The Argus Gallery records measure 8.6 linear feet and date from 1927 to 1990, with the bulk of the records dating from 1960 to 1974. The collection sheds light on the gallery's operations through administrative files, artist files, exhibition files, printed material, and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
The Argus Gallery records measure 8.6 linear feet and date from 1927 to 1990, with the bulk of the records dating from 1960 to 1974. The collection sheds light on the gallery's operations through administrative files, artist files, exhibition files, printed material, and photographs.
Administrative files include papers related to gallery finances, other art organizations and institutions, the gallery's board of directors, several print workshops, and an artists program at Farleigh Dickinson University.
Artist files include biographical summaries, correspondence, exhibition ephemera, newspaper clippings, photographs, price lists, and inventories. Papers concerning exhibitions at the gallery consist of correspondence with donors, artists, and other institutions, mailing lists, publicity material, price lists, and photographic material.
Printed material consists of exhibition announcements and catalogs, newsletters and mailings published by the Argus Gallery and others, newspaper clippings and articles on the Argus gallery, its exhibitions, and other art-related topics, and three Argus Gallery scrapbooks of photographs, exhibition ephemera, and clippings.
Photographs includes snapshots and transparencies of the interior of the gallery, classes offered at the gallery, and mixed images of artists, artwork, and gallery shows.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as five series.
Series 1: Administrative Files, 1958-1986 (Box 1; .8 linear feet)
Series 2: Artist Files, 1927-1990 (Box 1-5, 9; 4 linear feet)
Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1961-1970 (Box 5-6; 1 linear feet)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1957-1975 (Box 6-10; 2.5 linear feet)
Series 5: Photographs, 1960-1971 (Box 8; .4 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
The Argus Gallery was founded in Madison, New Jersey, in 1961 by Verdenal and Edward Johnson and E. Austin Goodwin. The gallery exhibited primarily contemporary artists, with several shows featuring nineteenth century artists, most notably from Maine and New Jersey.
Goodwin, who was a member of the art faculty at Newark State College, had left the gallery by 1964, and Edward Johnson, a high school counselor, and Verdenal Johnson, a high school teacher, took over operations.
During its years in business, Argus Gallery held solo shows for artists B. J. O. Nordfeldt, Henry Gullick, Seymour Lipton, German artist Adolf Konrad, and others. Group shows at the gallery included an annual college and university faculty show put together from sources across the country, and a British printmakers show. In addition to exhibitions, Argus Gallery organized artist demonstrations, offered youth and adult art classes, and held a lecture series hosted by art critic Clement Greenberg.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 1993 by Edward and Verdenal Johnson and in 2002 by Verdenal Johnson.
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.
Function:
Art galleries, Commercial -- New Jersey -- Madison
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Citation:
Argus Gallery records, 1927-1990. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
