An interview of Clinton Adams conducted 1995 August 2-3, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, at his home, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Adams discusses his family background; involvement in Hollywood "industry"; teaching at University of California, Los Angeles; service during WWII; first contact with New York's Museum of Modern Art; his decision to return to California; teaching painting at UCLA from 1946-1954, and friends and colleagues at that time including Lorser Feitelson, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Lynton R. Kistler and Annita Delano; the difficult political situation at UCLA and the "modernist" conflicts; his views on modernist and conservative groups; Stanton Macdonald-Wright; Adams' own work; his relationship to the ideas and nature of modernism; the Sanity in Art group and other art groups in Los Angeles; his opinion on which artists should have been included in the exhibition/catalogue "Turning the Tide: Early Los Angeles Modernists"; his observations on art historical constructs; the history of New Mexican art; the idea of regionalism; the mythology of Santa Fe, New Mexico.; Southwestern art; the Tamarind Lithography Workshop during its New Mexico phase, its background and changes after the move from Los Angeles to the University of New Mexico, his fifteen years as director, major artists involved, and his desire to publish overlooked artists. Adams recalls Fritz Scholder, John Altoon, Leonard Edmondson, Ynez Johnston, Vincent Price, Jules Langsner, and Rico Lebrun.
Biographical / Historical:
Clinton Adams (1918-2002) was a printmaker, painter, and art administrator of Los Angeles, California and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 16 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hrs., 28 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 others. Funding for the transcription provided by the Pasadena Art Alliance.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Arts administrators -- New Mexico -- Albuquerque -- Interviews Search this
An interview of Miyoko Ito conducted 1978 July 20, by Dennis Barrie, for the Archives of American Art.
Ito discusses her family background; being in Japan at an early age, attending school and learning calligraphy; returning to California in 1928; excelling in drawing and painting; attending Berkeley High School; studying watercolor at Berkeley School of Water Color; studying under Erle Loran, Worth Ryder, John Haley; the influence of Hans Hofmann; being in internment camp (Camp Rann); attending Smith College, Northampton to study painting under instructor George Cohen; attending the Art Institue of Chicago and meeting Francis Chapin and Joan Mitchell; being influenced by Bonnard; moving into lithography at Oxbow; studying under Max Kahn; doing printmaking and etching; and participating in the Momentum Shows. Ito mentions Ynez Johnston, Leonard Edmondson, Lionel Venturi, Ellen Lanyon, Don Baum, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and Vera Berdich.
Biographical / Historical:
Miyoko Ito (1918-1983) was a Japanese American painter based in Chicago, Illinois.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 tape reel (5 in.).
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 others.
An interview of Gerald Nordland conducted 2004 May 25-26, by Susan C. Larsen, for the Archives of American Art, in Chicago, Ill.
Nordland speaks about his birthplace and childhood home; parent's occupations; interests as a child; beginning interest in art history; first visits to the Los Angeles County Museum; relationship with Lincoln Kirstein; move to Yale; his book on Gaston Lachaise; attending the University of Southern California; meeting Man Ray; German sculpture; being drafted; first meeting with Richard Diebenkorn and working with Diebenkorn on a book; getting out of the Army; first paintings purchased; writing for "Frontier" magazine; the invitation to work at the Chouinard Art Institute; Institute teachers such as Richard Ruben, Robert Irwin, Don Graham; the founding of the California Institute of Arts (CalArts); classes and professors at CalArts; move to San Francisco in 1966; shows curated by Nordland on Gaston Lachaise, Fred Sommer, Peter Voulkos, Richard Diebenkorn, Burri, Caro, "African Art in Motion," Fritz Gardner, Jack Jefferson, Ed Moses, Controversial Public Art; meeting and marrying Paula Prokopoff; and other job offerings from Florida, Georgia, and California. Nordland also recalls Gifford Phillips, Mitchell Wilder, Josef Albers, Grace Moreley, Emerson Woelffer, Robert Motherwell, Arshile Gorky, Peter Voulkos, E. E. Cummings, Paul and Josephine Kantor, Adolph Gottlieb, Ynez Johnston, Richard Nickel, Clifford Still, A. E. Gallatin, Richard Diebenkorn and others. Nordland also comments on galleries including the Royer Gallery, Paul Kantor Gallery, Ferus Gallery, Landau Gallery, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Gerald Nordland (1927- 2019) was an art historian, critic, educator, curator, and author who resided in Chicago, Ill. at the time of the interview.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 8 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hrs., 56 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.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Ynez Johnston. Ynez Johnston letter to James and Barbara Byrnes, ca. 1960. James Byrnes papers, [ca.1940 -2000]. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The records of Santa Barbara, California art gallery, Esther Bear Gallery, measure 5.7 linear feet and date from 1928 to 1985, with the bulk of the records dating from 1954 to 1977. The collection comprises administrative records that include exhibition files, photographs, records documenting the gallery's operations, and files for the Donald Bear Collection and Endowment Fund; professional correspondence with artists, clients, and galleries regarding exhibitions, sales and loans, and other business dealings; and artist files for Thomas Cornell, Antonio Frasconi, Ynez Johnston, Miguel Marina, Alfred Martinez, and Nina de Creeft Ward, among others.
Scope and Contents:
The records of Santa Barbara, California art gallery, Esther Bear Gallery measure 5.7 linear feet and date from 1928 to 1985, with the bulk of the records dating from 1954 to 1977. The collection comprises administrative records that include exhibition files, photographs, records documenting the gallery's operations, and files for the Donald Bear Collection and Endowment Fund; professional correspondence with artists, clients, and galleries regarding exhibitions, sales and loans, and other business dealings; and artist files for Thomas Cornell, Antonio Frasconi, Ynez Johnston, Miguel Marina, Alfred Martinez, and Nina de Creeft Ward, among others.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as three series.
Series 1: Administrative Records, 1941-1981 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 1-2, OV 8)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1928-1975 (0.5 linear feet; Box 2)
Series 3: Artist's Files, 1941-1982 (3.7 linear feet; Boxes 3-7, OV 8)
Biographical / Historical:
The Esther Bear Gallery was a commercial art gallery located in Santa Barbara, California, that specialized in contemporary art. The gallery exhibited artists such as Leonard Baskin, Antonio Frasconi, Rico Lebrun, Lee Mullican, Nina de Creeft Ward, Cady Wells, and other prominent artists including Donald Bear, husband of the gallery's owner Esther Bear and director of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art from 1940 to 1952. Esther Bear retired in 1977.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the Donald Bear papers, 1923-1960.
Provenance:
The Esther Bear Gallery records were donated by Esther Bear in 1978 and 1987.
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.
The papers of art critic, writer, and painter Theodore F. Wolff measure 8 linear feet and date from 1920-2013, with the bulk of the material dating from 1977-2013. The collection documents Wolff's career through biographical material, correspondence, interviews, writings, subject files, printed material, a small amount of artwork, and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of art critic, writer, and painter Theodore F. Wolff measure 8 linear feet and date from 1920-2013, with the bulk of the material dating from 1977-2013. The collection documents Wolff's career through biographical material, correspondence, interviews, writings, subject files, printed material, a small portion of artwork, and photographs.
Biographical material consists of biographical data, curriculum vitae, and awards. Included are outgoing and incoming letters that document Wolff's activities as an art critic, appraiser, and fine arts consultant. A large portion of his correspondence is with artists. Among the correspondents are Richard Diebenkorn, Alexander Hogue, Ynez Johnston, Armin Landeck, Melissa Miller, Robert Natkin, Theodoros Stamos, Athena Tachna, Jerome Witkin, and the writer Tom Wolfe. There is significant correspondence with Morris Graves, James Hubbell, Clyfford Still, and Stow Wengenroth relating to their work and Wolff's writings.
Interviews consist of three interviews with Theodore F. Wolff as well as a panel discussion with Wolff and other artists. Found are interviews with Enrico Donati and James Turrell. Recordings are on five sound cassettes and three videocassettes.
Writings consist of Wolff's reviews, mostly tearsheets for The Christian Monitor and draft versions of a book. Also included are talks and lectures on art and art education recorded on seven videocassettes and six sound cassettes. Subject files document Wolff's professional interests and relate to his writing projects, exhibitions, talks, and presentations. Included are interviews with artists that were used by Theodore Wolff as source material.
Printed material includes Theodore F. Wolff's published critical writings on art, artists, and education. Included are exhibition catalogs, brochures, journals, and monographs. Artwork consists of seventeen sketches by Wolff done early in his career. Photographs are of Theodore F. Wolff and with friends and colleagues, many of them unidentified. Included are photographs of Wolff with Ida Kohlmeyer.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 8 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1982-2013 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1920, 1951-2011 (Box 1; 0.75 linear feet)
Series 3: Interviews, circa 1990-2002 (Box 2; 0.1 linear feet)
Series 4: Writings, Talks, and Lectures, circa 1977-2005 (Boxes 2-4; 2.8 linear feet)
Series 5: Subject Files, circa 1940, 1964-2004 (Boxes 4-6; 1.8 linear feet)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1956-2006 (Boxes 6-8; 2.2 linear feet)
Series 7: Artwork, 1942-1948 (Box 7, 1 folder)
Series 8: Photographs, circa 1980-circa 2011 (Box 7; 0.25 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Theodore F. Wolff (1926-2012) was an art critic, writer, and painter in New York City.
Wolff attended the University of Wisconsin, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art Education in 1949 and a Masters degree in Art and Art History the following year. By the early 1950s, Wolff was living in San Francisco, where he began his professional career as a painter. In 1956, he and his wife, Collette Wolff, moved to New York. During this period, Wolff also worked as an art appraiser and fine arts consultant for collectors, galleries, and museums. In 1977, Wolff began writing art criticism for The Christian Science Monitor and held the post of art critic at the publication until 1990. In addition to his art columns to The Monitor, Wolff contributed critical and introductory essays on artists for exhibition catalogs and journals. Theodore F. Wolff taught and lectured on art and art education at museums, universities, and conferences. In 1982, he received the National Headliners Award for Consistently Outstanding Column on Art and the Art World Award for Distinguished Newspaper Art Criticism in 1983. In 1990, Theodore Wolff retired from The Christian Science Monitor. He devoted the latter part of his career to painting, writing, lecturing, and teaching.
Theodore F. Wolff died in 2012 in New York City. He is survived by his wife, Collette Wolff.
Provenance:
A small amount of material was donated in 1999 by Theodore F. Wolff. Additional papers were donated in 2013 by Collette Wolff, widow of Theodore F. Wolff.
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.
Occupation:
Art critics -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
121 Photographic prints (b&w ; color, 8 x 10 in. 11 x 14 in.)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographic prints
Date:
1969-2007
Scope and Contents:
Photographs of Southern California artists, taken by Arnold Chanin.
Artists include Chuck Arnold, Florence Arnold, Robert Bassler, Larry Bell, Billy Al Bengston, Karl Benjamin, Anthony Berlant, Natalie Bieser, Irving Block, Nicholas Brigante, Hans Burkhardt, Aldo Casanova, George Chann, William Crutchfield, George Csengeri, Dan Cytron, Yvonne De Miranda, Edie Danieli, Fidel Danieli, Richard Diebenkorn, Lucienne Bloch Dimitrov and Steve Dimitrov, David Elder, Linda Elder, Fred Eversley, Fritz Faiss, Claire Falkenstein, Keith Finch, Max Finkelstein, Tom Fricano, Hal Gebhardt, Peter Gebhardt, George Gibson, Robert Gino, Claire Hanzakos, Mike Hanzakos, Donald Hartman, Sandra Jackman, Ynez Johnston, Kaija Keel, Peter Krasnow, Edmond Kohn, Gabriel Kohn, Don Lagerberg, Linda Levi, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Brian Mains, La Nelle Mason, John McLaughlin, Vasa Velizar Mihich, Arnold Mesches, Judith Miller, Lee Mullican, Gwynn Murrill, Peter Plagens, Bruce Richards, Betye Saar, Arnold Schifrin, Jilda Schwartz, Harry Steinberg, James Strombotne, Jan Stussy, Maxine Kim Stussy, J. B. Thompson, Joyce Trieman, William Tunberg, James Valerio, Alex Vilumsons, Gordon Wagner, Emerson Woelffer, and Janet Wullner-Faiss. Also included is one photograph of Kaija Keel, Claire Hanzakos and Jilda Schwartz and an exhibition brochure, undated, from the Arts Options Foundation "War & Peace & Clay", regarding sculpture by Keel, Hanzakos and Schwartz.
Photographs of Diebenkorn and Hans Burkhardt, one 11 x 14 in. collage print of Diebenkorn. Three of the photographs and the collage are duplicates of filmed photographs on reel 1818. Also included is one photograph of Chanin by Steve Cohen.
Biographical / Historical:
Arnold Chanin (1934-) is a photographer from Encino, Calif.
Provenance:
Donated 1975-2007 by Arnold Chanin. Additions are expected.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
This small collection of papers of New York City art dealer Takis Efstathiou papers regarding Los Angeles artist Ynez Johnston measure 0.8 linear feet and date from 1954-2004. The papers include correspondence with Johnston and with institutions regarding Johnston's work and career, a few business records from the Ericson Gallery (owned by Efstathiou), printed material about Johnston, and photographic material of Johnston's artwork and of the artist at home, in her studio, and of the exhibition opening organized by Efstathiou at Ericson Gallery in 1979.
Scope and Contents:
This small collection of papers of New York City art dealer Takis Efstathiou papers regarding Los Angeles artist Ynez Johnston measure 0.8 linear feet and date from 1954-2004. The papers include correspondence with Johnston and with institutions regarding Johnston's work and career, a few business records from the Ericson Gallery (owned by Efstathiou), printed material about Johnston, and photographic material of Johnston's artwork and of the artist at home, in her studio, and of the exhibition opening organized by Efstathiou at Ericson Gallery in 1979.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as four series
Series 1: Correspondence, 1974-1999 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Business Records, circa 1975-1979 (2 folders; Box 1)
Series 3: Printed Material, 1954-2004 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1-2)
Series 4: Photographic Material, circa 1977-1999 (0.2 linear feet; Box 2)
Biographical / Historical:
Takis Efstathiou (1944- ) is a New York City art dealer for the work of Ynez Johnston. He was director of Tchernov Gallery in 1973, and, in 1977, opened the Ericson gallery on 74th Street and Madison Avenue, before becoming a private dealer in 1986 working under the name PTE Fine Arts. Ynez Johnston is a printmaker, painter, sculptor, and instructor who lives and works in Southern California.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the scattered records of Efstathiou's private art dealing business PTE Fine Arts.
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives of American Art by Takis Efstathiou in 2016.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.
Smithsonian Institution Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Independence Avenue at 8th Street, S.W Washington District of Columbia 20560 Accession Number: 66.2619
