An interview of Raymond Horowitz conducted 2004 Oct.20-Nov. 5, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art, in New York, N.Y.
Horowitz speaks of his privileged childhood in New York; the effects of the Depression on his family's finances; attending Columbia University for Law and the anti-Semitism he faced there; his ingratiation into art appreciation through Meyer Shapiro; employment under then-New York City comptroller Joseph McGoldrick; the formation of his law practice; and his marriage to his wife, Margaret Goldenberg. Horowitz also mentions his involvement in left-wing political movements; how he managed relationships with different dealers; his experiences with misattributed artworks and forgeries, particularly his luck in avoiding them; the hobbies of himself and his wife; how he avoids relationships with the artists of his works; sharing information with other collectors; the economics of donating artworks and the subsequent tax breaks; the importance of credit in art purchasing; how he and Margaret conferred on purchases; their affinity for Chase; his habits on lending to exhibitions; the differences between the management of the Metropolitan Museum and the National Gallery; his summer homes in East Hampton and Provincetown; the problems with contemporary art scholarship; and the importance of dealers in affirming the interest in American art. Horowitz spends most of the interview reflecting upon others in the art world whom he has met. He recalls Ira Spanierman, Dan and Rita Fraad, Charles Merill Mount, Victor Spark, Abraham Adler, Nicolai Cikovsky, Phillipe de Montebello, Theodore Stebbins, Jack Levine, Daniel Terra, Joseph Hirshhorn, Norman Hirschl, John Canaday, Doris and Harry Rubin, Paul Mellon, Bill Gerdts, Paul Magriel, Bernard Meyers, and many others.
Biographical / Historical:
Interviewee Raymond Horowitz (1916-2005) was a collector from New York, N.Y. Avis Berman is an art historian from New York, N.Y.
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.
Occupation:
Lawyers -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
American Society of Landscape Architects Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
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Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Perry H. Wheeler collection.
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:
Perls Galleries records, 1937-1997. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The pursuit of happiness : a view of life in Georgian England : an exhibition selected from the Paul Mellon Collection, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, April 19 to September 18, 1977 / J. H. Plumb ; catalogue entries by Edward J. Nygren and Nancy L. Pressly
Headfort House & Robert Adam: drawings from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon. [Text by] John Harris. [Exhibition, Heinz Gallery, 2d April to 1st June 1973
The White House gardens: a history and pictorial record. Pref.: Patricia Nixon. A general survey: Frederick L. Kramer. Concepts & design of the rose garden: Mrs. Paul Mellon. Introd. to the color plates: Lloyd Goodrich. Col. plates: Harold Sterner
Important Impressionist and modern paintings, drawings and sculpture collected by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon : Tuesday, November 14, 1989 at 7:00 p.m. ..., Christie's
Author:
Christie, Manson & Woods International Inc Search this
Paul Mellon's legacy : a passion for British art : masterpieces from the Yale Center for British Art / essays by John Baskett ... [et al.] ; with contributions by Cassandra Albinson ... [et al.]
Great British watercolors : from the Paul Mellon collection at the Yale Center for British Art / Matthew Hargraves ; with an introduction by Scott Wilcox
