The papers of painter, printmaker, designer, and teacher, Werner Drewes, measure 15.76 linear feet and date from 1838-2015, with the bulk of the material dating from the 1890s-1990s. The papers document Drewes' life and career through biographical and family material; correspondence with family members, artists, galleries, and art institutions and organizations; scattered teaching notes and writings including a diary; catalogs and inventories of artwork; three scrapbooks; printed material; 38 sketchbooks, loose sketches, and prints; and photographs of Drewes, his family, friends and colleagues, exhibitions, travels, and works of art. Also found are scattered papers of Drewes' second wife, Maria Drewes.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter, printmaker, designer, and teacher, Werner Drewes, measure 15.76 linear feet and date from 1838-2015, with the bulk of the material dating from the 1890s-1990s. The papers document Drewes' life and career through biographical and family material; correspondence with family members, artists, galleries, and art institutions and organizations; scattered teaching notes and writings including a diary; catalogs and inventories of artwork; three scrapbooks; printed material; 38 sketchbooks, loose sketches, and prints; and photographs of Drewes, his family, friends and colleagues, exhibitions, travels, and works of art. Also found are scattered papers of Drewes' second wife, Maria Drewes.
Biographical material documents Drewes' family history through family trees and biographical notes made by family members, and also includes 3 of Drewes' passports, some student and military records, resumés, and a partial interview transcript.
Correspondence is with family members; artists including Ed Boccia, Thomas Eldred, T. Lux Feininger, Clark Fitzgerald, Wassily Kandinsky, Jean Helion, Gerhard Marcks, Arthur Osver, Karl Schrag, and Albert Urban; and galleries and art organizations and institutions such as Richard York Gallery, the Smithsonian Institution, and others. Correspondence also relates to the Drewes estate, as well as to loans, exhibitions and sales of artwork.
Notes and writings include a diary kept by Drewes between 1918-1920 in Europe, a "love letter" in verse form written by Drewes to his first wife, Margaret, some teaching notes and notes on design, and 2 essays about Drewes written by others.
Catalogs and inventory records provide comprehensive documentation of the artwork Drewes created over the course of his career. Entries include titles, assigned numbers, subjects, dimensions, media used, and sketches or photos of artwork.
Three scrapbooks provide scattered documentation of Drewes' life and career, and include clippings from the 1920s and 1930s, and a scrapbook created by Maria Drewes for her husband's memorial service.
Printed material includes event announcements and exhibition catalogs, as well as news clippings tracing Drewes' career from the 1920s to the 1980s.
Artwork consists of greeting cards made by Drewes, as well as 38 sketchbooks and numerous loose sketches in pencil, ink, watercolor, and crayon.
Photographic material includes vintage family photographs, prints, negatives, slide tranparencies, and 8 glass plate negatives, of Drewes, his family and friends, events including exhibitions and travels, and artwork.
Found in Maria Drewes' papers are correspondence, 17 diaries primarily documenting travels with Werner Drewes, two scrapbooks with designs for jewelry, and photos of family, friends and jewelry.
Arrangement:
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1838-1980s (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 1, 16)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1878-2004 (1.2 linear feet; Boxes 1-2, 16)
Series 3: Notes and Writings, 1922-2002 (0.5 linear feet; Box 2)
Series 4: Catalogs and Inventory Records, circa 1919-circa 1980s (2.3 linear feet; Boxes 2-6)
Series 5: Scrapbooks, 1920s-1985 (3 folders; Box 5)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1897-2015 (1 linear feet; Boxes 5-6)
Series 7: Artwork and Sketchbooks, circa 1890s-2002 (3.67 linear feet; Boxes 6-9, 16-17)
Series 8: Photographic Material, circa 1890s-2000 (5.53 linear feet; Boxes 9-14, 17, MGP 2)
Series 9: Mary (Maria) Louise Lischer Drewes Papers, 1930s-1980s (1 linear foot; Box 15)
Many of the records were assigned color-coded alpha-numeric labels prior to donation. In series where these labeling systems predominate, material has been arranged according to those systems and all previously assigned labels are indicated in the Container Listing. Many folder titles are taken from the original labels. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.
The collection is arranged as 9 series.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, printmaker and designer Werner Drewes (1899-1985) was born in Canig, Germany, and immigrated to the United States in 1930. A student of the Bauhaus, and a prolific artist and teacher, Drewes worked with many kinds of media and produced numerous woodcuts, etchings, oils, watercolors, drawings and collages over the course of his life.
Drewes served for two years on Germany's Western Front during World War 1, before studying at the Bauhaus, Weimar, from 1921-1922. He then traveled throughout Europe, Asia and North and South America with his wife Margaret before returning to Germany in 1927 and enrolling at the Bauhaus, Dessau. During his time there Drewes forged his artistic ideas from the radical influences of renowned architects and artists including Lyonel Feininger, Johannes Itten, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Oscar Schlemmer, and learned the Bauhaus teaching approach that would serve him throughout his career. In 1930 Drewes, Margaret, and their 2 young sons emigrated to the United States and settled in New York City where Drewes attended the Art Students League. From 1935-1936 he taught drawing and printmaking at the Brooklyn Museum School as an employee of the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project (WPA FAP). In 1936 he became a founding member of American Abstract Artists and the following year joined the American Artists' Congress and became an American citizen. From 1937-1940 he taught painting and printmaking at Columbia University.
In the early 1940s Drewes taught at the Master Institute in Riverside Museum, New York City, and worked as a technical supervisor for the Graphic Art Division of the FAP. From 1944-1945 he worked at Stanley William Hayter's Atelier 17 improving his intaglio technique and then teaching design, printmaking and photography at Brooklyn College. In 1946 he taught design at the Institute of Design in Chicago before being appointed Professor of Design at the School of Fine Arts of Washington University in Saint Louis, where he continued to teach until his retirement in 1965.
Following Margaret's death in 1959, Drewes married jewelry designer and fellow professor of Washington University, Mary (Maria) Louise Lischer in 1960. On Drewes' retirement he and Maria moved to Pennsylvania where he continued to paint, focusing primarily on still lifes and landscapes. He moved to Washington in 1972 and published his American Indians portfolio, before finally setting in Reston, Virginia, where the Rose Catalog of his prints was published and where he lived as a working and exhibiting artist until his death in 1985.
In October 1984 a comprehensive retrospective, Sixty-Five Years of Printmaking, was held at the then named Smithsonian's National Museum of American Art. Drewes' work can be found in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Museum of Modern Art, National Gallery of Art, New York Public Library, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Provenance:
The Werner Drewes papers were donated in 2005 by Werner Drewes' sons Wolfram U. Drewes, Harald D. Drewes, and Bernard W. Drewes. 4 additional items were donated by Karen Seibert, Drewes granddaughter, in 2015. Some material had been previously loaned for microfilming in 1979, and was subsequently included in the 2005 gift.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. Research Center. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.
Rights:
The Werner Drewes papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Werner Drewes papers, 1838-2015, bulk 1890-1990. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
The papers of Xavier Gonzalez, a New York and Massachusetts painter, sculptor, educator, and owner of the Wellfleet Art Gallery, measure 14.1 linear feet and date from 1908 to 1997. The collection consists of biographical materials, correspondence, writings, project files, business records, printed materials, scrapbooks, photographs, and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Xavier Gonzalez, a New York and Massachusetts painter, sculptor, educator, and owner of the Wellfleet Art Gallery, measure 14.1 linear feet and date from 1908 to 1997. The collection consists of biographical materials, correspondence, writings, commission project files, business records, printed materials, scrapbooks, photographs, and artwork.
Biographical materials include an address book and calendars, awards, passports, resumes, student rosters, and legal documents. Correspondence is with family, friends, and colleagues regarding Gonzalez's work and art school in Wellfleet, his uncle and artist Jose Arpa, and other personal and professional activities. Manuscripts for Notes About Painting, unpublished books, and various essays by Gonzalez, along with manuscripts by other authors are in writings.
Commission project files are found for a U.S. Bicentennial monument, murals in New York and Texas, paintings commissioned by the Department of the Interior and Life magazine, and educational aids for the U.S. Navy.
Business records include sales and inventory records for Gonzalez's Wellfleet Art Gallery, The Spanish Institute, and other galleries. Printed materials consist of printed representations of artwork, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, invitations, press releases, and books including He Who Saw Everything, The Epic of Gilgamesh, illustrated by Gonzalez.
The collection also includes 72 numbered scrapbooks that contain sketches, printed materials, project plans, photographs, writings, correspondence, and business records. One of the scrapbooks contains a notebook labeled "Notes of Paris, Visits with Picasso, 1936-1938". Photographs are of Gonzalez, his artwork and studio, his family and friends, Ethel Edwards, student artwork, composer Aaron Copeland, museum director Philip R. Adams, and Art Students League director Stewart Klonis. Artwork includes illustrated notes to Ethel Edwards, folded and cutout paper projects, and pencil and painted sketches.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 9 series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1932-1992 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1930s-1995 (1.0 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
Series 3: Writings, 1948-1993 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 2, 14)
Series 4: Project Files, 1942-1987 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 2-3, OV 22)
Series 5: Business Records, 1949-1997 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 3, OV 22)
Series 6: Printed Materials, 1928-1990s (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 4-5, OV 22)
Series 7: Scrapbooks, circa 1911-1980s (5.4 linear feet; Boxes 5-9, 14-20, OV 21)
Series 8: Photographs, 1908-1990s (3.5 linear feet; Boxes 9-12, 14)
Series 9: Artwork, circa 1950s-1980s (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 12-14)
Biographical / Historical:
Xavier Gonzalez (1898-1993) was a painter, sculptor, and educator who was active in New York, NY and Wellfleet, Massachusetts.
Gonzalez was born in Almeria, Spain and came to the United States at the age of 19. While working odd jobs in Chicago, he attended the Chicago Art Institute. Throughout his career, Gonzalez completed numerous commissions including murals in Texas and New York, a monument for the 1976 bicentennial celebration in New York, paintings for the Department of the Interior, and paintings of Egypt's Old Kingdom for Life magazine. During World War II, he designed posters and maps for the Navy. After the war, Gonzalez opened the Wellfleet Art Gallery with his wife, artist Ethel Edwards, in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The gallery served as an exhibition space, studio, and art school where Gonzalez taught summer classes.
Gonzalez died in New York in 1993.
Related Materials:
Also found at the Archives of American Art are the papers of Xavier Gonzalez's wife, Ethel Edwards.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming on reels N68-113, N69-42, N69-43, and N70-53. Most of this material was included in subsequent gifts, but a comparison of the film and papers was not completed. Loaned materials not donated at a later date remain with the lender and are not described in the container listing of this finding aid.
Provenance:
Xavier Gonzalez first loaned the Archives of American Art material for microfilming in 1968, most of which was included in the later 1999 gift. Gonzalez also donated a small amount of papers in 1971. Additional materials were donated by the George Arents Research Library at Syracuse University in 1984 and 1992, and by the estate of Ethel Edwards Gonzalez in 1999.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
The Xavier Gonzalez papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
The records of New York City's Grand Central Art Galleries measure 1.3 linear feet and date from 1931 to 1968, with the bulk of the material from circa 1952 to circa 1965. The majority of the records are related the Grand Central Moderns, the modern art division of Grand Central Art Galleries. The collection includes group exhibition files, artists' files, printed material and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
The records of New York City's Grand Central Art Galleries measure 1.3 linear feet and date from 1931 to 1968, with the bulk of the material from circa 1952 to circa 1965. The majority of the records are related the Grand Central Moderns, the modern art division of Grand Central Art Galleries. The collection includes group exhibition files, artists' files, printed material and photographs.
Group exhibition files consist of catalogs, announcements, clippings, artist biographies, correspondence and photographs. The art exchange exhibition between Grand Central Moderns and Galerie Jeanne Bucher is especially noteworthy.
Artists' files include exhibition catalogs, announcements, resumes, clippings, photographs and limited correspondence. The bulk of the material is on artists who had exhibitions at Grand Central Moderns. Notable artists include Elise Asher, Byron Browne, Victor Candell, Joseph De Martini, Xavier Gonzalez, Jacob Kainen, Jennett Lam, Seong Moy, Arthur Osver, Herman Rowan, Lucia Salemme, and Robert Watts, among others.
Printed material mostly consists of exhibition catalogs and announcements of other galleries. There are a few clippings on Grand Central Art Galleries.
There are a few photographs of artwork.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 4 series.
Series 1: Group Exhibition Files, 1952-1957 (Box 1, OV 3; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 2: Artists' Files, 1940-1968 (Box 1, 0.7 linear feet)
Series 3: Printed Material, 1951-1965 (Boxes 1-2; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 4: Photographs, 1931, circa 1960-circa 1965 (Box 2; 2 folders)
Biographical / Historical:
Grand Central Art Galleries (1923-1994) was a large New York-based art gallery, which also had a modern art division called Grand Central Moderns (1947-circa 1967).
The Grand Central Art Galleries was founded in 1923 and operated as the exhibition space of the Painters and Sculptors Gallery Association in New York City. Grand Central Art Galleries was located at Grand Central Terminal for nearly 30 years before moving on to the Biltmore Hotel at 40 Vanderbilt Avenue, then relocating to 24 West 57th Street. The Galleries regularly exhibited the works of its members and sometimes boasted as many as thirty to forty exhibitions annually.
From its establishment in 1923, Edwin S. Barrie was the director of Grand Central Art Galleries and he founded Grand Central Moderns in 1947, which he also managed until the early 1950s. The gallery moved from one address to another before ultimately relocating to 130 East 56th Street. Colette Roberts was the curator and she took over as director in 1952 until roughly 1965, about two years before Grand Central Moderns closed. Byron Browne, Kenneth Campbell, Lamar Dodd, Xavier Gonzalez, George Morrison and Louise Nevelson were a few of the artists represented by the gallery.
Erwin S. Barrie retired from his position as director of Grand Central Art Galleries in 1975. The gallery closed in 1994.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reels NGCAG1-NGCAG2) including 23 yearbooks, 1928-1945, and exhibition catalogs, 1923-1929. The originals were returned to Grand Central Art Galleries after microfilming and are not described in the the container listing of this finding aid.
Provenance:
Grand Central Art Galleries loaned materials for microfilming in 1966. Addition records were donated to the Archives of American Art by Grand Central Art Galleries in 1966 and 1967.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Topic:
Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
2.2 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 1 reel))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1903-1977
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence; scrapbook; photographs; diaries; writings; catalogs; and clippings.
REEL N70/15: Correspondence from the following; Arthur and Ernestine Betsberg Osver writing from Rome and later residences in the U.S.; Helen Meredith, Provincetown, commenting on local political activities and the Provincetown Workshop; Robert Fried; composers Gardner Read, Richard Samuel, and others; artists Russell Cowles and Colette Roberts; Artists Equity Association; MacDowell Association; galleries and other organizations. Also included is a scrapbook, containing sketches done in Paris; photographs of Candell and his works; catalog notes for exhibitions of other artists; clippings; catalogs of Candell exhibitions.
UNMICROFILMED: Correspondence from the following: Candell's brother Jean Zoltan, Arthur and Ernestine Osver, Russell Cowles, George Bunker, Helen Meredith, and the Edward MacDowell Association. There are also numerous letters from various galleries, universities and organizations. Items also include 4 combination letterpress/notebooks/diaries; an unpublished manuscript, "Dream in Florence;" writings by Candell, mostly in hungarian; clippings, mostly from Grand Central Moderns Gallery Catalogs; exhibition catalogs; 20 photos of works by Candell and 3 personal photos.
Also included is correspondence relating to the Provincetown Workshop, letters from students and letters about the Provincetown Workshop, catalogs, announcements, clippings, and 4 snapshots taken at Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter; New York, N.Y.
Related Materials:
Victor Candell papers also at Syracuse University.
Provenance:
Material on reel N70/15 was lent for microfilming 1970 by Victor Candell then subsequently donated 1977 along with other unfilmed material by Mrs. Victor Candell, widow of Victor Candell.
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.
Walker, Hudson D. (Hudson Dean), 1907-1976 Search this
Extent:
2 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 1 reel))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1902-1979
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence, writings, art works, scrapbooks, phtoographs, sound records, and printed material reflect Adler's career as a painter and teacher.
REEL D231: Correspondence; three scrapbooks, 1944-1955, containing clippings and printed materials; catalogs; and gallery literature. Among the correspondents are: Morris Blackburn, Glenn Raymond Bradshaw, Howard S. Conant, Lamar Dodd, Ernest Fiene, Anthony Lauck, Sidney Laufman, Arthur Osver, John Rood, and Hudson D. Walker.
UNMICROFILMED: Correspondence; two lecture manuscripts; teaching and other notes; an ink drawing and an ink sketch by Adler; a caricature of Adler in colored pencil, Havana, 1940; seven scrapbooks, containing letters received, announcements, clippings, letters of condolence received by Mrs. Adler, and clippings about Adler's death; 212 photographs of Adler, his family, friends, and works of art; 9 cassette tapes of interviews, radio programs, and lectures, ca. 1957-1979, including an interview with John Clancy and Adler on the history of the Rehn Gallery, 1973, and a recording of Adler's memorial service, 1979; exhibition catalogs, 1947-1977; a guest book from a 1973 Rehn Gallery exhibition; clippings, printed matter; and personal documents.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, educator; New York, N.Y. Died 1979.
Provenance:
Donated 1965-1980 by Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Adler.
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:
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
An interview of Arthur Osver conducted 1976 Jan. 13-14, by Richard (Rick) Gaugert, for the Archives of American Art. Osver discusses his Russian immigrant background; growing up in Chicago; the Art Institute of Chicago; his career; teaching methods and influences; his fellowship in France; the influence of Van Gogh; the Federal Art Project; stylistic changes; and his move to St. Louis.
Biographical / Historical:
Arthur Osver (1912-2006) was a painter from St. Louis, Mo.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 36 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
REEL 3948: Biographical material; correspondence; exhibition catalogs for Osver, and exhibition catalogs for Osver's wife, Ernestine Betsberg; clippings; and press releases.
UNMICROFILMED: Correspondence; photographs of Osver and his works; 5 sketches; interview notes; a paper about Osver; exhibition catalogs; clippings; magazine articles; and miscellany.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter; New York, N.Y. and St. Louis, Missouri. Married to painter Ernestine Betsberg.
Provenance:
Unmicrofilmed material donated 1976 by Arthur Osver; material on reel 3948 donated 1984 by George Arents Library, Syracuse University.
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:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
1.2 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 4 reels))
0.6 Linear feet (Addition (D.C.))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketchbooks
Date:
1938-1994
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence; writings and lectures; press releases; photographs; sketchbook; exhibition annoucements, invitations and catalogs; and printed material.
REEL 92: Material relating to Hios' Marine Corps service as a combat photographer, 1943-1947, including correspondence, a citation and lists of watercolors done and exhibited by Hios showing war scenes; correspondence, 1957-1963, concerning a U.S. government grant to study Byzantine art, exhibitions and loans; draft of speech to the Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors, February 1968, on the new aesthetic; miscellaneous journal notes, 1953-1961 on Greek art, the purpose of art, etc,; photographs of Hios, his family and his work; clippings and exhibition announcements. Also included is a sketchbook, ca. 1957, with landscape and flower studies as well as notes from Hios' reading on Byzantine art, on rhythmic forms in art, and comments on his own paintings.
REEL 96: Sketches, notes, and photos.
REELS 1094 & 1116 (photos): Correspondence, mostly about exhibitions and his work, including letters from Elmira Bier, Harold Weston, Fairfield Porter, Martha Jackson, John Canaday, Arthur Osver and others; clippings and magazine articles; writings and lectures by Hios; press releases and writings about Hios; exhibition announcements, invitations, and catalogs, and printed material; and 23 photographs of Hios, his paintings, and exhibitions.
UNMICROFILMED: A letter; exhibition announcements; 22 photos of Hios and his family, 69 photos of his work and its installation; and copies of letters, articles and press releases.
ADDITION: A resume; awards from Parrish Art Museum, 1971, Grumbacher Award, 1979, Audubon Artists, 1979 and 1983, and letter awarding a grant from the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation, 1981; correspondence, 1939-1994, including letters from museums and university art galleries, letters from author Lawrence Campbell, and a card from photographer Hans Namuth; a sketchbook, 1947-1958; 9 loose drawings; photographs of Hios, friends, and his paintings; printed material including THEO HIOS, 52 YEARS OF PAINTING, by Lawrence Campbell, 1987, clippings documenting Hios's career, 1948-1991, exhibition announcements and catalogs, 1944-1993, press releases, reviews, and transcript of a 1981 television film about Hios.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, graphic artist; New York, N.Y. Died Jan. 10, 1999. Combat photagrapher during WWII.
Provenance:
Material on reels 92, 96, 1094 and 1116 lent for microfilming 1971-1976 by Theo Hios. Unmicrofilmed material donated by Hios, 1981-1995.
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:
Graphic artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
