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Gordon Davis Gibson papers

Creator:
Gibson, Gordon D. (Gordon Davis), 1915-2007  Search this
Names:
Center for the Study of Man (Smithsonian Institution)  Search this
Lewis, Kepler-Morden African Expedition  Search this
National Anthropological Film Center (U.S.)  Search this
National Museum of Natural History (U.S.)  Search this
Smithsonian Institution. Museum of Man  Search this
Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Expedition to Madagascar -- 1962  Search this
Estermann, Carlos  Search this
Lomax, Alan, 1915-2002  Search this
Marshall, Lawrence Kennedy, 1898-1980  Search this
Mohun, Richard Dorsey  Search this
Perry, Matthew Calbraith, 1794-1858  Search this
Reining, Priscilla  Search this
Taunt, Emory H.  Search this
Tisdel, Willard P.  Search this
Verner, Samuel Phillips, 1873-1943  Search this
Ward, Herbert, 1863-1919  Search this
Correspondent:
Adams, Robert McCormick (Americanist)  Search this
Bohannan, Paul James  Search this
Cavendish, Marian W.  Search this
Dibble, Charles  Search this
Doyle, David W.  Search this
Fenkykovi, J.J.  Search this
Gill, Lunda Hoyle  Search this
Hartley, G.W.  Search this
Mead, Margaret, 1901-1978  Search this
O'Bryan, Deric  Search this
Robbins, Warren M.  Search this
Stanley, Jo Ann T.  Search this
Stone, Janet  Search this
Summers, Roger  Search this
Tax, Sol, 1907-1995  Search this
Thieme, Darius and Mimi  Search this
Trousdale, William  Search this
Turnbull, Colin  Search this
Wagley, Charles, 1913-1991  Search this
Wentzel, Volkmar Kurt, 1915-2006  Search this
Photographer:
Duggan-Cronin, A. M. (Alfred Martin), 1874-  Search this
Friedmann, Herbert, 1900-1987  Search this
Lewis, Ralph Kepler  Search this
Wentzel, Volkmar Kurt, 1915-2006  Search this
Extent:
95 Linear feet (154 document boxes, 1 manuscript folder, 63 card file boxes, 1 oversize box, plus 64 microfilm reels, 137 sound recordings, 3 map folders, and 3 sets of rolled maps )
Culture:
Kuba  Search this
Bayei (African people)  Search this
Bushmen  Search this
Kuvale (African people)  Search this
Mbundu (African people)  Search this
Mbandieru (African people)  Search this
Keyu  Search this
Kongo (African people)  Search this
Herero (African people)  Search this
Himba (African people)  Search this
Hakawona  Search this
Diriku (African people)  Search this
Turkana  Search this
Tchavikwa  Search this
Suk (African people)  Search this
Suk  Search this
Ovambo (African people)  Search this
Nzima (African people)  Search this
Nyaneka (African people)  Search this
Ndongona (African people)  Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Place:
Namibia
Botswana
Angola
Date:
1936-2007
Summary:
This collection is comprised of the professional papers of Gordon D. Gibson. The collection contains his correspondence, field notes, research files, museum records, writings, photographs, sound recordings, and maps.The bulk of the collection consists of Gibson's southwestern Africa research. This includes his field notes, film scripts, photographs, sound recordings, and grant proposals he wrote in support of his fieldwork in Botswana, Namibia, and Angola. In addition, the collection contains his research notes, maps, drafts, publications, and papers presented at conferences. While most of his research focused on the Herero and Himba, the collection also contains his research on the Ovambo and Okavango and other southwestern African groups. In the collection is a great deal of photocopies and microfilms of literature on southwestern African ethnic groups, many of which are in Portuguese and German and which he had translated for his files. He was also interested in African material culture, especially Central African headgear. His research on African caps is well-represented in the collection, and includes photos of caps at various museums, source materials, research notes, and textile samples of knots and loop work. Gibson's files as the curator of African ethnology at the National Museum of Natural History also make up a significant portion of the collection. Among these records are his files for the museum's Hall of African Cultures and other African exhibits; his files on the museum's African collections, early donors and collectors of the collections; his personnel files; documents relating to his committee work; department and museum memos; meeting minutes; and his records as head of the Old World Division and acting chair of the department. The collection also documents the efforts to establish the Smithsonian's National Anthropological Film Center, now the Human Studies Film Archives, as well as his work on the planning committee to establish the Museum of Man at the Smithsonian. Memos and minutes relating to the Smithsonian's Center for the Study of Man are also present in the collection. In addition to Gibson's field photos, the collection also contains African photos taken by others. Among these are Herbert Friedmann's photos of Kenya; Hausmann's Libya photos; photos by Ralph Kepler Lewis during the Morden Africa Expedition in Kenya; and photos by Lawrence Marshall, Volkmar Wentzel, Alfred Martin Duggan Cronin, and Father Carlos Estermann. There are also photos of the exhibit cases from the Hall of African Cultures; photos of Smithsonian and non-Smithsonian African artifacts; and copies of photographs he obtained from different archives, including the National Anthropological Archives. Other materials in the collection include his files as film reviews editor for the American Anthropologist during the 1960s and 70s and his activities in different organizations.
Arrangement:
Arranged into 19 series: (1) Correspondence, 1938-1998; (2) Southwestern Africa Research, 1951-2004; (3) Caps Research; (4) Nineteenth Century Collectors; (5) General Research Files; (6) Exhibits, 1959-2007; (7) Curatorial Files, 1936-1984; (8) National Anthropological Film Center, 1965-1983; (9) Museum of Man, 1952-1981 [bulk 1968-1981]; (10) Center for the Study of Man (1967-1979); (11) Writings, 1947-1981; (12) Organizations; (13) Daily Log, 1958-1983; (14) Personal Files ; (15) Card Files; (16) Photographs, circa 1904-1983 [bulk 1953-1983]; (17) Microfilm; (18) Maps; (19) Sound Recordings
Biographical Note:
Gordon D. Gibson (1915-2007) was trained at the University of Chicago (Ph.D., 1952) and joined the staff of the Smithsonian's Department of Anthropology in 1958 as its curator of African ethnology. He served in that capacity until 1983. During the 1960s, he undertook a major renovation of the National Museum of Natural History's African exhibits, which had been on display since the 1920s. He developed the Hall of African Cultures, which opened in 1969 and remained on view until 1992. He was also instrumental in establishing the National Anthropological Film Center, now the Human Studies Film Archives. During his tenure, he also served as the first chairman of the Senate of Scientists of the National Museum of Natural History (1963-1964), chairman of the museum's photographic facilities committee (1968), member of the Center for the Study of Man, and member and chairman of the Department of Anthropology collections committee and its photographs records committee (1970s-1980s). He also had special interests in the department's library and processing lab. In 1980, he was chairman of a committee which studied the feasibility of establishing a Smithsonian Institution Museum of Man. Gibson held several offices and committee memberships with the Anthropological Society of Washington during the during the 1960s and 1970s and served as film review editor of the American Anthropologist. Gibson conducted fieldwork among the Herero and Himba in Botswana (1953, 1960-61), Namibia (1960-61, 1971-73), and Angola (1971-73). Articles produced from his field research include "Bridewealth and Other Forms of Exchange Among the Herero," "Double Descent and Its Correlates among the Herero of Ngamiland," "Herero Marriage," and "Himba Epochs." While in the field, he also filmed footage of the Herero, Himba, Zimba, and Kuvale. His edited films include Herero of Ngamiland (1953), Himba Wedding (1969), and The Himba (1972). In addition to the Herero and Himba, he also conducted research on the Okavango and Ovambo people. He edited and translated Carlos Estermann's Ethnography of Southwestern Angola (published in 3 volumes in 1976-81) and edited and contributed to The Kavango Peoples (1981). Gibson's research interests also included Central African headgear, coauthoring High Status Caps of the Kongo and Mbundu (1977) with Cecilia R. McGurk.
Related Materials:
Other materials relating to Gordon Gibson at the National Anthropological Archives can be found in the Records of the Department of Anthropology, Records of the Bureau of American Ethnology, and the Records of the American Anthropological Association.

The Human Studies Film Archives holds his films on the Herero, Himba, Kuvale, and Zimba.

The Smithsonian Institution Archives has materials relating to Gibson's work as the first chairman of the Senate of Scientists.
Provenance:
The papers of Gordon D. Gibson were received in three separate accessions. The first accession (comprised of correspondence; committee files; and materials relating to the Herbert Ward collection, the National Anthropological Film Center, the Center for the Study of Man, and the Museum of Man) was transferred to the National Anthropological Archives by Gibson after his retirement. A guide to this accession was created in 2001. An accretion (consisting of correspondence, fieldwork and research files, curatorial files, writings, photographs, sound recordings, and maps) was transferred to the archives by Gibson's family in 2007. His exhibition and museum specimen files were transferred to the archives in 2008 by the Department of Anthropology.
Restrictions:
The Gordon Davis Gibson papers are open for research. Access to the computer disks in the collection are restricted due to preservation concerns. The personnel files of Smithsonian staff have also been restricted.

Access to the Gordon Davis Gibson papers requires an appointment.
Topic:
Africa -- Ethnology  Search this
American Anthropologist -- film editor  Search this
Headwear -- Africa, Central  Search this
Exhibitions -- National Museum of Natural History  Search this
Language and languages -- Documentation  Search this
Citation:
Gordon Davis Gibson papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
NAA.1984-13
See more items in:
Gordon Davis Gibson papers
Archival Repository:
National Anthropological Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw379619042-2f6c-46c7-8819-45a504628089
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-naa-1984-13

Warren M. Robbins - Warren M. Robbins Library dedication and reception, 1987 (includes guest book)

Container:
Box 76 of 87
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 11-001, Warren M. Robbins Papers
See more items in:
Warren M. Robbins Papers
Warren M. Robbins Papers / Series 13: Photographs, 1933-2001 / Box 76
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-sia-fa11-001-refidd1e33395

Robbins, Warren M (DC), 1984

Container:
Box 29 of 55
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 06-089, Archives of American Art, Departmental Records
See more items in:
Departmental Records
Departmental Records / Box 29
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-sia-fa06-089-refidd1e10420

Robbins, Warren M.

Collection Creator:
Kainen, Jacob  Search this
Kainen, Ruth Cole (1922-2009)  Search this
Container:
Box 10, Folder 3
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1973-1994, undated
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
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:
Jacob Kainen papers, 1905-2008, bulk 1940-2001. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Jacob Kainen papers
Jacob Kainen papers / Series 2: Correspondence/Subject Files
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9410b126f-e620-4641-be84-d0f2aa3f1813
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-kainjaco-ref343

Robert H. and Nancy Ingram Nooter : collectors of beauty and grace

Author:
Robbins, Warren M  Search this
Smithsonian Libraries African Art Index Project DSI  Search this
Subject:
Nooter, Robert H 1926-2023 Art collections  Search this
Nooter, Nancy Ingram Art collections  Search this
Type:
Articles
Place:
Washington (D.C.)
Date:
1997
Topic:
Art, African--Private collections  Search this
Art, African--Collectors and collecting  Search this
Call number:
N5310.7 .W927
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_527912

Chaim Gross papers

Creator:
Gross, Chaim, 1904-1991  Search this
Names:
Blume, Peter, 1906-1992  Search this
Grooms, Mimi Gross  Search this
Newman, Arnold, 1918-2006  Search this
Robbins, Warren M.  Search this
Soyer, Raphael, 1899-1987  Search this
Extent:
21.1 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketchbooks
Video recordings
Motion pictures (visual works)
Date:
1920-2004
Summary:
The papers of New York City sculptor and teacher Chaim Gross measure 21.1 linear feet and date from 1920-2004. The collection provides comprehensive documentation of Gross's career through biographical material, personal and professional correspondence with family, artists, writers, galleries, museums, educational institutions, and religious and philanthropic organizations, writings, personal business records, extensive printed and published material including motion picture film and video recordings of four documentaries, one hundred and fifteen sketchbooks spanning the bulk of Gross's career, and photographs of Gross, his family, many friends and colleagues from the art world, his studio, personal art collection, and works of art. An unprocessed addition of three sketchbooks was donated in 2020.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of New York City sculptor and teacher Chaim Gross measure 21.1 linear feet and date from 1920-2004. The collection provides comprehensive documentation of Gross's career through biographical material, personal and professional correspondence with family, artists, writers, galleries, museums, educational institutions, and religious and philanthropic organizations, writings, personal business records, extensive printed and published material including motion picture film and video recordings of four documentaries, one hundred and fifteen sketchbooks spanning the bulk of Gross's career, and photographs of Gross, his family, many friends and colleagues from the art world, his studio, personal art collection, and works of art.

Biographical material includes records collated to document awards and honors given to Gross documenting the recognition he received for his lifelong achievements in the last two decades of his career, including from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the National Academy of Design. The series also includes Gross's birth certificate printed in 1920, some biographical notes and resumes prior to the 1970s, documentation of Gross's business and personal contacts through addresses and business cards, and a motion picture film of a documentary about Gross, Art and the Model, made in 1976 by Thea Bay and edited by Bob Worth.

Personal and professional correspondence constitutes the largest series in the collection and documents all aspects of Gross's prolific career including: personal letters from friends and family such as daughter Mimi Gross and Red Grooms; professional correspondence with galleries, museums, and other art institutions including the Jewish Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and the Whitney Museum of American Art; correspondence documenting commissions, loans, and sales of Gross's artwork through galleries including Forum Gallery; and correspondence with synagogues including International Synagogue, Temple Sharaay Tefila, and Temple Sinai, Pittsburgh, and multiple other Jewish organizations such as Hadassah and State of Israel Bonds. Correspondence also documents publications by and about Gross including letters from Abe Lerner, the Jewish Publication Society of America, Chaim Potok, and Harry N. Abrams, Inc.; Gross's work as a teacher including at the Educational Alliance and the New School for Social Research; and the significance of Gross's personal collection of African art through correspondence with Warren M. Robbins, the Smithsonian Museum of African Art, and others. Gross's work for the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project and Treasury Relief Project, as well as for the 1939 World's Fair, is also documented in this series and includes contracts and correspondence with Ed Rowan.

Correspondence includes many letters from artist friends and colleagues including Isabel Bishop, Peter Blume, Eliot Elisofon, Eugenie Gershoy, Milton Hebald, Lewis Jacobs, Karl Knaths, Arnold Newman, Elias Newman, Saul Rosen, Moses Soyer, Raphael Soyer, Nicholas Sperakis, William and Marguerite Zorach, and many others. Writers and scholars who corresponded with Gross include Samuel French Morse, Jack C. Rich, Shea Tenenbaum, Roberta Tarbell, and others.

Writings primarily consist of a partial draft of Gross's book The Technique of Wood Sculpture but also include a copy of his first published article in 1938 in the American Federation of Arts Magazine of Art, and a few short writings by Gross on other artists. Writings by others include a memoir of Gross's boyhood written by his brother, poet Naftoli Gross.

Gross's personal business records are scattered, as many transactional records are included with his correspondence. They do include lists of Gross's artwork and his personal art collection, two agreements for rights to use his work, appraisals of twelve of his works of art, and receipts of consignments, sales, loans, and gifts of artwork.

Printed material is a comprehensive and substantial record of Gross's exhibitions, and his prolific engagement in the arts and his community throughout his long career. This series includes announcements and catalogs for many of his exhibitions, brochures and programs for art organizations for which he exhibited, taught, donated to, or was otherwise represented in, notably the Educational Alliance, the New School for Social Research, the Sculptors Guild, Inc., and numerous other private and public museums, galleries, and institutions. Also found is circa one linear foot of clippings about Gross that span his career from newspapers, magazines, and journals, including some Hebrew and Yiddish publications. The series also houses video recordings of the documentaries Tree Trunk to Head and A Sculptor Speaks, and an NBC broadcast of an interview with Gross entitled The Two Chaims, as the motion picture film, A Sculptor Speaks.

Sketchbooks provide a unique visual record of Gross's development and the shifting focus of his subject matter from 1933 to right before his death in 1991. They record his early subjects of acrobatic models, family bonds, and landscapes, and the emergence of darker "fantasy" drawings in the wake of the Holocaust and World War II which brought the news of the murder of his brother and sister and her family by the Nazis. The sketchbooks document Gross's travels abroad during the 1960s, and his incorporation of Jewish iconography and Old Testament themes in the 1960s and 1970s. They also illustrate how the constant theme of the celebration of the human form persisted in his work to the end of his life.

Photographs of people and events, although only measuring 0.7 linear feet, provide a rich visual record of Gross's life and his professional and personal relationships from the time he arrived in the United States in 1920 to the late 1980s. The earliest photographs picture Gross with his brothers and with new friends at the Educational Alliance including Moses and Raphael Soyer, Peter Blume, and Elias Newman. There are many photographs of Gross working in his studios, and at the Bedi-Makky Art Foundry in Brooklyn, photographs taken at parties, exhibition openings, receptions, and other events, and photographs of Gross's art collection and exhibition installations. Photographs picture artists such as Hyman Brown, Jose de Creeft, Joseph Hirsch, Moses Soyer, and Raphael Soyer; and gallery owners and collectors including Bella Fishko, Joseph Hirshhorn, Sidney Janis, and Warren M. Robbins. The series also houses photographs of works of art, primarily sculpture, executed by Gross between 1922 and 1987.

An unprocessed addition of three sketchbooks was donated in 2020.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as eight series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1920-circa 1991 (0.35 linear feet; Box 1, FC23)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1926-1997 (8.75 linear feet; Boxes 1-9, 22)

Series 3: Writings and Notes, 1938-circa 1980s (0.25 linear feet; Boxes 9-10)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1936-1982 (0.25 linear feet; Box 10)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1925-2004 (3.7 linear feet; Boxes 10-14, 22, FC 24)

Series 6: Sketchbooks, 1933-1991 (6.1 linear feet; Boxes 14-19, 22)

Series 7: Photographs, circa 1921-circa 1990s (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 20-22)

Series 8: Unprocessed Addition, 1949-1951 (0.2 linear feet; Box 25)
Biographical / Historical:
New York City sculptor and teacher Chaim Gross (1904-1991) is considered one of America's foremost sculptors, known for his semi-abstract bronzes celebrating the human form, and his pioneering work in direct wood carving. Gross taught for over fifty years at the Educational Alliance Art School and for forty years at the New School for Social Research.

Born in 1904 in Wolowa, Galicia, in what is now the Ukraine, Gross studied at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest in 1919 and at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna in 1920 before immigrating to New York in 1921. He attended the Lower East Side Educational Art School in New York City from 1921-1927 where he began lifelong friendships with artists Moses Soyer, Raphael Soyer, Peter Blume and other important twentieth century artists. Gross also studied with Elie Nadelman at the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design and Robert Laurent at the Art Students League. He began teaching at the Educational Alliance in 1927 where his students included Louise Nevelson.

Gross married Renee Nechin in 1932 and they had two children, Yehuda and Miriam (Mimi). Mimi Gross is a New York-based artist who was married to artist Red Grooms from 1963-1976.

Gross's first solo exhibition was held at Gallery 144 in New York City in 1932, and he began to develop a reputation as a major contemporary sculptor when he joined the Federal Art Project in 1934 and won a commission from the Treasury Department competition for art works for public buildings in 1936. His projects included relief panels for the Federal Trade Commission building in Washington, D. C., and a large-scale family group for the France Overseas and Finnish Buildings at the 1939 New York World's Fair. In 1938 Gross founded the Sculptors Guild with William Zorach and served as the guild's first president. His work began to be acquired by major American museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art which in 1939 awarded Gross a $3000 purchase prize for his wood sculpture of circus performer Lillian Leitzel.

In 1938 filmmaker Lewis Jacobs produced a thirty minute film, Tree Trunk to Head, of Gross carving a wood sculpture of Renee Gross in his studio. Lewis subsequently produced a seventeen minute film, The Sculptor Speaks, of Gross working in his studio in 1957. That same year Gross published an influential how-to book The Technique of Wood Sculpture, featuring photographs by Eliot Elisofon.

Much of Gross's early work focused on performers such as acrobats and dancers, family groups, and the mother and child bond. The bulk of his work was in wood, particularly hardwoods with a dark or pronounced grain. In the 1940s, after hearing that his brother Pincus and sister Sarah and her family had been murdered by the Nazis, Gross devoted time daily to sketching in his notebooks, producing a visual diary of the emotional trauma involved in processing their horrific fate and navigating his own grief. A collection of the drawings was published in Chaim Gross: Fantasy Drawings (Beechurst Press) in 1956. Gross carved My Sister Sarah – in Memoriam (no. 36) in 1947 and made the first of seven trips to Israel in 1949.

By the late 1950s Gross was working less in direct carving and was focusing primarily on modeling in plaster on an armature for casting in bronze. In 1957 and 1959 he traveled to Rome, Italy, and worked with the Nicci Foundry. Bella Fishko began representing Gross's work after establishing Forum Gallery in New York City in 1961. After 1947 Gross had begun to incorporate more Jewish iconography and Old Testament themes into his work, designing and casting large scale menorahs for synagogues such as Temple Sinai in Pittsburgh and the Menorah Home for the Aged in Brooklyn during the 1960s. He executed six bronze panels, entitled Six Days of Creation, for Temple Sharaay Tefila in New York City in 1964, and Ten Commandments for the International Synagogue at Kennedy Airport in 1970-1971. In 1973 Gross illustrated The Book of Isaiah, published by the Jewish Publication Society of America.

Gross was active in many art-related and philanthropic organizations throughout his life and was the recipient of numerous awards, honors, and honorary degrees. He was elected to membership of the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1964, became an Academician at the National Academy of Design in 1983, and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1984. A solo exhibition Chaim Gross: Sculpture and Drawings, was held at the Smithsonian's National Collection of Fine Arts in 1974. In 1977 Gross had three retrospective exhibitions at the Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami, the Montclair Art Museum, and the Jewish Museum in New York City. Scholar Roberta Tarbell wrote a key essay on Gross for the Jewish Museum exhibition.

In addition to being a professor of sculpture and printmaking at the Educational Alliance Art School and the New School for Social Research, Gross taught at the Brooklyn Museum Art School, the art school of the Museum of Modern Art, and the Art Students League.

Gross had begun collecting African sculpture in the 1930s and was later introduced by art critic Frank Getlein to Warren M. Robbins, who established the Museum of African Art in 1964. Gross gave Robbins several pieces for the museum and connected him with other individuals whose private collections of African art Robbins learned would be key to the success of the museum. A selection from Gross's renowned collection was exhibited at the Worcester Art Museum in The Sculptor's Eye: The African Art Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Chaim Gross in 1976.

The Renee & Chaim Gross Foundation was created in 1974 at 526 LaGuardia Place, the historic Greenwich Village townhouse which Chaim and Renee Gross purchased in 1962 and renovated to include studio and gallery space with living quarters above. Three years after Gross's death in 1991, the Renee and Chaim Gross foundation opened to the public with a memorial exhibition of the sculptor's work. 526 LaGuardia Place continues to house an extensive collection of Gross's artwork, a photographic archive, and Gross's personal art collection. Gross's work is represented in major museums throughout the United States and abroad, with the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden housing the largest collection of his sculpture in a public museum.
Related Materials:
Additional Chaim Gross papers are held by Syracuse University.
The Archives of American Art also holds an oral history interview of Chaim Gross conducted 1964 September 1 by Dorothy Seckler and an oral history interview of Chaim Gross conducted 1981 May 26-27 by Milton Wolf Brown.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art holds the microfilm (Reels D115a, 924, and 925) of ten record books, 1926-1975, containing rough drawings of artworks, dimensions, titles, dates, materials, production locations, and information regarding owners. The record books were returned to the donor after microfilming and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
The Chaim Gross papers were given to the Archives of American Art in a series of accessions by Chaim Gross from 1963-1983. Thirteen postcards were given by Mrs. Irving Marantz in 1975. Mimi Gross donated eight letters and two envelopes in 2005. Additional papers were donated by the Renee and Chaim Gross Foundation in 2016 via Susan Fisher, executive Director, and in 2017 and 2020 by the Foundation via Sasha Davis, Interim Director and Curator of Collections.
Restrictions:
Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Art teachers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Jewish artists  Search this
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketchbooks
Video recordings
Motion pictures (visual works)
Citation:
Chaim Gross papers, 1920-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.groschai
See more items in:
Chaim Gross papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9e77fa914-8285-4fca-a0f9-63172974dee1
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-groschai
Online Media:

The Museum of African Art / Benjamin Forgey

Author:
Forgey, Benjamin  Search this
Smithsonian Libraries African Art Index Project DSI  Search this
Subject:
Robbins, Warren M  Search this
Museum of African Art (U.S.)  Search this
Type:
Articles
Place:
Washington (D.C.)
Date:
1971
Topic:
Art, African--Museums  Search this
Call number:
AM1 .M691
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1102564

Sixth Anniversary Seminar: The Relevance of Anacostia Neighborhood Museum

Creator:
Anacostia Neighborhood Museum  Search this
Names:
Anacostia Community Museum  Search this
Anacostia Neighborhood Museum  Search this
Anderson, Stanley J.  Search this
Challinor, David, 1920-2008  Search this
Gaither, Edmund B.  Search this
Hutchinson, Louise Daniel  Search this
Jones, Theresa  Search this
Kinard, John, 1936-1989  Search this
Martin-Felton, Zora  Search this
Reynolds, Greg  Search this
Robbins, Warren M.  Search this
Collection Creator:
Anacostia Community Museum  Search this
Extent:
5 Video recordings (open reel, 1/2 inch)
Type:
Archival materials
Video recordings
Conferences
Museum records
Place:
Anacostia (Washington, D.C.)
Washington (D.C.)
United States
Date:
1973
Scope and Contents:
John Kinard provides an introduction to the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum (ANM) and the Sixth Anniversary Seminar. As the keynote speaker, Edmund Barry Gaither provides his thoughts on museums: the concept of the museum and its intentions, particularly the roles of specialty museums; the desirable museum scene; and neighborhood museums and their unique potential. Louise Hutchinson, ANM historian, presents the history of Anacostia with a slideshow. Zora Martin-Felton, ANM education specialist, talks about the importance of community engagement in the evolution of a museum and its exhibits, working with children in the community, working with docents, and the current ANM exhibit about Africa. Gregory Reynolds, former member of ANM's Youth Advisory Council, provides his thoughts on the evolution of ANM and the Youth Advisory Council; ANM staff and board of directors; and the relationship of ANM to the community of Anacostia. Warren M. Robbins, founder of Museum of African Art, discusses the functions of museums; and museums' past preoccupation with objects and current preoccupation with public interest. Theresa Jones talks about the relevancy of ANM to community action agencies, and how ANM has served community action agencies. Finally, David Challinor talks about traditional museums, and Stanley J. Anderson speaks about the community based, or neighborhood, museum. A question and answer session follows each group of speakers.
Seminar. Part of Conference Recordings. AV003071: part 1. AV003056: part 2. AV000792: part 3. AV000788: part 4. AV003054: part 5. Presentations often continue onto the following recording. Dated: 19730921 and 19730922. AV003054: undated.
Local Numbers:
ACMA AV003056

ACMA AV000792

ACMA AV000788

ACMA AV003054
General:
Title transcribed from physical asset.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
Topic:
African Americans  Search this
Museums  Search this
Museum exhibits  Search this
Museum techniques  Search this
Community museums  Search this
Museums and community  Search this
Communities  Search this
African American neighborhoods  Search this
Neighborhoods  Search this
Genre/Form:
Video recordings
Conferences
Museum records
Citation:
Sixth Anniversary Seminar: The Relevance of Anacostia Neighborhood Museum, Record Group AV09-021, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
ACMA.AV09-021, Item ACMA AV003071
See more items in:
Conference Recordings
Archival Repository:
Anacostia Community Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa79d53ebf5-4b4b-4f0c-be63-701d756dc226
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-acma-av09-021-ref505

Warren M. Robbins

Artist:
Raphael Soyer, 25 Dec 1899 - 4 Nov 1987  Search this
Sitter:
Warren M. Robbins, 4 Sept 1923 - 4 Dec 2008  Search this
Medium:
Graphite on paper
Dimensions:
Sheet: 57.4 x 38.4 cm (22 5/8 x 15 1/8")
Type:
Drawing
Date:
1981
Topic:
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses  Search this
Warren M. Robbins: Male  Search this
Warren M. Robbins: Visual Arts\Founder\Art Museum  Search this
Warren M. Robbins: Visual Arts\Art collector  Search this
Warren M. Robbins: Visual Arts\Visual arts administrator\Art museum administrator\Art museum director  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Estate of Ronald Siff
Object number:
NPG.2010.97
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
Copyright:
© Estate of Raphael Soyer, courtesy of Forum Gallery, New York
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4667dec62-bd4a-46ad-89d9-3df10e3464eb
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_NPG.2010.97

Lydia Puccinelli Robbins Collection

Photographer:
Puccinelli Robbins, Lydia  Search this
Robbins, Warren M.  Search this
Tamarin, Alfred H.  Search this
DeVall, Sue  Search this
Extent:
3 Videocassettes
1 Film reel
605 Photographic prints (Color and black and white)
1,055 Color slides
1,316 Color slides (35 mm)
56 Color negatives (35 mm)
157 Negatives (Black and white, 35 mm)
4 Color negatives (2 x 2 in)
3 Books (1 Guidebook and 2 magazines)
20 Slides (Black and white, 35 mm )
2 Photographic prints (Black and white)
2 Videocassettes (VHS)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Videocassettes
Film reels
Photographic prints
Color slides
Color negatives
Negatives
Books
Slides
Videocassettes (vhs)
Place:
Africa
Date:
1920-2005
Biographical / Historical:
Lydia Puccinelli Robbins was the Curator of Collections at the Smithsonian Museum of African Art between 1979 and 1999, and served as a registrar, educator, and curator with the Museum of African Art (1966-1979), prior to the institution's transfer to the Smithsonian. Lydia was also married to Warren M. Robbins, who founded the Museum of African Art in the basement of his home, prior to purchasing the former Capitol Hill home of Frederick Douglas.

Joe Holly, "Warren M. Robbins, founder of the Museum of African Art, dies at 85," Los Angeles Times, Dec 8, 2008.
Related Materials:
Related materials include: EEPA 2016-009 Lydia Pucinelli Robbins study collection, EEPA 1982-002 Warre Robbins photographs, EEPA 1986-028 Collection ROBBINS Warren, and EEPA 2015-013 Robbins Center Collection.
Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact archives staff for more details.
Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Topic:
National Museum of African Art  Search this
Art and photography  Search this
Genre/Form:
Videocassettes
Color slides -- 20th century
Citation:
Lydia Puccinelli Robbins Collection, EEPA 2019-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
EEPA.2019-001
Archival Repository:
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo772deffd4-b0a8-4c3b-92ff-e8a1d658a16d
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-eepa-2019-001

Marshall A. Janoff Collection

Donor:
Janoff, Marshall A.  Search this
Artist:
Shahn, Ben, 1898-1969  Search this
Collector:
Robbins, Warren M.  Search this
Extent:
4 Lithographs
1 Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
49 Slides
49 Negatives
1 Sound discs (CD)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Lithographs
Clippings (books, newspapers, etc.)
Slides
Negatives
Sound discs (cd)
Date:
1971-1974
Biographical / Historical:
The Museum of African Art (MAA) was originally located in the Washington, DC residence of Frederick Douglass and became part of the Smithsonian Institution in 1979 and was later renamed the National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) in 1981. During the 15 years that the MAA was in operation, the The Robbins Center (originally called Center for Cross Cultural Communication or CCCC operated under the Museum's name. Following the Museum's inclusion as part of the Smithsonian, it reverted back to its original corporate name with the inclusion of Robbins' name in the title to become the Robbins Center for Cross-Cultural Communication. From 1964 to 1982, Robbins was the Director of the MAA, later becoming the Founding Director Emeritus and Senior Scholar from 1982-1995. After leaving the Smithsonian, Robbins continued his work at the Robbins Center for Cross Cultural Communications to apply the perspectives and insights of the social sciences and the arts in public education with particular emphasis on interracial understanding.

One year before the founding of the Frederick Douglass Institute of Negro Arts and History, Robbins asked American artist Ben Shahn (1898-1969) to create a print of Douglass to be used for fund-raising purposes. Shahn created four prints in total.
Related Materials:
Related EEPA collections include: EEPA 2015-013, which contains posters advertizing the Museum of African Art (now the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution) and its exhibits, exhibit brochures, a watercolor painting and photographs by Eliot Elisofon, and museum signage. EEPA 2016-009, which includes ephemera related to the Museum of African Art (now the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art) and 7 photographic prints.

The Ben Shahn papers (AAA.shahben), held at the Archives of American Art, include more correspondence between Shahn and Warren Robbins.The Smithsonian Institution Archives holds the Warren M. Robbins Papers (SIA.FA13-136).
Provenance:
Donated by Marshall A. Janoff, 2017.
Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Topic:
National Museum of African Art  Search this
Citation:
Marshall A. Janoff Collection, EEPA 2017-004, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
EEPA.2017-004
Archival Repository:
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo7563bef47-bef9-41b4-8bca-1efd13737cd6
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-eepa-2017-004

Pipe bowl, stems and mouthpieces

Maker:
Shilluk artist  Search this
Medium:
Ceramic, pigment, gourd, reed, leather, bottlecap
Dimensions:
H x W x D (pipe bowl): 15.2 × 6 × 12.1 cm (6 × 2 3/8 × 4 3/4 in.)
Type:
Sculpture
Geography:
Malakal, Upper Nile State, South Sudan
Chad
Date:
Early to mid-20th century
Topic:
hyena  Search this
male  Search this
Credit Line:
Bequest of Eliot Elisofon
Object number:
73-7-735
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
On View:
NMAfA, Pavilion Gallery
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7802d31e1-f122-4987-b65d-fc0f7cac9d28
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_73-7-735

Figure of a mudfish

Maker:
Benin kingdom court style  Search this
Edo artist  Search this
Medium:
Copper alloy, copper
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 6.4 × 17.1 × 5.1 cm (2 1/2 × 6 3/4 × 2 in.)
Type:
Figure
Geography:
Nigeria
Date:
Mid-16th century
Topic:
Leadership  Search this
mudfish  Search this
male  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn to the Smithsonian Institution in 1966
Object number:
85-19-8
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7ade35939-6ea8-4280-82cf-868de2fbf8d6
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_85-19-8
Online Media:

Bernarda Bryson Shahn papers, 1872-2004, bulk 1904-2004

Creator:
Bryson, Bernarda, 1903-2004  Search this
Subject:
Rockefeller, Nelson A. (Nelson Aldrich)  Search this
Osborn, Robert Chesley  Search this
Robbins, Warren M.  Search this
Shahn, Jonathan  Search this
Shahn, Ben  Search this
Calder, Alexander  Search this
Lionni, Leo  Search this
Knight, Gwendolyn  Search this
Lynes, Russell  Search this
Javitz, Jacob  Search this
Hayes, Helen  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Diaries
Photographs
Drawings
Sketchbooks
Watercolors
Citation:
Bernarda Bryson Shahn papers, 1872-2004, bulk 1904-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Theme:
Women  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)5712
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208550
AAA_collcode_brysbern
Theme:
Women
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208550
Online Media:

Chaim Gross papers, 1920-2004

Creator:
Gross, Chaim, 1904-1991  Search this
Subject:
Soyer, Raphael  Search this
Robbins, Warren M.  Search this
Grooms, Mimi Gross  Search this
Blume, Peter  Search this
Newman, Arnold  Search this
Type:
Sketchbooks
Video recordings
Motion pictures (visual works)
Citation:
Chaim Gross papers, 1920-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Jewish artists  Search this
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)8992
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211180
AAA_collcode_groschai
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211180
Online Media:

Commemorative trophy head

Maker:
Edo artist  Search this
Medium:
Copper alloy, iron inlay
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 21.9 × 16.2 × 19.4 cm (8 5/8 × 6 3/8 × 7 5/8 in.)
Type:
Sculpture
Geography:
Benin, Edo State, Nigeria
Date:
Late 15th-early 16th century
Topic:
Commemorative  Search this
foreigner  Search this
Male use  Search this
male  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments
Object number:
2-2022-1
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys71e1c3cda-0eda-42d9-9f04-3944c5999481
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_2-2022-1

Figure of a rooster

Maker:
Edo artist  Search this
Benin kingdom court style  Search this
Medium:
Copper alloy
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 54.6 × 19.1 × 45.7 cm (21 1/2 × 7 1/2 × 18 in.)
Type:
Figure
Geography:
Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
Date:
18th century
Topic:
Leadership  Search this
Shrine/Altar  Search this
chicken  Search this
male  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments
Object number:
2-2022-7
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys72407cd59-e91c-4bb0-b79b-e53fa491c54e
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_2-2022-7
Online Media:

Joan Mondale Playing Drums

Author:
Hofmeister, Richard K  Search this
Subject:
Boggs, Lindy 3/13/1916-7/27/2013  Search this
Mondale, Joan  Search this
Robbins, Warren M  Search this
Anderson, Wendell  Search this
Fauntroy, Walter E  Search this
National Museum of African Art (U.S.)  Search this
United States Congress House  Search this
United States Congress Senate  Search this
Senator  Search this
Physical description:
Color: Black and White; Size: 10w x 8h; Type of Image: Event; Medium: Photographic print
Type:
Photographic print
Event
Place:
United States
Date:
1978
Topic:
African Americans  Search this
Celebrities  Search this
Drums  Search this
Legislators  Search this
Politicians' spouses  Search this
Representatives  Search this
Women  Search this
Standard number:
78-1634-11
Restrictions & Rights:
No restrictions
Data Source:
Smithsonian Archives - History Div
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sic_8604

Face mask

Object Name:
mmuo
Maker:
Igbo artist  Search this
Medium:
Wood, textile, plant fiber, glass beads, metal, buttons, kaolin, encrustation
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 47 x 30 x 23 cm (18 1/2 x 11 13/16 x 9 1/16 in.)
Type:
Mask
Geography:
Nigeria
Date:
Early to mid-20th century
Topic:
Male use  Search this
male  Search this
female  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of Geraldine Dimondstein and museum purchase
Object number:
2004-11-2
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7ab5def84-dd86-4e85-b0e4-7c3a9cc0b531
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_2004-11-2
Online Media:

Door

Maker:
Tsogo artist  Search this
Medium:
Wood, pigment, iron nails, plant fiber
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 147.3 x 66 x 3.8 cm (58 x 26 x 1 1/2 in.)
Type:
Architectural Element
Geography:
Gabon
Date:
Late 19th-early 20th century
Topic:
Household  Search this
Status  Search this
geometric motif  Search this
male  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of Walt Disney World Co., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company
Object number:
2005-6-100
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
Exhibition:
Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa's Arts
On View:
NMAfA, Second Level Gallery (2193)
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys787f1c6d3-61b0-4eca-9202-ce0a05e80991
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_2005-6-100
Online Media:

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