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Oral history interview with Peter Agostini

Interviewee:
Agostini, Peter  Search this
Interviewer:
Roberts, Colette, 1910-  Search this
Names:
Columbia University -- Faculty  Search this
United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this
Bontecou, Lee, 1931-  Search this
Chamberlain, John, 1927-2011  Search this
Chryssa, 1933-2013  Search this
Cornell, Joseph  Search this
Cézanne, Paul, 1839-1906  Search this
De Chirico, Giorgio, 1888-  Search this
De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this
Demuth, Charles, 1883-1935  Search this
Di Suvero, Mark, 1933-  Search this
Dove, Arthur Garfield, 1880-1946  Search this
Dubuffet, Jean, 1901-1985  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this
Ferber, Herbert, 1906-1991  Search this
Flannagan, John Bernard, 1895?-1942  Search this
Giacometti, Alberto, 1901-1966  Search this
Greenberg, Clement, 1909-1994  Search this
Hague, Raoul, 1905-1993  Search this
Hare, David, 1917-1992  Search this
Hartley, Marsden, 1877-1943  Search this
Hopper, Edward, 1882-1967  Search this
Judd, Donald, 1928-1994  Search this
Kaprow, Allan  Search this
Kienholz, Edward, 1927-  Search this
Kline, Franz, 1910-1962  Search this
Kohn, Gabriel, 1910-1975  Search this
Kolbe, Georg, 1877-1947  Search this
La Tour, Onya, 1896-1976  Search this
Lachaise, Gaston, 1882-1935  Search this
Lassaw, Ibram, 1913-2003  Search this
Lippold, Richard, 1915-2002  Search this
Lipton, Seymour, 1903-1986  Search this
Macdonald-Wright, Stanton, 1890-1973  Search this
Maillol, Aristide, 1861-1944  Search this
Manship, Paul, 1885-1966  Search this
Marca-Relli, Conrad, 1913-2000  Search this
Marin, John, 1870-1953  Search this
Marisol, 1930-2016  Search this
Matisse, Henri, 1869-1954  Search this
Melville, Herman, 1819-1891  Search this
Mondrian, Piet, 1872-1944  Search this
Morris, Robert, 1931-2018  Search this
Nakian, Reuben, 1897-1986  Search this
Noguchi, Isamu, 1904-1988  Search this
O'Keeffe, Georgia, 1887-1986  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849  Search this
Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this
Pompon, François, 1855-1933  Search this
Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967  Search this
Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this
Roszak, Theodore, 1907-1981  Search this
Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this
Samaras, Lucas, 1936-  Search this
Scarpitta, Salvatore, 1919-2007  Search this
Segal, George, 1924-2000  Search this
Sheeler, Charles, 1883-1965  Search this
Smith, David, 1906-1965  Search this
Smith, Tony, 1912-1980  Search this
Spaventa, George, 1918-  Search this
Stankiewicz, Richard, 1922-1983  Search this
Sugarman, George, 1912-1999  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892  Search this
Zorach, William, 1887-1966  Search this
Extent:
99 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Interviews
Sound recordings
Date:
1968
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Peter Agostini conducted in 1968, by Colette Roberts, for the Archives of American Art at 151 Avenue B, New York, New York.
Mr. Agostini speaks of his childhood spent living throughout the five boroughs of New York; his interactions with clients of his father's acting employment agency; his early education in Catholic school and the creative freedom allotted by the nuns; his first feelings of isolation as an artist at the age of seven; the development of a sense of communication as the result of the loss of his mother at the age of three and time spent at a school for orphans; his early realization and vision of artistic destiny; his religious interests which lead to mysticism in his earlier work; his time spent working freely in the DaVinci Studio with Spaventa; the discovery by Hess of his works in Gallerie Grimaud; his attainment of the Longview Grant; his working experience throughout the Depression as part of the WPA casting plaster mannequins while working indirectly with Pollack as well as Marca Relli; his subsequent move to designing department store windows (use of Mondrian-like forms and lines); his feelings of his position as an observer; the importance of communication through art (communication without words); his rejection of the Abstract Expressionist group and choice of independence; the influence of the sculpture of Kolbe and Bache in the thirties; Clement Greenberg's distaste for his work; his feelings about the relative failure to sell his work due its unusual edginess and mystery; his role in the introduction of the work of contemporary European artists (Chausserian, Gauthier, Modrian) to the American group; his description of his own work as "traditionless"; his feelings of self-importance as one of the most original sculptors in the art world; his influence on the younger generation, particularly Marisol; the enslavement to originality that the younger generation faces; his attitudes towards American Art forms and their lack of rebellious spirit; the virtues of the American writers, such as Poe, Whitman, and Melville as American "knapsack" writers; his personal technique which places an emphasis on the "skin" or volume of something; his attempt to create quiet art, or art that merely indicates features; his frustration with teaching and the problems of regurgitated knowledge; the role of Meyer Shapiro in his teaching career at Columbia; the formation of the Club and its similarity to the Cubist's café scene; his opinions on the relationship of sex and sensuality in American art; his personal struggles, including the loss of his second wife and two of his brothers, in addition to the estrangement of his only daughter by his first wife; his feelings on the role of psycho analysis and personal history in a work of art; his present works which feature the "swell." For the majority of the second half of the interview Ms. Roberts asks Mr. Agostini to express his opinions on the work of: Kline; DeKooning; Duchamp; Oldenburg; La Tour; DeChirico; Maillol; Pompon; Rothko; Chardin; Cezanne; Giacometti; Reinhardt; Chryssa; Tony Smith; Segal; Lachaise; Zorach; Manship; Flannagan; Kelly; Lassaw; David Smith; Hare; Lipton; Ferber; Lippold; Roszak; Nakian; Noguchi; Hague; Kohn; di Suvero; Chamberlain; Kaprow; Sugarman; Stankiewicz; Bontecou; Scarpitta; Cornell; Keinholz; Rivera; Judd; Robert Morris; O'Keeffe; Samaras; Mark Tobey; Marin; Pollock; Hartley; Dove; Macdonald-Wright; Demuth; Sheeler; Hopper; Mirot; Matisse; DuBuffet.
Biographical / Historical:
Peter Agostini (1913-1993) was a sculptor from New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 28 digital wav files. Duration is 10 hrs., 37 min.
Transferred from 4 3" reels.
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.
Topic:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.agosti68
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw94f33a1ab-e475-4a6f-8b0b-f9822b288239
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-agosti68
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Al Hansen

Interviewee:
Hansen, Al, 1927-1995  Search this
Interviewer:
Cummings, Paul  Search this
Names:
Art Students League (New York, N.Y.) -- Students  Search this
New School for Social Research (New York, N.Y.) -- Students  Search this
Pratt Institute -- Students  Search this
Reuben Gallery  Search this
Brecht, George  Search this
Callahan, Harry M.  Search this
Dine, Jim, 1935-  Search this
Dunn, Bob  Search this
Dunn, Judith  Search this
Eisenhauer, Lette  Search this
Goldfine, Pauline  Search this
Groth, John, 1908-1988  Search this
Higgins, Dick, 1938-1998  Search this
Kaprow, Allan  Search this
Karp, Ivan C., 1926-2012  Search this
Mac Low, Jackson  Search this
Maciunas, George, 1931-1978  Search this
Marisol, 1930-2016  Search this
McCarey, Don  Search this
Moorman, Charlotte  Search this
Müller, Jan, 1922-1958  Search this
Nakian, Reuben, 1897-1986  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Ortiz, Rafael Montanez  Search this
Paik, Nam June, 1932-  Search this
Poons, Larry  Search this
Segal, George  Search this
Smith, Tony, 1912-1980  Search this
Vostell, Wolf, 1932-1998  Search this
Waring, James, 1922-1975  Search this
Watts, Robert, 1923-1988  Search this
Extent:
2 Sound tape reels (Sound recording, 5 in.)
112 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound tape reels
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1973 November 6-13
Scope and Contents:
Interview of Al Hansen conducted 1973 November 6-13, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.
Hansen traces his personal history, recalling his childhood and early education in Queens; his service in the armed forces; and jobs he held in social work, advertising, off-Broadway theater, and art galleries. He describes taking classes with John Groth at the Art Students League in the 1940s; with Reuben Nakian at Pratt in the 1950s; and with John Cage at the New School in 1958. He also discusses the rise of New York as an art center; his interest in film; his involvement in experimental sound and music; his approach to creating Happenings and that of other artists; organizing poetry readings at the Epitome Coffee Shop; his Hershey bar wrapper collages; the writing of his book, "A Primer of Happenings and Space Time Art," (New York: Something Else Press 1965); his interactions with Fluxus and George Maciunas; participating in the "Below Zero" show at the Reuben Gallery in 1959; attending the Destruction In Art symposium in London in 1966; and his recent exhibitions in Germany. People he recalls include Tony Smith; Pauline Goldfine [ph]; Dick Higgins; Wolf Vostell; Larry Poons; Allan Kaprow; Claes Oldenburg; Don McCarey [ph]; Jim Dine; George Brecht; Jackson Mac Low; James Waring; Marisol Escobar; Ivan Karp; Bob Watts; George Segal; Judith Dunn; Bob Dunn; Jan Müller; Nam June Paik; Raphael Ortiz; Charlotte Moorman; and Lettie Lou Eisenhauer.
Biographical / Historical:
Al Hansen (1927-1995) was an artist from New York, New York. Founder of Fluxus art movement and one of the first Happenings artists.
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.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Topic:
Fluxus (Group of artists)  Search this
Art, American  Search this
Art -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Happenings (Art)  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.hansen73
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9934acc05-c372-46fa-924a-d3cdb5649cbf
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-hansen73
Online Media:

Dore Ashton papers

Creator:
Ashton, Dore  Search this
Names:
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art -- Faculty  Search this
New School for Social Research (New York, N.Y.) -- Faculty  Search this
Yale University -- Faculty  Search this
Adams, Pat, 1928-  Search this
Adley, James, 1931-  Search this
Albee, Edward, 1928-  Search this
Albers, Josef  Search this
Arnheim, Rudolf  Search this
Avedon, Richard  Search this
Berthot, Jake, 1939-2014  Search this
Borges, Jacopo Luis  Search this
Congdon, Dennis  Search this
Cornell, Joseph  Search this
Diebenkorn, Richard, 1922-1993  Search this
Driskell, David C.  Search this
Giacometti, Alberto, 1901-1966  Search this
Guidieri, Remo  Search this
Guston, Philip, 1913-1980  Search this
Hellman, Lillian, 1905-1984  Search this
Herbert, George  Search this
Hiss, Alger  Search this
Howes, Barbara  Search this
Kaprow, Allan  Search this
Licht, Fred, 1928-  Search this
Lindner, Richard, 1901-1978  Search this
Malamud, Bernard  Search this
Miró, Joan, 1893-  Search this
Motherwell, Robert  Search this
Moy, Seong  Search this
Mumford, Lewis, 1895-1990  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Reuterswärd, Carl Fredrik, 1934-  Search this
Sterne, Hedda, 1910-  Search this
Tinguely, Jean, 1925-  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Tworkov, Jack  Search this
Vasilikos, Vasilēs, 1934-  Search this
Yunkers, Adja, 1900-1983  Search this
Extent:
35.6 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Diaries
Photographs
Sketchbooks
Transcripts
Date:
circa 1928-2014
1849
Summary:
The papers of Dore Ashton measure 35.6 linear feet and date from circa 1928-2014, with one letter in the Joseph Cornell subject file dating from 1849. The records document Dore Ashton's career as an art critic, historian and educator, with particular depth for the period of 1952 through 1990. The collection contains a small amount of biographical material, as well as correspondence, writings, subject files, printed materials, artwork, and reference photographs of artworks. An addition to the Dore Ashton papers includes biographical material, correspondence, writings, writing project and subject files, teaching files, printed material, artwork and sketchbooks, and photographic material.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Dore Ashton measure 35.6 linear feet and date from circa 1928-2014, with one letter in the Joseph Cornell subject file dating from 1849. The records document Dore Ashton's career as an art critic, historian and educator, with particular depth for the period of 1952 through 1990. The collection contains a small amount of biographical material, as well as correspondence, writings, subject files, printed materials, artwork, and reference photographs of artworks. An addition to the Dore Ashton papers includes biographical material, correspondence, writings, writing project and subject files, teaching files, printed material, artwork and sketchbooks, and photographic material.

The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence with many artists, writers and others, including Pat Adams, James Adley, Rudolf Arnheim, Jake Berthot, Dennis Congdon, George Herbert, Remo Guidieri, Barbara Howes, Fred Licht, Joan Punyet Miro, Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd, and Hedda Sterne, among others. Smaller amounts of letters are from Joseph Albers, Edward Albee, Richard Avedon, Richard Diebenkorn, David Driskell, Alberto Giacometti, Philip Guston, Lillian Hellman, Alger Hiss, Bernard Malamud, Joan Miro, Robert Motherwell, Lewis Mumford, Claes Oldenburg, and Vassilis Vassilikos.

Writings consist of transcripts of miscellaneous articles or those written for various publications. Research files include reference or research materials for books, exhibitions, individuals and various topics. Individuals and topics include Jacopo Luis Borges, Allan Kaprow, Richard Lindner, Seong Moy, Jean Tinguely, Mark Tobey, Jack Tworkov, Adja Yunkers; and Dadaism, poetry and symbolism.

The addition to the Dore Ashton papers (Series 8) includes biographical material, correspondence, writings, writing project and subject files, teaching files, printed material, artwork and sketchbooks, and photographic material. Writings make up a significant part of the addition and contain hundreds of manuscripts, as well as lectures, notes, sixty notebooks, ten diaries, and writings by others. Writing project and subject files comprise over half of the addition and encompass a large collection of alphabetical files pertaining to artists, actors, writers, thinkers, and collaborators; work projects including writings, exhibitions, panels, symposia, and lecture series; as well as various other subjects and topics. The addition also contains teaching files related to Ashton's positions at the Cooper Union, the New School for Social Research, and Yale University. The photographic material in this series is also abundant and contains hundreds of original photographs of Ashton throughout all stages of her life, many with friends and family.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 8 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1962-1978

Series 2: Correspondence, 1945-2010, undated

Series 3: Writings, 1952-1976, undated

Series 4: Research files, 1849, 1950-1984, 2009, undated

Series 5: Printed Materials, 1931-1981, undated

Series 6: Artwork, 1949, 1952, 1983, undated

Series 7: Photographs of Artwork, circa 1950-2010

Series 8: Addition to the Dore Ashton Papers, circa 1928-2013
Biographical / Historical:
Dore Ashton (1928-) is an art critic, author, and educator living in New York City. She wrote, contributed , and edited more than 30 books. Ashton was born in Newark New Jersey in 1928 and received an MA from Harvard University in 1950. Her many books and articles focus on late 19th and 20th century art and artists. Ashton was associate editor at Art Digest from 1952-1954, and critic for Arts and Architecture at the New York Times, 1955-1960. Starting in 1962 she held several lecturing posts at various institutions including the School of Visual Arts, Cooper Union, and the New School for Social Research. She was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 1964 and a National Endowment for the Humanities grant in 1980. Among Ashton's books are Abstract Art Before Columbus, 1956; Poets and the Past, 1959; A Joseph Cornell Album, 1974; Yes, But…A Critical Study of Philip Guston, 1976, About Rothko, 1983; The New York School: a Cultural Reckoning, 1973; Noguchi East and West, 1992; and David Rankin: The New York Years, 2013. Dore Ashton was the first critic to develop a comprehensive and eye-witness account of the history of the Abstract Expressions.

Ashton married artist Adja Yunkers (1900-1983) in 1953, and they had two daughters Alexandra (known as Sasha) and Marina. In 1985 she married writer Matti Megged (1923-2003).
Related Materials:
Among the holdings of the Archives is an oral history interview with Dore Ashton conducted November 21, 2010 by George W. Sampson, for the Archives of American Art's Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project.

Dore Ashton papers are also located at Emory University Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library.
Provenance:
The Dore Ashton papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Dore Ashton May 27, 1982, May 8, 1997, June 2, 2011, and March, 25, 2016.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
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
Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Authors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Women art critics  Search this
Women art historians  Search this
Women authors  Search this
Women educators  Search this
Art criticism  Search this
Art, Modern  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Artists -- United States  Search this
Genre/Form:
Diaries
Photographs
Sketchbooks
Transcripts
Citation:
Dore Ashton papers, 1849, circa 1928-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.ashtdore
See more items in:
Dore Ashton papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw96b23d022-d02d-4a06-ba62-e34c59ad25ae
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-ashtdore
Online Media:

William J. Eisenlord photographs

Creator:
Eisenlord, William J., 1926-1997  Search this
Names:
City Lights Bookstore (San Francisco, Calif.) -- Photographs  Search this
San Francisco Museum of Art  Search this
Berman, Shirley  Search this
Berman, Wallace, 1926-1976  Search this
Broughton, James  Search this
Castelli, Leo  Search this
Castellón, Rolando  Search this
DeRoux, Kenneth  Search this
Ferlinghetti, Lawrence  Search this
Green, Mark L., 1932-2004  Search this
Herms, George, 1935-  Search this
Hirschman, Jack, 1933-  Search this
Larsen, Michael, 1941-  Search this
LeBlanc, Peter, 1930-  Search this
Linhares, Philip E.  Search this
McClure, Michael  Search this
Micheline, Jack, 1929-1998  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929- -- Photographs  Search this
Pomada, Elizabeth  Search this
Rexroth, Kenneth, 1905-1982  Search this
Selz, Peter Howard, 1919-2019  Search this
Stiles, Knute, 1923-  Search this
Photographer:
Nyberg, Ed  Search this
Extent:
0.3 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Place:
San Francisco Calif. -- Photographs
Date:
1953-1976
Summary:
The photographs of San Francisco photographer William J. Eisenlord measure 0.3 linear feet and date from 1953-1976. Photographs depict the City Lights Bookstore of San Francisco, California and the exhibition opening of "Poets of the Cities" at the San Francisco Museum of Art in 1976. Also included are photographs of jazz and beat poetry performances taken by Ed Nyberg in 1957.
Scope and Contents note:
The photographs of San Francisco photographer William J. Eisenlord measure 0.3 linear feet and date from 1953-1976. Photographs depict the City Lights Bookstore of San Francisco, California and the exhibition opening of "Poets of the Cities" at the San Francisco Museum of Art in 1976. Also included are photographs of jazz and beat poetry performances taken by Ed Nyberg in 1957.

City Lights Bookstore was a popular meeting ground for many people associated with the Beat literary movement in San Francisco. The collection includes one exterior window photograph of the bookstore taken the year of its founding in 1953, and fifteen interior photographs of the store taken circa 1959. The interior shots include images of bookstore founder Lawrence Ferlinghetti, bookstore manager Shigeyoshi Murao, and various customers browsing the stacks.

The photographs taken at the "Poets of the Cities" exhibition opening on January 30, 1976 at the San Francisco Museum of Art include notable figures Jack Micheline, Claes Oldenburg, James Broughton, Phil Linhares, Mark and Sally Green, Michael Larsen, Elizabeth Pomada, Ken deRoux, Peter and Minette LeBlanc, Jack Hirschman, Rolando Castellon, Knute Stiles, Michael and Joanna McClure, Byron Meyer, Peter Selz, Leo Castelli, George Herms, and Shirley and Wallace Berman.

Also included are ten photographs taken in 1957 by Ed Nyberg at The Jazz Cellar, a popular San Francisco beat nightclub. Notable figures include Kenneth Rexroth, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Grover Sales Jr., Sonny Wayne, and Bill Weisjahn.
Arrangement note:
The collection is arranged as 2 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: William J. Eisenlord Photographs, 1953-1976 (Box 1; 15 folders)

Series 2: Ed Nyberg Photographs, 1957 (Box 1; 1 folder)
Biographical/Historical note:
William J. Eisenlord (1926-1997) worked as a photographer in San Francisco, California. He was an acquaintance of photographer, poet, and journalist Mark Green. Together with business partner Thayne Riggs, Eisenlord opened the Omnibus Gallery in Sacramento, California in 1980.
Provenance:
The William J. Eisenlord photographs were donated to the Archives of American Art in two installments, in 1976 and 1977, by William J. Eisenlord.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
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.
Topic:
Poets -- Exhibitions -- Photographs  Search this
Beat generation  Search this
Photographers -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Citation:
William J. Eisenlord photographs, 1953-1976. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.eisewill
See more items in:
William J. Eisenlord photographs
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9aa1fd276-18f5-4d9c-904a-90b5b7c24f58
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-eisewill
Online Media:

Samuel J. Wagstaff papers

Creator:
Wagstaff, Samuel J.  Search this
Names:
Basen, Dan, 1939-  Search this
Brecht, George  Search this
Byars, James Lee  Search this
De Maria, Walter, 1935-2013  Search this
Di Suvero, Mark, 1933-  Search this
Fine, Albert M.  Search this
Flavin, Dan, 1933-  Search this
Halprin, Anna  Search this
Hartigan, Grace  Search this
James, Charles, d. 1978  Search this
Johnson, Philip, 1906-2005  Search this
Johnson, Ray, 1927-  Search this
Manning, Doreen  Search this
Manning, Robert  Search this
Martin, Agnes, 1912-2004  Search this
Newton, Gordon, 1948-  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967  Search this
Roth, Dieter, 1930-1998  Search this
Saret, Alan, 1944-  Search this
Tuttle, Richard, 1941-  Search this
Warhol, Andy, 1928-  Search this
Wilson, Mary F.  Search this
Extent:
6.4 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Drawings
Date:
circa 1932-1985
Summary:
The Samuel J. Wagstaff papers, circa 1932-1985 comprise 6.4 linear feet of correspondence, writings, miscellaneous records, printed material, and photographs documenting Wagstaff's professional and personal relationships with artists and photographers, his career as an art curator, and his position as an important collector of paintings and photographs. Correspondence with artists and others such as curators, arts organizations, galleries, and museums, reflects the diversity of contemporary American art and includes individuals associated with the abstract expressionist, Fluxus, pop, earth, conceptual, and minimalist art movements.
Scope and Content Note:
The Samuel J. Wagstaff papers, circa 1932-1985, comprise 6.4 linear feet of correspondence, writings, miscellaneous records, printed material, and photographs documenting Wagstaff's professional and personal relationships with artists and photographers, his career as an art curator, and his position as an important collector of paintings and photographs.

Correspondence with artists and others such as curators, arts organizations, galleries, and museums reflects the diversity of contemporary American art and includes individuals associated with the abstract expressionist, Fluxus, pop, earth, conceptual, and minimalist art movements. Wagstaff's importance as a collector and curator and his generosity to and interest in artists is evident from the large number of invitations to view and critique work, requests for fellowship and grant recommendations, and thank you notes from artists to whom he extended financial or moral support. Among the most prolific correspondents found here are: Dan Basen, George Brecht, James Lee Byars, Walter de Maria, Mark Di Suvero, Albert Fine, Dan Flavin, Ann Halprin, Grace Hartigan, Charles James, Philip Johnson, Ray Johnson, Doreen and Robert Manning, Agnes Martin, Gordon Newton, Claes Oldenburg, Ad Reinhardt, Dieter Rot, Alan Saret, Richard Tuttle, May Wilson, and Andy Warhol.

Writings by Wagstaff consist of "Looking at Modern Art" prepared for the Trinity College Reading Program, and an untitled, undated piece about multiplicity in art. Among the writings by other authors are Bruce Bennard's "The Photographer Rediscovered," "Pop Art" by Henry Geldzahler, and "Collecting Photographs" by Bonnie Barrett Stretch.

Miscellaneous records are drawings by Bruce Kleinsmith, a print by Harold Paris and artists' resumes. Also included is a costume consisting of a stuffed devil's tail and two red silk caps connected by a long sash, all in a matching red silk bag.

Among the printed material are books, exhibition catalogs and prospectuses, periodicals, press releases, reproductions, and a variety of other printed items relating to photography and art.

Photographs consist largely of copy prints and a small number of original prints. Also included are a few images of exhibition installations and other miscellaneous subjects. There are no portraits of Samuel J. Wagstaff among the photographs of people. Identified individuals include: Bella Abzug, Peter Allen, Michael Collins, Angela Davis, Candy Darling, Wendell Ford, Joseph Hirshhorn, W. A. Huffman, David Love, Marc Miller, Bettie Ringma, and Andy Warhol.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 5 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Correspondence, 1932-1986 (Boxes 1-3, 8, OV 9-10; 2.5 linear ft.)

Series 2: Writings, 1961-1983 (Box 3; 0.2 linear ft.)

Series 3: Miscellaneous Papers and Artifacts, 1970s-1980s (Box 3; 0.2 linear ft.)

Series 4: Printed Material, circa 1914-1988 (Boxes 3-8, OV 11; 3.2 linear ft.)

Series 5: Photographs, 1975-1982 (Boxes 7-8; 0.1 linear ft.)
Biographical Note:
Samuel J. Wagstaff, Jr. (1921-1987), the son of a lawyer from an old New York family and fashion artist Olga Piorkowska, was born in New York City. A graduate of Yale University, he was an ensign in the Navy and took part in the D-day landing at Omaha Beach.

Following World War II, Wagstaff studied Renaissance art at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. A David E. Finley art history fellowship took him to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C. in 1959. He served as curator of contemporary art at the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Conn., from 1961 to 1968, where he coordinated sculptor Tony Smith's first museum show in 1966. In 1971, during Wagstaff's tenure as curator at the Detroit Institute of Arts (1968-1971), he presented Michael Heizer's installation Dragged Mass Geometric on the grounds of the museum.

In addition to his curatorial work, Samuel J. Wagstaff was a noted collector. Originally, he was a fairly influential collector of avant-garde paintings. After seeing the exhibition "The Painterly Photograph" and meeting photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, Wagstaff became convinced that photographs were the most unrecognized and, possibly, the most valuable works of art. He moved to New York and began selling his collection of paintings, using the proceeds to begin his photography collection and concentrating on 19th century American, British, and French examples. Then, influenced by his lover, photographer Mapplethorpe, Wagstaff's taste veered toward the daring, and he began to depart from established names in search of new talent. His collection was soon recognized as one of the finest private holdings in the United States. An exhibition of his photographs was organized by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C., in 1978, and A Book of Photographs from the Sam Wagstaff Collection was published to accompany the show that toured the country.

The photograph collection was sold to the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, Calif., in 1984, for a reported $5 million. Wagstaff then focused his attention on collecting 19th century American silver, and a selection from that collection was exhibited at the New York Historical Society in 1987.

Samuel J. Wagstaff died in New York City on January 14, 1987, from pneumonia, a complication of HIV infection.
Provenance:
Samuel J. Wagstaff donated his papers between 1976 and 1986.
Restrictions:
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.
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.
Topic:
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Photography  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Artists -- United States  Search this
Photographs -- Collectors and collecting -- United States  Search this
Curators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Art, Modern  Search this
Fluxus (Group of artists)  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Drawings
Citation:
Samuel J. Wagstaff papers, circa 1932-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.wagssamu
See more items in:
Samuel J. Wagstaff papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw978d21d32-6db4-4e4a-a3f2-17fde336ef7b
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-wagssamu
Online Media:

Ellen Hulda Johnson papers

Creator:
Johnson, Ellen H.  Search this
Names:
Allen Memorial Art Museum  Search this
American-Scandinavian Foundation  Search this
College Art Association (U.S.)  Search this
Oberlin College -- Faculty  Search this
Archipenko, Alexander, 1887-1964  Search this
Cézanne, Paul, 1839-1906  Search this
Dine, Jim, 1935-  Search this
Hesse, Eva, 1936-1970  Search this
Kensett, John Frederick, 1816-1872  Search this
Milles, Carl, 1875-1955  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973  Search this
Saunders, David  Search this
Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946  Search this
Tacha, Athena, 1936-  Search this
Tworkov, Jack  Search this
Venturi, Robert  Search this
Wilke, Wendell  Search this
Extent:
61.5 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Place:
Ossabaw Island (Ga.)
Date:
1872-2018
bulk 1921-1992
Summary:
The papers of art historian, art critic, author, librarian and educator Ellen Hulda Johnson measure 61.5 linear feet and date from 1872-2018, with the bulk of the material dating from 1921-1992. The papers include biographical materials; personal and family files; personal, professional, and business correspondence; extensive research and writing files; teaching files; subject files; professional and curatorial files; and artists' files. Johnson's papers reflect the full range of her career, interests, and close relationships with many artists. There is a 0.2 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2021 that includes letters to Ellen Johnson from others, letters from Johnson to Carl Gerber, and a sketch by Johnson. Materials date from circa 1956-1991.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of art historian, art critic, author, librarian and educator Ellen Hulda Johnson measure 61.5 linear feet and date from 1872-2018, with the bulk of the material dating from 1921-1992. The papers include biographical materials; personal and family files; personal, professional, and business correspondence; extensive research and writing files; teaching files; subject files; professional and curatorial files; and artists' files. Johnson's papers reflect the full range of her career, interests, and close relationships with many artists. There is a 0.2 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2021 that includes letters to Ellen Johnson from others, letters from Johnson to Carl Gerber, and a sketch by Johnson. Materials date from circa 1956-1991.

Personal papers consist of biographical materials and personal and family files, including "memorabilia" files compiled by Johnson. Correspondence is a mix of personal, business, and professional correspondence. Significant correspondents include David Saunders (who painted a portrait of Johnson), Claes Oldenburg, Jack Tworkov, Robert Venturi, the American Scandinavian Foundation. A folder of correspondence compiled for the Archives includes letters from Alfred Stieglitz, Wendell Wilkie, Carl Milles, Jim Dine, and Alexander Archipenko.

Extensive and comprehensive writing and research project files include articles, lectures, presentations, manuscripts, notes and notebooks, including her class notebooks from courses she attended in Paris in 1935, and additional notes and notebooks on a wide variety of subjects. The numerous articles, lectures, papers, and drafts were written primarily by Johnson for the College Art Association, the Allen Memorial Art Museum bulletin, and numerous additional publications and presentations; but there are also writings by others included in the research files. Major writing projects and related research files cover Scandinavian art, the Ossabaw Island artist's colony, Cezanne, Eva Hesse, John Frederick Kensett, Claes Oldenburg, Picasso, David Saunders, Athena Tacha, Pop Art, and many other topics. Johnson's research files, manuscripts, correspondence, and photographs for major exhibitions, including one on Eva Hesse (1982) and for her published books including American Artists on Art from 1940-1980 (1982), Claes Oldenburg (1971), Fragments Recalled at 80: The Art Memoirs of Ellen H. Johnson (1993), and Modern Art and Object (1976) are arranged with the writing project files. Johnson's bibliographic index cards are found here as well.

The collection contains extensive teaching files for courses taught by Johnson at Oberlin and as a visiting professor at other institutions; professional and curatorial files reflecting her curatorial career at Allen Memorial Art Museum, as a consultant, jury member, and continuing education courses she later attended, including the Baldwin Lecture Series; and 18 linear feet of artist's files assembled by Johnson.
Arrangement:
The Ellen Hulda Johnson papers are arranged into seven series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Personal Papers, circa 1905-2009 (5 linear feet; Boxes 1-2, 56-59)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1927-2009 (5.5 linear feet; Boxes 3-7, 60)

Series 3: Writing and Research Projects, 1872, 1932-1994 (15.5 linear feet; Boxes 7-20, 56, 61-62)

Series 4: Subject Files, 1930-1993 (5 linear feet; Boxes 21-25, 62)

Series 5: Teaching Files, 1928-1989 (6 linear feet; Boxes 26-31, 62)

Series 6: Professional and Curatorial Files, 1936-1991 (6 linear feet; Boxes 32-37, 56)

Series 7: Artists Files, 1935-1992 (18.3 linear feet; Boxes 37-55, 62)

Series 8: Unprocessed Addition, 1956-1991 (0.2 linear feet; Box 63)
Biographical / Historical:
Ellen Hulda Johnson (1910-1992) was an art historian, critic, and professor who worked and taught at Oberlin College in Ohio for most of her career.

Ellen Hulda Johnson was born in 1910 in Warren, Pennsylvania. She received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in art history at Oberlin in 1933 and 1935. She worked briefly at the Toledo Museum of Art before returning to Oberlin as the art librarian. In 1940 she started Oberlin's art rental program, the first of its kind in the country. She was appointed to the faculty in 1948 and taught nineteenth and twentieth century art, American art from colonial times to the present, contemporary art, and Scandinavian art. She was a member of the Allen Memorial Art Museum's acquisition committee and was appointed honorary curator of modern art in 1973. She remained at Oberlin her entire career, retiring from teaching in 1977.

Johnson was a scholar of Cézanne, Claes Oldenburg, Eva Hesse, Pablo Picasso, Edvard Munch, John F. Kensett and other modern masters, as well as Scandinavian art. In 1962 she wrote the first important article on Claes Oldenburg and, in 1970, assisted curator Athena Tacha commission his first permanent large sculpture (3-Way Plug) for the grounds of the Allen Memorial Art Museum. She was the first to show the black-striped paintings that established Frank Stella's reputation. Her efforts in promoting acquisitions of young contemporary artists helped make the Allen Memorial Art Museum a leading institution in contemporary art. Her Oberlin lectures on modern art became so popular that they had to be held in the college's largest auditorium and influenced generations of students, many of whom went on to signficant positions in the field. A new wing of the museum designed by Robert Venturi opened in 1977 and was named in honor of Johnson.

Johnson was the author of numerous articles, books, and exhibition catalogs including Cezanne (Penquin, 1967); Claes Oldenburg (Penquin, 1971); American Artists on Art from 1940-1980 (Harper and Row, 1982); and Modern Art and the Object (Thames and Hudson, 1976).

In 1968, Johnson purchased the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Weltzheimer house in Oberlin, and spent a considerable part of her time and money restoring the building where she lived the rest of her life. She bequethed the house and her significant art collection to Oberlin upon her death in 1992.
Related Materials:
Papers of Ellen H. Johnson, 1933-1992, are also located at Oberlin College Archives.
Separated Materials:
Shortly after aquisition, the Archives transferred Ellen Hulda Johnson's vertical file (16 linear feet) of clippings, press releases, and exhibition announcements to the library of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery.
Provenance:
The Ellen Hulda Johnson papers were donated in 1994, 1998, 2019 and 2021 by the estate of Ellen Hulda Johnson via exectutor Athena Tacha.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington D.C. Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice. 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.
Occupation:
Librarians -- Ohio  Search this
Authors -- Ohio  Search this
Art critics -- Ohio  Search this
Art historians -- Ohio -- Oberlin  Search this
Educators -- Ohio -- Oberlin  Search this
Topic:
Art, Scandinavian  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Art, Modern -- 19th century -- Study and teaching  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Study and teaching  Search this
Pop art  Search this
Women authors  Search this
Women art critics  Search this
Women art historians  Search this
Women educators  Search this
Function:
Artist colonies -- Georgia
Citation:
Ellen Hulda Johnson papers, 1872-2018, bulk 1921-1992. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.johnelle
See more items in:
Ellen Hulda Johnson papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw94183bf07-6dce-4777-903c-a590c03214ce
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-johnelle
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Claes Oldenburg

Interviewee:
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Interviewer:
Hooton, Bruce Duff, 1928-  Search this
Extent:
16 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1965 Feb. 19
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Claes Oldenburg conducted 1965 Feb. 19, by Bruce Hooton, for the Archives of American Art.
Oldenburg speaks of recording his dreams; studying at the Art Institute of Chicago and Yale; his interest in writing and poetry; participating in and creating his own "Happenings;" working at the Cooper Union Museum Library; influences of Abstract Expressionism on his work; meaning behind his work and the procedure for creating it; his role as an artist "outside" many artist groups. Oldenburg also recalls Robert Indiana, Rudolph Weisenborn, Hedy Backlin, Gerd Muehsam, Jim Dine, Florine Stettheimer, Marc Ratliff, Tom Wesselmann, Allan Kaprow, Marcel Duchamp, Willem DeKooning, Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, Leon Golub, Red Grooms, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Claes Oldenburg (1929- ) is a sculptor active in New York, N.Y.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav file. Duration is 57 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.
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.oldenb65
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9e87f6d07-89b0-4ec2-ac22-ff151030a812
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-oldenb65
Online Media:

Waldorf panel on sculpture

Creator:
Waldorf panel on sculpture (1965 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Names:
Agostini, Peter  Search this
Barnet, Will, 1911-2012  Search this
De Kooning, Elaine  Search this
Ferber, Herbert, 1906-1991  Search this
Ferren, John, 1905-1970  Search this
Judd, Donald, 1928-1994  Search this
Kiesler, Frederick  Search this
Lassaw, Ibram, 1913-2003  Search this
Mallary, Robert, 1917-1997  Search this
Marsicano, Nicholas, 1908-1991  Search this
Nevelson, Louise, 1899-1988  Search this
Noguchi, Isamu, 1904-1988  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Pavia, Philip, 1915-2005  Search this
Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967  Search this
Rosenthal, Rachel, 1926-  Search this
Schwartz, Sal  Search this
Segal, George, 1924-2000  Search this
Slivka, David, 1913-  Search this
Wines, James, 1932-  Search this
Extent:
6 Sound tapes ((partially transcribed), 7 in.)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound tapes
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1965 February 17 and March 17
Scope and Contents:
A two part panel discussion on sculpture (6 7" tapes), partially transcribed on 141 pages. Participants are Peter Agostini, Will Barnet, Elaine De Kooning, Herbert Ferber, John Ferren, Donald Judd, Frederick Kiesler, Ibram Lassaw, Robert Mallary, Nicholas Marsicano, Louise Nevelson, Isamu Noguchi, Claes Oldenburg, Philip Pavia (organizer), Ad Reinhardt, Rachel Rosenthal, Sal Schwartz, George Segal, David Slivka, and James Wines.
Biographical / Historical:
The Waldorf Panel on Sculpture was organized by Philip Pavia, who chose the name in homage to the informal artists' discussions held at the Waldorf Cafeteria on 6th St. in the early to mid 1940s, and which later formed the nucleus to the artists' group known as the Club.
Provenance:
Provenance unknown.
Restrictions:
Use of original recordings requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- United States  Search this
Topic:
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Sculpture, American  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.waldpane
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw926bd3be9-ef0c-46b5-9734-b1346609dc83
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-waldpane

[Lippincott, Inc. photographs]

Creator:
Lippincott, Inc.  Search this
Everett, Roxanne  Search this
Names:
Breer, Robert  Search this
Doty, Robert M.  Search this
Dubuffet, Jean, 1901-1985  Search this
Indiana, Robert, 1928-  Search this
Kelly, Ellsworth, 1923-  Search this
Lichtenstein, Roy, 1923-1997  Search this
McKee, David  Search this
Meadmore, Clement  Search this
Morris, Robert, 1931-2018  Search this
Murray, Robert, 1936-  Search this
Myers, Forrest Warden, 1941-  Search this
Nevelson, Louise, 1899-1988  Search this
Newman, Barnett, 1905-1970  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Rosati, James, 1912-1988  Search this
Samaras, Lucas, 1936-  Search this
Sugarman, George, 1912-1999  Search this
Yamasaki, Minoru, 1912-  Search this
Extent:
1.2 Linear feet ((ca. 700 items partially microfilmed on two reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1968-1977 and [undated]
Scope and Contents:
Photographs by Roxanne Everett, of artists fabricating and installing their sculpture at Lippincott, Inc., and other sites.
REEL 1400: 23 photographs including: Robert Breer, Ellsworth Kelly, Donald Lippincott, Clement Meadmore, Robert Morris, Louise Nevelson, Barnett Newman, Claes Oldenburg, Lucas Samaras, George Sugarman, and Minoru Yamasaki.
REEL 1875: 79 photographs including: Robert McIntyre Doty, Jean Dubuffet, Robert Indiana, Roy Lichtenstein, David McKee, Clement L. Meadmore, Robert Murray, Forest Warden Myers, Claes Oldenburg, James Rosati, Lucas Samaras, George Sugarman, and others.
UNMICROFILMED: 593 photographs, among them ca. 300 of Claus Oldenburg, and many of Robert Murray, George Sugarman, Louise Nevelson, Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosati, Ellsworth Kelly, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
North Haven, Ct. Founded in 1966 by Donald B. Lippincott as a place for artists to create large sculptures and receive help in transportation and installation of their work.
Provenance:
Photographs on reel 1400 donated 1974 by Roxanne Everett and Donald B. Lippincott; those on reel 1875 donated 1978 by Everett. Unmicrofilmed photographs donated by Roxanne Everett, October 4, 1983.
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.
Rights:
Authorization to publish, quote or reproduce requires written permission from Jonathan Lippincott. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Photographers  Search this
Sculptors  Search this
Topic:
Photography of sculpture  Search this
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.ippinc
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91617a1ce-12a2-4294-b492-1fdeeea250fe
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-ippinc

James Matthew Auer photographs

Creator:
Auer, James  Search this
Names:
Adami, Valerio, 1935-  Search this
Aiken, Pat  Search this
Anderson, Ernest  Search this
Berman, Fred, 1926-  Search this
Bloom, William  Search this
Boerher, Edward A.  Search this
Bohrod, Aaron  Search this
Brink, Guido Peter, 1913-  Search this
Burkert, Robert  Search this
Coleman, Gerald Duane  Search this
Colt, John Nicholson, 1925-1999  Search this
Cunningham, Charles Crehore, 1910-1979  Search this
Dinwiddie, William  Search this
Dix, Charles  Search this
Donhauser, Paul S.  Search this
Dooley, Tom  Search this
Eisenstein, Sandra  Search this
Farrell, Patrick  Search this
Fontanne, Lynn  Search this
Fumagalli, Barbara Merrill, 1926-  Search this
Fumagalli, Orazio, 1921-  Search this
Ginnever, Charles  Search this
Goodrich, Susan, 1933-  Search this
Grotenrath, Ruth, 1912-  Search this
Haberland, Anne  Search this
Henry, John Raymond, 1943-  Search this
Kazlov, Brian, 1944-1991  Search this
Lange, Vidie, 1934-  Search this
Levine, Les, 1935-  Search this
Lichtner, Schomer, 1905-2006  Search this
Lippold, Richard, 1915-2002  Search this
Lunt, Alfred  Search this
Lyons, Roger  Search this
Miller, Gerhard Carl Frederick, 1903-  Search this
Nedobeck, Don  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Peters, James  Search this
Philipon, Philip  Search this
Philipon, Ruth Wedgwood, 1933-  Search this
Poehlmann, JoAnna  Search this
Rivers, Larry, 1925-2002  Search this
Sadow, Harvey, 1946-  Search this
Salt, John, 1937-  Search this
Schoenberger, Edwin  Search this
Schuenke, Robert  Search this
Schwanke, Robert  Search this
Schwartz, Lester  Search this
Smith, Fred, 1886-1975  Search this
Sommer, Elke  Search this
Sugarman, George, 1912-1999  Search this
Turner, Morrie  Search this
Ulbricht, Elsa Emile, 1885-1980  Search this
Varnelis, Kazys, 1917-  Search this
Von Neumann, Robert  Search this
Welch, Roger, 1946-  Search this
White, Doris A.  Search this
Winkle, James  Search this
Wright, Frank Lloyd, Mrs.  Search this
Wyeth, Andrew, 1917-2009  Search this
Extent:
68 Items ((on 2 microfilm reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1977
Scope and Contents:
Photographs by Auer from a 1977 exhibition, "Through the Studio Door," at the Oshkosh Public Museum. Contains photographs of artists and celebrities who work or exhibit in Wisconsin, photographs of works of art, and miscellaneous photos.
Photos are of: Valerio Adami, Pat Aiken, Ernest Anderson, Fred Berman, William Bloom, Edward A. Boerher, Aaron Bohrod, Guido Brink, Robert Burkert, Gerald D. Coleman, John Colt, Charles Cunningham, William Dinwiddie, Charles Dix, Paul S. Donhauser, Tom Dooley, Sandra Eisenstein, Patrick Farrell, Lynn Fontanne, Barbara Fumagalli, Orazio Fumagalli, Charles Ginnever, Susan Goodrich, Ruth Grotenrath, Anne Haberland, John Henry, Brian Kazlov, Vidie Lange, Les Levine, Schomer Lichtner, Richard Lippold, Alfred Lunt, Roger Lyons, Gerhard C. F. Miller,Don Nedoeck, Claes Oldenburg, James Peters, Philip Philipon, Ruth Philipon, Joanna Poehlmann, Larry Rivers, Harvey Sadow, John Salt, Edwin Schoenberger, Robert Schuenke, Robert Schwanke, Lester Schwartz, Fred Smith, Elke Sommer, George Sugarman, Morrie Turner, Elsa Ulbricht, Kazys Varnelis, Robert von Neumann, Roger Welch, Doris White, James Winkle, Mrs. Frank Lloyd Wright, and Andrew Wyeth.
Biographical / Historical:
Art critic, filmmaker; Wisconsin; b. 1928
Provenance:
Donated 1981 by Oshkosh Public Museum.
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.
Occupation:
Art critics -- Wisconsin  Search this
Filmmakers -- Wisconsin  Search this
Topic:
Artists -- Wisconsin -- Photographs  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.auerjmph
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90c10dadc-fd9d-4ce9-a5fd-41f809317199
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-auerjmph

Allen Memorial Art Museum records

Creator:
Allen Memorial Art Museum  Search this
Names:
Cornell, Joseph  Search this
Diebenkorn, Richard, 1922-1993  Search this
Morris, Robert, 1931-2018  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Olney, Charles F. (Charles Fayette), 1831-1903  Search this
Ward, Clarence, b. 1884  Search this
Wiley, William T., 1937-2021  Search this
Extent:
51 Reels
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Reels
Date:
1916-1967
Scope and Contents:
The microfilmed Allen Memorial Art Museum records contain general correspondence (1931-1958); business correspondence of the director (1916-1958), curators (circa 1929-1967), correspondence with dealers (1941-1953); and files of Clarence Ward, Director from 1917 until 1950, much of which relate to lectures. Also included are exhibition data (1929-1963) including correspondence and lists; financial ledgers (1938-1955); material related to a bequest from Elisabeth Severance Prentiss (Mrs. F. F. Prentiss); and miscellany. The Charles F. Olney file which includes correspondence, a catalog of the Olney collection, a list of art objects and furniture in the collection, and an index to the material; a photograph file showing the interior and exterior of the Museum, the staff, classrooms, studio, and others; and files on artists including Joseph Cornell, Richard Diebenkorn, Robert Morris, Claes Oldenburg, and William T. Wiley are also present.
Biographical / Historical:
The Allen Memorial Art Museum (founded 1917) is an academic art museum at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. The museum's collection contains over 15,000 works of art.
Provenance:
Lent for microfiliming in 1973 by the Allen Memorial Art Museum.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Topic:
Art patronage  Search this
Function:
Art museums, University and college -- Ohio -- Oberlin
Identifier:
AAA.allememo
See more items in:
Allen Memorial Art Museum records
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw98729efff-c0b7-4dfc-8c59-394e46c1b8a5
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-allememo

Gertrude Kasle Gallery records

Creator:
Gertrude Kasle Gallery (Detroit, Mich.)  Search this
Names:
Universal Limited Art Editions (Firm)  Search this
Bontecou, Lee, 1931-  Search this
De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this
Dine, Jim, 1935-  Search this
Frankenthaler, Helen, 1928-2011  Search this
Goodman, Brenda Joyce, 1943-  Search this
Goodnough, Robert, 1917-  Search this
Goodyear, John L., 1930-  Search this
Gottlieb, Adolph, 1903-1974  Search this
Grosman, Tatyana, 1904-1982  Search this
Guston, Philip, 1913-1980  Search this
Hartigan, Grace  Search this
Jenkins, Paul, 1923-2012  Search this
Johnson, Ray, 1927-  Search this
Kasle, Gertrude, 1917-  Search this
Motherwell, Robert  Search this
Natkin, Robert, 1930-  Search this
Nesbitt, Lowell, 1933-1993  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Pollock, Charles C.  Search this
Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008  Search this
Schmidt, Julius, 1923-  Search this
Shapiro, Babe  Search this
Tall, Bill  Search this
Todd, Mike, 1935-  Search this
Tworkov, Jack  Search this
Extent:
8.1 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Photographs
Sound recordings
Date:
1949-1999
bulk 1964-1983
Summary:
The records of the Gertrude Kasle Gallery of Detroit measure 8.1 linear feet and date from 1949-1999, with the bulk of records dating from 1964-1983. The collection documents the establishment and operations of this contemporary American art gallery and consists of artists files, business and administrative files, exhibition files, photographic materials, and interviews and lectures in the form of sound recordings.
Scope and Content Note:
The records of the Gertrude Kasle Gallery of Detroit measure 8.1 linear feet and date from 1949-1999, with the bulk of the records dating from 1964-1983. The collection documents the establishment and operations of this contemporary American art gallery and consists of artists files, business and administrative files, exhibition files, photographic materials, and interviews and lectures in the form of sound recordings.

The bulk of the records consist of Artists' Files that document the professional and personal relationships Kasle fostered with the artists represented by the gallery, including sales and exhibitions. The files contain a wide variety of materials and the amount of documentation for each artist also varies. Typically the files contain personal and business correspondence, sales documentation, exhibition photographs, photographs of works of art, family photographs, photographs of the artist, exhibition announcements and catalogs, other printed materials, greeting cards, and other documents. Some of the artists well-represented in the files include Lee Bontecou, Wilhem De Kooning, Jim Dine, Helen Frankenthaler, Brenda Goodman, Robert Goodnaugh, John Goodyear, Adolph Gottlieb, Philip Guston, Grace Hartigan, Ray Johnson, Robert Motherwell, Robert Natkin, Lowell Nesbitt, Claes Oldenburg, Charles Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg, Julius Schmidt, Babe Shapiro, Michael Todd, and Jack Tworkov. Additional general information about exhibitions is found in Series 3, Exhibition Files and additional photographs are filed in Series 4, Photographic Material.

Gallery and personal business and administrative files house documents relating to the founding and incorporation of the gallery and general operations, as well as some of Gertrude Kasle personal business files. Also found in this series are files related to fine art prints and the gallery's business relationship with Universal Limited Art Editions.

Scattered exhibition files are found for a few of the gallery's exhibitions and also include general exhibition related files, such as clippings, announcements, guest lists, and schedules. Most of the information about the gallery's exhibitions is found in the Artists Files. Photographs and slides are found throughout the collection, particularly in the Artists Files, but Series 4, Photographic Materials houses an extensive collection of slides documenting art work by artists represented by the gallery. There is also an autographed photograph portrait of Lowell Nesbitt.

Sound recordings are of interviews and lectures. Interviews are with Tatyana Grosman, Lowell Nesbitt, Paul Jenkins, and Bill Tall. There are recorded lectures by Paul Jenkins and Jack Tworkov. The sound recordings are on both audio cassette reel to reel tapes. Transcripts are not available.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 5 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Artists Files, 1949-1999 (Boxes 1-5, OV 11; 5.1 linear feet)

Series 2: Gallery and Personal Business and Administrative Files, 1961-1995 (Boxes 6-7, OV 12; 1.2 linear feet)

Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1963-1976 (Box 7; 7 folders)

Series 4: Photographic Materials, 1953-1985 (Boxes 7, 10; 18 folders)

Series 5: Sound Recordings, 1966-1971 (Boxes 7-9; 7 folders)
Historical Note:
Gertrude Kasle was born in New York City on December 2, 1917, and began her life-long career in the art world very early, taking art classes in high school and Saturday classes at the Art Students League. She began her formal studies in art education at New York University (NYU) and later transfered to the University of Michigan. Kasle interrupted her studies during World War II to devote herself to family work while her husband served as a military chaplain. The family returned to Detroit in 1947 and she began classes at the Society of Arts and Crafts. After raising her three children, she enrolled in Wayne State University in 1955, completing her degree in 1962.

While a student in Detroit, Kasle was active in the Friends of Modern Art group at the Detroit Institute of Art, and became Vice President. In 1962, she was approached by Detroit businessman Franklin Siden to help him open a gallery where she would have a one-third partnership. During the first year of Siden Gallery's operations, Kasle introduced Detroit to the work of many notable contemporay American artists, such as Larry Rivers, Grace Hartigan, Robert Goodnough, and Robert Natkin.

Her tenure with the Siden Gallery was short-lived and by 1964 she left and began to contemplate her next move. Several of the artists she had represented at Siden Gallery encouraged her to open her own gallery. Local art critic Joy Hakanson Colby who worked for the Detroit News interviewed Kasle and claimed that Kasle was "looking for gallery space". Responding to the article, the Fischer Building offered Kasle a very attractive lease in the "New Center" area of downtown Detroit that would later become known as the city's gallery center, housing several prominent galleries.

With the help of her husband and son, she opened the doors of the Gertrude Kasle Gallery on April 10, 1965. The opening exhibition featured Larry Rivers, Grace Hartigan, Robert Goodnough, Irving Kreisberg, and Manousher Yektai. Kasle's goal was to introduce the city of Detroit to the foremost contemporary artists in the country, some already well-established such as Wilhelm De Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Philip Guston, Grace Hartigan, Robert Motherwell, Lowell Nesbitt, Claes Oldenburg, Charles Pollock, Larry Rivers, and Jack Tworkov, as well as others just becoming known, such as Jim Dine. Through group and one-man shows, the Gertrude Kasle Gallery represented contemporary painting, mixed media, and sculpture, focusing primarily on the Abstract Expressionist movement. The gallery also fostered many local Detroit artists, giving them their first shows, including Al Loving and Brenda Goodman.

During her earlier tenure with the Siden Gallery Kasle had worked with Tatyana Grosman of Universal Limited Art Editions which produced original prints of contemporary artists including Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jim Dine. In her own gallery, Kasle continued her business relationship with Grosman and fine art print publishers, allowing the gallery access to many artists that were previously unattainable.

For eleven years the Gertrude Kasle Gallery operated as a thriving contemporary art gallery, forming the nucleus for the growing Detroit modern and avant garde art scene during the sixties and seventies. Although financially the gallery was not as successful as hoped, it provided a cultural forum for artists and Detroit art enthusiasts to convene, learn, and celebrate. In April, 1976 the gallery closed. When asked why she was closing the gallery, Gertrude Kasle said, "Because the need for a gallery like mine isn't as great as it was in the 1960's. Today the public respects and understands more about creative innovation in contemporary art." (Hakanson Colby, March, 1976) Although the gallery formally closed, Kasle continues to work as a art consultant and live in Detroit.

This historical note relies heavily on the essays written by Gertrude Kasle's son, Stephen available on the Gertrude Kasle Gallery website.
Related Material:
Also available at the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Gertrude Kasle conducted by Dennis Barrie on July 24, 1975.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Archives of American Art in 1976 and 1982 by Mrs. Gertrude Kasle. A third accession was donated by the Cincinnati Art Museum in 2002.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
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.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Function:
Art galleries, Commercial -- Michigan
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Photographs
Sound recordings
Citation:
The Gertrude Kasle Gallery records, 1949-1999 (bulk 1964-1983). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.gertkasl
See more items in:
Gertrude Kasle Gallery records
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw966a2f90b-2c81-4c74-85c0-150badf90c1d
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-gertkasl
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Robert Breer

Interviewee:
Breer, Robert  Search this
Interviewer:
Cummings, Paul  Search this
Names:
Bonino Gallery  Search this
Galerie Denise René  Search this
PepsiCo, Inc.  Search this
Stanford University -- Students  Search this
United States. Army  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Tinguely, Jean, 1925-  Search this
Extent:
65 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Interviews
Sound recordings
Date:
1973 July 10
Scope and Contents:
Interview of Robert Breer conducted 1973 July 10, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.
Breer speaks of his boyhood in Detroit; his family, and its activities in early auto engineering; attending Stanford University and drawing cartoons for its daily paper; Stanford's art department, his U.S. Army service; the influence of the Tannerhill collection; going to Paris and the art scene there in the 1950s; Galerie Denise René; making his first films in 1952; the experimental film movement and his involvement in it; Studio Parnene and its showings of his films; showings in America; tachism; his return to the United States; the Brussels Fair Film Festival; mutascopes; early sculptures; his "Bent Whale" transitional piece; kinetic sculpture; Tinguely and Oldenburg films; descriptions of some of his sculptures; his design for the Pepsi Cola Pavilion at the Japan Expo in 1970; the Bonino Gallery.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Breer (1926-2011) was a sculptor and filmmaker from Tappacu, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 43 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.
Topic:
Lyrical abstraction (Art movement)  Search this
Filmmakers -- Interviews  Search this
Kinetic sculpture  Search this
Sculptors -- Interviews  Search this
Sculpture  Search this
Function:
Film festivals
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.breer73
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9afcf1200-22f3-4edd-ac3b-9d115595e470
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-breer73
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Tony Ganz

Interviewee:
Ganz, Tony  Search this
Interviewer:
Drohojowska-Philp, Hunter  Search this
Names:
Art Collectors: A Project in Partnership with the Center for the History of Collecting in America at The Frick Collection  Search this
D. Lisner Jewelry  Search this
Harvard University -- Students  Search this
Bonin, Ted  Search this
Bontecou, Lee, 1931-  Search this
Deitsch, Jeffrey  Search this
Fries, Charles W., 1928-  Search this
Ganz, Paul  Search this
Ganz, Sally  Search this
Ganz, Sol  Search this
Ganz, Victor  Search this
Hesse, Eva, 1936-1970  Search this
Lowry, Glenn D.  Search this
Marks, Matthew  Search this
Matta-Clark, Gordon, 1943-1978  Search this
Mutrux, Gail  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973  Search this
Smithson, Robert  Search this
Stella, Frank  Search this
Thek, Paul  Search this
Weinberg, Adam D.  Search this
Whiteread, Amber  Search this
Zwirner, David  Search this
d'Offay, Anthony  Search this
Extent:
4 Items (Sound recording: 4 sound files (2 hr., 4 min.), digital, wav)
41 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Interviews
Sound recordings
Date:
2014 December 6
Scope and Contents:
An interview with Tony Ganz conducted 2014 December 6, by Hunter Drohojowska-Philp, for the Archives of American Art and the Center for the History of Collecting in America at the Frick Art Reference Library of The Frick Collection, at Ganz's home in Brentwood, California.
Ganz speaks of his parents, siblings, and early childhood; growing up in New York city; his family's collection and interest in art; collecting Picasso; going to museums and galleries as a kid; understanding Picasso; Putney School; his interest in photography and film; attending Harvard; making films; meeting his wife; beginning collecting; collecting drawings; building his collection; equity; Eva Hesse; Amber Whiteread; Gordon Matta-Clark; Moving to Beachwood Canyon; Robert Smithson; Paul Thek; Ted Bonin; Claes Oldenberg; Frank Stella; plan for his collection; following one's intuition; ones that got away; and friends in the art world. Ganz also recalls Victor and Sally Ganz, Paul Ganz, Sol Ganz, D. Lisner Jewelry, Chuck Fries, Gail Mutrux, Matthew Marks, Anthony D'Offay, Jeffrey Deitsch, Lee Bontecou, David Zwirner, Adam Weinberg, and Glenn Lowry.
Biographical / Historical:
Tony Ganz (1947-) is a film producer in Brentwood, California. Hunter Drohojowska-Philp is an art critic and writer from Beverly Hills, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 SD memory cards as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 4 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:
This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Filmmakers  Search this
Topic:
Motion picture producers and directors  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Photography  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.ganz14
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f29970bf-e6b5-4620-9f69-64af6f28f17c
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-ganz14
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Tony Vevers

Interviewee:
Vevers, Tony  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F.  Search this
Names:
City Center Gallery  Search this
Hans Hofmann School (New York, New York)  Search this
Operation Pied Piper  Search this
United States -- Montgomery G.I. Bill  Search this
United States. Army  Search this
Yale University -- Students  Search this
Avery, Milton, 1885-1965  Search this
Blagden, Tom  Search this
Calcagno, Lawrence, 1913-  Search this
Gottlieb, Adolph, 1903-1974  Search this
Halvorsen, Elspeth  Search this
Hartung, Hans, 1904-1989  Search this
Hofmann, Hans, 1880-1966  Search this
Keller, Deane, 1901-1992  Search this
Kline, Franz, 1910-1962  Search this
Levine, Jack, 1915-2010  Search this
Lippold, Richard, 1915-2002  Search this
Nevelson, Louise, 1899-1988  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Pace, Stephen, 1918-2010  Search this
Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973  Search this
Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946  Search this
Vieira da Silva, 1908-  Search this
Weber, Max, 1881-1961  Search this
Zallinger, Rudolph F.  Search this
Extent:
2 Sound cassettes (Sound recording (2 hr., 49 min.), analog)
58 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound cassettes
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Place:
Provincetown (Mass.)
Date:
1998 July 9-August 25
Scope and Contents:
Interview of Tony Vevers, conducted on August 25, 1998, by Robert F. Brown for the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Vevers speaks of being sent by his parents to the United States in 1940; secondary schooling in Madison, Connecticut and at the Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, Connecticut (1944); serving in the U.S. Army infantry in Europe, 1944-1946; attending Yale University on the GI Bill and graduating with a BA in painting and drawing, 1950; further art training in Florence, Italy and at the Hans Hofmann School, NYC (1950-1953); his marriage to Elspeth Halvorsen, fellow artist, 1953; his studies in Italy; the unexciting nature of contemporary Italian art; contemporary art in Paris, where Picasso impressed him but work of Hans Hartung and (Marie Elena) Vieira da Silva did not; studying with Hans Hofmann; working at the non-profit City Center Gallery, which was designed to give younger artists exposure through juried exhibitions; and living in poverty in NYC and Provincetown until 1963. Vevers also recalls Tom Blagden, Alfred Stieglitz, Deane Keller, Rudolph Zallinger, Claes Oldenburg, Stephen Pace, Lawrence Calcagno, Hans Hofmann, Milton Avery, Adolph Gottlieb, Jack Levine, Franz Kline, Louise Nevelson, Max Weber, Richard Lippold, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Tony Vevers (1926-2008) was a painter from Provincetown, Massachusetts.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 49 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.
Occupation:
Art teachers -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Art, French -- 20th century  Search this
Art, Italian -- 20th century  Search this
Art, Modern  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching -- Italy  Search this
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Provincetown -- Interviews  Search this
Poverty  Search this
World War, 1939-1945 -- United States  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.vevers98
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9895b7c6b-c510-442a-b997-8973a7d9279f
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-vevers98
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Jackie Ferrara

Interviewee:
Ferrara, Jackie  Search this
Interviewer:
Berman, Avis  Search this
Creator:
United States. General Services Administration. Design Excellence and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Names:
Michigan State University -- Students  Search this
United States. General Services Administration. Design Excellence and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Wayne State University -- Students  Search this
Addams, Charles, 1912-1988  Search this
Andre, Carl, 1935-  Search this
Beauchamp, Robert, 1923-  Search this
Bellamy, Richard  Search this
DeLap, Tony, 1927-2019  Search this
Eisenhauer, Lette  Search this
Ferrara, Don  Search this
Forst, Miles, 1923-  Search this
Frank, Mary, 1933-  Search this
Frankenthaler, Helen, 1928-2011  Search this
Gallo, Frank, 1933-  Search this
Graves, Nancy Stevenson, 1940-1995  Search this
Gross, Sally  Search this
Hesse, Eva, 1936-1970  Search this
Hofmann, Hans, 1880-1966  Search this
Judd, Donald, 1928-1994  Search this
LeWitt, Sol, 1928-2007  Search this
Marcus, Marcia, 1928-  Search this
Motherwell, Robert  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Protetch, Max  Search this
Rockburne, Dorothea  Search this
Rosenquist, James, 1933-  Search this
Samaras, Lucas, 1936-  Search this
Smithson, Robert  Search this
Extent:
3 Items (Sound recording: 3 sound files (5 hr., 12 min.), digital, WMA files)
115 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2009 January 16-February 13
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Jackie Ferrara conducted 2009 January 16-February 13, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art's U.S. General Services Administration, Design Excellence and the Arts oral history project, at the Ferrara's home, in New York, New York.
Ferrara speaks of growing up in Detroit, Michigan; her early interest in mathematics and its ever present role in her work; attending Michigan State University for one year; taking fashion drawing classes at Wayne State University and her supposed lack of drawing skills; an early interest in pottery and leather making; moving to New York City in 1951 on a night train from Detroit; working at the Henry Street Playhouse and its influential role on her art; her relationship with Robert Beauchamp and her friendship with many artists in Provincetown, Massachusetts; early works, including the cotton batting works and the rope works, most of which were destroyed; her dislike of traveling and her use of imagination for inspiration; participating in the performances and happenings of Claes Oldenburg; her friendship with Robert Smithson and his influence on her later works; working with Max Protetch; never teaching art because she herself did not attend art school; her creation process of her wood and stone pieces, including their conception in early drawings; having a positive attitude towards her pieces being rebuilt because of decay; quickly moving into public art in the late 1970s, early 1980s; living and working in the same loft in New York for over 40 years; the helpful role the women's movement played in her successful career though she did not participate; receiving art grants to enable her to work for a year or two without having to find an odd job to support herself; various public art projects around the country, how they came to be, creating the works and their significance to her. Ferrara also recalls Charlotte Tokayer, Don Ferrara, Alvin Nikolai, Richard Bellamy, Mary and Paul Frank, Miles and Barbara Forst, Sally Gross, Hans Hofmann, Robert Motherwell, Helen Frankenthaler, Nat Halprin, Lucas Samara, Letty Lou Eisenhauer, James Rosenquist, Marcia Marcus, Charles Addams, Eva Hesse, Frank Gallo, Tony DeLap, Dorothea Rockburne, Time Doyle, Sol LeWitt, Donald Judd, Carl Andre, Nancy Graves, Marty Greenbaum, Abe Sachs, Mel Bochner, Jan Groover, Alice Aycock, Alice Adams, Jackie Windsor, Scott Burton, Siah Armajani, Michelle Stuart, Lucy Lippard, Zaha Hadid, Max Hutcinson, Andrea Blum, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Jackie Ferrara (1929- ) is a sculptor. Ferrara works with the built environment in her designs for courtyards and architectural structures.
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:
Audio: ACCESS RESTRICTED; Use requires written permission.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Draftsmen (artists) -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women sculptors  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.ferrar09
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9efd0b315-7933-452d-945c-e6f5dc917f90
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-ferrar09
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Jeanne L. Wasserman

Interviewee:
Wasserman, Jeanne L.  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F.  Search this
Names:
Fogg Art Museum  Search this
Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- Art collections  Search this
Agam, Yaacov, 1928-  Search this
Beale, Arthur  Search this
Cook, Christopher Capen, 1932-  Search this
Coolidge, John, 1913-1995  Search this
Hyde, Andrew C. (Andrew Cornwall), 1941-  Search this
Indiana, Robert, 1928-  Search this
Mangravite, Peppino, 1896-  Search this
Messer, Thomas M.  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Plaut, James S. (James Sachs), 1912-1996  Search this
Prokopoff, Stephen S.  Search this
Rickey, George  Search this
Ross, David A., 1949-  Search this
Saint-Phalle, Niki de, 1930-2002  Search this
Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946  Search this
Thurman, Sue M., 1927-2012  Search this
Tinguely, Jean, 1925-  Search this
Wasserman, Max, 1913-1986  Search this
Extent:
5 Items (sound cassettes (7 hrs., 30 min.), analog.)
125 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1993-1994
Scope and Contents:
Interview of Jeanne L. Wasserman, conducted by Robert F. Brown for the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, in Cambridge, MA from January 28, 1993-July 19, 1994.
Wasserman speaks of her parents' cultural interests; first becoming interested in sculpture after visiting a Rodin exhibition in Paris with her family; visiting art galleries and studying painting in New York City as a young woman; her education at Fieldston and Radcliffe; trying to get a job in New York after college; working in advertising; meeting her husband, Max, and building a business with him; beginning to collect art; putting together a collection for the condominium project, 180 Beacon; the opening of 180 Beacon; working on a condominium project in the Virgin Islands; curating sculpture exhibitions at the Fogg Museum and at Wellesley; writing the catalogue for a Daumier exhibition at the Fogg; serving on the board of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; organizing forums on contemporary art with the Council of the Arts at MIT; becoming involved with Harvard's Institute for Learning in Retirement; and notable purchases of work by Daumier, Rodin, Degas, Giacometti, de Chirico, Nicolas Schöffer, Henry Moore, and others. Wasserman also recalls Alfred Stieglitz, Peppino Mangravite, Elie Nadelman, Hyman Swetzoff, Joseph Hirshhorn, Erica Brausen, René and Charles Gimpel, Louise Nevelson, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Robert Indiana, Claes Oldenburg, Denise René, Yaacov Agam, George Rickey, George Segal, David Ross, Milena Kalinovska, Jacques de Caso, Yulla Lipchitz, Vera List, Jim Cuno, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Jeanne L. Wasserman, (1915-2006) was a museum curator and art collector from Boston, Massachusetts.
General:
Originally recorded on 5 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 10 digital wav files. Duration is 7 hrs., 12 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.
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Massachusetts -- Interviews  Search this
Art museum curators -- Massachusetts -- Interviews  Search this
Function:
Art museums -- Massachusetts
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.wasser93
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw986441a19-aace-4232-9861-425a5650f36d
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-wasser93
Online Media:

Nan Rosenthal papers

Creator:
Rosenthal, Nan  Search this
Names:
Hodgkin, Howard, 1932-2017  Search this
Im, Sangbin  Search this
Kiefer, Anselm, 1945-  Search this
Klein, Yves, 1928-1962  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Piene, Otto, 1928-  Search this
Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008  Search this
Rickey, George  Search this
Extent:
17.1 Gigabytes
26.6 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Slides (photographs)
Interviews
Video recordings
Transcripts
Sound recordings
Date:
circa 1940-2013
Summary:
The papers of curator Nan Rosenthal measure 26.6 linear feet and 17.1 gigabytes and date from circa 1940-2013. There is a small amount of biographical material; correspondence, mostly letters from her first husband Otto Piene; project and research files encompassing her work as a curator and historian; as well as teaching files; and thousands of slides organized by subject. Among Rosenthal's research and project files are sound recordings and transcripts from dozens of interviews Rosenthal conducted with artists including Howard Hodgkin, Anselm Kiefer, friends and family of Yves Klein, Robert Rauschenberg and friends, George Rickey, Claus Oldenburg, and Sangbin Im. In addition to paper records, the collection also includes a large number of sound recordings, video recordings, and born digital material.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of curator Nan Rosenthal measure 26.6 linear feet and 17.1 gigabytes and date from circa 1940-2013. There is a small amount of biographical material; correspondence, mostly letters from her first husband Otto Piene; project and research files encompassing her work as a curator and historian; as well as teaching files; and thousands of slides organized by subject. Among Rosenthal's research and project files are sound recordings and transcripts from dozens of interviews Rosenthal conducted with artists including Howard Hodgkin, Anselm Kiefer, friends and family of Yves Klein, Robert Rauschenberg and friends, George Rickey, Claus Oldenburg, and Sangbin Im. In addition to paper records, the collection also includes a large number of sound recordings, video recordings, and born digital material.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as five series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1950-2010 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1965-2012 (0.7 linear feet)

Series 3: Project and Research Files, circa 1940-2013 (20 linear feet; Box 1-21; 17.1 gigabytes; ER01-ER14)

Series 4: Teaching Files, 1973-2002 (2.2 linear feet; Box 21-24)

Series 5: Slides, 1970s-1990s (3.3 linear feet; Box 24-27)
Biographical / Historical:
Nan Rosenthal (1927-2014) was a curator and art historian in New York City and Washington, D.C. who specialized in twentieth-century modern and contemporary art. Born in New York, Rosenthal attended Smith College before earning her bachelor's degree from Sarah Lawrence College in 1959. After college, she worked as a journalist for a number of publications including Art in America and the New York Post.

Rosenthal received her PhD from Harvard University in 1976, completing her dissertation titled, "The Blue World of Yves Klein." After her graduate studies, Rosenthal taught at Princeton University, New York University, and University of California, Santa Cruz.

In 1985, Rosenthal became a curator of twentieth-century art at the National Gallery of Art. She organized several important exhibitions including The Drawings of Jasper Johns (1990), acquired works by Alberto Giacometti and Barnett Newman, and began the lecture series "Conversations with Artists."

Rosenthal then joined the staff of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1993 as senior consultant of modern and contemporary art, where she organized a number of other important exhibitions including Anselm Kiefer: Works on Paper 1969-1993 (1998), Robert Rauschenberg: Combines (2005), Jasper Johns: Gray (2008), and others featuring Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollack, and Judith Rothschild. She retired from the Metropolitan Museum in 2008.

In addition to her curatorial activities, Rosenthal authored several books and catalogs including George Rickey (1977), Robert Rauschenberg (1990), and Terry Winters: Printed Works (2001).

Rosenthal was married to the German artist Otto Piene from 1965-1973 and went by Nan R. Piene or Nan Rosenthal Piene. She remarried in 1990 to her second husband, Henry Benning Cortesi.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Nan Rosenthal conducted by Judith Olch Richards in 2010.
Provenance:
The collections was donated to the Archives of American Art in 2016 by the Nan Rosenthal and Henry B. Cortesi Estate via executor Katherine C. Armstrong.
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.

Use 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 historians -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Curators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Art, Modern  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Genre/Form:
Slides (photographs)
Interviews
Video recordings
Transcripts
Sound recordings
Citation:
Nan Rosenthal papers, circa 1940-2013. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.rosenan
See more items in:
Nan Rosenthal papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9981cf43a-465e-470c-bba6-6b7542c9d304
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-rosenan
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Elaine Sturtevant

Interviewee:
Sturtevant, Elaine  Search this
Interviewer:
Hainley, Bruce  Search this
Lobel, Michael  Search this
Names:
Anthony Reynolds Gallery  Search this
Bianchini Gallery  Search this
Galerie J  Search this
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac (Salzburg, Austria)  Search this
Museum für Moderne Kunst (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)  Search this
Deleuze, Gilles, 1925-1995  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this
Foucault, Michel, 1926-1984  Search this
Givaudan, Claude  Search this
Johns, Jasper, 1930-  Search this
Kiefer, Anselm, 1945-  Search this
Kittleman, Udo  Search this
Kosuth, Joseph.  Search this
Maenz, Paul  Search this
Obrist, Hans Ulrich  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008  Search this
Reynolds, Anthony  Search this
Ropac, Thaddäus J.  Search this
Ruf, Beatrix  Search this
Warhol, Andy, 1928-1987  Search this
Extent:
71 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2007 July 25-26
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Elaine Sturtevant conducted 2007 July 25-26, by Bruce Hainley and Michael Lobel, for the Archives of American Art, at the Archives of American Art, in New York, New York.
Sturtevant speaks of her exhibitions, Raw Power at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris 2007; Cold Fear at the Anthony Reynolds Gallery in London, 2006; Brutal Truth at the Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany, 2004; America America at Galerie J in Paris in 1966; Sturtevant at the Bianchini Gallery in New York in 1965; and others. She also talks about her work Hate Kill Falsity, 2006; the process of installing shows to present a totality of work instead of individual pieces; the concept of "copy" and its misattributions in her art; her interest in opening minds and engendering thinking; her master's degree in language and interest in the writings of Gilles Deleuze and Michel Foucault; possessing confidence in her work to continue creating amidst years of misunderstanding and criticism; Abstract Expressionism and Pop art as catalysts in developing the philosophical concept of her work; frustration at being asked personal questions about the artists she was associated with; the reception of her art in Europe; using video as a medium to articulate visibility; and welcoming different interpretations of her work. Sturtevant also recalls Thaddaeus Ropac, Anthony Reynolds, Udo Kittelmann, Anselm Kiefer, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Beatrix Ruf, Claude Givaudan, Claes Oldenburg; Marcel Duchamp, Paul Maenz, Joseph Kosuth, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Elaine Sturtevant (1924-2014) was a multi-media artist in Paris, France and New York, N.Y. Bruce Hainley is a writer from Los Angeles, California. Michael Lobel is an art historian from New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 5 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 9 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 3 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.
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Pop art  Search this
Video art  Search this
Multimedia (Art)  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.sturte07
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw98afd59ca-2482-43b8-a1fb-40e23d958231
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-sturte07
Online Media:

Alan R. Solomon papers

Creator:
Solomon, Alan R., 1920-1970  Search this
Names:
Albright-Knox Art Gallery  Search this
Amsterdam (Netherlands). Stedelijk Museum  Search this
Art Gallery of Ontario  Search this
Artforum  Search this
Biennale di Venezia  Search this
Centro de Artes Visuales (Asunción, Paraguay)  Search this
Cornell University -- Faculty  Search this
Expo 67 (Montréal, Québec)  Search this
Harvard University -- Students  Search this
Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Jewish Museum (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Leo Castelli Gallery  Search this
Los Once (Artists' group)  Search this
Pasadena Art Museum  Search this
San Francisco Art Institute  Search this
University of California (System)  Search this
Velvet Underground (Musical group)  Search this
Bontecou, Lee, 1931-  Search this
Castelli, Leo  Search this
Chamberlain, John, 1927-2011  Search this
Childs, Lucinda  Search this
Dine, Jim, 1935-  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this
Dunn, Judith  Search this
Fahlström, Öyvind, 1928-1976  Search this
Finkelstein, Nat  Search this
Frankenthaler, Helen, 1928-2011  Search this
Greenberg, Clement, 1909-1994  Search this
Greenberg, Jeanine  Search this
Grisi, Laura  Search this
Hay, Alex  Search this
Hay, Deborah  Search this
Johns, Jasper, 1930-  Search this
Kron, Joan  Search this
Lichtenstein, Roy, 1923-1997  Search this
Louis, Morris, 1912-1962  Search this
MacElroy, Robert R.  Search this
Moore, Peter  Search this
Morris, Robert  Search this
Mulas, Ugo  Search this
Namuth, Hans  Search this
Newman, Barnett, 1905-1970  Search this
Noland, Kenneth, 1924-2010  Search this
Novick, Elizabeth  Search this
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this
Oldenburg, Patty  Search this
Paxton, Steve  Search this
Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973  Search this
Poons, Larry  Search this
Provinciali, Michele  Search this
Rainier, Yvonne  Search this
Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008  Search this
Redon, Odilon, 1840-1916  Search this
Reed, Lou  Search this
Rosenquist, James, 1933-  Search this
Sabol, Audrey, 1922-  Search this
Schute, Terry  Search this
Scull, Ethel  Search this
Scull, Robert C.  Search this
Segal, George, 1924-2000  Search this
Sisler, Mary  Search this
Sonnabend, Ileana  Search this
Stella, Frank  Search this
Warhol, Andy, 1928-  Search this
Whitman, Robert  Search this
Extent:
9.9 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Transcripts
Photographs
Interviews
Lithographs
Place:
Italy -- Venice
Date:
1907-1970
bulk 1944-1970
Summary:
The papers of New York art historian, museum director, curator, writer, and educator, Alan R. Solomon, measure 9.9 linear feet and date from 1907-1970, with the bulk of the material dating from 1944-1970. Through biographical material, correspondence, interview transcripts, writings and notes, teaching and study files, subject files, exhibition files, business records, printed material, and photographs, the collection documents Solomon's education, his early teaching appointments at Cornell University, and his subsequent direction of many diverse curatorial and research projects relating to contemporary American art, particularly the transition from Abstract Expressionism to later modern movements, and the thriving New York City art scene.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of New York art historian, museum director, curator, writer, and educator, Alan R. Solomon, measure 9.9 linear feet and date from 1907-1970, with the bulk of the material dating from 1944-1970. Through biographical material, correspondence, interview transcripts, writings and notes, teaching and study files, subject files, exhibition files, business records, printed material, and photographs, the collection documents Solomon's education, his early teaching appointments at Cornell University, and his subsequent direction of many diverse curatorial and research projects relating to contemporary American art, particularly the transition from Abstract Expressionism to later modern movements, and the thriving New York City art scene.

Biographical material includes résumés, an engagement book, and a monthly planning book from 1965, identification cards, and educational transcripts.

Correspondence documents Solomon's education at Harvard College and Harvard University, and his teaching appointments at Cornell University. Correspondence also provides some documentation of his involvement with museums and arts organizations, including the Jewish Museum, Stedlijk Museum, the San Francisco Art Institute, the University of California, and Centro de Artes Visuales; his submission of writings for publications including Artforum, Art International, and Konstrevy; and his relationships with artists and colleagues including Jim Dine, Joan Kron, Audrey Sabol, and Ileana Sonnabend. Also found is correspondence related to Solomon's work for Mary Sisler, who employed Solomon to sell her collection of artwork by Marcel Duchamp in the late 1960s.

One series comprises transcripts of interviews with many of the artists who were central to the transition from Abstract Expressionism to later modern movements that occurred in the 1950s and 1960s, such as Neo-Dada and Pop art. Artists represented in the interviews include Jim Dine, Helen Frankenthaler, Jasper Johns, Barnett Newman, Kenneth Noland, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, and Andy Warhol.

Solomon's writings include many of his essays for exhibition catalogs, magazines, and journals, and are in a combination of annotated manuscript and published formats. There are writings on Jim Dine, Barnett Newman, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jasper Johns, and on the new movements in theater and performance art of the 1960s. His writings also document the art history education which informed all of his later work, with the inclusion of papers written as a student and teacher, his honors thesis on Odilon Redon, and his dissertation on Pablo Picasso. This material is supplemented by notes, and teaching and study files, documenting courses taken and taught at Harvard and Cornell universities. Also found is the manuscript of the text for New York: The New Art Scene, accompanied by a partial published copy of the book and photographs by Ugo Mulas.

Solomon's subject files augment several of the other series, comprising material on various art related subjects and individual painters and sculptors, arranged alphabetically. Material found here includes printed matter documenting exhibitions and other events, scattered letters from artists, related writings, and photographs.

One series documents Solomon's involvement with the First New York Theater Rally, which he co-produced with Steve Paxton in 1965. This material includes a drawing each by Jim Dine and Alex Hay, pieces of a combine by Robert Rauschenberg, and photographs of the group including Dine, Hay, and Rauschenberg, as well as Lucinda Childs, Judith Dunn, Deborah Hay, Robert Morris, Claes Oldenburg, the Once Group, Steve Paxton, Yvonne Rainier, Alan Solomon, and Robert Whitman. The series includes multiple contact sheets of photos of First New York Theater Rally events, by Peter Moore, Elizabeth Novick, and Terry Schute.

Exhibition files document Solomon's role as an organizer and curator for some of his most well-known exhibitions, including American Painting Now (1967) for Expo '67 in Montreal; Andy Warhol (1966) at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston; Dine-Oldenburg-Segal (1967) at the Art Gallery of Ontario and Albright-Knox Gallery; the American exhibition at the 1964 Venice Biennale; Young Italians (1968) at the Institute of Contemporary Art; and Painting in New York 1944-1969, a major retrospective installed for the opening of the new Pasadena Art Museum in fall, 1969. Records include correspondence, lists and notes, financial records, printed material, and photographs of artists and installations, including a series by Ugo Mulas taken at the Venice Biennale.

Solomon's business records include lists, notes, contracts, expense forms, vouchers, purchase orders, and receipts. They provide scattered documentation of exhibition-related expenses and purchases of artwork, as well as Solomon's income from teaching appointments, lectures, honorariums, and writings. Amongst Solomon's general business records is an American Federation of Musicians agreement between the Institute of Contemporary Art and "Louis Reed," with booking agent Andy Warhol, for a performance by the Velvet Underground and Nico, performing as The Exploding Plastic Inevitable on October 29, 1966. This seemingly mundane item documents an event that accompanied Solomon's landmark Warhol exhibition of nearly forty iconic works, and the accompanying show by The Exploding Plastic Inevitable was hailed by the Boston Phoenix newspaper as one of the greatest concerts in Boston history.

Printed material includes announcements, catalogs, and posters for exhibitions and art related events, including two Jasper Johns lithographs for a 1960 exhibition at Galerie Rive Droite, and a 1963 exhibition at Leo Castelli Gallery. Also found are news clippings, press releases, and other publications.

Photographs are of Solomon, artists, friends and colleagues, exhibitions and other events, and artwork. They include snapshots of Solomon, and a series of photographs of him at various events and parties, many taken by Ugo Mulas, as well as a photo taken by Robert Rauschenberg of Ugo Mulas, Michele Provinciali, and Solomon. Additional photos by Ugo Mulas include some which were probably taken for New York: The New Art Scene, and a series of photos of Robert Rauschenberg and others at the Venice Biennale. Photos of artists include Lee Bontecou, John Chamberlain, Jim Dine, Marcel Duchamp, Öyvind Fahlström, Laura Grisi, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Morris Louis, Barnett Newman, Kenneth Noland, Claes and Patty Oldenburg, Larry Poons, James Rosenquist, George Segal, Frank Stella, and Andy Warhol and The Factory. Photos of others include Leo Castelli, Clement and Jeanine Greenberg, and Ethel and Robert Scull. Also found are photos of the exhibition Toward a New Abstraction (1963), at The Jewish Museum, photos of Venice, and photos of artwork by many of the above named, and other, artists. In addition to Ugo Mulas, photographers represented in this series include Nat Finkelstein, Robert R. McElroy, and Hans Namuth.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as eleven series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1938-1968 (5 folders; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1930-1970 (0.66 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 3: Interviews, 1965-1969 (0.25 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 4: Writings and Notes, 1945-1969 (1.35 linear feet; Boxes 1-3, 11)

Series 5: Teaching and Study Files, 1944-1958 (0.25 linear feet; Box 3)

Series 6: Subject Files, 1907-1969 (2.92 linear feet; Boxes 3-6, 1, OV 12)

Series 7: First New York Theater Rally, 1963-1965 (0.15 linear feet; Boxes 6, 11)

Series 8: Exhibition Files, 1954-1969 (1.42 linear feet; Boxes 6-7, 11, OV 12)

Series 9: Business Records, 1945-1970 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 7-8)

Series 10: Printed Material, 1914-1970 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 8-9, OV 12)

Series 11: Photographs, circa 1951-circa 1970 (1.7 linear feet; Boxes 9-11, OV 13)
Biographical / Historical:
New York art historian, museum director, art consultant, educator, writer, and curator, Alan R. Solomon (1920-1970), organized over two hundred exhibitions in the course of his career. He was known for his skill in exhibition design, and for bringing the perception and understanding of an art historian to the field of contemporary art.

Solomon was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, and educated at Harvard College and Harvard Graduate School. In 1953, during his 1952-1962 tenure with the Cornell University department of art history, he established the Andrew Dickson White Museum of art. Solomon served as the museum's first director until 1961, whilst simultaneously pursuing his doctorate, which he received from Harvard University in 1962.

In 1962 Solomon was hired by the Jewish Museum in New York, New York, and immediately began to take the institution in a more contemporary direction, mounting Robert Rauschenberg's first retrospective in 1963, and a major Jasper Johns retrospective in 1964. Also, in 1963, Solomon was appointed the United States Commissioner for the 1964 Venice Biennale. He was determined to show "the major new indigenous tendencies, the peculiarly America spirt of the art" in works by two consecutive generations of artists, including Jasper Johns, Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, and Robert Rauschenberg. With this in mind, and given the inadequacy of the existing space to house the installation he envisaged, Solomon secured a verbal agreement from Biennale officials to approve additional space for the American exhibition in an annex at the former American Consulate. The agreement was never formalized, however, and a series of administrative problems and controversies over the eligibility of the American submissions threatened to undermine Solomon's efforts. Nevertheless, Robert Rauschenberg became the first American to take the Grand Prize for foreign artist, and the attention garnered by the American exhibition monopolized press coverage of the Biennale. In response, Solomon stated publicly that "it is acknowledged on every hand that New York has replaced Paris as the world art capital."

Solomon subsequently left the Jewish Museum, having engendered resistance to leading the museum in a more experimental direction, away from the traditional Jewish educational aspects of its mission. In the mid-sixties he worked as a consultant and writer for a National Educational Television series entitled "U. S. A. Artists," which drew on artist interviews, many conducted by Solomon. He also wrote the text for Ugo Mulas's classic photographic study, New York: The New Art Scene (1967: Holt Rinehart and Winston).

In 1966 Solomon was hired by the United States Information Agency to organize the United States contribution to the Canadian World Exhibition in Montreal, known as Expo '67. His stunning American Painting Now installation placed large scale paintings by twenty-three artists, including Jim Dine, Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, Barnett Newman, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, and James Rosenquist, inside Buckminster Fuller's twenty-story Biosphere of Montreal.

Other important exhibitions organized by Solomon included Andy Warhol (1966) at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, which was only the second of two exhibitions dedicated to the artist; Dine-Oldenburg-Segal (1967) at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery; and Young Italians (1968) at the Institute of Contemporary Art.

Solomon was also interested in contemporary theater and organized the First New York Theater Rally with Steve Paxton in 1965, a series of performances which combined new dance and a revival of the Happenings of the early 1960s, in which Claes Oldenburg, Jim Dine and others were involved.

Following a six-week appointment as a senior lecturer at the University of California, Irvine, in spring 1968, Solomon became chairman of the University's art department and director of the art gallery. His last exhibition, Painting in New York, 1944-1969 (1969-1970), was held at the Pasadena Art Museum and closed in January 1970, just a few weeks before Solomon's sudden death at the age of forty-nine.
Provenance:
The Leo Castelli Gallery served as executor of Solomon's estate, and donated his papers to the Archives of American Art in 1974 and 2007.
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.
Occupation:
Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters  Search this
Topic:
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Art -- Economic aspects  Search this
Art -- History -- Study and teaching  Search this
Performance art  Search this
Art, Abstract -- United States  Search this
Art -- Exhibitions  Search this
Art -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Sculptors  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Curators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Theater  Search this
Pop art  Search this
Museum directors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Genre/Form:
Drawings
Transcripts
Photographs
Interviews
Lithographs
Citation:
Alan R. Solomon papers, 1907-1970, bulk 1944-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.soloalan
See more items in:
Alan R. Solomon papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw943b0f6a7-bfde-4a32-8bcc-4c9a200251d4
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-soloalan
Online Media:

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