Interviews of 72 artists, and transcripts for all but five, conducted by Arlene Jacobowitz, the Associate Curator for the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Brooklyn Museum, between 1965 and 1968. The artists discuss their work in the museum collection. Also included are 38 edited excerpts of the interviews, approximately 2-3 min. in length, used as "audio-labels" in the 1968 "Listening to Pictures" installation at the museum.
Scope and Content Note:
Interviews of 72 artists, and transcripts for all but five, conducted by Arlene Jacobowitz, the Associate Curator for the Department of Painting and Sculpture, between 1965 and 1968. The artists discuss their work in the museum collection. Also included are 38 edited excerpts of the interviews, approximately 2-3 min. in length, used as "audio-labels" in the 1968 "Listening to Pictures" installation.
The artists interviewed are: Lennart Anderson, Stephen B. Antonakos, Marshall Arisman, Walter Barker, Leonard Baskin, Mary Bauermeister, Thomas Hart Benton, Isabel Bishop, Robert Brackman, Sydney Butchkes, Edmund Casarella, George Constant, Robert Warren Dash, Jose DeCreeft, Blanche Dombek, Tom Doyle, Jimmy Ernst, Neil Estern, Philip Evergood, Helen Frankenthaler, Jane Freilicher, Leon Goldin, Sidney Goodman, Sante Graziani, Balcomb Greene, John Grillo, William Gropper, Chaim Gross, Roy Gussow, Robert Gwathmey, Grace Hartigan, Edward Hopper, Nora Jaffe, Paul Jenkins, Minoru Kawabata, William Kienbusch, Karl Knaths, John Koch, Yayoi Kosama, Jennett Lam, Steven Lang, Robert Laurent, Jacob Lawrence, Jack Levine, Jacques Lipchitz, Seymour Lipton, Boris Margo, Ursula Meyer, Hans Moller, Walter Murch, Louise Nevelson, Toshio Odate, Elliot Offner, Douglas Ohlson, Kenzo Okada, Amanda Palmer, Irene Rice Pereira, Gabor Peterdi, Ad Reinhardt, Bill Richards, Larry Rivers, Emilio Sanchez, Karl Schrag, Ben Shahn, Charles Sheeler, Aaron Sopher, Moses Soyer, Raphael Soyer, William Thon, Albert Weinberg, and William and Marguerite Zorach.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as a single series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Interviews, 1965-1968 (Box 1-7; 7 lin. ft.)
Historical Note:
The interview program at the Brooklyn Museum was begun by Arlene Jacobowitz in the spring of 1965 with artists whose works were on exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum. In 1968, excerpts from the interviews were incorporated into an exhibition entitled "Listening to Pictures," in which visitors could access the sound recordings using headphones while standing before the painting being discussed. The exhibition opened April 28, 1968, and was gradually disassembled, 1971-1973.
Related Material:
The Brooklyn Museum Archives houses the records of the Departments of European Painting and Sculpture, American Painting and Sculpture, Contemporary Art (1897-2005), which contain records relating to the work of Arlene Jacobowitz.
Provenance:
This collection was donated to the Archives of American Art by Dierdre Lawrence of the Brooklyn Museum in 1989.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Researchers may view the original reels for the archival notations on them, but original reels are not available for playback due to fragility.
Rights:
Authorization to quote or reproduce for purposes of publication requires written permission from the interviewee. Citations must read:"Interview between [artist's name] and [interviewer's name] from the "Listening to Pictures" program of the Brooklyn Museum. Archives of American Art. Gift of the Brooklyn Museum." Contact Reference Services for more information.
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Topic:
Artists -- United States -- Interviews Search this
Interview between [artist's name] and [interviewer's name] from the "Listening to Pictures" program of the Brooklyn Museum. Gift of the Brooklyn Museum. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The papers of art historian Belisario Contreras measure 0.5 linear feet and date from 1943 to 1984. The papers document his research on New Deal Art Projects, including correspondence and copies of correspondence with William C. Agee, George Biddle (including 16 photographs of murals in Mexico City and Washington, D.C. and a clipping), Mrs. Edward Bruce, Olin Dows, Maria Ealand, Arlene Jacobowitz, Masha Zakheim Jewett (including an exhibition catalog and clippings on Bernard Baruch Zakheim), Horace Kallen, Rockwell Kent, Chet LaMore, Merwin C. Phelps, David W. Scott, Harold Weston, and others. Also found are National Endowment for the Humanities grant proposals "NDA Projects in Pennsylvania," 1975, and "Images of the Heartland," 1980, and notes from Contreras' interviews with Maria Ealand, John Gernand, Jacob Kainen, Dorothy Miller, and Selma Rein.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of art historian Belisario Contreras measure 0.5 linear feet and date from 1943 to 1984. The papers contain his research on New Deal Art Projects, including correspondence and copies of correspondence with William C. Agee, George Biddle (including 16 photographs of murals in Mexico City and Washington, D.C. and a clipping), Mrs. Edward Bruce, Olin Dows, Maria Ealand, Arlene Jacobowitz, Masha Zakheim Jewett (including an exhibition catalog and clippings on Bernard Baruch Zakheim), Horace Kallen, Rockwell Kent, Chet LaMore, Merwin C. Phelps, David W. Scott, Harold Weston, and others; National Endowment for the Humanities grant proposals "NDA Projects in Pennsylvania," 1975, and "Images of the Heartland," 1980, and notes from Contreras' interviews with Maria Ealand, John Gernand, Jacob Kainen, Dorothy Miller, and Selma Rein.
Biographical / Historical:
Belisario Contreras was an Argentinian born art historian who lived and worked in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1983 he published the book "Tradition and Innovation in New Deal Art."
Related Materials:
Papers of Belisario R. Contreras, 1860-1976, are also located at The University of New Mexico's Center for Southwest Research.
Provenance:
Donated 1985 by Belisario Contreras.
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:
Art historians -- New Mexico -- Albuquerque Search this
Jennett Lam and Arlene Jacobowitz. Interview with Jennett Lam by Arlene Jacobowitz of the Brooklyn Museum, 1966 July 26. Colette Roberts Papers and Interviews with Artists, 1918-1971. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
