An interview with Tom Jancar conducted June 23 2017, by Hunter Drohojowska-Philp, for the Archives of American Art, at Pomona College, Art Department, Claremont, California.
Mr. Jancar discusses his family's origins in the Pasadena, California area; his mother's interest in painting and his early exposure to art in their home; the impact of music on his early art understanding; his first classes in art history at Orange Coast College and subsequent art degrees from UC Irvine; his interest in collecting Pictorialist photography in the Los Angeles area; his first exposures to Conceptual art at UC Irvine; his time as a teaching assistant for Bas Jan Ader at UCI; the impact of visits as a student to galleries in the L.A. area, especially the Claire Copley Gallery. Mr. Jancar also describes his work as an art preparator at the Bowers Museum; his time performing construction work with Tom Jimmerson for galleries in the L.A. area; his friendship with Richard Kuhlenschmidt and the opening of the Jancar/Kuhlenschmidt Gallery in the Los Altos Apartments building in 1980; Mr. Jancar's decision to leave the gallery business in 1982 and to devote his time to working in corporate architecture; his return to the gallery world in 2006 and the opening of the Thomas Jancar Gallery; his focus on women artists and emphasis on showing the work of emerging artists alongside more established artists; his decision to leave the gallery world once again in 2015, and the closing of his gallery. Mr. Jancar also recalls Hal Glicksman, Tom Jimmerson, Craig Kauffman, Tom Garver, Phil Tippett, Tony DeLap, Ilene Segalove, Hiromu Kira, Guy de Cointet, as well as Kim Hubbard, David Amico, Phil Leider, Larry Gagosian, Louise Lawler, Jean Milant, Micol Hebron, Richard Prince, Annie Sprinkle, and David Askevold, among others.
Biographical / Historical:
Tom Jancar (1950- ) a contemporary art dealer who owns Jancar Gallery in Los Angeles, California. Hunter Drohojowska-Philp is a writer in Los Angeles, California.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Jancar Gallery records.
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.
Topic:
Art dealers -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews Search this
Gallery owners -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews Search this
Jancar Gallery. Exhibition catalog for Micol Hebron 1995-2011, 2011. Jancar Gallery records, circa 1972-2015. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Jancar Gallery. Exhibition announcement for Robert Cumming: "Studio Still Life"- 1977, 2011. Jancar Gallery records, circa 1972-2015. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Jancar Gallery. Poster for Ilene Segalove exhibition, 2009. Jancar Gallery records, circa 1972-2015. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Includes spiral bound book containing career narrative, lecture, slide list, press release, and corrected resume.
Collection 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. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies, and use requires advanced notice. 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:
Ilene Segalove papers, 1960-2021. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Gerald and Bente Buck.
The records of Jancar Gallery, located in Los Angeles, California, measure 2.5 linear feet and 23.80 GB and date from circa 1972 to 2015, with the bulk of the papers dating from 2006 to 2014. The collection includes exhibition and artist files; administrative and financial records; printed and digital material; and records of the Jancar/Kuhlenschmidt Gallery.
Scope and Contents:
The records of Jancar Gallery, located in Los Angeles, California, measure 2.5 linear feet and 23.80 GB and date from circa 1972 to 2015, with the bulk of the papers dating from 2006 to 2014. The collection includes exhibition and artist files; administrative and financial records; printed and digital material; and records of the Jancar/Kuhlenschmidt Gallery.
Exhibition and artist files make up the bulk of the collection. They include artist resumes; artist statements; exhibition planning materials; slides and photographs of work; exhibition announcements and catalogs; price lists; consignment agreements; correspondence; clippings; and digital media such as digital photographs and videos. Also included are materials related to the "narratives of the perverse" exhibition (circa 2008) and materials related to the gallery's exhibition history.
Artists documented within the exhibition and artist files include Martha Alf, Judy Chicago, Robert Cumming, Linda Day, Hildegarde Duane, Micol Hebron, Mary Jones, Harriet Korman, Melissa Meyer, Susan Mogul, Richard Newton, Ilene Segalove, and Marie Thibeault, among others.
Administrative and financial records include mailing list materials, invoices and agreements, and digital records.
The printed materials include exhibition announcements, exhibition catalogs, exhibition posters, clippings, and ephemera.
Also found in this collection is a selection of Tom Jancar's records related to the Jancar/Kuhlenschmidt Gallery, which Tom Jancar operated in Los Angeles with Richard Kuhlenschmidt from 1980 to 1982. These records are primarily administrative/financial records and printed material, and also include a file on artist David Askevold; some records are in digital format.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as four series.
Series 1: Exhibition and Artist Files, circa 1972-2015, bulk 2006-2015 (Box 1; 1 linear foot, ER01-ER46; 21.34 GB)
Series 2: Administrative and Financial Records, circa 1980s, 2006-2014 (Box 2; 0.3 linear feet, ER47-ER48; 0.128 GB)
Series 3: Printed and Digital Material, 2005-2014 (Box 2; 0.4 linear feet, OV 4, OV 5; ER49-ER52; 0.239 GB)
Series 4: Records of the Jancar/Kuhlenschmidt Gallery, circa 1977-1982 (Boxes 2-3; 0.6 linear feet, OV 6; ER53-ER56; 2.09 GB)
Biographical / Historical:
The Jancar Gallery (established 2006-closed 2016) was a Los Angeles, California art gallery operated by Tom Jancar. The gallery opened in a building on Wilshire Boulevard before relocating to its Chinatown location on Chung King Road in the summer of 2008. Jancar Gallery did not specialize in any particular kind of art, exhibitions included collage, painting, photography, sculpture, multimedia installation, etc., but it showed predominantly women artists for much of the time it was open. In a short 2014 interview with Christine Palma (possibly at the Photo LA art expo), Tom Jancar gives the statistic as 70-80% female artists showing at the gallery.
Tom Jancar has a BA in art history and an MFA in studio art from the University of California, Irvine. In 1980, he and Richard Kuhlenschmidt opened the Jancar/Kuhlenschmidt Gallery. That gallery closed in 1982. In 2006, he opened Jancar Gallery, which he operated until it closed in 2016.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Richard Kuhlenschmidt Gallery records, 1980-1992. This collection includes materials related to the Jancar/Kuhlenschmidt Gallery.
Provenance:
The Jancar Gallery records were donated to the Archives of American Art by Tom Jancar.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of born-digital records with no duplicate access copies requires advance notice.
Exhibition and artist files include artist resumes; artist statements; exhibition planning materials; slides and photographs of work; exhibition announcements and catalogs; price lists; consignment agreements; correspondence; clippings; and digital photographs, documents and videos. Also included are materials related to the "narratives of the perverse" exhibitions (circa 2008, 2011-2012) and materials related to the gallery's exhibition history.
Artists documented within the exhibition and artist files include Martha Alf, Judy Chicago, Robert Cumming, Linda Day, Hildegarde Duane, Micol Hebron, Mary Jones, Harriet Korman, Melissa Meyer, Susan Mogul, Richard Newton, Ilene Segalove, and Marie Thibeault.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of born-digital records with no duplicate access copies requires advance notice.
Collection Citation:
Jancar Gallery records, circa 1972-2015, bulk 2006-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Gerald and Bente Buck.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of born-digital records with no duplicate access copies requires advance notice.
Collection Citation:
Jancar Gallery records, circa 1972-2015, bulk 2006-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Gerald and Bente Buck.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of born-digital records with no duplicate access copies requires advance notice.
Collection Citation:
Jancar Gallery records, circa 1972-2015, bulk 2006-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Gerald and Bente Buck.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of born-digital records with no duplicate access copies requires advance notice.
Collection Citation:
Jancar Gallery records, circa 1972-2015, bulk 2006-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Gerald and Bente Buck.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of born-digital records with no duplicate access copies requires advance notice.
Collection Citation:
Jancar Gallery records, circa 1972-2015, bulk 2006-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Gerald and Bente Buck.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of born-digital records with no duplicate access copies requires advance notice.
Collection Citation:
Jancar Gallery records, circa 1972-2015, bulk 2006-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Gerald and Bente Buck.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of born-digital records with no duplicate access copies requires advance notice.
Collection Citation:
Jancar Gallery records, circa 1972-2015, bulk 2006-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Gerald and Bente Buck.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of born-digital records with no duplicate access copies requires advance notice.
Collection Citation:
Jancar Gallery records, circa 1972-2015, bulk 2006-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Gerald and Bente Buck.
