An interview of Paul Keene conducted 1990 Apr. 23, by Marina Pacini, for the Archives of American Art Philadelphia Project.
Keene discusses his early life, family and education including his studies at the Philadelphia College of Art and Temple University's Tyler Art School; his service during World War II; traveling to Paris on the GI Bill, his studies at the Academie Julian and the founding and operation of Galerie Huit; his travels to Haiti on a Whitney fellowship including a discussion of his time at the Centre d'Art with DeWitt Peters and the Hatian Renaissance; his teaching at the Philadelphia College of Art and Bucks County Community College; and his work.
Biographical / Historical:
Paul F. Keene (1920-2009) was an Afro-American painter and educator from Philadelphia, Pa.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' 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.
Restrictions:
This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Educators -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
This microfilm collection of the papers of African American painter and educator Paul F. Keene consists of correspondence regarding Keene's application for the Whitney Fellowship, Mr. Whitney's purchase of a painting, and a letter from Humbert Howard regarding an award and exhibition of Keene's painting at the Pyramid Club; diplomas; and painting inventories. Also included is a scrapbook containing portraits of Keene as a student, his time in Paris, and of his exhibitions, as well as a letter from the Whitney regarding an exhibition. Photographs and printed material are also included in the collection. Photographs depict Keene's paintings; family; students at Tyler; Keene and fellow artists in front of Galerie Huit in Paris; Keene's apartment; friends in Paris and Haiti; and Keene teaching at Philadelphia College of Art.
Biographical / Historical:
Paul F. Keene, Jr. (1920-2009) was an African American painter and educator in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A Tuskegee Airman in WWII, Keene used his G.I. Bill to study at Academie Julian in Paris. While in Paris, he was a founding member of Galerie Huit, a collective gallery for American artists. Keene received a John J. Whitney fellowhip and studied and taught in Haiti from 1952-1954. He also exhibited his work while there. Upon his return to the United States, Keene taught at the Philadelphia College of Art, the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, and at Bucks County Community College.
Provenance:
Microfilmed in 1988 as part of AAA's Philadelphia Arts Documentation Project.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Educators -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
An interview of Oscar Chelimsky conducted 1990 August 28-September 5, by Michael Plante, for the Archives of American Art.
Chelimsky recalls his studies at Cooper Union, the Art Students League (1939-1943), and the Hans Hofmann School of Art (1946-1947) and describes Hofmann's teaching methods. Chelimsky discusses his decision to go to Paris in 1948; his brief studies at the Fontainebleu School and the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere; his studio in Paris; the French attitude toward Americans in postwar Paris; a proposed exhibition of American painters in France at the Galerie des Beaux Arts in 1963; Americans exhibiting at the various salons and galleries in Paris; and the founding of the cooperative Galerie Huit and the artists involved including Bill Rivers, Jules Olitski, Reginald Pollack, Robert Kulicke, Sidney Geist, and Paul Keene. Chelimsky also discusses the evolution of his style, his move back to the United States in 1970, and his continuing investigation of the "open form" in his paintings.
Biographical / Historical:
Oscar Chelimsky (1923-2010) was a painter.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 34 min.
Provenance:
These interviews are 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.
The records of Gallery 1015 measure 0.2 linear feet, and date from 1958 to 1972. The records document the history of the gallery through exhibition checklists, printed material including announcements, posters, catalogs, and clippings, and photographs of the gallery, artworks and some of the artists represented by the gallery such as Larry Day, Paul Keene, and Sam Maitin.
Scope and Contents:
The records of Gallery 1015 measure 0.2 linear feet, and date from 1958 to 1972. The records document the history of the gallery through exhibition checklists, printed material including announcements, posters, catalogs, and clippings, and photographs of the gallery, artworks and some of the artists represented by the gallery such as Larry Day, Paul Keene, and Sam Maitin.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Gallery 1015 was located in the Wyncote, Pennsylvania home of Gladys Myers, founder and director of the gallery, from 1958-1967.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Archives of American Art by Gladys Myers, founder of Gallery 1015, in 1989.
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 -- Pennsylvania
Citation:
Gallery 1015 records, 1958-1972. 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.
