Series documents the operation of the gallery through a variety of business records which span the duration of the gallery's existence. Artist account ledgers/notebooks include records of exhibition and lecture expenses and some sales. Artist agreements includes copies of agreements for the gallery to act as sole agent for artists including Ahron Ben-Shmuel, Don Forbes, Arshile Gorky, Chaim Gross, Philip Reisman, and Jacques Zucker. Balance and deposit books provide a chronological running account of the gallery's balance of funds, deposits made, checks drawn, and details on the nature of transactions, such as artwork sold or bills paid. Banking records include paid checks; bills are primarily for telephone service. Business agreements include a copy of the August 1935 agreement between Walinska and Frankel to establish the business, and their subsequent resignation agreements from the Stone Trading Corporation under which the gallery operated. Also found is a February 1936 legal petition directing the gallery to vacate the West 57th Street premises for non-payment of rent. Daily record notebooks offer handwritten accounts and notes written back and forth, presumably between Walinska and Frankel, which provide a narrative about the overall running of the gallery and interactions with various artists and clients. Insurance records include policies for artwork. Order books record orders sent out, including for artwork, with names of recipients, whether an order was paid for, and the amount charged. Receipts are primarily for costs associated with operating the gallery, such as framing, advertising, and maintenance, with a few scattered receipts for artwork sales.
Collection 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.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Guild Art Gallery records, circa 1933-1937. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund. Funding for the digitization of the collection was provided in part by Rosina Rubin.