Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Search Results

Collections Search Center
19 documents - page 1 of 1

Dorothy Dehner papers

Creator:
Dehner, Dorothy, 1901-1994  Search this
Names:
Philadelphia Art Alliance  Search this
Willard Gallery  Search this
Graham, John, 1887-1961  Search this
Matulka, Jan, 1890-1972  Search this
Smith, David, 1906-1965  Search this
Extent:
4 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sketchbooks
Date:
1920-1987
bulk 1951-1987
Summary:
The papers of sculptor Dorothy Dehner measure 4 linear feet and date from 1920 to 1987, with the bulk of the material dating from 1951 to 1987. The collection documents Dehner's life, work, and professional and personal relationships, with particular focus on her mid-to-late career. Papers include extensive correspondence, business and financial papers, sound recordings and transcripts of interviews, writings by Dehner and others, printed material documenting Dehner's career, scattered photographs, two etchings, and scattered personal papers and material relating to David Smith.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of sculptor Dorothy Dehner measure 4 linear feet and date from 1920 to 1987, with the bulk of the material dating from 1951 to 1987. The collection documents Dehner's life, work, and professional and personal relationships, with particular focus on her mid-to-late career. Papers include extensive correspondence, business and financial papers, sound recordings and transcripts of interviews, writings by Dehner and others, printed material documenting Dehner's career, scattered photographs, two etchings, and scattered personal papers and material relating to David Smith.

Comprising a series of biographical material are personal papers such as notes on Dehner's biography and career, a list of things taken from Bolton Landing, and material relating to David Smith including a copy of his last will and testament, a letter of introduction (dating from their trip to Europe in the mid-1930s), and a chronology of Smith's life.

Correspondence consists of numerous letters and enclosures concerning both professional and personal matters. Correspondents include artists, museums, galleries, art dealers, researchers, curators, friends, and relatives. Correspondence documents Dehner's various personal and professional relationships, the active role she played in promoting and exhibiting her art work, as well as the key role she played in fostering art historical research on David Smith, herself, and other artists of her era, and her many other creative activities, including her various writing efforts.

Interviews include sound recordings of four interviews with Dehner, and a recording of an interview conducted with her for a documentary on David Smith. Also found is a transcription of an interview for which there is no recording.

Writings shed light on other aspects of Dehner's creativity and concerns. Dehner's writings include poems, such as one dated from high school and drafts of poems published in Tracks); and various pieces on John Graham. These include versions of a memoir, which were published as a foreword to the re-issue of System and Dialectics of Art, and as an article in Leonardo). Also found are writings on David Smith, including articles recalling Dehner's first meeting with him, and on Smith's 1940 work "Medals for Dishonor;" lectures and speeches; and various writings on art and other topics. Writings by others include essays on Dehner by Joan Marter and Judith McCandless.

Dehner's business and financial records document transactions with various galleries and art organizations and include records of loans, exhibitions, and sales through files for the Parsons-Dreyfuss Gallery, Philadelphia Art Alliance, Willard Gallery, and others. The series also includes scattered records relating to personal business matters and finances, such as Dehner's lists of artwork loaned, exhibited, and sold, receipts, tax records, and exhibition visitor books.

Printed material includes exhibition catalogs and announcements for Dehner's group and solo shows, and clippings on Dehner and a few other artists including David Smith. Artwork consists of two etchings, and photographs include photographs of Dehner, her second husband Ferdinand Mann, John Graham, and various works of art. Also found is an abstract photograph by David Smith, dating from circa 1934.
Arrangement:
The Dorothy Dehner papers are arranged into 8 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1935-1982 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1927-1987 (Boxes 1-3; 2.2 linear feet)

Series 3: Interviews and Transcripts, 1963-1981 (Boxes 3-4; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Writings, 1920-1987 (Box 3; 0.25 linear feet)

Series 5: Business and Financial Records, 1940-1987 (Box 3; 0.25 linear feet)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1940-1987 (Boxes 3, 5; OV 6; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 7: Art Work, circa 1930s-circa 1960s (Box 5, OV 6; 0.05 linear feet)

Series 8: Photographs, 1930s-1986 (Box 5; 0.15 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Dorothy Dehner was an abstract sculptor of the New York school who was also an accomplished painter, printmaker, author, and educator.

Dehner was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1901. Her father died when she was about ten and the family moved to Pasadena, California in 1915. After the death of her mother and sister, she was raised by her mother's sister, Aunt Florence. Dehner was exposed to art as a child, receiving instruction in drawing and painting. She studied drama for a year at UCLA in 1922-1923 before moving to New York with the intention of pursuing a theatrical career. In 1925, she traveled alone to Europe, where she visited Italy, Switzerland, and France and where she began to draw seriously.

Upon her return to New York, Dehner enrolled in the Art Students League intending to study sculpture, but, uninspired by the work of William Zorach's sculpture class, ended up studying drawing with Kimon Nicolaides instead. In 1926, she met fellow artist David Smith in the rooming house they shared. At her suggestion, he too enrolled in the Art Students League. In 1927, they were married.

At the League, Dehner and Smith studied with the modernist painter, Jan Matulka, and befriended Weber and Thomas Furlong, through whom they met the Russian painter and theoretician, John Graham. Graham introduced them to the avant-garde art world and had a profound influence on Dehner and Smith and their work. Other young artists they befriended at this time included Adolph Gottlieb, Mark Rothko, and Edgar and Lucille Corcos Levy. In 1929, after a visit to the Furlong's summer home in upstate New York, Dehner and Smith bought a farm in Bolton Landing, which became their permanent home in 1940 and was later named Terminal Iron Works. They spent eight months in the Virgin Islands, in 1931-1932, where Dehner painted abstract still lifes of shells and marine life. In the fall of 1935, they traveled to Europe, where they met up with Graham in Paris, spent five months in Greece, and toured the Soviet Union, with other stops along the way.

During her years at Bolton Landing (from 1940 to 1950), Dehner progressed in her work, producing a series of paintings titled Life on the Farm and embarking upon a series of abstract geometric drawings in ink and watercolor. In 1943, she had a joint exhibition with Smith at the Albany Institute of History and Art. Three years later, she participated in the annual exhibition of Audubon Artists and was awarded a first prize for drawing, and in 1948, she had her first one-woman show at Skidmore College.

Dehner left Bolton Landing in 1950 (she was divorced from Smith two years later) and returned to school, earning her degree from Skidmore College in 1952. She moved back to New York City, and supported herself over the next several years by teaching at various schools, including the Barnard School for Girls. She had her first solo exhibition in the city at the Rose Fried Gallery in 1952, and studied engraving at Stanley William Hayter's Atelier 17. At this point, Dehner started making sculpture, first experimenting in wax and then casting her wax sculptures in bronze. In 1955, she began working at the Sculpture Center, and from this point on, focused mainly on sculpture with occasional forays in drawing and printmaking. In addition to works in bronze, she went on to create sculptures in wood (during the 1970s) and steel (during the 1980s).

In 1955, Dehner married the New York publisher, Ferdinand Mann. That same year, she joined the Willard Gallery, run by Marian Willard. She had her first exhibition of drawings there in 1955 (which led to a solo exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago) and her first sculpture show there in 1957. Dehner continued to show at the Willard Gallery regularly until 1976. Over the next several decades, Dehner's work was frequently exhibited in solo and groups exhibitions at museums and galleries across the country, and was acquired for both public and private collections.

In addition to her art work, Dehner was also a published poet and writer. She wrote the foreword to the 1971 re-issue of John Graham's System and Dialectics of Art, and an essay on David Smith's "Medals for Dishonor," which was published in Art Journal in 1977. Two of her poems, "Past Tense" and "Two Lines," appeared in the journal Tracks in 1977.

Dehner continued to work into her nineties, and passed away in 1994.
Related Material:
Other resources in the Archives relating to Dorothy Dehner include oral history interviews with Dehner, October 1965 and December 1966, and a photograph of Dehner by Dena, 1966.
Separated Material:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming on reels D298 (portions), D298A, 1269 (portions) and 1372, including photographs of Dorothy Dehner and David Smith, sketchbooks, correspondence between Dehner and Smith, an inventory, and some printed material. Loaned materials were returned to the lender after filming and are not described in the collection Container Listing.
Provenance:
The Dorothy Dehner papers were donated from 1967-1987 in increments by Dorothy Dehner. Dehner also loaned material for microfilming between 1967 and 1977, some of which was subsequently donated. The art work in the collection most likely belonged to Garnett McCoy originally, and was included in the collection during processing in 2005.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References 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:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Authors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women sculptors  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Women authors  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sketchbooks
Citation:
Dorothy Dehner papers, 1920-1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.dehndoro
See more items in:
Dorothy Dehner papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw94755f855-b54f-4a52-a95c-a8c0d6e92ba7
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-dehndoro
Online Media:

Dorothy Dehner papers, 1920-1987, bulk 1951-1987

Creator:
Dehner, Dorothy, 1901-1994  Search this
Subject:
Smith, David  Search this
Graham, John  Search this
Matulka, Jan  Search this
Philadelphia Art Alliance  Search this
Willard Gallery  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sketchbooks
Citation:
Dorothy Dehner papers, 1920-1987, bulk 1951-1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women sculptors  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Women authors  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9686
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211900
AAA_collcode_dehndoro
Theme:
Diaries
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211900
Online Media:

Lloyd Raymond Ney papers, 1902-1987

Creator:
Ney, Lloyd Raymond, 1893-1964 or 5  Search this
Subject:
Rebay, Hilla  Search this
Rattner, Abraham  Search this
United States. Department of the Treasury. Section of Fine Arts  Search this
Type:
Scrapbooks
Citation:
Lloyd Raymond Ney papers, 1902-1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Mural painting and decoration -- Ohio -- New London  Search this
Painting, Abstract -- Pennsylvania -- New Hope  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Muralists  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9690
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211909
AAA_collcode_neylloyr
Theme:
Diaries
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211909

Lloyd Raymond Ney papers

Creator:
Ney, Lloyd Raymond, 1893-1964 or 5  Search this
Names:
United States. Department of the Treasury. Section of Fine Arts  Search this
Rattner, Abraham  Search this
Rebay, Hilla, 1890-1967  Search this
Extent:
1.1 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Date:
1902-1987
Scope and Contents:
Biographical material; correspondence; a diary; writings; art work; subject files; photographs; printed material; and two scrapbooks.
Biographical accounts; a passport; a list of paintings in collections; a grant application; personal correspondence, including letters from Abraham Rattner from Paris describing the Parisian art scene; professional correspondence regarding the controversy ove Ney's mural for the New London, Ohio post office and letters from Hilla Rebay of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, N.Y.C.; a diary, 1918, chronicling Ney's army experience in France; a subject file containing preliminary drawings, clippings, and photographs of the New London mural; a sketchbook of mural studies; photographs of Ney's art works, portraits of Ney, and exhibition installations; clippings; exhibition catalogs and announcements; unpublished manuscripts; two typescripts by Hilla Rebay and James W. Riley; two scrapbooks containing photographs, printed material, and letters relating to Ney's studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts; a drawing, "The Declaration of France," by Joseph Mielziner; miscellaneous printed material.
Biographical / Historical:
Lloyd Raymond Ney (1893-1964 or 5) was a Non-objective painter from New Hope, Pennsylvania and New York, N.Y. Known also as Bill Ney. Born in Friedenburg, Pennsylvania and studied at the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Won a Cresson travelling scholarship in 1917 and upon completing his WWI tour in Europe, travelled to France with Abraham Rattner. Ney was commissioned to paint the post office in New London, Ohio by the Section of Fine Arts of the Department of Treasury which became a controversial issue. He was one of Hilla Rebay's favored non-objective painters.
Provenance:
Donated by Gretchen Ney Laugier, Ney's daughter. Microfilmed in 1989 as part of AAA's Philadelphia Arts Documentation Project.
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.
Occupation:
Painters  Search this
Topic:
Mural painting and decoration -- Ohio -- New London  Search this
Painting, Abstract -- Pennsylvania -- New Hope  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Muralists  Search this
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Identifier:
AAA.neylloyr
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw96e54cb06-bd73-43cd-a25d-195a434fb605
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-neylloyr

Clay Spohn papers, circa 1862-1985, bulk 1890-1985

Creator:
Spohn, Clay Edgar, 1898-1977  Search this
Subject:
Rothko, Mark  Search this
Corbett, Rosamond Walling Tirana  Search this
Fryworth, Teressa  Search this
Corbett, Edward  Search this
Calder, Alexander  Search this
Sievan, Maurice  Search this
Sihvonen, Oli  Search this
Reynal, Jeanne  Search this
Ribak, Louis  Search this
McChesney, Mary Fuller  Search this
Neininger, Urban  Search this
Still, Clyfford  Search this
University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts  Search this
School of Visual Arts (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Type:
Drawings
Sketchbooks
Account books
Ambrotypes
Photographs
Citation:
Clay Spohn papers, circa 1862-1985, bulk 1890-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painting, Abstract -- France -- Paris  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9468
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211666
AAA_collcode_spohclay
Theme:
Diaries
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211666
Online Media:

Ed Clark papers, 1923-2017

Creator:
Clark, Edward, 1926-2019  Search this
Subject:
Gentry, Herbert  Search this
Hutson, Bill  Search this
Joans, Ted  Search this
Cinque Gallery  Search this
Citation:
Ed Clark papers, 1923-2017. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
African American artists  Search this
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Painting, Abstract  Search this
Shaped canvas  Search this
Theme:
African American  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)17578
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)395105
AAA_collcode_clarked
Theme:
African American
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_395105
Online Media:

Ed Clark papers

Creator:
Clark, Edward, 1926-2019  Search this
Names:
Cinque Gallery  Search this
Gentry, Herbert, 1919-2003  Search this
Hutson, Bill, 1936-  Search this
Joans, Ted  Search this
Extent:
8.9 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1923-2017
Summary:
The papers of African American abstract expressionist painter Ed Clark measure 8.9 linear feet and date from 1923 to 2017. The collection documents Clark's work as a professional artist through biographical material; correspondence with family, galleries, and friends, most notably Cinque Gallery, Herbert Gentry, Bill Hutson, and Ted Joans; writings, including documentation for the book Edward Clark: For the Sake of the Search; personal business records, including consignment and sales records; and material related to professional activities, including files on significant exhibitions and projects, gallery files, and teaching records. Also in the collection are exhibition announcements, catalogs, news clippings, and other printed material documenting Clark's work; photographic material depicting Ed Clark, his artwork, and other individuals; and a small amount of original artwork by Clark and others.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of African American abstract expressionist painter Ed Clark measure 8.9 linear feet and date from 1923 to 2017. The collection documents Clark's work as a professional artist through biographical material; correspondence with family, galleries, and friends, most notably Cinque Gallery, Herbert Gentry, Bill Hutson, and Ted Joans; writings, including documentation for the book Edward Clark: For the Sake of the Search; personal business records, including consignment and sales records; and material related to professional activities, including files on significant exhibitions and projects, gallery files, and teaching records. Also in the collection are exhibition announcements, catalogs, news clippings, and other printed material documenting Clark's work; photographic material depicting Ed Clark, his artwork, and other individuals; and a small amount of original artwork by Clark and others.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as eight series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1943-2016 (Boxes 1, 10; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1926, circa 1943-2016 (Boxes 1-3; 2.1 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, 1955, 1980-2006, 2015, undated (Boxes 3-4, 10; 0.7 linear feet)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1953, 1966-2015 (Boxes 4, 10; 0.9 linear feet)

Series 5: Professional Activities, circa 1954-2016 (Boxes 4-5, 10; 0.7 linear feet)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1923-1926, 1950-2017, undated (Boxes 5-8, 10, OV 11-14; 3.3 linear feet)

Series 7: Photographic Material, 1928, 1952-2014, undated (Boxes 8-9, 10; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 8: Artwork, 1977-1997, undated (Boxes 9-10, OV 14; 0.1 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Ed Clark (1926- ) is an abstract expressionist painter who worked in Paris, France and New York. Clark was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1926. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1946 to 1951 and enrolled at the Académie de la Grande Chaumièré in Paris after his arrival there in 1952. After his return to the United States, Clark became a charter member of the Brata Gallery. In 1957 he premiered his shaped canvas at the Brata Gallery Christmas group show. This shaped canvas is generally considered to be the first of its kind. In 1958, he began using a push broom to apply broad strokes of color to canvases on his studio floor.

Ed Clark has received multiple awards and honors including the National Endowment for the Arts' Master Award (1972), the United States Congressional Achievement Award (1994), and the Art Institute of Chicago's Legends and Legacy Award (2013). He has exhibited widely and his work is held in many collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, the California Afro-American Museum, the Centro de Arté Moderno in Guadalajara, Mexico, the Detroit Institute of the Arts, Louisiana State University, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the New York Public Library Schomburg Center.
Related Materials:
A 30-minute documentary recording, Ed Clark: a brush with success (2007) produced by Mark Hammond and Charles Martin is available at the Anacostia Community Museum Library.
Provenance:
The Ed Clark papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Melanca Clark, Ed Clark's daughter.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings and born-digital records with no duplicate copies requires advance notice.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- France -- Paris  Search this
Topic:
African American artists  Search this
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Painting, Abstract  Search this
Shaped canvas  Search this
Citation:
Ed Clark papers, 1923-2017. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.clarked
See more items in:
Ed Clark papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9591c8e79-7501-4649-aca7-b2703a3f44ce
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-clarked
Online Media:

Clay Spohn papers

Creator:
Spohn, Clay Edgar, 1898-1977  Search this
Names:
School of Visual Arts (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts  Search this
Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976  Search this
Corbett, Edward, 1919-  Search this
Corbett, Rosamond Walling Tirana, 1910-1999  Search this
Fryworth, Teressa, 1906-1981  Search this
McChesney, Mary Fuller  Search this
Neininger, Urban  Search this
Reynal, Jeanne, 1903-  Search this
Ribak, Louis, 1902-1979  Search this
Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this
Sievan, Maurice  Search this
Sihvonen, Oli, 1921-  Search this
Still, Clyfford, 1904-  Search this
Extent:
20.4 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Sketchbooks
Account books
Ambrotypes
Photographs
Date:
circa 1862-1985
bulk 1890-1985
Summary:
The Clay Spohn papers measure 20.4 linear feet and date from circa 1862 to 1985 with the bulk of the material dating from 1890 to 1985. The collection consists of biographical material, correspondence, business records, notes and writings, art work, printed material, and photographs which reflect the life and career of painter and educator Clay Spohn.
Scope and Content Note:
The Clay Spohn papers measure 20.4 linear feet and date from circa 1862 to 1985 with the bulk of the material dating from 1890 to 1985. The collection consists of biographical material, correspondence, business records, notes and writings, artwork, printed material, and photographs reflecting the life and career of painter and educator Clay Spohn.

Part 1 includes sketchbooks with annotated drawings by Spohn, writings including reminiscensces by Spohn, letters, clippings, and photographs of Spohn's artwork.

Part 2 includes biographical material; correspondence between Spohn and his colleagues; business records such as Spohn's general accounting records; Spohn's notes and writings on a variety of subjects; drawings and sketchbooks; printed material such as exhibition announcements and catalogs; and photographs of subjects such as Spohn, his family and colleagues, his house, and his artwork.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into three parts. Part 1 was lent to the Archives of American Art in 1964 by Clay Spohn, and was microfilmed and returned to Spohn. Part 2 was donated to the Archives of American Art by Urban Neininger in 1978 and was partially microfilmed. Because material from part 2 was not processed until over three decades after filming Part 1, the overall organization is inconsistent. In general, material within folders is arranged chronologically.

Missing Title

Part 1: Clay Spohn Papers, 1926-1963

Part 2: Clay Spohn Papers, circa 1862-1985 (boxes 1-22, OV 23, 19.9 linear ft.)

Part 3: Addition to the Clay Spohn Papers, 1958-1977 (box 24; 0.4 linear ft.)
Biographical Note:
Clay Edgar Spohn was born November 24, 1898, in San Francisco, to Lena (Schaefer) and John Henry Spohn. From 1919 to 1921, Spohn studied at the University of California at Berkeley, and from 1922 to 1924, he studied at the Art Students League in New York under Kenneth Hayes Miller, Boardman Robinson, George Luks and Guy Pene Du Bois. He also became acquainted with Alexander Calder at the Art Students League. In 1924, Spohn was employed as an assitant designer to muralist Ezra Winter. From 1926 to 1927 he studied in Paris at the Academie Modern, a school run by Fernand Leger and Orthon Fireze.

Returning to San Francisco in 1927, Spohn became an active member in the Bay Area art scene. The Treasury Department commissioned him, in 1938, to execute a mural for the Montebello, California post office, and in 1939, he completed another mural under the sponsorship of the WPA for Los Gatos Union High School in Los Gatos, California.

In 1942, the San Francisco Museum of Art mounted Spohn's solo exhibition "Fantastic War Machines and Guerragraphs", consisting of a series of drawings inspired by dreams of World War II. From 1945 until his resignation in 1950, Spohn was employed as instructor of drawing and painting at the California School of Fine Arts, where he befriended Clyfford Still and Mark Rothko. In 1949, at the California School, he organized a group exhibition entitled "The Museum of Unknown and Little Known Objects", in which Spohn's extraordinarily-constructed objects were a focal point.

Spohn moved to Taos, New Mexico in 1952, and participated in several national exhibitions. He was Visiting Lecturer at Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, in 1958, after which he moved to New York City where he executed a series of paintings under the sponsorship of the collector J. Patrick Lannan. From 1964 to 1969, he taught at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

After a two year move to Taos, Spohn returned to New York in 1971. In 1974, the Oakland Museum sponsored a retrospective of Spohn's work.

Clay Spohn died in New York City on December 19, 1977.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming (D169) including sketchbooks, writings, correspondence, and related material. Lent materials were returned to the lender and are described in the first series of the finding aid.
Provenance:
The material on reel D169 was lent for filming by Clay Spohn in 1964. The material on reel 5461-5474 was donated by Spohn's friend and the executor of his estate, Urban Neininger, in 1978. An additional 0.4 linear feet of papers were donated by Spohn's biographer, David Beasley, in 2008.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use of unfilmed material 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:
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painting, Abstract -- France -- Paris  Search this
Genre/Form:
Drawings
Sketchbooks
Account books
Ambrotypes
Photographs
Citation:
Clay Spohn Papers, circa 1862-1985, bulk 1890-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.spohclay
See more items in:
Clay Spohn papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw989dc0985-c251-4480-9ed7-d84755d301bb
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-spohclay

Adja Yunkers papers, 1939-1983

Creator:
Yunkers, Adja, 1900-1983  Search this
Subject:
Bjornstjerna, Mikael  Search this
Olsen, Cheryl  Search this
Grossman, Morton  Search this
Haley, Donna  Search this
Wood, Denis  Search this
Smith Andersen Gallery  Search this
Alice Simsar Gallery  Search this
Impressions Gallery of Photography  Search this
Citation:
Adja Yunkers papers, 1939-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Painting, Abstract -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Prints, Abstract -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Artists' illustrated books  Search this
Prints -- 20th century  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)13445
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211470
AAA_collcode_yunkadja
Theme:
Diaries
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211470

Adja Yunkers papers

Creator:
Yunkers, Adja, 1900-1983  Search this
Names:
Alice Simsar Gallery  Search this
Impressions Gallery of Photography  Search this
Smith Andersen Gallery  Search this
Bjornstjerna, Mikael  Search this
Grossman, Morton, 1926-  Search this
Haley, Donna  Search this
Olsen, Cheryl  Search this
Wood, Denis  Search this
Extent:
2.32 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 3 reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1939-1983
Scope and Contents:
REEL N70-16: A typescript (42 p.) address delivered at the Corcoran Museum of Art, 1967, by Yunkers describing his student years in Russia, and later years in Germany, France, and Mexico, ca. 1917-1928, and relating political, social, and cultural events to the development of modern art. He describes Russia before and during the Revolution and Germany during the Weimar Republic. Also included are a resume; a critical bibliography of Yunkers work; typescripts of 2 articles; and clippings.
REEL D251: Printed material, 1941-1965, including newspaper clippings, magazine articles, reviews, exhibition catalogs and announcements, and press releases.
REEL 1023: "Prints in the Desert: New Mexico," 1950, a limited edition book of prints and poetry produced by a collaboration of artists under the leadership of Yunkers.
UNMICROFILMED: Biographical material, including naturalization papers and a passport; files of letters from Mikael Bjornstjerna (1977-1983), Cheryl Bowers (1978-1983), Morton and Chris Grossman (1979-1982), Donna Haley (1982-1983), Denis Wood (1978-1983), Yunker's daughters, including Nina (1979-1983); business and personal correspondence, 1960-1983; files on galleries handling Yunkers' work, including Smith Andersen Gallery (Palo Alto, Calif.), Alice Simsar Gallery (Ann Arbor, Mich.), and Impressions Gallery (Boston, Mass.) containing correspondence, price lists and receipts; a few sketches and a collage; 2 portfolios, "Creation" (1941) and "Ars: Tidskrift for Konst Litterature Och Veteskap" (1942) containing original prints and collages by Yunkers; 2 appointment books, 1980-1983; notes and writings; photographs of Yunkers, Yunkers at work, his family, friends, studio, and art work; photograph albums, including 2 of Yunkers' studios in Stockholm, Sweden, New Mexico, and New York City (1942-1980) and one of exhibition installations, undated; photographs by Denis Hare of the making of Octavio Paz's book BLANCO, illustrated by Yunkers, and slides of prints included in BLANCO; and printed material, including exhibition announcements, clippings and miscellany.
Biographical / Historical:
Abstract painter and printmaker, collagist, and art instructor; New York, N.Y. Died 1983. Born in Riga, Latvia. Studied in Leningrad, Paris, Berlin, and London. He moved to the United States in 1947. Faculty member of the New School for Social Research, 1947-1956; Cooper Union, 1956-1967.
Related Materials:
Adja Yunker papers also at Syracuse University.
Provenance:
Materials on reels D251, N70-16, and 1023 donated by Adja Yunkers, 1966-1970, and transferred to NMAA-NPG Library vertical files after microfilming, except "Prints in the Desert: New Mexico" (REEL 1023). Unmicrofilmed material donated 1984 by Marina and Alexandra Yunkers, Yunkers' daughters.
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.
Unmicrofilmed: ACCESS RESTRICTED; written permission required.
Occupation:
Art teachers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Collagists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Painting, Abstract -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Prints, Abstract -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Artists' illustrated books  Search this
Prints -- 20th century  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.yunkadja
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ddbf2fbb-ff0e-4910-8bf2-70c282edc073
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-yunkadja

Jean Gabriel Lemoine papers relating to Morgan Russell

Creator:
Lemoine, Jean Gabriel, b. 1891  Search this
Names:
Macdonald-Wright, Stanton, 1890-1973  Search this
Russell, Morgan, 1886-1953  Search this
Senghor, Michael  Search this
Extent:
0.2 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1921-1923, 1964
Summary:
The Jean Gabriel Lemoine papers relating to Morgan Russell measure 0.2 linear feet and are comprised of 20 items that date from 1921-1923 and 1964. The item dating from 1964 is a typescript of a letter fragment. Included are 17 letters and letter fragments written by Morgan Russell in 1923 to Jean Gabriel Lemoine, art critic for L'Echo de Paris. In these letters Russell explains his art and the Synchromism style that he developed with Stanton MacDonald-Wright. Also found are a one page list naming ten paintings in his studio, an article by Lemoine about Russell, and a typed extract about Russell from La Peinture Abstraite by Michel Senghor.
Scope and Content Note:
The Jean Gabriel Lemoine papers relating to Morgan Russell measure 0.2 linear feet and are comprised of 20 items that date from 1921-1923 and 1964. Included are 17 letters and letter fragments written by Morgan Russell in 1923 to Jean Gabriel Lemoine, art critic for L'Echo de Paris. One item dates from 1964 and is a typescript of a letter fragment. In these letters Russell explains his art and the Synchromism style that he developed with Stanton MacDonald-Wright. Also found are a one page list naming ten paintings in his studio, written in 1921 in Morgan Russell's hand, a news clipping of article by Lemoine about Russell, and a typed extract about Russell from La Peinture Abstraite by Michel Senghor. All of the items in the collection are in French. The collection also includes a few notes about the items in each folder, probably written by Lemoine.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection, items are arranged into one series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Jean Gabriel Lemoine papers relating to Morgan Russell, 1921-1923, 1964 (Box 1; 5 folders)
Biographical Note:
Jean Gabriel Lemoine was an art critic for L'Echo de Paris at the time that he corresponded with abstract painter Morgan Russell (1886-1953). Lemoine also wrote for Gazette des Beaux-Arts, Revue Belge d'Archeologie et d'histoire de l'Art and Beaux Arts Magazine. Morgan Russell studied at the Art Students League in New York with James Earle Fraser and Robert Henri from 1906 to 1907. His first trip to Europe in 1906 was sponsored by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, and he returned to Paris in 1908 and joined the Academie Matisse. He settled in Paris and did not return to the United States until 1946. In 1911 he studied with Canadian color theorist Ernest Tudor-Hart. Also at this time he met fellow artist Stanton Macdonald-Wright with whom he developed the theories of Synchromism. In 1913 he and Macdonald-Wright exhibited together as Synchromists at the Bernheim-Jeune gallery, Paris, where they attracted the attention of French critics, including Lemoine. Russell continued to paint abstract works until 1930 when he began painting large-scale religious works.
Related Material:
Also available at the Archives of American Art are the Stanton Macdonald-Wright letters to Morgan Russell, 1913-1938, found on microfilm reel 1266. Microfilm reels 4524-4542 contain Morgan Russell papers that were loaned for filming by the Montclair Art Museum in 1991.
Separated Material:
One annotated exhibition catalog, Les Synchromistes: Morgan Russell et S. Macdonald-Wright, from 1913, and four photographs of Russell's artwork were kept by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Portrait Gallery Library when they transferred the collection to the Archives of American Art. These items are also available on microfilm reel 1190 at the Archives of American Art.
Provenance:
The papers were transferred to the Archives from the National Collection of Fine Arts (now the Smithsonian American Art Museum) in 1976. NCFA acquired them as part of a purchase in 1972 of Russell's artwork from Lucien Goldschmidt, Inc.
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.
Occupation:
Art critics -- France -- Paris  Search this
Topic:
Synchromism (Art)  Search this
Citation:
Jean Gabriel Lemoine papers relating to Morgan Russell, 1921-1923, 1964. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.lemojean
See more items in:
Jean Gabriel Lemoine papers relating to Morgan Russell
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91f542bdc-e9e0-4336-b3fa-776e9522f38d
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-lemojean
Online Media:

Mark Tobey Tobey or not to be? commissariat de lexposition, Jean-Gabriel de Bueil, Véronique Jaeger, Emmanuel Jaeger, Stanislas Ract-Madoux ; coordination du catalogue, Emmanuel Jaeger et Stanislas Ract-Madoux ; avec la contribution de l'équipe de la galerie Jeanne Bucher Jaeger, Anitra Delmas [and three others] ; [[essai d'introduction par] Véronique Jaeger et Emmanuel Jaeger ; translated by Bronwyn Mahoney [and two others]]

Title:
Tobey or not to be?
Artist:
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Curator:
Bueil, Jean-Gabriel de  Search this
Jaeger, Véronique  Search this
Organizer:
Jaeger, Emmanuel  Search this
Editor:
Ract-Madoux, Stanislas  Search this
Contributor:
Delmas, Anitra  Search this
Translator:
Mahoney, Bronwyn  Search this
Host institution:
Jeanne Bucher Jaeger (Gallery)  Search this
Physical description:
191 pages illustrations (chiefly color), facsimiles (some color), portraits (some color) 26 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Expositions
Exhibition catalogs
Date:
2020
Topic:
Painting, Abstract  Search this
Peinture abstraite  Search this
Call number:
N40.1.T62 M37 2020
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1158574

Transcript, Ed Clark Interview

Collection Creator:
Clark, Edward, 1926-2019  Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 14
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
undated
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings and born-digital records with no duplicate copies requires advance notice.
Collection Citation:
Ed Clark papers, 1923-2017. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Ed Clark papers
Ed Clark papers / Series 1: Biographical Material
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw942555cb1-a425-4cb5-b1a5-5415d07ad8ee
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-clarked-ref23
1 Page(s) matching your search term, top most relevant are shown: View entire project in transcription center
  • View Transcript, Ed Clark Interview digital asset number 1

Untitled, (sculpture)

Sculptor:
Clower, Joseph  Search this
Medium:
Enamel, plaster on wood
Type:
Sculptures
Owner/Location:
Administered by Broad, Inc./Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation 11601 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th floor Los Angeles California 90025
Located at Broad, Inc./Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation 127 Avenue Charles de Gaulle 92200, Neuilly-sur-Seine Paris France
Date:
1985
Topic:
Abstract  Search this
Object--Furniture--Chair  Search this
Control number:
IAS 65250008
Data Source:
Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museums
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_ari_291711

Serge Poliakoff / Dina Vierny, Jean-Luc Daval, Alexis Poliakoff ; introduction par Jean Leymarie

Author:
Vierny, Dina  Search this
Poliakoff, Serge 1900-1969  Search this
Daval, Jean Luc  Search this
Poliakoff, Alexis 1942-  Search this
Fondation Dina Vierny-Musée Maillol  Search this
Subject:
Poliakoff, Serge 1900-1969  Search this
Physical description:
124 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Place:
France
Date:
1995
C1995
Topic:
Painting, Abstract  Search this
Call number:
ND553.P65 A4 1995
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_648587

Painting, politics and the struggle for the École de Paris, 1944-1964 / Natalie Adamson

Author:
Adamson, Natalie  Search this
Physical description:
xi, 318 p. : ill ; 24 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
France
Paris
Date:
2009
C2009
20th century
Topic:
Painting, Abstract  Search this
Painting, French  Search this
Avant-garde (Aesthetics)--History  Search this
Painting--Political aspects--History  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_931972

School of Paris : abstract paintings

Author:
Valentine Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Subject:
Ecole de Paris du management Exhibitions  Search this
Physical description:
1 folded sheet ([4] p.) ; 24 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Place:
France
Paris
Date:
1944
20th century
Topic:
Painting, Abstract--Exhibitions  Search this
Painting, French  Search this
Call number:
N6850 .S3 1944
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_634529

Sean Scully : metal / préface de Daniel Abadie

Title:
Metal
Author:
Scully, Sean 1945-  Search this
Abadie, Daniel  Search this
Galerie Lelong (Paris, France)  Search this
Subject:
Scully, Sean 1945-  Search this
Physical description:
77 pages : color illustrations, portrait ; 24 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Exhibition catalogs
Date:
2016
©2016
Topic:
Painting, Abstract  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1095093

Regina Bogat : the New York years 1960-1970 ; this catalogue is published to accompany Regina Bogat's solo exhibition at Zürcher Studio, New York from 25 September to 2 November, 2013 / essays by Stephen Westfall and Bernard Zürcher

Artist:
Bogat, Regina  Search this
Author of essay:
Westfall, Stephen  Search this
Zürcher, Bernard  Search this
Subject:
Bogat, Regina  Search this
Physical description:
1 volume : color illustrations ; 26 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Place:
United States
Date:
2013
Topic:
Painting, Abstract  Search this
Call number:
N6537.B5784 A4 2015
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1075107

Modify Your Search







or


Narrow By