Correspondence; files on works of art; photographs; writings; printed material; audio-visual material; and miscellany regarding the Potmakin's collection of 19th and 20th century American art.
Included are appraisals; correspondence; published writings about the Potamkins; published catalogs of the Potamkin collection; letters from museum professionals and visitors to the collection; photographs of Vivian and Meyer P. Potamkin and their home; files concerning works of art in the Potamkin collection containing correspondence, invoices, reproductions, loan agreements and requests; certificates of insurance, exhibition proposals, and conservation records; files on objects sold from the Potmakin collection; files concerning gifts to museums and outgoing loans; ten binders contaning cataloging data and photographs of works in the Potmakin collection (6 arranged by artist, 1 prints, 1 decorative arts, 1 folk art, and 1 American Indian); letters from author Christine Weston, Eugene Prendergast (wife of Charles Prendergast), Helen Sloan (wife of John Sloan), actors Jeffrey Hayden and Eva Marie Saint, screenwriter Wolf Mankowitz, Violette de Mazia (director of education, Barnes Foundation), and others; and a 19990 videorecording, 27 minutes, Collector's love story: conversatioon with Vivian and Meyer P. Potamkin produced for WHHY Television, 1990.
Biographical / Historical:
Meyer P. (1909-2001) and Vivian O. (1915-2002) Potamkin were art collectors in Philadelphia, Pa.
Provenance:
Donated 2006 by Marshall Potamkin and Marcy Lasky.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
An interview of Jimmy C. Lueders conducted 1990 Nov. 14, by Cynthia Veloric, for the Archives of American Art Philadelphia Project. Lueders speaks about his childhood in Florida, his art studies in high school and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, instructor Franklin Watkins and fellow student Ben Kamihira; teaching at PAFA, the Cheltenham Art Center, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the development of his painting including the shift from figurative to abstract and back to figurative; exhibitions at the Dubin Gallery and Gallery 1015 in Philadelphia; sales; and collectors who supported him such as Meyer and Vivian Potamkin and Max Robb.
Biographical / Historical:
Jimmy C. Lueders (1927-1994) was a painter from Philadelphia, Pa.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hrs., 1 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
Transcript: Patrons must use microfilm copy.
Topic:
Painting, Abstract -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Art -- Study and teaching -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
An interview of Meyer and Vivian Potamkin conducted 1974 Oct. 30-1975 Mar. 4, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.
Biographical / Historical:
Meyer (1909-2001) and Vivian Potamkin (1915-2002) were art collectors from Philadelphia, Pa.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 13 min.
Provenance:
These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics, and administrators.
An interview of Vivian and Meyer Potamkin conducted 2001 Feb. 12, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art, in Philadelphia, Pa.
Biographical / Historical:
Meyer (1909-2001) and Vivian Potamkin (1915-2002) were art collectors from Philadelphia, Pa.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 45 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia -- Interviews Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sponsor:
Funding for the transcription of this interview provided by the Smithsonian Institution's Women's Committee.
Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
An interview of Robert Carlen conducted 1985 June 28-July 16, by Catherine Stover, for the Archives of American Art.
Carlen speaks of his early life including his studies at the Graphic Sketch Club and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; opening his gallery in 1937; the early years of the gallery; paintings he discovered over the years; collectors he worked with, including Albert Barnes and Meyer and Vivian Potamkin; other dealers; refugee artists; and the Philadelphia art scene.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Carlen (1906-1990) was an art dealer of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
General:
Originally recorded on 5 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 10 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 50 min.
Provenance:
These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Art dealers -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Meyer and Vivian Potamkin, 2001 Feb. 12. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia -- Interviews Search this
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Meyer and Vivian Potamkin, 1974 Oct. 30-1975 Mar. 4. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
American originals : Vivian O. and Meyer P. Potamkin : collectors of American art / contributors, Nicolai Cikovsky ... [et al.] ; editorial supervisor, Cheryl Leibold
Title:
Vivian O. and Meyer P. Potamkin : collectors of American art
