Topic:
Architecture--History  Search this
Architects  Search this
Call number:
NA737.W7 G54 1988Y
NA737.W7G54 1988Y
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_420203

Happy times. Text by Brendan Gill. Photos. by Jerome Zerbe

Author:
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Zerbe, Jerome 1904-1988  Search this
Subject:
Zerbe, Jerome 1904-1988  Search this
Physical description:
288 p. illus. 32 cm
Type:
Books
Biography
Portraits
Place:
United States
Date:
1973
[1973]
Call number:
TR140.Z47 G54X
TR647.Z58G4
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_40879

A New York life : of friends and others / Brendan Gill

Author:
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Subject:
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997 Friends and associates  Search this
Physical description:
348 p. : ill. ; 24 cm
Type:
Biography
Place:
New York (State)
New York
New York (N.Y.)
Date:
1990
C1990
Topic:
Celebrities  Search this
Call number:
CT275.G47 G47 1990
CT275.G47 G47 1990
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_401640

Many masks : a life of Frank Lloyd Wright / Brendan Gill

Author:
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Subject:
Wright, Frank Lloyd 1867-1959  Search this
Physical description:
544 p. : ill. ; 24 cm
Type:
Biography
Place:
United States
Date:
1987
C1987
20th century
Topic:
Architecture--History  Search this
Architects  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_340649

St. Patrick's Cathedral / by Leland A. Cook ; foreword by Terence Cardinal Cooke ; introd. by Brendan Gill

Author:
Cook, Leland A  Search this
Cooke, Terence 1921-1983  Search this
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Subject:
New York (N.Y.) St. Patrick's Cathedral  Search this
Physical description:
160 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm
Type:
Books
Date:
1979
Call number:
NA5235.N57 C77
NA5235.N57C77
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_127524

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts / Brendan Gill ; designed by Philip Grushkin

Author:
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Subject:
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (U.S.)  Search this
Physical description:
160 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm
Type:
Books
Date:
1981
C1981
Call number:
PN1588.W3 G54 1981X
PN1588.W3G54 1981X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_149319

The dream come true : great houses of Los Angeles / Brendan Gill ; photographs by Derry Moore, and with the assistance of Christopher Phillips

Author:
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Moore, Derry  Search this
Physical description:
216 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
California
Los Angeles
Date:
1980
C1980
Topic:
Architecture, Domestic  Search this
Dwellings  Search this
Call number:
NA7238.L7 G47
NA7238.L7G47
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_137205

Breaking ground, open spaces temporary and accidental : an exhibition at the Urban Center, New York City, February 3 to March 3, 1981 / photographs by Marvin E. Newman ; text by Brendan Gill

Author:
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Newman, Marvin E  Search this
Urban Center  Search this
Municipal Art Society of New York  Search this
Arthur Ross Foundation  Search this
Physical description:
1 v. : ill., ports. ; 18 x 23 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
New York (State)
New York (N.Y.)
Date:
1981
C1981
Topic:
City planning  Search this
Urban renewal  Search this
Call number:
NA9031 .G47
NA9031.G47
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_144634

Edward Gorey, plain & coloured drawings : [exhibition catalog] : April 23 through May 18, 1974

Author:
Gorey, Edward 1925-2000  Search this
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Graham Gallery  Search this
Subject:
Gorey, Edward 1925-2000  Search this
Physical description:
[4] p. : ill. ; 16 x 22 cm
Type:
Books
Date:
1974
[1974]
Call number:
NC139.G65 G4
NC139.G65G4
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_142154

50 years on 5th : a retrospective exhibition of Steuben glass

Title:
50 years on Fifth
Fifty years on 5th
Fifty years on Fifth
Author:
Steuben Glass, inc  Search this
Gill, Brendan 1914-1997  Search this
Subject:
Steuben Glass, inc  Search this
Physical description:
[32] p. : ill. ; 28 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Catalogs
Place:
United States
Date:
1984
20th century
Topic:
Glassware  Search this
Call number:
NK5112 .S85 1984
NK5112.S85 1984
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_234847

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