The Wallace Berman papers date from 1907 to 1979 (bulk 1955-1979). The collection measures 5 linear feet and presents a cursory overview of Berman's career as an assemblage artist and poet. The collection contains business correspondence, letters from other artists and writers of the Beat movement, writings by others, scattered artwork by Berman, photographs by Robert F. Heinecken, and sound recordings of poetry readings.
Scope and Content Note:
The Wallace Berman papers, 1907-1979 (bulk 1955-1979), measure 5 linear feet and present a cursory overview of Berman's career as an assemblage artist and poet. The collection is valuable not only for its documentation of the work of Wallace Berman, but for its documentation of the California beat movement of the late 1950s through the early 1970s.
Found are numerous letters, writings, poems, and other published material which portray the thoughts, attitudes, and trends popular in a prominent underground culture which eventually led to radical changes in America and American art. The collection contains business correspondence, letters from other artists and writers of the beat movement, writings by others, scattered artwork by Berman, and photographs by Robert F. Heinecken. In addition, the collection contains files for Berman's mail art publications Semina and S.M.S. Also of note is the large volume of printed material (2.7 feet), much of it in the form of books and other published material. Sound recordings include poets Michael McClure, Kenneth Patchen, David Melzer, and another unidentified writer performing their work.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into nine series which generally reflect material type.
With the exception of the letters in Series 1, each series is arranged chronologically. The original arrangement of the letters has been maintained, with a chronological arrangement of miscellaneous business letters and an alphabetical arrangement of the letters from Berman's more prominent colleagues.
Missing Title
Series 1: Letters, 1957-1979, undated (box 1, 0.5 linear feet)
Series 2: Notes from Interview, 1967 (box 1, 1 folder)
Series 3: Writings by Others, 1972, undated (box 1, 6 folders)
Series 4: Artwork, 1956-1976 (box 1, 4 folders)
Series 5: Semina, 1955-1967 (boxes 1-2, 26 folders)
Series 6: S. M. S., 1968 (box 2, 1 folders)
Series 7: Printed Material, 1907-1976 (boxes 2-5, 2.7 linear feet)
Series 8: Photographs, 1956-1976 (box 5, 6 folders)
Series 9: Sound Recordings, 1962-1965 (box 5, 6 folders)
Biographical Note:
Wallace Berman was born in 1926 in Staten Island, New York. In the 1930s, his family moved to the Jewish district in Los Angeles. After being expelled from high school for gambling in the early 1940s, Berman immersed himself in the growing West Coast jazz scene. During this period, he briefly attended the Jepson Art School and Chouinard Art School, but departed when he found the training too academic for his needs.
In 1949, while working in a factory finishing antique furniture, he began to make sculptures from unused scraps and reject materials. By the early 1950s, Berman had become a full-time artist and an active figure in the beat community in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Many art historians consider him to be the "father" of the California assemblage movement. Moving between the two cities, Berman devoted himself to his mail art publication Semina, which contained a sampling of beat poetry and images selected by Berman.
In 1963, permanently settled in Topanga Canyon in the Los Angeles area, Berman began work on verifax collages (printed images, often from magazines and newspapers, mounted in collage fashion onto a flat surface, sometimes with solid bright areas of acrylic paint). He continued creating these works, as well as rock assemblages, until his death in 1976.
Provenance:
The Wallace Berman papers were donated by Tosh Berman, Wallace Berman's son, in 1992.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy. Use of 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.
1. The evolution of the hippopotamus -- 2. A case of unmistakable identity -- 3. Chicken fried in honey -- 4. Gaunt eve in the mornin' -- 5. How the slingshot came to be invented -- 6. The professional son -- 7. The tale of Rosie Bottom.
Local Numbers:
FW-ASCH-LP-2117
Green Tree.101
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Green Tree
General:
Released on Green Tree Records as "The funny fables of Kenneth Patchen"
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
The murder of two men by a young kid wearing lemon colored gloves. State of the nation. Do the dead know what time it is? And with the sorrows of this joyousness. The lute in the attic. Lonsome boy blues. Limericks. I went to the city.
Track Information:
101 The Murder of Two Men by a Young Kid Wearing Lemon Colored Gloves.
102 State of the Nation.
103 Do the Dead Know What Time it Is?
104 And with the Sorrows of This Joyousness.
105 The Lute in the Attic.
201 Lonesome Boy Blues.
202 Limericks.
203 I Went to the City.
Local Numbers:
FW-ASCH-LP-3821
Cadence.3004
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Cadence
General:
Reading/concert with Chamber Jazz Sextet (19:09 ; recorded Dec. 12, 1957) -- Recording session with Alan Neil Quartet (26:36 ; recorded in 1959).
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Recorded in: Palo Alto (Calif.), United States, California.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
She is the prettiest of creatures -- Fall of the evening star -- She had concealed him -- O my love the pretty towns -- Creation -- The character of love seen as a search -- Religion is that I love you -- 23rd street runs into heaven -- Beautiful you are -- Give you a lantern -- Little birds sit on your shoulders -- As beautiful as the hands of a winter tree -- While the sun still spends his fabulous money -- The sea is awash with roses -- As frothing wounds of roses -- For losing her love -- The snow is deer on the ground -- The great birds -- O she is as lovely-often-? -- As we are so wonderfully done with each other -- O now the drenched land wakes -- O my darling troubles heaven -- Do I not deal with angels -- We go out together -- From my high love -- A lament for the unlasting joys -- As she was thus alone -- Be music tonight.
Local Numbers:
FW-ASCH-7RR-4967
General:
CDR copy
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Thirty-nine letters, mostly thank-yous, to Sinton from mainly San Francisco Bay Area artists Carlo Anderson, Bella T. Feldman, Nathan Oliviera, Henri Marie Rose, Louis Siegriest, Wayne Thiebaud, Beth Van Hoesen and others; and a clipping dated September 16, 1967, about the poetry of Kenneth Patchen.
Biographical / Historical:
Art collector; Hillsborough, Calif.
Provenance:
Donated 1985 by Ruth Steiner, daughter of Marian Sinton. The material formed part of a larger collection of prints and drawings from the estate of the late Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Sinton and donated to the Achenbach Foundation for the Graphic Arts, California Palace of the Legion of Honor (Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco).
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.
