An interview of V. V. Rankine conducted 1990 Mar. 2-22, by Liza Kirwin, for the Archives of American Art.
Rankine discusses the evolution of her nickname, V.V.; discovering her dyslexia; growing up in Boston; auditioning for a part in, "The Philadelphia Story"; her art studies with Amedee Ozenfant from 1944 to 1946; her studies at Black Mountain College with Josef Albers and Willem De Kooning in 1947; her friendship with Morris Louis and watching him work; living with her brother-in-law Arshile Gorky, in New York City; her first one-woman show at the David Herbert Gallery in New York in 1962; exhibiting at the Betty Parsons Gallery in New York and at the Jefferson Place Gallery in Washington, D.C.; Robert Richman and the Institute of Contemporary Arts; the relationship between her painting and her sculpture; favorite shapes and materials; and her summer home in East Hampton and artist friends there. Rankine also recalls Robert Rauschenberg, Jack Youngerman, Manoucher Yektai, Betty Parsons, Ibram Lassaw, Buckminster Fuller, Elaine De Kooning, Arthur Penn, Richard Leopold, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Ken Noland, Morris Louis, Ray Johnson, Kenneth Snelson, David Hare, Frederick Kiesler, Raphael Soyer, Moses Soyer, Jean Renault, Agnes Gorky, Esther Magruder, James Johnson Sweeney, Jim Brooks, John Graham, Phillip Guston, Duncan Phillips, Theresa Helburn, Augustine Duncan, Tom Downing, Gene Davis, Alice Denney, Nesta Dorrance, Kevin Merrill, Sam Gilliam, Dylan Thomas, Kay Halle, Kit Kennedy, Naum Gabo, President Lyndon B. Johnson, Anne Truitt, Wretha Nelson, Franz Bader, Louise Nevelson, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Bonnie Newman, Alexander Russo, Walt Sheridan, Gilbert Kinney, Saul Sherman, Steve Pace, Lee Krasner, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
V.V. Rankine (1920-2004) was a painter and sculptor from Washington, D.C. Variable forms of the artist's name are notably E. R. (Elvine Richard) Rankine, Vivian Scott Rankine, and her married name, Mrs. Paul Scott.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 53 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.
5.3 Linear feet (Boxes 1-6, OV 47; Reels 5708-5717)
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1923-1986
Scope and Contents note:
Correspondents in this series include a wide range of international architects, designers, and artists who interacted with Breuer. The letters discuss his training and the execution of his hundreds of architectural projects and designs for furnishings. Researchers will find the letters between Breuer and his Bauhaus colleagues, including Josef Albers, Herbert Bayer, Walter Gropius, and László Moholy-Nagy, of particular interest.
Appendix A: List of Notable Correspondents from Series 2: Correspondence
Arrangement note:
The files are arranged chronologically, with the undated letters arranged alphabetically according to the correspondents' surnames.
Appendix A: List of Notable Correspondents from Series 2: Correspondence:
Missing Title
Aalto, Alvar, 1964 (1 invitation): to reception honoring Aalto
Abercrombie, Stan (architect), 1964-1977 (8 letters)
Abramovitz, Max (Harrison & Abramovitz, Architects), 1947 (3 letters) and 1963 invitation from Brandeis University in honor of Abramovitz
Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1975 (2 letters): from Breuer's office Académie d'Architecture, 1976-1979 (4 letters)
Acme Laboratory Equipment Company, 1950 (1 letter): from Breuer's office ács, Gábor and Anikó, 1956 (1 letter)
Agel, Jerome B. (Agel & Friend), 1959 (1 letter): includes press release
Agostini, Edward (Becker and Becker Associates), 1969 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Airflow Refrigeration, 1954: (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Alabama Polytechnic Institute, 1947 (1 letter)
Albers, Josef ("Juppy") and Anni (Black Mountain College), 1933-1958 (11 letters): a 1956 letter includes miscellaneous typescripts by Albers and clippings; a 1965 letter to the Phoenix Art Museum from William A. Leonard of the Contemporary Arts Center concerns an Albers exhibition and includes a list of works; a 1967 letter from Breuer to National Institute of Arts and Letters includes a typescript concerning Albers
Alexander, H. J. W. (Architectural Association), 1957-1958 (4 letters)
Alpern, Robert, 1964 (letter from Breuer)
B. Altman & Company, 1951 (1 letter)
Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA), 1946-1964 (2 letters)
Aluminum Import Corporation, 1946 (2 letters)
Alvarez, Raúl J., 1968 (1 letter)
American Academy in Rome, 1947-1961 (4 letters): request recommendations for Frederic S. Coolidge, Arthur Myhrum, and Thomas B. Simmons
American Academy of Arts and Letters, 1965-1978 (10 letters): a letter 1967 is a nomination by Walter Gropius for Sigfried Giedion's honorary membership in American Academy of Arts and Letters and National Institute of Arts and Letters; see National Institute of Arts and Letters
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1977 (1 letter)
American Academy of Political and Social Science, 1946 (1 letter)
American Arbitration Association, 1960-1968 (52 letters)
American Church in Paris, 1966 (1 letter): from Robert F. Gatje
American Council for Emigres in the Professions, Inc., undated: letter introduces Viola Kondor
American Craftsmen's Council (Mrs. Vanderbilt Webb), 1967 (1 letter)
American Designer's Institute, 1947 (convention schedule)
American Export and Isbrandtsen Lines, 1963 (1 letter)
American Federation of Arts, 1958-1967 (8 letters)
American Field Service, 1956 (1 ): letter from Breuer on behalf of Danielle Eyquem
American Fork & Hoe Company, 1944 (1 letter)
American Hungarian Studies Foundation (August J. Molnár), 1964-1968 (10 letters): a 1967 invitation is to George Washington Awards Dinner in honor of Breuer, Watson Kirkconnel, and Hans Selye
American Institute of Architects, 1946-1976 (45 letters): membership applications for Edward Larrabee Barnes, Landis Gores, John MacL. Johansen, George Sherman Lewis, A. McVoy McIntyre, Robert Hays Rosenberg, Bernard Rudofsky); a 1963 letter from Breuer's office concerns a Skyscraper Architecture survey team from Japan; a 1968 letter concerns the Comité Organizador de Los Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada
American Institute of Architects, College of Fellows, 1976 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
American Institute of Architects, Jury of Fellows, 1960 (3 letters): from Breuer
American Institute of Architects, Library Buildings Award Program, 1967 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
American Institute of Architects, New York Chapter, 1945-1963 (16 letters)
American Institute of Decorators (Richard F. Bach), 1956 (1 letter)
American Institute of Interior Design in Switzerland (Charles D. Gandy and Susan Zimmermann), 1977-1978 (2 letters)
American-Jewish Congress: see Commission on Community Interrelations (CCI)
American Library Association, 1951-1968 (2 letters)
American Planning and Civic Association, undated: membership notice
American Press Institute, 1974-1975 (5 letters): from Breuer
American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Corporation, 1947 (1 letter): from Breuer
American Shakespeare Festival, 1954 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
American Society for Church Architecture, 1965-1966 (4 letters)
American Society for Friendship with Switzerland, 1969 (1 letter)
American Society of Interior Decorators, 1976 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
American Society of Planners and Architects (ASPA), 1945-1947 (12 letters)
Anderson, Lawrence B., 1945-1965 (2 letters): see American Society of Planners and Architects (ASPA)
András, Ivánka, 1957 (1 letter)
Andrews, Robert, 1956 (1 letter)
Aoyagi, Nobuo, 1964 (1 letter)
Aoyagi, Tetsu, 1965 (1 letter)
Arbelaez, Carlos, 1952 (1 letter): from Breuer)
Architects & Engineers Institute, 1959 (1 letter)
Architects' Collaborative, 1946-1959 (3 letters): see McMillan, Louis and Peggy
Architectural Association, London, 1965-1969 (7 letters): see project file for UNESCO for correspondence with Edward J. Carter Architectural Design, 1960 (1 letter): from Ernesto Fuenmayor and Manuel Sayago of Centro Profesional del Este)
Architectural Forum, 1960 (1 letter): from Leonard J. Currie
Architectural Group, (W. D. Wilson), 1947 (1 letter)
Architectural League of New York, 1947-1975: (26 letters and minutes from 6 meetings): see Ketchum, Morris
Architectural Record, 1946-1959 (9 letters)
Architectural Students Association, 1958 (1 letter)
Architecture Formes Fonctions, 1971 (3 letters): includes a typescript "Design Research in Concrete" for July 1971 magazine
Architektur + Wohnwelt, 1975 (3 letters)
Argan, Giulio Carlo, 1955-1957 (6 letters)
Arizona, University of, 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Bergen County Cut Stone Company, 1967 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Bergen, Emiel, 1956 (1 letter)
Berger, Donald (North Dakota Agricultural College), 1953 (1 letter)
Berger, George, 1950 (1 letter)
Berger, Otti, undated and 1934-1937 (7 letters)
Berger, Sanford and Helen (architects), 1945 (1 letter): from
Breuer to László Moholy-Nagy and Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe introducing the Bergers
Berger, Stephen E., 1959 (1 letter)
Berizzi, Sergio, 1959 (4 letters): letters of introduction
Berko, Franz, 1946-1947 (5 letters): including one from László Moholy-Nagy
Berlin Interbau, (International Building Exhibition), 1957 (1 letter): from mayor of Berlin
Berndt, Marianne, 1933 (1 letter)
Berti, Vincent, 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Better-Philadelphia Exhibition (Richard A. Protheroe, Harry
B. Nason, Hugh B. Sutherland), 1947 (1 letter)
Bevington, Alistair M., 1959 (1 letter): includes résumé
Bevington, Mariette (stained-glass designer), 1967 (1 letter): to Herbert Beckhart
Bharadwaj, Ajaya, 1955 (2 letters)
Biasini, E. J. (French prime minister), 1972 (1 letter)
Biddle, Mrs. Francis, 1962-1968 (3 letters): includes a funeral announcement for her husband)
Biddle, George, 1965 (4 letters): 3 from Breuer
Bier, Justus (University of Louisville), 1938 (3 letters)
Bigeleisen, Jacob (University of Rochester), 1970 (1 letter) Ronald S. Biggins and Associates, 1958 (1 letter)
Bijenkorfbeheer N.V., Amsterdam, 1967-1974 (2 letters): from Breuer
Bill, Alexander H., Jr., undated (1 calling card)
Blake, Peter (architect), undated and 1950-1976 (41 letters): a 1958 letter from Breuer is illustrated with a hand-drawn map by
Blake of Easthampton property
Blanton, John A., 1951 (1 letter)
Blaustein, Morton K., 1963-1965 (2 letters)
Bliss, Douglas P. (Glasgow School of Art), 1947 (1 letter): from Breuer
Bloeme, Sidney, 1963 (1 memorandum): from James S. Plaut
Blum, Kurt (photographer), 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Bode, Paul (architect), 1956 (1 letter)
Bodri, Ferenc, 1967-1975 (3 letters): 2 1975 letters from Breuer
Boehringer Ingelheim, Ltd., 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
Bogner, Walter, 1938-1960 (4 letters): see Project File for UNESCO
Boissonnas, Eric and Sylvie, undated and 1960-1978 (20 letters)
Bollingen Foundation, 1964 (1 invitation): to reception in honor of Sigfried Giedion
Bonaparte, Mrs. Robert L., 1955 (1 letter)
Bonomi, Maria, undated and 1958 (2 letters)
Bookman, Mrs. John, 1964 (1 letter)
Borbíró, Virgil (Hungarian architect), 1945-1956 (2 letters): includes Borbíró's obituary
Borglum, Paul, 1950 (1 letter): see Project File for UNESCO
Born, Karl, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Borsódy, István ("Stephen"; historian; Hungarian Legation) and Zsóka, 1946-1965 (5 letters): 1951 letter includes a biographical sketch of Borsódy by Aladár Szegedy-Maszák
Bortfeldt, Hermann (Büro Willy Brandt), 1963 (1 letter)
Bosch, Robert, 1934 (2 letters)
Bosserman, Joseph Norwood, 1963-1967 (2 letters)
Bosshard, J., 1956 (1 letter)
Boston Architectural Center, 1968 (1 letter)
Boston Redevelopment Authority, 1970 (1 letter)
Boston Society of Architects, 1946 (1 letter): from Breuer to John R. Abbott
Botond, Stephen G. ("Pista"; architect), 1958-1960 (2 letters): includes wedding announcement for Botond and Patricia Potter Luce
Bouchet, Maxime, 1953 (5 letters)
Bourget, Inc., 1955 (2 letters): from Breuer's office
Bower, John, 1954 (1 letter)
Bozzola, Vittorio, 1964 (2 letters)
Bradford, Carol (Mrs. Amory H. Bradford), 1951 (1 letter): from Breuer
Brandon-Jones, John, 1958 (1 letter)
Brandstätter, Elsbeth, 1936-1937 (2 letters)
Brassaï, Gyula Halász (Romanian photographer), undated (1 calling card): no signature
Peter Bratti Associates, 1974-1975 (2 letters): from Breuer
Bratti, Peter (A. Tozzini Tile Works, Inc.), 1958 (1 letter)
Braun, Wolfgang, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Braziller, George, 1966 (1 letter)
Bremer, Paul and Nina, 1975 (2 letters)
Breuer, Constance (née Leighton), 1947-1982 (22 letters): from Breuer and Breuer's office; a 1967 letter, 1967, from French filmmaker Gerard Calisti is routed from Robert Osborn; an invitation from M. Knoedler and Company concerns reception for Lina Kandinsky
Breuer, Francesca, undated and 1966-1973 (3 letters): includes a letter of recommendation from Tician Papachristou
Breuer, Hermina, 1950 (1 telegram): from Breuer
Brewer-Cantelmo Company, Inc., 1966 (3 letters): from Breuer's office
Brewer, Joseph, 1965 (1 letter)
Brewster, George W. W., Jr., undated and 1946 (2 letters)
Brey, David M. (architect), 1950 (1 letter)
Breydert, Katherine, 1946 (1 letter)
Brickel/Eppinger, Inc., 1963 (3 letters)
Brigham, Richard C., 1954 (1 letter)
Brion, Maud (secretary to Eric Cercler), 1966-1972 (10 letters)
Brissenden, Norine (Mrs. P. R. Brissenden), 1947 (1 letter)
British Chair Company, 1954 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
General Electric Appliances, Inc., 1947 (1 letter)
General Electric Company, 1943-1950 (6 letters)
General Fireproofing Company, 1943-1946 (4 letters)
Georges, Alexandre (photographer), 1974-1976 (2 letters): from Breuer's office
Geraghty, Margaret, 1960 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Gerbman, Joyce, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Giedion-Welcker, Sigfried and Carola, undated and 1932-1976 (62 letters): see Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM; Chapter for Relief and Post-War Planning)
Grimball, Henry G. (Harvard University), 1950 (1 letter)
Gropius, Walter ("Pius") and Ise ("Pia"), undated and 1933-1969 (120 letters): see Harvard University, Graduate School of Design; Project File for UNESCO
Grosse Pointe Public Library, 1960 (1 letter)
Grossi, Olindo (Architectural League of New York), 1957 (4 letters): see Pratt Institute; see Project File for UNESCO
Grosswirth, M. (New York University, College of Engineering), 1958 (1 letter)
Gröte, Dr. Andreas and Laura, 1961-1967 (3 letters)
Gröte, Ludwig and Gertrud Maud, 1956-1967 (5 letters)
Groupe Espace, 1952-1954 (5 letters)
Gruber, Gerd, 1965-1967 (2 letters)
Gruber, Richard D. (Independent Oil Company of Connecticut, Inc.), 1970 (1 letter)
Gruzen, Barney Sumner, 1956 (1 letter): from Breuer
Gstrein, Kassian, 1936 (1 letter)
Guenther, Carl Frederic, 1958 (1 letter)
Guerrero, Pedro E. (photographer), 1955 (1 letter): from Breuer
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1964 (1 letter): concerns the loan from Breuer of an Alexander Calder work
Guilford Leather Company, 1950 (1 letter): from Breuer
Gumbel, Robert W., 1950 (1 letter)
Gutheim, Polly (Mrs. Frederick A. Gutheim), 1946 (1 letter)
Haas, Robert (Ram Press), 1954-1957 (8 letters): from Breuer's office
Hächler, W. (architect), 1956 (1 letter): from Breuer
Hack, Lynda, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Hackett, Gabriel D. (photographer), 1963 (1 letter)
Hackley Art Museum, 1977 (3 letters)
Hagenbach, Marguerite: see Arp, Hans Jean
Hagerty, Francis (Hagerty Company), 1945 (2 letters)
Hagerty, John, 1958 (1 letter)
Haggerty, Brian (Sacred Heart Seminary), 1964 (1 letter)
Hagmann, John S. (and Robert A. M. Stern), undated (1 letter)
Hagood, M. Lindsey (Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Architectural Speakers Committee), 1952 (3 letters)
Hahn, Alexander, 1957-1958 (2 letters)
Halász, Dezso (International Union of Local Authorities), 1957-1959 (3 letters)
Halász, Ferenc, 1959 (2 letters)
Halborg, Rev. John E. (Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Advent), 1968 (1 letter)
Hall, John Hughes (Nardin & Radoczy), 1956-1957 (2 letters)
Halprin, Lawrence, 1966-1970 (2 letters)
Halverson, Marvin (National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA), 1955-1956 (4 letters)
Halvorson, Roy E., 1956-1971 (4 letters)
Hambuechen, Dr. Eva-Dorothee, 1937 (1 letter)
Hamer, R. D. (Aluminium Laboratories Ltd.), 1946 (1 letter)
Hammett, Ralph W., 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Hancy, L., 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Hansen, Thomas L. (University of Colorado, Boulder), 1956 (1 letter)
Hanson, B. (Mrs. John Hanson), 1955-1967 (3 letters)
Haraszty, Eszter, undated and 1956 (2 letters)
Harbert, Guido, 1950 (1 letter)
Hardoy, Jorge Ferrari (architect), 1965 (1 letter)
Hendry, Charles E. ("Chick"; University of Tornoto), 1950 (2 letters): see Commission on Community Interrelations (CCI) of the American Jewish Congress
Henin, Mme. S., 1956 (2 letters)
Henze, Wilfried, 1964 (1 letter)
Herbe, Paul (architect), 1963 (1 letter)
Herford, Julius G., 1945 (1 letter)
Herman, Harold M., undated (1 letter)
Hermanson, Ray T. (Trynor & Hermanson, Architects), 1957 (1 letter)
Herrera, Alberto Rodriguez (El Recreo, Centro Profesional del Este), 1960 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Herrey, Hermann (architect), 1946-1947 (3 letters)
Herter, Susan and Chris, undated (1 letter)
Hertner, W. (architect), 1939 (1 letter)
Hertzell, Tage (Meningsblad for Unge Arkitekter), 1956 (1 letter)
Hervé, Lucien, 1960 (4 letters): see Project File for UNESCO
Herz, Alexandra, 1965-1967 (2 letters)
Hess, Orvan W., 1976 (1 letter)
Hester, James M. (New York University, Washington Square), 1963-1970 (2 letters)
Hetényi, George, 1954 (1 letter)
Heyer, Paul O., 1965-1970 (11 letters)
Heyman, Marla, undated (1 letter)
Heywood-Wakefield Company (Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Paul Posser), 1944 (6 letters)
Higgins, Ambrose S. (architect), 1947 (1 letter)
Hill, Albert Henry, 1950-1951 (2 letters)
Hill and Knowlton, Inc., 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Hill, Henry and Heather, 1950-1964 (7 letters): see Project File for UNESCO
Hirschfeld, Ludwig, undated and 1935-1963 (18 letters)
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 1975 (2 letters): from Breuer
Hudnut, Joseph ("Vi"; Harvard University) and Claire, undated and 1946-1947 (3 letters): see American Society of Planners and Architects (ASPA); Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM), Chapter for Relief and Post-War Planning; Harvard University, Graduate School of Design
Hug, Hattula Moholy-Nagy (daughter of László Moholy-Nagy), 1976 (1 letter)
Hungarian Alumni Association, undated (1 letter): includes a hand-drawn map, 8 photographs of Hungarian cityscapes, 4 photographs of city views, and a drawing of the facade of a building
Hunter, Louise, 1947 (1 letter)
Hurley, Jane C., 1947 (1 letter): from Breuer
Hurwitz, Joe, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Hutchhausen, Walther, 1937 (1 letter)
Hutchins, John Jay (Law Offices of S. G. Archibald), 1963-1969 (14 letters): see Project File for UNESCO
Hutton: E. F. Hutton Company, 1946-1951 (7 letters)
Huygens, W., 1957 (1 letter)
Ichban [?], Hans ("Zero"), undated and 1939 (2 letters)
Ikuta, Tsutomu, 1951 (1 letter)
Illinois, University of, Chapter of AIA, 1959 (2 letters)
Illinois, University of, Urbana, 1957-1964 (4 letters)
Ilmanen, J. William, 1955-1956 (2 letters)
Immanuel, M., 1946 (2 letters)
India, ambassador from, 1965 (1 invitation): to Nehru
N.V. Induventa, 1935 (1 letter)
Ingrand, Max, undated (2 letters)
Institute der Schwestern, Baldegg, Switzerland, 1970-1975 (5 letters): 4 from Breuer
Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University, 1970 (1 letter)
Institute of Contemporary Art, 1954-1956 (3 letters): see Project File for UNESCO
Institute of Contemporary Art, Department of Design in Industry, 1951 (3 notices of meetings)
Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology, 1953-1959 (6 letters)
Institute of International Education, 1960-1961 (4 letters)
Instituto Internazionale di Arte Liturgica, 1970 (1 letter)
Interiors Incorporated, 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
Interiors International, 1963 (4 letters)
Interiors magazine, 1950 (1 letter)
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), 1963-1974 (4 letters): 2 from Breuer
International Business Machines (IBM) Deutschland, 1970 (1 letter)
International Congress for Engineering Education, 1947 (2 letters)
International Congress for Modern Architecture: see Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM)
International Contract Furnishings, Inc., 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
International Design Conference, Aspen, Colorado, 1953-1955 (4 letters)
International Lighting Review, 1961 (1 letter)
International Rescue Committee, Inc., undated (1 letter)
Iowa State College, 1960 (1 letter): see Myers, John S.
Iran, empress of, 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
Irving & Casson/A. H. Davenport Company, 1945 (1 letter): see Commission on Community Interrelations (CCI)
Irving, Michael H. (Irving and Jacob), undated and 1968-1971 (4 letters)
Kennedy, John Fitzgerald, 1961-1963 (3 letters): from the White House
Kennedy, Robert Woods (first architect in Gropius-Breuer office, Cambridge, Massachusetts), undated and 1950 (3 letters): see American Society of Planners and Architects (ASPA)
Kennerly, Albert (Kennerly Construction Company, Inc.), 1947 (1 letter)
Keogh, Eugene J. (Halpin, Keogh & St. John), 1970 (1 letter)
Kepes, György (architect) and Juliet, undated and 1924-1978 (29 letters)
Maas, Carl ("Happy"/"Hap"; editor, House Beautiful), 1937-1946 (6 letters)
Maas, Walter, 1947 (1 letter): from Breuer
Macomber, George A. (Cambridge Trust Company), 1947 (2 letters)
Madison, Bob, 1951 (1 letter)
I. Magnin, San Francisco, 1961 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Magyar Album, 1956 (1 letter)
Magyar épitomuvészek Szövetsége magazine, 1956-1977 (4 letters)
Maki, Fumihiko (Harvard University), 1963 (1 letter) George E. Mallison Importing Company, 1950-1955 (2 letters)
Manders, Dave, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Mandl, Zoltán, 1939 (1 letter)
Manfred, Ernest F., 1966 (1 letter)
Mang, Karl (architect), 1967 (1 letter)
Manitoba, University of, Students' Architectural Society, 1953 (1 letter)
Mantel, H. J., 1951 (1 letter)
Manton, Mr. and Mrs. John, 1967 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Marbleloid, Inc., 1946 (1 letter)
Marine-Air-Research Corporation, 1946 (1 letter): from Breuer
Maroy, Jean-Paul, 1981 (1 letter): from Robert F. Gatje William L. Marshall, Ltd., 1944-1947 (8 letters)
Marson, Bernard A. (architect), 1968 (1 letter)
Marston, Natalie (Institute of Contemporary Art), 1951 (1 letter)
Martens, Michel (Hedendaagse Kerkelijke Kunst), 1956-1957 (2 letters)
Martignetti, Antonio, 1956 (1 letter)
Martin, J. L. (architect), 1938 (1 letter)
Martin, Leslie and Sadie, undated and 1954 (3 letters)
Mary College and the Annunciation Priory, 1963-1976 (6 letters)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Art Committee, 1968 (1 letter)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Office of the President, 1961-1965 (2 letters)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press, 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, 1958-1960 (4 letters)
Massachusetts, University of, Amherst, 1968 (1 letter)
Massenot, J. P. (éditions Techniques), 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer's office Master, Dipak C. (Master Sathe and Kothari, Architects), 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Mathews, Joseph F., 1956 (1 letter)
Maucher, Helmut, 1976 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Maurer, Laurie, undated (3 letters)
Mauser Kommandit-Gesellschaft, 1966 (1 letter)
Mayekawa, Kunio, 1963 (1 letter)
McClean-Smith, Betty, 1940 (1 letter)
McComb, Peter K. and Karen, 1954-1956 (4 letters)
McGarry, Ann M., 1947 (1 letter)
McGill University, Montreal, 1967 (1 letter)
McGlynn Associates, Inc., 1956 (1 letter)
McGrath, Raymond (Office of Public Works, Dublin, Ireland), 1937-1969 (9 letters)
McGraw-Hill Publications, 1967 (1 letter)
McGuinness, William J. (Pratt Institute), 1951 (1 letter)
McIntyre, A. McVoy, 1950-1951 (2 letters)
McLaughlin, Peter, 1959 (1 letter)
McMillan, Louis and Peggy (Architects' Collaborative), 1945-1946 (2 letters)
McVitty, John D., 1946 (1 letter)
John O. Meadows Associates, Ltd., 1984-1985 (2 letters)
Medical Economics, 1960 (1 letter)
Meier, Richard Alan, undated and 1957-1967 (5 letters)
Meldrum, Andrew, 1956 (1 letter): from Breuer
Meller, Herbert, 1969-1970 (4 letters)
Mellon, Mary, 1938 (1 letter)
Meng, John J. (Hunter College), 1963 (1 letter)
Menken, Julian (Julian Menken and Associates), 1964 (1 letter)
Merit Studios, Inc., 1965 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Merle, André (André Merle Associates, Architectural Engineers), 1946 (1 letter)
Merrill and Holmbren, Architects, 1954 (1 letter): concerns Campbell Building Company
Merrill, Ruth P., 1950-1964 (2 letters)
Metropolitan Milwaukee War Memorial, Inc., 1945 (4 letters): 1 to Walter Gropius
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944-1975 (8 letters)
Metropolitan Structures, Inc., 1974 (2 letters): from Breuer's office
Metropolitan Washington Board of Trade, 1969 (2 letters)
Meunier, John, 1957 (1 letter)
México, Consulado Honorario de, 1938 (2 letters)
Meyer-Bohe, Walter, 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Michaëlis, Lorenz S. (Swiss doctor), undated (1 letter)
Michel, John (General American Transportation Corporation), 1947-1948 (2 letters)
Michelson, Val (architect), 1970 (1 letter)
Michigan, University of, Ann Arbor, 1957-1963 (19 letters)
Middelhauve, Dr. F. G., 1963 (1 letter)
Mies Van der Rohe, Ludwig, 1945 (1 letter): from Breuer introducing Sanford L. and Helen Berger, architects
Mihályfy, Károlyné, 1966 (1 letter)
Millar, L. R., 1935 (1 letter)
Millard, Charles W., 1957 (1 letter)
Miller Company, 1945-1947 (2 letters)
Miller, Flora W. (Mrs. G. MacCulloch Miller), undated (1 letter)
Miller, H. Wisner, 1968-1969 (2 letters)
Herman Miller Furniture Company, 1951-1954 (4 letters): from Breuer
Miller, Rev. John (St. Charles Seminary), 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
Miller, Richard J., 1955 (1 letter)
Miller, Steve, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Milliken, W. H. (Binney & Smith Company), 1951 (1 letter)
Mills, Mrs. Edward E., 1954 (1 letter): from William W. Landsberg
Mills, Willis N. (Sherwood, Mills and Smith, Architects), 1960-1969 (2 letters)
Ministre d'état Chargé des Affaires Culturelles, 1963 (1 letter): from Breuer
Minnesota Society of Architects, 1958 (1 letter)
Minnesota, State of, Board of Registration, 1954 (2 letters)
Minnesota, University of, 1953 (1 letter)
Miró, Joan, 1959-1963 (2 letters): 1 from Breuer
Mitchell and Ritchey, 1947 (2 letters)
Mitchell, Mary, 1954 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Miya & Company, 1956 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Modern Industry, 1947 (1 letter)
Modern Master Tapestries, Inc., 1974-1975 (4 letters): from Breuer's office
Moffett, Toby, 1974 (1 letter)
Moholy, Lucia, 1957-1958 (5 letters)
Moholy-Nagy, László ("Lakci") and Sibyl, 1934-1955 (40 letters): includes a 1946 exhibition catalog for a Walter Gropius exhibition at the School of Design, Chicago; see also Hug, Hattula Moholy-Nagy
Moldcast Products, Inc., 1950 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Molitor, Joseph W. (photographer), 1955-1975 (5 letters): 4 from Breuer
Molnár, Farkas (Hungarian architect), undated and 1933-1940 (25 letters)
Mongan, Agnes, 1938 (1 letter)
Montague, Harvey, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Montgomery, Elizabeth (Mrs. Wilmot), 1950 (1 letter)
Moore, Henry, 1946-1962 (13 letters): 6 from Breuer
Moore, Joe A., 1945 (2 letters)
Moore, Paul S. (architect), 1966-1967 (3 letters)
Morassutti, Mangiarotti, 1961 (1 letter)
Moretti, Bruno, 1936 (1 letter)
Morgan, Alice, 1939 (1 letter)
Morgan, Sherley W. (Princeton University), 1952 (3 letters)
Móricz, Miklós, 1947 (1 letter)
Morrell, Mrs. Ben, 1965 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Sydney Morrell & Company, Inc., 1973-1976 (4 letters)
Morris, Walter (Fuller & Smith & Ross, Inc.), 1950 (1 letter)
Morrow, Margot, 1950 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Mory, Bob, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Moschette, Angela, 1950 (1 letter)
Motherwell, Robert, 1968 (1 letter)
Muguruza Otaño, José María (architect), 1935-1967 (3 letters)
Mulford, Edwin H., 1966 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Murray, J. A. (University of Toronto School of Architecture), 1947-1956 (3 letters)
Murrow, Mrs. Edward R., 1961 (1 letter)
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 1969 (2 letters)
Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro, 1954 (1 letter)
Museu de Arte Moderna do São Paulo, 1956 (1 letter concerning IV Bienal de S. Paulo)
Museum of Contemporary Crafts, 1967 (7 letters)
Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1941-1976 (49 letters)
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, 1967 (3 letters)
Museum of the City of New York, 1959 (2 letters)
Muskat, Irving E., 1968 (2 letters)
Mutsu, Masako, 1964-1965 (2 letters): from Breuer
Myers, John S. and Shirlee, 1955-1959 (4 letters)
Myers, Ralph E., 1958 (2 letters)
Myers, Robert L., 1950 (1 letter)
Nadeau, Eleanor Saxe, 1950 (1 letter)
Nader, Fouzieh, 1972 (2 letters)
Nagare, Masayuki, 1963-1965 (6 letters): 5 letters from Breuer
Nagel, Chester (architect), 1968 (1 letter)
Nagy Iván, Dr. Vitéz (Ministry Secretary), undated (1 letter)
Najibullah, Yousof, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Napier, Frieda (Mrs. Ian Napier), undated and 1937 (7 letters)
Nathan, Carl H. (Suncraft), 1945 (1 letter)
National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council, undated (1 letter)
National Citizens for Johnson and Humphrey, 1964 (1 letter)
National Committee of Arts, Letters and Sciences for John F. Kennedy for President, 1960 (2 letters)
National Concrete Masonry Association, 1958-1959 (7 letters)
National Council of American Soviet Friendship, Inc., Architects' Committee, 1944-1945 (13 letters)
National Council of American Soviet Friendship, Inc., Building Industry Committee, 1946 (6 letters)
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, 1946-1959 (5 letters): request recommendations for Jean Bodman Fletcher, I. M. Pei, and Richard G. Stein
National Council of Churches, 1955 (1 letter)
National Council on Schoolhouse Construction, 1951 (1 letter)
National Institute of Arts and Letters, 1965-1968 (47 letters): 1967 letter from Breuer includes typescripts concerning Josef Albers and Constantino Nivola; 1968 encloses a letter from Philip Johnson; see American Academy of Arts and Letters National Society of Interior Designers, Inc., 1958 (1 letter) National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association, 1955 (1 letter from Murray S. Emslie)
National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1975 (2 letters): from Breuer's office
Pack, Nancy (Mrs. Howard Meade Pack), undated and 1953 (2 letters)
Paine Furniture Company, 1946 (1 letter)
Pajor, Zoltán, 1938-1947 (7 letters)
Palestrant, Stephen, 1963 (1 letter)
Palmer Physical Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey, 1945 (1 letter)
Papachristou, Tician and Judy, undated and 1967-1974 (6 letters)
Papadaki, Stamo, 1945-1951 (14 letters): see Commission on Community Interrelations (CCI) of the American-Jewish Congress; Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM), Chapter for Relief and Post-War Planning
Praeger, Frederick A. (Frederick A. Praeger, Inc.), 1959-1969 (19 letters): includes a 1959 transcript of Praeger's conversation with Breuer concerning the publication of a book on Breuer's life work
Pratt Institute, 1953-1969 (11 letters)
Présentè, G. M., 1954 (1 letter): see Project File for UNESCO
Prestressed Concrete Institute, 1970 (1 letter)
Price, Thomas M., 1946 (1 letter)
Prichard, Theodore J. (University of Idaho), 1946-1950 (3 letters)
Schawinsky, Xanti and Irene, undated and 1934-1964 (14 letters)
Schecter, Jack H. (architect), 1950 (1 letter)
Schendell, Hal, 1947 (2 letters): to Eliot Noyes
Schickel, William J., 1964 (1 letter)
Schillinger, Emilio F., 1964 (1 letter)
Schleifer, Fritz, 1934 (1 letter)
Schlemmer, Tut (Mrs. Oscar Schlemmer), 1960-1965 (3 letters)
Schlesinger, Alajos, undated (1 letter)
Schmalenbach, Werner (Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen), 1976 (2 letters)
Schmid, Elsa, 1950 (1 card): sent jointly with J. B. Neumann
Schmidt, Benno C. (J. H. Whitney & Company), 1970 (1 letter)
Schmidt-Gellerau, Karl, 1934 (3 letters)
Schmieg & Kotzian, 1945 (1 letter)
Architekturbüro Joachim Schmitz, 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Schnall, Ben (photographer), undated (2 letters) vSchneck, Adolf G. (architect), 1947-1950 (2 letters)
Schneider-Manzell, Toni (Biennale Christlicher Kunst der Gegenwart Salzburg), 1964 (2 letters)
Robert Schoelkopf Gallery, undated (1 invitation): to meet Walker Evans
Schoendorff, Ellen G., 1937 (1 letter)
Schömer, Ervin (architect), 1974-1975 (6 letters)
Schorer, Mark, 1960 (1 letter): from Breuer
Schultz, Lili, 1964 (1 letter)
F. Schumacher & Company, 1954-1964 (2 letters): from Breuer's office
Schuster, Mathias and Gerda (Schuster & Geiger), 1950-1964 (3 letters)
Schweighofer, Dr. Fritz, 1960 (1 letter)
Science Illustrated, 1955 (1 letter): from Breuer
Scitorszky, Hanna, 1966 (1 letter)
Scott, Stuart N. (Dewey, Gallantine, Bushby, Palmer & Wood), 1958 (1 letter)
Seagram-Distillers Corporation: see Kessler-Gallacher & Burton
Sears, Roebuck and Company (Arthur M. Wood), 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer concerning luncheon for Alexander Calder
Segal, Georgette, 1954 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Seghers, Pierre, 1963 (1 letter)
Segner, Marvin H., and John C. R. O'Neill (consulting engineers), undated (1 letter)
Segre, Mr., 1959 (2 letters): from Breuer
Seidel, Bert (architect), 1955 (2 letters)
Seidler, Harry (architect, Black Mountain College), 1946-1978 (24 letters)
Sekey, Sue, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Selinger, Hans, 1956 (1 letter)
Selwood, Christopher, 1958-1959 (2 letters): see also Gardner-Medwin, R. J.
Selye, Hans, 1967 (1 invitation): to George Washington Awards Dinner in honor of Breuer, Selye, and Watson Kirkconnell
Semrad, Peter H., 1957 (1 letter)
Senix Aerial (Don Preuss), 1947 (1 letter)
Sert, José Luis (architect) and Moncha, 1945-1970 (7 letters): see National Council of American Soviet Friendship, Inc., Architects' Committee; Project File for UNESCO
Setzer, H. O. (Spartan Tire & Recapping Company), 1947 (3 letters)
Sevely, Marvin, 1951 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Seyton, Mrs., 1954 (1 letter)
Shackleton, Edwin, 1951 (1 letter)
Shand, James (Art and Technics, Ltd.), 1950 (1 letter)
Shankland, Graeme, 1939 (1 letter)
Shannon, Edgar Finley (University of Virginia), 1967 (1 invitation): to Founder's Day Exercises
Sharon Forest Service Company, Inc., 1950 (5 letters)
Shattuck, George, 1946 (1 letter): from Breuer
Shelton Roofing Company, Inc., 1956 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Vitrum magazine (Centro Informazioni e Studi per le Applicazioni del Vetro nell'Edilizia e nell'Arredamento; C.I.S.A.V.), 1955 (1 letter)
Vogel, George S. (Temple Israel, Cortlandt), 1951 (1 letter)
Voigt, James D. (Voigt and Fourré, Architects), 1958 (4 letters)
Volante, Julio C., 1955-1963 (2 letters)
von Debschitz, Irene, 1935 (1 letter)
von Erffa, H., 1951-1968 (2 letters)
von Meyerburg, Henrietta [?], undated (1 letter)
von Moltke, Wilhelm Viggo, 1946-1958 (4 letters)
von Segesser, Beat and Francisca, 1968-1975 (1 letter, plus 4 from Breuer)
Wachsmann, Konrad (architect/designer, General Panel Corporation), 1945-1965 (8 letters): see National Council of American Soviet Friendship, Inc., Architects' Committee
Wadsworth, Suzanne G., 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Wagner, Martin (Harvard University), 1946 (2 letters)
Senator Wagner Memorial Dinner, 1965 (1 invitation): from mayor of New York
Walker and Company, 1966-1967 (2 letters): includes a typescript about Breuer; see also Heyer, Paul O.
Walker Art Center, Center Arts Council, 1959-1962 (12 letters)
Walker, H. E. L. (Universal Moulded Products Company, Ltd.), 1943 (1 letter)
Walker, Ralph (AIA), 1951 (1 letter): from Walter Gropius
Walker, Vicki, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Ward, Ernest and Priscilla (Sprague Electric Company), 1946 (2 letters)
Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
Watson, Arthur K. (U.S. Embassy, Paris), 1970-1972 (2 letters)
Watson, Thomas, 1970 (1 letter)
Wattjes, Professor J. G., 1935 (1 letter)
Webb & Knapp (Canada), Ltd., 1963 (3 letters)
Weidler, Charlotte (Bauhaus Ausstellung), 1968 (1 letter)
Weidlinger, Paul, 1946: see Project File for UNESCO
Weidlinger Associates, 1983-1984 (2 letters)
Weiner, Paul L., 1950-1966 (2 letters)
Weinstein, Jerry, 1945 (1 letter)
William H. Weintraub & Company, Inc., 1943-1947 (3 letters)
Weiz [?], Tiberio, 1939 (1 letter)
Weizenblatt, Sprinza, 1946-1963 (20 letters)
Wenzler, William P. (architect), 1965-1968 (4 letters)
Weren, Edward C., 1946 (1 letter)
Werner, Ingrid, 1963 (3 letters)
Wertz, Mr. (Der Finanzminister des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen), 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer
West China Development Corporation, 1947 (1 letter)
West Coast Stained Shingle Company, 1950 (1 letter): from Breuer
Westcott and Mapes, Inc. (architects and engineers), 1970 (1 letter)
Western Arts Association, 1959 (4 letters)
Western Reserve University, 1958 (5 letters)
Westport Public Library, 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
Zahedi, H. E. Ardeshir (ambassador of Iran), 1974-1975 (4 letters): from Breuer
Zanuso, Marco (architect; Olivetti), 1957 (1 letter): from Breuer
Zechlin, Hans Josef, 1950 (1 letter)
Ziegler, Barbara, 1947 (1 letter)
Ziegler, Frank, 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer
Ziegler, Richard, undated (1 letter)
Zwick, Virgil J., 1959 (1 letter)
Collection Restrictions:
The microfilm for this collection has been digitized and is available online via the Archives of American Art website.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Marcel Breuer papers, 1920-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the microfilming of this collection was provided by the Gerta Charitable Trust. Funding for the digitization of the microfilm was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
The records of the Washington, D.C. arts and educational organization, Institute of Contemporary Arts, measure 36 linear feet and date from 1927-circa 1985, with the bulk of the material spanning the organization's active years, 1947-1967. The collection documents the arts and cultural programming organized by the ICA through correspondence, artists' files, program and exhibition files, administrative and financial records, printed materials and photographs. Also found are administrative, student, and teacher records of the ICA school; records of the Fine Arts Committee of the People-to-People Project; and some personal papers of the ICA's founder, Robert Richman.
Scope and Contents:
The records of the Washington, D.C. arts and educational organization, Institute of Contemporary Arts, measure 36 linear feet and date from 1927-circa 1985, with the bulk of the material spanning the organization's active years, 1947-1967. The collection documents the arts and cultural programming organized by the ICA through correspondence, artists' files, program and exhibition files, administrative and financial records, printed materials and photographs. Also found are administrative, student, and teacher records of the ICA school; records of the Fine Arts Committee of the People-to-People Project; and some personal papers of the ICA's founder, Robert Richman.
Robert Richman's professional and personal relationships with numerous artists and writers which the ICA hosted in D.C. are documented in Correspondence and Artists' Files. Correspondence files include letters from Joseph and Anni Albers, Alfred Barr, e.e. cummings, Alexander Giampietro, Naum Gabo, Walter Gropius, Erick Hawkins, Duncan Phillips, Hans Richter, Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy, and William Carlos Williams. Also found is correspondence with benefactors, board members, and arts organizations regarding exhibitions and administrative details; and with teachers and the Veteran's Administration regarding school issues.
Artists' Files contains mostly incoming and outgoing correspondence, but also found are biographies, exhibition printed materials, handwritten notes, newspaper clippings and scattered portrait photographs. Of interest are files on Aaron Copland, e.e. cummings, T.S. Eliot, Wojciech Fangor, Nadine Gordimer, Robert Graves, Aldous Huxley, Janheinz Jahn, Kathleen Raine, and Sir Herbert Read.
In addition to Correspondence and Artists' Files, materials regarding ICA's programming, such as correspondence with artists and galleries, press releases, shipping records, financial records, printed materials, photographs, inventory and price lists, are found in ICA Program Files.
The ICA and Robert Richman collaborated with numerous arts and international exchange organizations to organize exhibitions, performances, symposium, and to host visiting artists. Materials regarding such collaborations are found in Organizations and includes correspondence, scattered financial records, notes, and printed materials such as bulletins, brochures, schedules, reports, and press releases. This series also includes substantial material related to the Fine Arts Committee of the People-to-People Program, an international exchange initiative of President Dwight D. Eisenhower begun in 1956.
The school's records include correspondence, notebooks (attendance books), teacher files documenting classes and grades, extensive student files and student enrollment cards, mailing lists, class cards, and notes for classes taught by Robert Richman.
Administrative and Financial Files include accounting and banking records, budgets, founding documents, fundraising records, grants records, mailing lists, membership lists, and Meridian House Foundation records.
ICA's programs are also documented by comprehensive printed materials arranged by ICA seasons, 1947-1967. Printed materials include program calendars, exhibition announcements, invitations, membership forms, and press releases. Also found are newspaper clippings and three oversized clippings scrapbooks.
Photographs include black and white photographs and negatives of people, most of whom are unidentified. Robert Richman's personal papers includes personal correspondence, correspondence related to "New Republic," handwritten and typed writings, some bills, and his curriculum vitae.
Unrepresented in this collection are records of ICA's ICONART Collection (Contemporary Arts Archives), an archive of films and tapes of artists' performances, lectures and events held by ICA.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 9 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Correspondence, 1937, 1944-1980 (2.7 linear feet; Boxes 1-3)
Series 2: Artists' Files, 1943-1967, 1970-1979 (4.9 linear feet; Boxes 3-8)
Series 3: ICA Program Files, circa 1947-1968 (5.2 linear feet; Boxes 8-13, 27)
Series 4: Organizations, 1927, 1940s-1967 (7.3 linear feet; Boxes 13-20, OV 39)
Series 5: ICA School Files, 1945-1953 (7.0 linear feet; Boxes 21-27)
Series 6: Administrative and Financial Files, 1945-1979, 1983 (5.2 linear feet; Boxes 28-33, 38)
Series 7: Printed Materials, 1945-1970 (2.9 linear feet; Boxes 33-35, 38)
Series 8: Photographs, circa 1930s-1960s, circa 1985 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 35-36)
Series 9: Personal Papers of Robert Richman, 1940s-1980 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 36-37)
Biographical / Historical:
The Washington, D.C. arts and educational organization, Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), was founded by poet Robert Richman in 1947 to bring arts and culture to the nation's capital. The school, originally named the King-Smith School of Creative Arts, was redesigned and renamed Institute of Contemporary Arts by Richman in 1948. The school's philosophy was based on Sir Herbert Read's Education Through Art, and provided professional training in painting, sculpture, literature, music, and theater. In addition, the ICA operated an evening school and brought prominent artists and literary figures to the nation's capital for exhibitions, concerts, workshops, lectures, readings, and performances. Teachers at the school included potter Alexander Giampietro, sculptor David Aaron, designers Beatrice Takeuchi and Hubert Leckie, and painter Kenneth Noland.
The school closed in August 1951, but the ICA continued to provide an impressive roster of programs and performances held at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and other D.C. institutions, such as exhibitions by Naum Gabo, Bernard Leach, Isamu Noguchi, and Hans Richter; readings by W.H. Auden, T.S. Eliot, Katherine Anne Porter, and Dylan Thomas; lectures by Charles Eames, Aldous Huxley, Octavio Paz, and Frank Lloyd Wright; and performances by Aaron Copland, Paul Hindemith, José Limón Dance Company, and Ravi Shankar. The organization also sponsored visiting professorships for international artists and writers, such as Nadine Gordimer, and hosted an annual Congress of Artists and Writers from 1959-1964.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the ICA was successful in securing some large grants to continue and expand its programming and to secure permanent space at the Meridian House Foundation. However, by the late 1960s the organization's programming declined.
ICA founder Robert Richman was a poet and literary editor at New Republic magazine in the early 1950s. He was active in the arts community in D.C. and in international exchange organizations, including the Fine Arts Committee of the People-to-People Project, an initiative started by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the late 1950s. Robert Richman passed away in 1987.
Provenance:
The Institute of Contemporary Arts records were donated by Maida Richman, the wife of the ICA's founder, Robert Richman, in 1986.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers 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.
Function:
Arts organizations -- Washington (D.C.)
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Photographs
School records
Citation:
Institute of Contemporary Arts records, 1927-circa 1985, bulk 1947-1967. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collection Care Preservation Fund.
Institute of Contemporary Arts (Washington, D.C.) Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 20-23
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1964
1962
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Institute of Contemporary Arts records, 1927-circa 1985, bulk 1947-1967. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collection Care Preservation Fund.
Institute of Contemporary Arts (Washington, D.C.) Search this
Container:
Box 2, Folder 1-2
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1964-1965
1958
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Institute of Contemporary Arts records, 1927-circa 1985, bulk 1947-1967. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collection Care Preservation Fund.
Institute of Contemporary Arts (Washington, D.C.) Search this
Container:
Box 26, Folder 38
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1948-1952
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Institute of Contemporary Arts records, 1927-circa 1985, bulk 1947-1967. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collection Care Preservation Fund.
Institute of Contemporary Arts (Washington, D.C.) Search this
Container:
Box 32, Folder 21-23
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1946-1962
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Institute of Contemporary Arts records, 1927-circa 1985, bulk 1947-1967. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collection Care Preservation Fund.
Institute of Contemporary Arts (Washington, D.C.) Search this
Container:
Box 32, Folder 24-27
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1946-1970s
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Institute of Contemporary Arts records, 1927-circa 1985, bulk 1947-1967. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collection Care Preservation Fund.
Institute of Contemporary Arts (Washington, D.C.) Search this
Extent:
0.4 Linear feet (Boxes 35-36)
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1930s-1960s
circa 1985
Scope and Contents:
This series includes black and white photographs and negatives of people, most of whom are unidentified. People identified include e.e. cummings, Aldous Huxley, Sir Herbert Read, Maida Richman, Robert Richman, and Frank Lloyd Wright. The photographs dated circa 1985 are reprints of negatives requested by AAA staff.
Arrangement:
Folders are arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Institute of Contemporary Arts records, 1927-circa 1985, bulk 1947-1967. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collection Care Preservation Fund.
Institute of Contemporary Arts (Washington, D.C.) Search this
Container:
Box 35, Folder 35
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1960
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Institute of Contemporary Arts records, 1927-circa 1985, bulk 1947-1967. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collection Care Preservation Fund.
American University (Washington, D.C.). Fine Arts Dept. Search this
Container:
Reel 2210.american
Type:
Archival materials
Microform [31027000123022]
Collection Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Collection Citation:
American University Fine Arts Department records. Owned by the American University Fine Arts Department. Filmed by Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with V. V. Rankine, 1990 Mar. 2-22. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings. E.E. Cummings letter to Robert Richman, 1953 Feb. 23. Institute of Contemporary Arts records, 1927-circa 1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Robert Richman. Robert Richman draft telegram and list of notable Americans in the arts and sciences for President-elect John F. Kennedy, 1960 or 1961. Institute of Contemporary Arts records, 1927-circa 1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Karl Haas. Karl Haas letter to Robert Richman, Washington, D.C., 26 August 1965. Institute of Contemporary Arts records, 1927-circa 1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
John F. (John Fitzgerald) Kennedy. John F. (John Fitzgerald) Kennedy telegram to Robert Richman, 1961 Jan. 13. Institute of Contemporary Arts records, 1927-circa 1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
This series consists of the business and personal correspondence of Edith Gregor Halpert and the Downtown Gallery. For the most part, this series is general business correspondence concerning routine activities of the Downtown Gallery, including the American Folk Art Gallery and the Daylight Gallery, both operated by the Downtown Gallery on the same premises. Included are correspondence with clients, employees, other galleries, and colleagues concerning sales, loans, purchases, appraisals, and so forth; arrangements for shipping, framing, photography, reproduction permissions, and insurance; and gallery housekeeping and improvements, ordering of supplies, and other administrative concerns.
Also included is personal correspondence of Edith Gregor Halpert. There are letters and greeting cards from nieces, nephews, and other relatives; correspondence with longtime friends, including some who were art collectors, museum curators, or museum directors; and correspondence concerning upkeep and improvement of her Newtown, Connecticut, country home and entertaining there.
See Appendix A for a list of selected correspondents from Series 1
Arrangement note:
Letters (with enclosures) are arranged chronologically, with those of the same date alphabetized by name of correspondent; undated material is arranged alphabetically, followed by unidentified correspondents and letters bearing illegible signatures.
Box numbers provided in the Container Listing are approximate.
Appendix A: List of Selected Correspondents in Series 1:
Names and titles indicated in this list are those that appear on the letters. Where appropriate, terms have been standardized and cross-referencing provided. Because filing is not always consistent, researchers are advised to check both the name of an individual and the institution that he or she represented.
Abate Associates, Inc., 1956
Abbot and Land, 1965
Abbot, B. Vincent, 1944
Abbot, Bernice, 1957
Abbot, John E., 1945, 1948
Abbot Laboratories, 1950, 1952
ABC Employment Agency, 1951
Richard Abel and Co., Inc., 1968
Abendroth, Robert W., 1966-1967
Abercrombie and Fitch Co., 1962
Abilene Museum of Fine Arts, undated, 1949, 1954
Abingdon Square Painters, 1965
Abraham and Straus, 1930, 1960, 1965-1966, 1968
Abraham, Mae C., 1965
Abrahamsen, Mrs. David, 1962
Abramowitz, M., 1958
Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1958-1960, 1965-1966, 1968-1969
"HemisFair '68," 1968 (see also: "International Exposition, HemisFair '68")
Hemmenway, Catherine C., 1961
Hemmingsen, R. V., 1963
Hemmingson, Victoria, 1965
Henderson, Hanford, 1960
Henderson, Priscilla A. B. (Mrs. A. I.), 1934-1955
Henderson, Ray, 1956
Hendrick, Mrs. James Pomeroy, 1961
Heninger, Helen, undated, 1963, 1969
Henquet, Roger, 1948, 1965
Henri, Robert, 1926-1927
Henry, David T., 1964
Henry, Helen (Mrs. Charles), undated, 1949
Henry, James F., 1958
Henry Street Settlement, 1958, 1962-1963
Hentschel, R. A. A., 1951-1954
Hepburn, Katharine, 1952
Herbert, Elmer, 1962
Herbert, James D., 1962
Herider, Ed. L., 1961
Heritage Gallery, 1960, 1964
Herman, Stanley, 1964
Herman, Vic, 1968
Herring, Audrey L., 1964
Herrington, Nell Ray (Mrs. A. W. S.), 1962, 1965
John Herron Art Institute, undated, 1934, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1957-1958, 1962-1964, 1967 (see also: Art Association of Indianapolis; Art School of the John Herron Art Institute)
Hertslet, G. Gordon, 1962, 1966
Hertz, Richard C., 1965
Hertzberg, Stuart E., 1967-1968
Heschel, Mrs. Abraham, 1961
Hess, Elaine Marie, 1965
Hess, Mrs. Thomas B., 1954
Hetzel, Margaret deL. (Mrs. Joseph L.), 1948
Hewitt, Ada M., 1953
Edwin Hewitt Gallery, 1953
Heydenryk, Henry, 1954, 1960, 1964
Heynick, Carla Marian, 1965
Hickok, M., 1958
Hiddens, Mrs. Earl, 1952
Hiersoux, Arne, 1966
Hi Fi/Stereo Review, 1960
High Museum of Art, 1950, 1955, 1961-1962, 1965-1968 (see also: Atlanta Art Association; Atlanta Art Association and High Museum of Art)
Highway Antique Shop, 1954
R. Hill and Son, Ltd., 1960
Hill, Ralph Nading, 1952, 1962
Hille, Elise B., undated
Hille and Curran, 1954
Hilleman, Alex L., 1956
Hiller, Paula, 1962
Hilles, Mrs. Frederick W., 1956
Hillman, Mrs. Joel, II., 1960
Hillside Hospital Clinic, 1949, 1953
Hillstrom, Richard L., 1958, 1962, 1964-1965
Hilltop Theatre, Incorporated, 1952
Hilsenrath, Yakov R., 1965
Hilson, Catherine [Katy] and/or John S., undated, 1958-1959, 1961-1966
Himel, Irving, 1963
Himmelsfarb, Samuel, 1955
Hines, Felrath, 1961
Hinkhouse, Inc., 1960, 1964
Hirsch, B., 1961
Hirsch, E. W., 1954
Hirschberg, J. Cotter, 1956
Hirschl and Adler Galleries, Inc., 1958, 1960, 1963-1965, 1968
Hirschland, Dr. and/or Mrs. F. H., undated, 1959
Hirschland, Paul Michael, 1945
Hirschburg, Mrs. Roy, undated
S. A. Hirsh Manufacturing Co., 1966
Hirshberg, Henrietta, 1961
Hirshhorn, Mrs. Arthur, 1960
Hirshhorn, Joseph H., 1946, 1948, 1951-1954, 1956, 1960, 1963, 1965
Joseph H. Hirshhorn Collection, 1959-1960, 1962-1963, 1965-1966
[incomplete; without signature], undated, 1953, 1961, 1967, 1968
Collection Restrictions:
The microfilm of this collection has been digitized and is available online via the Archives of American Art website.
Collection Rights:
The Downtown Gallery records are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws. Prior to publishing information regarding sales transactions, researchers are responsible for obtaining written permission from both artist and purchaser involved. If it cannot be established after a reasonable search whether an artist or purchaser is living, it can be assumed that the information may be published sixty years after the date of sale.
Collection Citation:
Downtown Gallery records, 1824-1974, bulk 1926-1969. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing, microfilming and digitization of the microfilm of this collection was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
