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Tableware Design in Vienna, 1850-2009

Creator:
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum  Search this
Type:
Conversations and talks
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2010-12-07T16:25:25.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Design  Search this
See more by:
cooperhewitt
Data Source:
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
YouTube Channel:
cooperhewitt
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_IS-VszILOX4

From Imperial To Contemporary: A Rediscovery of Traditional Austrian Craft and Manufacturing

Creator:
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2010-12-16T01:00:38.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Design  Search this
See more by:
cooperhewitt
Data Source:
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
YouTube Channel:
cooperhewitt
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_pgmKI_MPvZY

Porcelain Bowl

Donor Name:
Mrs. Charles A. Coolidge  Search this
Culture:
Chinese  Search this
Object Type:
Bowl
Place:
Beijing (Peking), China, Asia
Accession Date:
6 Apr 1933
Topic:
Ethnology  Search this
Accession Number:
123704
USNM Number:
E364885-0
See more items in:
Anthropology
Data Source:
NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/36ba78bae-d368-4302-9c80-b64020cc7f6f
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhanthropology_8410452
Online Media:

Porcelain Water Dropper

Collector:
Mr. C. P. Dredge  Search this
Donor Name:
Virgil M Hillyer Fund  Search this
Culture:
Korean  Search this
Object Type:
Dropper
Place:
South Korea, Asia
Accession Date:
17 Sep 1976
Collection Date:
1973 to 1974
Topic:
Ethnology  Search this
Accession Number:
323959
USNM Number:
E418375-0
See more items in:
Anthropology
Data Source:
NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3e56fcae1-da11-4974-bd20-d0fdcad8329e
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhanthropology_8450214
Online Media:

Mourning Arm Bands

Collector:
Dr. William H. Dall  Search this
Donor Name:
Accession Number Unknown  Search this
Length - Pair 2 Of 2:
13 cm
Culture:
Koyukon (Denaakk'e)  Search this
Object Type:
Armband
Place:
Yukon River (Upper), Alaska, United States, North America
Topic:
Ethnology  Search this
Accession Number:
000000
USNM Number:
E8809-0
See more items in:
Anthropology
Data Source:
NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3c3504b31-c24f-441d-b007-a03cc644694b
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhanthropology_8484923
Online Media:

Vickery, Atkins & Torrey records, [undated] and 1901-1930

Creator:
Vickery, Atkins & Torrey (Firm)  Search this
Subject:
Atkins, J. Henry  Search this
Torrey, Frederic C.  Search this
Vickery, W. K.  Search this
Citation:
Vickery, Atkins & Torrey records, [undated] and 1901-1930. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
Pottery, Asian  Search this
Decorative arts  Search this
Jewelry making  Search this
Theme:
Craft  Search this
Architecture & Design  Search this
Art Market  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)8538
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)210716
AAA_collcode_vickatki
Theme:
Craft
Architecture & Design
Art Market
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_210716

Thomas Tucker and Tucker family papers, 1823-1877

Creator:
Tucker, Thomas  Search this
Subject:
Tucker, William Ellis  Search this
Citation:
Thomas Tucker and Tucker family papers, 1823-1877. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Porcelain -- 19th century -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia  Search this
Porcelain industry -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia  Search this
Decorative arts  Search this
Theme:
Craft  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)10613
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)214132
AAA_collcode_tuckthom
Theme:
Craft
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_214132

Fisher, Bruce & Company Records

Creator:
Fisher, Richard  Search this
Collector:
Fisher, Bruce & Company.  Search this
Former owner:
Fisher, Richard, Mrs.  Search this
Donor:
Gatter, Carl  Search this
Extent:
3 Cubic feet (1 box )
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sales catalogs
Stereographs
Legislation (legal concepts)
Correspondence
Photographic prints
Postcards
Price lists
Place:
Colon (Panama)
Philadelphia (Pa.)
Date:
1920-1940s
Summary:
Fisher, Bruce & Company, importers of china, earthenware, and glassware, were located on Market Street, Philadelphia. The collection contains catalog pages and price lists for china, earthenware, and glassware imported from Belgium, Britain, France, and Italy, and some American ceramics.
Scope and Contents:
This collection primarily contains catalog pages and pricelists for china, earthenware, and glassware imported from Belgium, Britain, France, and Italy, as well as some American ceramics. The catalog pages consist of color photographs of numbered ceramic items; the pricelists are separate pages keyed to the same numbers. These records, which date from 1939 1940, are arranged in separate folders by nationality.

The Belgian material consists of one catalog page of glassware. The British catalog pages depict Aynsley bone china (breakfast and tea sets), Grimwades earthenware, and "Toby" mugs of U.S. General McArthur and British General Wavell. The French catalog pages show "Quimper" design faience as well as other china and earthenware pieces. The Italian ceramics are primarily earthenware breakfast sets, bowls, baskets, vases, and donkey figures. There is also some Venetian glassware. The U.S. catalog pages show china breakfast sets and other tableware.

In addition, a photoprint in the collection shows the firm's building, ca. 1920s; a second photoprint shows a 1920s display of Pyrex ovenware in one of the building's display windows.
Biographical / Historical:
Fisher, Bruce & Company, importers of china, earthenware, and glassware, were located on Market Street in Philadelphia. The firm dates back at least to the year 1880, when it was known as Atherholt, Fisher & Company, and was located at 519 Market Street. The principals in the firm were Thomas C. Atherholt, Samuel Fisher, and his son, Joseph G. A. Fisher. By 1885 the company's name had changed to Fisher, Son & Company. By 1889, after the addition of George H. Ruth to the firm, its name had changed to Fisher, Son & Ruth. The following year, probably following the death of Samuel Fisher, Worthington Bruce joined the firm, and its name was changed to Fisher, Bruce & Company. In the same year the firm relocated to 221 Market Street.

The company continued to prosper in its Market Street location, which extended back to Church Street. By 1930, the adjoining building at 219 Market Street was purchased. The ground floors of numbers 219 221 were used as a showroom and the company's offices were located upstairs. The company stayed in the Fisher family's hands for the remainder of its existence, with E. Monroe Fisher as President of the firm beginning in 1930. In the 1970s the company was sold and the business relocated to New Jersey.
Provenance:
These records were donated to the Division of Domestic Life in February 1990 by Mr. Carl Gatter. His father, Herman L. Gatter, had been employed by Fisher, Bruce, for many years. The records were transferred to the Archives Center in March 1990.
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research use on site by appointment.

Probable copyright restrictions.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Show windows  Search this
Stores, Retail  Search this
Table setting and decoration  Search this
Display of merchandise  Search this
Faience  Search this
Glassware  Search this
Glassware -- Belgian  Search this
Glassware -- Catalogs  Search this
Glassware -- Venetian  Search this
Importers  Search this
Advertising, Point-of-sale  Search this
Commemorative porcelain  Search this
Dams -- Panama  Search this
Ceramic tableware  Search this
Ceramics  Search this
Ceramic Industries -- French  Search this
Ceramic Industries -- Italian  Search this
Ceramic Industries -- Belgian  Search this
Ceramic Industries -- English  Search this
Ceramic Industries -- American  Search this
Locks and dams  Search this
Clay pot cookery  Search this
Plates (Tableware)  Search this
Porcelain, American  Search this
Porcelain figures  Search this
Porcelain, French  Search this
Porcelain, English  Search this
Porcelain -- Prices  Search this
Porcelain -- 20th century  Search this
Pottery figures  Search this
Pottery, American  Search this
Pottery, English  Search this
Pottery, French  Search this
Pottery, Italian  Search this
Pottery -- Prices  Search this
Pyrex  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sales catalogs
Stereographs
Legislation (legal concepts)
Correspondence -- 1940-1950
Photographic prints
Postcards -- 1900-1920
Price lists
Citation:
Fisher, Bruce & Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0370
See more items in:
Fisher, Bruce & Company Records
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep81269855a-4c8e-4eeb-8fce-5157c78d78b2
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0370
Online Media:

White and pink pitcher and washbowl owned by members of the Ellis family

Created by:
S. Bridgwood & Son, English, 1805 - 1853  Search this
Medium:
porcelain and pigment
Dimensions:
H x W x D (.1): 11 1/2 × 9 1/2 × 8 in. (29.2 × 24.1 × 20.3 cm)
H x W x D (.2): 5 1/8 × 15 1/8 × 15 1/8 in. (13 × 38.4 × 38.4 cm)
Type:
pitchers
washbowls
Place used:
Orange County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
Date:
late 19th-early 20th century
Topic:
African American  Search this
Black interiors  Search this
Domestic life  Search this
Families  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Clara Ellis Payne
Object number:
2012.42.9.1-.2
Restrictions & Rights:
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
See more items in:
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification:
Furnishings, Housewares, and Décor
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd54a6be668-3791-444d-91d1-9c1477899690
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmaahc_2012.42.9.1-.2

Henry Clay

Artist:
Unidentified Artist  Search this
Copy after:
John B. Neagle, 4 Nov 1796 - 17 Sep 1865  Search this
Sitter:
Henry Clay, 12 Apr 1777 - 29 Jun 1852  Search this
Medium:
Enamel on porcelain
Dimensions:
2.1cm x 1.6cm (13/16" x 5/8"), Sight
Type:
Painting
Date:
19th-early 20th century
Topic:
Miniature  Search this
Henry Clay: Male  Search this
Henry Clay: Law and Crime\Lawyer  Search this
Henry Clay: Politics and Government\Presidential candidate  Search this
Henry Clay: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Speaker of the House  Search this
Henry Clay: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of State  Search this
Henry Clay: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Kentucky  Search this
Henry Clay: Politics and Government\State Legislator\Kentucky  Search this
Henry Clay: Politics and Government\US Senator\Kentucky  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
Owner: Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Object number:
1938.3.DUP5
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Catalog of American Portraits
Data Source:
Catalog of American Portraits
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4b2331826-9855-45be-9278-7c6208293206
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_1938.3.DUP5

Octagonal dish with design of fish

Artist:
Horie (underglaze enamels)  Search this
Medium:
Porcelain with cobalt pigment under clear glaze, enamels over the glaze
Dimensions:
H x W: 5 x 33.3 cm (1 15/16 x 13 1/8 in)
Style:
Arita ware, Kakiemon type
Type:
Vessel
Origin:
Arita, Saga prefecture, Japan
Date:
1665-1685 (enamels added 1940s)
Period:
Edo period
Topic:
fish  Search this
Arita ware, Kakiemon type  Search this
Edo period (1615 - 1868)  Search this
Japan  Search this
porcelain  Search this
Japanese Art  Search this
Credit Line:
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Accession Number:
F1958.3
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
Related Online Resources:
Google Cultural Institute
See more items in:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3678ec2e8-4284-491a-8e2c-ce273175e77d
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:fsg_F1958.3

Cleve Gray papers

Creator:
Gray, Cleve  Search this
Names:
Berry-Hill Galleries  Search this
Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this
Connecticut. Commission on Arts, Tourism, Culture, History and Film  Search this
Jacques Seligmann & Co  Search this
Neuberger Museum of Art  Search this
Pratt Institute  Search this
Princeton University  Search this
Rhode Island School of Design  Search this
Barzun, Jacques, 1907-  Search this
Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976  Search this
Davis, Jim, 1901-1974  Search this
Dillenberger, Jane  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this
Ernst, Jimmy, 1920-1984  Search this
Gabo, Naum, 1890-1977  Search this
Grace, Louise N.  Search this
Gray, Francine du Plessix  Search this
Lipchitz, Jacques, 1891-1973  Search this
Marin, John, 1870-1953  Search this
Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this
Richter, Hans, 1888-1976  Search this
Smith, David, 1906-1965  Search this
Villon, Jacques, 1875-1963  Search this
Weber, Nicholas Fox, 1947-  Search this
Extent:
9.2 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Poems
Articles
Photographs
Reviews (documents)
Notes
Illustrations
Notebooks
Sketches
Drafts (documents)
Video recordings
Sound recordings
Interviews
Manuscripts
Paintings
Prints
Watercolors
Drawings
Lectures
Date:
1933-2005
Summary:
The Cleve Gray papers, 1933-2005, measure 9.2 linear feet. Papers include biographical material, alphabetical files, writings, artwork, audio/visual records, artifacts, printed material, and photographs. Extensive alphabetical files contain personal and professional correspondence as well as subject files relating to projects and interests. Especially well-documented are: Gray's involvement with the Vietnam protest movement; and Threnody, his best-known work composed of fourteen large panels lamenting the dead of both sides sides in Vietnam, commissioned by the Neuberger Museum of Art.
Scope and Content Note:
The Cleve Gray papers, 1933-2005, measure 9.2 linear feet. Papers include biographical material, alphabetical files, writings, artwork, audio/visual records, artifacts, printed material, and photographs. Extensive alphabetical files contain personal and professional correspondence as well as subject files relating to projects and interests. Especially well-documented are: Gray's involvement with the Vietnam movement; and Threnody, his best-known work composed of fourteen large panels lamenting the dead of both sides sides in Vietnam, commissioned by the Neuberger Museum of Art.

Among the biographical material are award and membership certificates, biographical notes, and personal documentation.

The alphabetical files contain Cleve Gray's personal and professional correspondence, as well as subject files relating to projects and interests. Correspondence is with friends and family, colleagues, publishers, museum curators and directors, art dealers, collectors, and fans. Among the correspondents of note are: Jacques Barzun, James E. Davis, Naum Gabo, Louise N. Grace, Hans and Fridel Richter, and Jacques and Gaby Villon. Other substantial correspondence includes: Berry-Hill Galleries, Betty Parsons Gallery, Connecticut Commission on the Arts, Jacques Seligmann and Co., Neuberger Museum of Art, Pratt Institute, Princeton University, and Rhode Island School of Design. Subject files mostly consist of correspondence, but include printed material and some photographs. Among the subject files are: Art Collection of Cleve and Francine Gray, Artist-Dealer Consignments and Visual Artists' Rights Act of 1989, Artists' Tax Equity Act of 1979, Promised Gifts to Museums, Threnody, Vestments, and Vietnam Protest. Of particular interest are files relating to the Estate of Hans Richter (Cleve Gray, executor), and Gray's research correspondence and illustrations for his Cosmopolitan article "Women-Leaders of Modern Art."

Writings are manuscripts and drafts, research materials, notes, and miscellaneous writings by Cleve Gray and other authors. Those by Gray include articles and catalog introductions on a wide range of art-related topics, as well as book and exhibition reviews. Also found are a book proposal, texts and notes for lectures and talks, miscellaneous notes, poems, political statements, and student papers. Of particular interest are autobiographical notes in the form of a chronology that his biographer, Nicholas Fox Weber, cited as an "autochronology."

Among the writings by other authors are pieces about Cleve Gray including Nicholas Fox Weber's manuscript Cleve Gray. A significant amount of material relates to three books edited by Gray: David Smith by David Smith: Sculpture and Writings, Hans Richter, and John Marin. Research material survives for an unpublished volume, Naum Gabo. Also included are notes relating to his translation of A l'Infinitif by Marcel Duchamp. Jane Daggett Dillenberger is represented by a lecture, "The Resurrection in Art." The remaining items by other authors are unsigned; of particular interest is a small notebook of reminiscences and notes about Jackson Pollock.

Artwork by Cleve Gray consists mostly drawings and sketches, and a small number of paintings, prints, and watercolors. Works by other artists consist are an unsigned mobile of paper cut-outs, possibly by Alexander Calder, and a pencil drawing signed Dick (probably Richard Avedon).

Audio recordings are a radio broadcast featuring Cleve Gray, several lectures by Gray on John Marin, and a lecture titled "Meaning in the Visual Arts." Other recordings are of Hans Richter and an interview with Jimmy Ernst conducted by Francine du Plessix Gray. Also found is a videocassette of "Glenville School Students at SUNY (Lincoln Center Activity)."

Artifacts are a Chinese scroll representative of those that hung in Cleve Gray's studio, two of his paintbrushes, Aberdeen-Angus Breeders' Association blue ribbon, and Neuberger Museum of Art Lifetime Achievement Award.

The vast majority of printed material - articles, clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, reproductions of art work, etc. - are about or by Cleve Gray. Miscellaneous items and publications mentioning Gray consist of annual reports, brochures, calendars, newsletters, programs, etc. Clippings about Vietnam and Vietnam protest memorabilia reflect his passionate involvement in the anti-war movement; a small number of these items mention Gray or were written by him.

Photographs are of artwork, events, people, places, and miscellaneous subjects. Most of the art work appearing in the photographs is by Cleve Gray and includes images of destroyed paintings. Also found is an original print of Photo Abstraction by Gray, circa 1934. Of particular note are photographs of Threnody, among them preparatory drawings and views of the work in progress. Photographs of artwork by other artists include Louise N. Grace, Jacques Lipchitz, John Marin, Hans Richter, and Jacques Villon.

Photographs of people are mainly portraits of Gray, and views of him with his wife and sons. Other individuals appearing in photographs are Hans Richter and some of Richter's descendants. Pictures of places consist of Gray's studio.

Events are an unidentified exhibition opening. Miscellaneous subjects are mostly exhibition installations. Illustrations consist of photographs published in David Smith by David Smith: Sculpture and Writings. Also found are small number of negatives and color transparencies.
Arrangement:
The collection is organized into 8 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1943-circa 2001 (Box 1; 0.1 linear ft.)

Series 2: Alphabetical Files, 1936-2005 (Boxes 1-5, 9; 4.3 linear ft.)

Series 3: Writings, 1935-2000 (Boxes 5-6; 0.85 linear ft.)

Series 4: Artwork, circa 1933-1987 (Boxes 6, 9, OV 12; 0.45 linear ft.)

Series 5: Audio/Visual Records, 1971-1989 (Box 6; 0.25 linear ft.)

Series 6: Artifacts, 1957-1999 (Box 6, RD 11; 0.45 linear ft.)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1933-2005 (Boxes 7-8; 1.25 linear ft.)

Series 8: Photographs, circa 1934-2002 (Boxes 8-10; 1.15 linear ft.)
Biographical Note:
Abstract Expressionist painter, sculptor, and writer Cleve Gray (1918-2004) lived and worked in Connecticut where he was politically active in the Vietnam protest movement and other liberal causes.

Born Cleve Ginsberg in New York City (the family changed its name to Gray in 1936), he attended the Ethical Culture School and at a young age developed a fascination with color and paint. At the urging of friends, Cleve's parents allowed him to accompany a school friend for lessons with George Bellows' student Antonia Nell. She encouraged and inspired the young artist, and a still life he painted in her class was shown at the National Academy of Design's 1932 annual exhibition. Miss Nell also introduced him to Louise N. Grace, an artist who became a good friend and had a lasting influence on him. While a student at Phillips Academy, Cleve studied painting with Bartlett Hayes and aspired to paint in France. Upon his graduation in 1936, he was awarded the Samuel F. B. Morse Prize for most promising art student.

Gray's mother was always supportive of his career choice. His businessman father, who didn't understand his son's desire to be an artist, insisted on a college education. Cleve chose Princeton, where he majored in art and archaeology, and studied painting with James E. Davis. His senior thesis was on Chinese landscape painting; both Eastern philosophy and art were long-term influences on Gray's work and outlook. He graduated summa cum laude in 1940, and then spent several months painting while living at the farm of a family friend in Mendham, New Jersey.

When a doctor suggeted that a dry climate might relieve sinus and asthma problems, Gray moved to Tucson, Arizona. Once settled in the desert, he contacted Louise N. Grace, whom he had met as a young teenager through his art instructor. Miss Grace, an artist and daughter of the founder of W. R. Grace and Co., was a highly cultured and independent woman older than his parents. The summer before Gray entered Phillips Academy, she had hired him to brush ground color onto canvases for murals she was painting for "Eleven Arches," her home in Tuscon then under construction. Miss Grace invited Gray to visit "Eleven Arches" to see the completed murals, and despite the substantial age difference, their friendship deepened; Gray found in her intellectual and spiritual guidance that was lacking in his own family. He remained in Tucson until enlisting in the U. S. Army in 1942, and they corresponded frequently during the the war. When a stroke in 1948 prevented Miss Grace from participating in the extensive tour of Europe she was arranging for a small group of friends, including Gray, she provided sufficient funds and insisted he make the trip on his own. Another stroke, suffered while Gray was traveling, left her in a coma; he was not permitted to see her again. Upon her death in 1954, Gray inherited "Eleven Arches."

Between 1943 and 1946, Gray was stationed in England, France, and Germany, serving in Army Signal Intelligence. Most of his work was performed at night, and he spent his free time drawing. While in London, Gray produced many colored pencil drawings of buildings that had been bombed. In France, a Red Cross volunteered to introduce him to Jacques Villon; although unfamiliar with the artist, Gray knew of Villon's brother, Marcel Duchamp, and accepted the invitation. Jacques and Gaby Villon lived near Gray's billet and he became a frequent visitor. Their friendship was important to his development as an artist. After being discharged from the Army in 1946, Gray remained in France to work with Villon who introduced him to the study of color and the concept of intellectual quality in painting. Gray also studied informally with André Lhote, Villon's former teacher. "American Painters in Paris," an exhibition presented in 1946 at Galerie Durand-Ruel, included work by Cleve Gray.

He returned to New York City in 1946. In the tight post-war rental market Gray managed to find a small room upstairs from a grocery store on East 106th Street for use as a studio. He commenced painting the London Ruins series based on drawings he had made during the war, and began thinking about exhibiting in New York. Gray secured introductions to Pierre Matisse, Curt Valentin, and Dorothy Miller. They encouraged him, but no opportunities came his way until Germain Seligmann, whose gallery was expanding its scope to include contemporary art, followed the advice of Curt Valentin and looked at Gray's work. Gary's first solo exhibition, held at Jacques Seligmann and Co., included selections from the London Ruins series, paintings done in Maine and Arizona, and a few portraits. The New York Times called it "an auspicious first," and one of the London Ruins series was selected by Edward Alden Jewell for the "Critic's Exhibition" at Grand Central Gallery.

Gray found New York City too frenetic. In 1949 he bought a large, old house in Warren, Connecticut, and lived and worked at "Graystones" for the remainder of his life. Half of a 6-car garage was converted to a studio; many years later, his studio moved to a barn, its renovation and design planned by sculptor and architect Tony Smith.

He married Francine du Plessix in 1957. Always interested in literature and philosophy, in the 1960s Francine du Plessix Gray began contributing articles to The New Yorker and is still affiliated with the magazine. Her reviews and articles appeared in prominent publications, and she wrote several award-winning novels and biographies. Their sons, Thaddeus and Luke (now a painter), were born in 1959 and 1961. Francine's mother, Tatiana du Plessix (the hat designer Tatiana of Saks), and step-father, the sculptor Alexander Liberman (also former art director of Vogue and later editorial director of Condé Nast publications) became Cleve Gray's closest friends.

The paintings and drawings of Cleve Gray - first consisting of figures and portraits, and then abstract compositions - were often produced in series. The earliest series, London Ruins, grew from the colored pencil drawings made while stationed in London during World War II. Travels to France, Italy, Greece, Morocco, Hawaii, Spain, Egypt, Japan, and Czechoslovakia, inspired many series, among them: Etruscan, Augury, Ceres, Demeter Landscape, Hera, Morocco, Hawaii, Ramses, Perne, Hatshepsut, Roman Walls, Zen, and Prague. His hometown, the Holocaust, and musicians inspired other series: Warren, Sleepers Awake!, Bela Bartok, and Four Heads of Anton Bruckner. Some series were works on paper, others were collage canvases, and a few series later spawned prints. Gray began using acrylics in the 1940s. Although the medium offered many benefits, he did not always like its appearance and frequently returned to oils. Around 1966 Gray was painting almost exclusively with acrylic, and eventually developed a technique of thinning the paint and applying successive layers of color (sometimes by pouring or with a sponge) on cotton duck rather than traditional canvas.

Gray was attracted to sculpture, too, working in that medium at different points in his career. His first sculpture, in plaster, was completed in 1959. In the early 1960s he visited a commercial sand-casting foundry and became excited about learning to cast in bronze. He made about a dozen sculptures to cast in sand, but due to too much undercutting, their casting became too difficult a problem. Lava flows seen while in Hawaii during 1970 and 1971 inspired a return to sculpture. This time, he used wood, papier maché, and metal. Gray then decided these pieces should be cast in bronze, and he was determined to do it himself. Friends taught him the lost wax process and he began working at the Tallix Foundry in Peekskill, New York where, over the next year, he cast about forty bronzes.

Gray's best known work is Threnody, a lament for the dead of both sides in Vietnam. In 1972, Gray received a commission to fill a very large gallery of the soon-to-open Neuberger Museum of Art (State University of New York, College at Purchase) designed by Philip Johnson. Friends of the Neuberger Museum paid his expenses and Gray, who was enormously excited about the project he considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, donated his time. Developing plans for the execution of Threnody consumed most of his time during 1972 and 1973. Composed of a series of fourteen panels, each approximately twenty feet square, the piece presented a number of technical challenges. It was constructed and painted in situ during the summer and early fall of 1973. Since then, Threnody has been reinstalled at the Neuberger Museum of Art on several occasions.

Gray was commissioned to design liturgical vestments for two Episcopal churches in Connecticut in the 1970s. A chasuble, stoles, and a mitre were commissioned by the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut in 1984.

He won the "Outdoor Art at the Station Competition," for Union Station, Hartford, Connecticut. His very large porcelain enamel tile mural, Movement in Space, was installed on the façade of the transportation center in 1988.

Gray began writing occasional articles and exhibition reviews in the late 1940s. His concern with rational structure in art led him to question Abstract Expressionism and write "Narcissus in Chaos." This article, published in 1959 by The American Scholar, drew considerable attention. In 1960, Cosmopolitan published "Women - Leaders of Modern Art" that featured Nell Blaine, Joan Brown, Elaine de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Sonia Gretchoff, Grace Hartigan, Ethel Magafan, Louise Nevelson, and Georgia O'Keeffe. Between 1960 and 1970, Gray was a contributing editor of Art In America, producing numerous articles (a few co-authored with Francine) and reviews for the periodical. He edited three books, David Smith by David Smith: Scupture and Writings, Hans Richter, and John Marin, all published by Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, and translated Marcel Duchamp's A l'Infinitif.

During the early 1960s, Gray became intensely focused on the situation in Vietnam. His first artistic response came in 1963 with Reverend Quan Duc, painted to commemorate a Buddhist monk who had immolated himself. Francine, too, felt strongly about the issue and over time the couple became increasingly active in the anti-war movement. They joined a number of organizations and helped to found a local chapter of Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam. The years 1968 and 1969 were an especially intense and active period for the Grays. They protested, wrote and spoke out against the war, raised funds to support anti-war political candidates, and on a few occasions were arrested and jailed. Writing for Art in America, editing the book series, and anti-war activities left little time for his art. In 1970 Gray refocused his attention on painting.

Beginning in 1947, Gray was always represented by a New York Gallery: Jacques Seligmann and Co. (1947-1959), Staempfli Gallery (1960-1965), Saidenberg Gallery (1965-1968), Betty Parsons Gallery (1968-1983), Armstrong Gallery (1984-1987), and Berry-Hill Galleries (1988-2003). He was represented by galleries in other cities, as well, but not as consistently or for such long periods.

He exhibited extensively in group and solo exhibitions throughout the United States and internationally. In addition to numerous solo exhibitions presented by the dealers who represented Gray, there were retrospective exhibitions at: Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Brooklyn Museum, Columbus Museum of Art, Krannert Art Museum (University of Illinois, Champaign), Princeton University Art Museum, Rhode Island School of Design, and Wadsworth Atheneum.

Many museums' permanent collections include the work of Cleve Gray, among them: Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Butler Institute of American Art, Columbus Museum of Art, Neuberger Museum of Art (SUNY, College at Purchase), the Museum of Modern Art (New York), Newark Museum, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Phillips Collection, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery (University of Nebraska, Lincoln), Smithsonian Institution, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, and Yale University Art Gallery.

Cleve Gray served as artist-in-residence at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art in 1963 and at the Honolulu Academy of Arts in 1970, both sponsored by Ford Foundation programs. In 1980, he was appointed an artist-in-residence at the American Academy in Rome, where Francine concurrently served as a writer-in-residence; they returned for shorter periods during each of the subsequent seven years. Cleve Gray was presented the Connecticut Arts Award in 1987, and the Neuberger Museum of Art Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. He was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Hartford in 1992, and was elected a member of The American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1998. In addition, he was a trustee of the Neuberger Museum of Art, New York Studio School, Rhode Island School of Design, and Wadsworth Atheneum.

Cleve Gray hit his head and suffered a massive subdural hematoma after falling on ice outside of his home. He died the following day, December 8, 2004.
Separated Material:
Exhibition catalogs and announcements and two scrapbooks donated to the Archives in 1967 and 1968 were microfilmed on reels D314-D315. Items on reel D315, transferred to the Smithsonian American Art Museum Library in 1975, are not described in this finding aid.
Provenance:
The Cleve Gray papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Mr. Gray in 1967 and 1968. The bulk of the collection was given by his widow, Francine du Plessix Gray, in 2007 and 2008.
Restrictions:
Use of original material requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordigs 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:
Sculptors -- Connecticut  Search this
Painters -- Connecticut  Search this
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Protest Movements -- United States  Search this
Designers  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women sculptors  Search this
Genre/Form:
Poems
Articles
Photographs
Reviews (documents)
Notes
Illustrations
Notebooks
Sketches
Drafts (documents)
Video recordings
Sound recordings
Interviews
Manuscripts
Paintings
Prints
Watercolors
Drawings
Lectures
Citation:
Cleve Gray papers, 1933-2005. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.grayclev
See more items in:
Cleve Gray papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw92d3d47d0-baa3-4085-80f2-9b5d1730c052
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-grayclev
Online Media:

Ding ware bowl with molded lotus design in bottom

Medium:
Porcelain with transparent ivory-toned glaze
Dimensions:
H x W: 6.4 x 19.9 cm (2 1/2 x 7 13/16 in)
Style:
Ding ware
Type:
Vessel
Origin:
Hebei province, China
Date:
early 12th century
Period:
Northern Song dynasty
Topic:
Ding ware  Search this
Song dynasty (960 - 1279)  Search this
Northern Song dynasty (960 - 1127)  Search this
China  Search this
porcelain  Search this
Chinese Art  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number:
F1917.402
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
Related Online Resources:
Google Cultural Institute
See more items in:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye31b678263-9a62-47be-a39e-c3e4843ab792
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:fsg_F1917.402

Dr. Andrew Taylor Still

Artist:
Mira Wheat, 19th-20th century  Search this
Sitter:
Andrew Taylor Still, 6 Aug 1828 - 12 Dec 1917  Search this
Medium:
Painting on porcelain
Dimensions:
33 × 28 cm (13 × 11")
Type:
Painting
Date:
1901
Topic:
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Bowtie  Search this
Andrew Taylor Still: Male  Search this
Andrew Taylor Still: Literature\Writer  Search this
Andrew Taylor Still: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War army officer  Search this
Andrew Taylor Still: Medicine and Health\Physician\Osteopath  Search this
Andrew Taylor Still: Medicine and Health\Physician\Army\Surgeon  Search this
Andrew Taylor Still: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Major  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
Owner: Still National Osteopathic Museum
Object number:
2007.26
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Catalog of American Portraits
Data Source:
Catalog of American Portraits
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4dffd974a-cae1-4b9a-9fd3-d2802dd3f31d
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_2007.26

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Artist:
Oscar Nemon, 1906 - 1985  Search this
Sitter:
Dwight David Eisenhower, 14 Oct 1890 - 28 Mar 1969  Search this
Medium:
Porcelain
Dimensions:
17.8 x 10.2 x 11.4cm (7 x 4 x 4 1/2")
Type:
Sculpture
Date:
20th century
Topic:
Dwight David Eisenhower: Male  Search this
Dwight David Eisenhower: Literature\Writer  Search this
Dwight David Eisenhower: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General  Search this
Dwight David Eisenhower: Education and Scholarship\Administrator\University administrator\University president  Search this
Dwight David Eisenhower: Politics and Government\President of US  Search this
Dwight David Eisenhower: Politics and Government\Chief of Staff  Search this
Dwight David Eisenhower: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\World War II army officer  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
Owner: Dwight D. Eisenhower Library-Museum
Object number:
87-49.1-.2
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Catalog of American Portraits
Data Source:
Catalog of American Portraits
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4f07ee1f8-1be2-4576-a8d3-7aaa2a8b1735
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_87-49.1-.2

George Washington

Artist:
Dobrich, 20th century  Search this
Sitter:
George Washington, 22 Feb 1732 - 14 Dec 1799  Search this
Medium:
Ceramic; porcelain
Type:
Sculpture
Date:
c. 1932
Topic:
George Washington: Male  Search this
George Washington: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Revolutionary War Army officer  Search this
George Washington: Politics and Government\Statesman\Colonial statesman  Search this
George Washington: Natural Resource Occupations\Agriculturist\Farmer  Search this
George Washington: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General  Search this
George Washington: Politics and Government\President of US  Search this
George Washington: Science and Technology\Surveyor  Search this
George Washington: Congressional Gold Medal  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
Owner: The White House
Object number:
923.2155.1 WH
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Catalog of American Portraits
Data Source:
Catalog of American Portraits
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm47e700631-b397-41aa-b255-955c8759404b
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_923.2155.1_WH

Emmett Kelly

Artist:
Maurice Nicholas Porcelain, born 1950  Search this
Sitter:
Emmett Leo Kelly, 9 Dec 1898 - 28 Mar 1979  Search this
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
61 x 76.2cm (24 x 30")
Type:
Painting
Date:
late 20th century
Topic:
Costume\Headgear\Hat  Search this
Emmett Leo Kelly: Male  Search this
Emmett Leo Kelly: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this
Emmett Leo Kelly: Performing Arts\Performer\Comedian  Search this
Emmett Leo Kelly: Performing Arts\Performer\Clown  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
Owner: Maurice Nicholas Porcelain
Object number:
GA990047
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Catalog of American Portraits
Data Source:
Catalog of American Portraits
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4e7ec4928-30a5-4ddd-aa22-611895d7fc43
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_GA990047

Thermometer

Maker:
Negretti & Zambra  Search this
Measurements:
overall: 11 in; 27.94 cm
overall: 11 1/8 in x 1 7/16 in x 1/2 in; 28.2575 cm x 3.65125 cm x 1.27 cm
Object Name:
thermometer
Place made:
United Kingdom: England, London
Date made:
early 20th century
Subject:
U.S. Weather Bureau  Search this
Credit Line:
U.S. Weather Bureau
ID Number:
PH.314556
Accession number:
204612
Catalog number:
314556
See more items in:
Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
Thermometers and Hygrometers
Measuring & Mapping
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b2-53d5-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmah_1289351
Online Media:

Vase of bottle shape with "garlic" mouth

Medium:
Porcelain with enamels over clear, colorless glaze; ivory stand
Dimensions:
H x W: 17.2 x 9.5 cm (6 3/4 x 3 3/4 in)
Style:
Jingdezhen ware
Type:
Vessel
Origin:
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
Date:
1736-1795, or possibly early 20th century
Period:
Qing dynasty or possibly modern, Qianlong reign
Topic:
landscape  Search this
Jingdezhen ware  Search this
Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911)  Search this
Qianlong reign (1736 - 1796)  Search this
woman  Search this
poetry  Search this
pomegranate  Search this
China  Search this
porcelain  Search this
Chinese Art  Search this
falangcai  Search this
Credit Line:
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Accession Number:
F1954.127a-e
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
Related Online Resources:
Google Cultural Institute
See more items in:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye39c41a256-9979-42d1-81e5-d0b7bfffbf07
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:fsg_F1954.127a-e
Online Media:

Bowl with Inscribed Poem

Medium:
Stone-pate painted under clear glaze
Dimensions:
H x Diam: 5.7 x 10.8 cm (2 1/4 x 4 1/4 in)
Type:
Vessel
Origin:
Iran
Date:
late 19th or 20th century
Period:
Qajar period
Topic:
poetry  Search this
Qajar period (1779 - 1925)  Search this
Iran  Search this
Arts of the Islamic World  Search this
Credit Line:
Anonymous gift
Accession Number:
F1978.47
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3f9e3a078-c6da-40b3-bfda-eb5610976e24
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:fsg_F1978.47
Online Media:

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