An interview with Millard Sheets conducted 1986 October-1988 July, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art.
Sheets speaks of his childhood and early education; attending Chouinard Art Institute and being influenced by instructor F. Tolles Chamberlin; teaching at Scripps College Foundation of Art from 1931 to 1955; the beginnings of the California Watercolor Society; his painting career; his thoughts on Southern California Modernism; the growth and development of California art; artists including Lorser Feitelson and Rico Lebrun; designing forty buildings for Howard Ahmanson from the 1950s through the 1970s; his relationships with art critics; his involvement with architecture and design; and his philosophy as an art teacher. He recalls Theodore Modra and Dalzell Hatfield.
Biographical / Historical:
Millard Sheets (1907-1989) was a painter, educator, designer, and mural painter from California.
General:
Originally recorded on 8 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 16 digital wav files. Duration is 8 hr., 13 min.
Provenance:
These interviews are 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:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States Search this
Art -- Study and teaching -- California Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- California Search this
The California Art Club guest register and scrapbooks measure 1.5 linear feet and date from 1916 to 1961. Included are guest registers spanning 1927 to 1931; a Year Book 1916 of the California Art Club containing images of member artwork and essays; and eleven scrapbooks with clippings, exhibition materials, club bulletins, and place settings.
Scope and Contents:
The California Art Club guest register and scrapbooks measure 1.5 linear feet and date from 1916 to 1961. Included are guest registers spanning 1927 to 1931; a Year Book 1916 of the California Art Club containing images of member artwork and essays; and eleven scrapbooks with clippings, exhibition materials, club bulletins, and place settings.
The scrapbooks contain local Los Angeles area newspaper clippings and magazine articles on social events, elections, art forums, club bulletins, and club activities in Los Angeles. Also included is art criticism by critics such as Arthur Millier, Alma May Cook, and Elaine St. Maur, as well as artist obituaries; exhibition announcements and invitations; press releases; and cartoons, sketches, and drawings. These scrapbooks record the events around the club and the Los Angeles art scene, as well as the people and artists involved including Aline Barnsdall, Antony Anderson, Evelyna Nunn Miller, Charles Reiffel, Edouard Vysekal, Theodore B. Modra, Boris Deutsch, Millard Sheets, Mabel Alvarez, Carl Oscar Borg, and Emil J. Kosa.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection, the materials are arranged as one series.
Series 1: California Art Club Guest Register and Scrapbooks, 1916-1961 (Boxes 1-5; 1.5 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
The largest and most influential Los Angeles art organization during the early 20th century, the California Art Club was organized in 1909 from the Painters' Club. The group holds exhibitions, member talks, and other programs.
Provenance:
The California Art Club guest register and scrapbooks were donated to the Archives of American Art by Henry Ketting Olivier, a past president of the California Art Club, in 1981.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Occupation:
Art critics -- California -- Los Angeles Search this