Letters, notes and writings (1935-1972), financial material (1937-1966), printed material (1946-1970), photographs, sketchbooks and audio tapes document Saccaro's painting and writing careers.
REEL 723 (frames 72-645): Nine sketchbooks contain ink, crayon, and pencil sketches by Saccaro. Subjects include figure and animal studies as well as calculations for his later x-ray works. Eleven illustrated notebooks (1940-1969) contain Saccaro's ideas and thoughts about art; opinions on artists such as Karl Baumann, Dong Kingman, Robert McChesney, and Jose Ramos; and ideas and sketches for stories.
REEL 723 (frames 646-858): Four pages of notes concern "alpha," "omega," and "x-ray" painting and "squirt pieces". Thirteen letters (1947-1964) concern exhibitions, teaching at UCLA, a story Saccaro wrote, and a drawing for ARTFORUM. Photographs show Saccaro, his family, his works of art, Elaine Mayes (a photographer who shared Saccaro's studio, 1960-1963), exhibitions (1956-1961), and groups of artists. Other materials include a drawing of Saccaro by Nathan Oliveira, a drawing of an idea for a soft sculpture, exhibition announcements, an artist's statement, a guest book, an interview transcript (1962), excerpts from an essay by critic Alfred Frankenstein, Saccaro's resume, and 11 clippings (1956-1973).
REELS 4211-4212: Correspondence (1935-1966) includes several letters from Saccaro to Marie and an illustrated letter from George Tomlin (1948). Writings include 6 notebooks and 13 drafts of short stories and essays (ca. 1954-1959). Two logbooks (1935-1951) list manuscripts sent to publishers. One logbook contains an essay about Marie Lynch, Saccaro's wife, painting his portrait in 1938. Other materials include consignment receipts from the Hollis Gallery (1959-1964), clippings (1946-1970), exhibition announcements and catalogs (1956-1960), a design for a soft sculpture, audio tapes of Paul Karlstrom's interview of Saccaro (1974) and a camping trip (1972), and a resume and school records of Marie Lynch. Photographs (1945-1975) show Saccaro, his family, friends, and art works.
Biographical / Historical:
Draftsman, collage artist, painter, and writer; San Francisco, California. Studied at the California School of Fine Arts (1951-1954). Until recently, Saccaro's paintings were in the abstract expressionist style (his more recent paintings are characterized by a different approach, which Saccaro calls "x-ray"). Saccaro pursued a writing career before becoming a painter.
Provenance:
Materials on reels 723 (frames 72-645) and 4211-4212 were donated by his niece, Patricia Barrett, on behalf of John Saccaro's estate.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- California -- San Francisco Search this
The Mary Fuller McChesney papers measure 44.1 linear feet and date from 1949-2011. Included are biographical material, correspondence, writings, artists' files, financial records, photographs, artwork, printed material, and reel-to reel sound recordings documenting the career of sculptor, art historian, and author, Mary Fuller McChesney. A small portion of the papers includes material on painter, Edward Corbett.
Among the sound recordings are interviews conducted by McChesney between 1965 and 1966, and used as the primary research for her book. Interviewees include Jeremy Anderson, Dorr Bothwell, Ernest Briggs, Joan Brown (2), Lawrence Calcagno (2), Edward Corbett (2), James Budd Dixon, Edward Dugmore, Jorge Goya, Dimitri Grachis, John Grillo (1966, 1972), John Hultberg, Jack Jefferson, James Kelly, Walter Kuhlman, Seymour Locks, Douglas MacAgy, Madeleine Martin, William Morehouse, Raymond Parker, Leonard Pollakoff, Ad Reinhardt, Deborah Remington, Phil Roeber, John Saccaro, Jon Schueler, Peter Shoemaker, Hassel Smith, Clay Spohn, Jean Varda, and James Weeks.
Biographical / Historical:
Mary Fuller McChesney (1922-2022) was a sculptor, art historian, and author in San Francisco and Petaluma, California.
Provenance:
A majority of the collection donated 2015 by Mary Fuller McChesney. Photographs on reel 1329 donated 1973 and sound recordings donated 1994 by McChesney. Material on reel NDA 1 (fr. 728-741) lent for microfilming 1964 by Lewis Ferbrache; material on NDA 1 (fr. 930-943) lent 1964 by Mary F. McChesney.
Restrictions:
This collection is temporarily closed. Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Names:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Extent:
37 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1964 June 18
Scope and Contents:
An interview of John Saccaro conducted 1964 June 18, by Mary McChesney, for the Archives of American Art.
Saccaro discusses the primary influences on San Francisco art in the 1930s and how he started working for the WPA. He describes the working conditions on each of the projects are in detail. Robert McChesney sat in on the interview, and he at times helps Saccaro remember facts. (The two of them worked of the same mural project at Treasure Island.) McChesney and Saccaro mention 10 to 15 of their coworkers and reminisce about what became of them. None seems to have continued painting. Saccaro's first solo show (1939) is mentioned; he describes meeting Arshile Gorky near this time. The interview concludes with a consideration of the artist's place in society and how difficult it is to become established as a painter. Much attention is given to the fate of Saccaro's coworkers and the day-to-day experience of being a WPA artist. He discusses little of his own style, which remained by his own admission relatively unadventurous until after the war.
Biographical / Historical:
John Saccaro (1913-1981) was a painter from San Francisco, Calif.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 4 min.
Provenance:
Conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
An interview of John Saccaro and Terry St. John conducted 1974 April 30-1974 November 18, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, in San Francisco, Calif. The April interview is with Saccaro and the November interview is with both Saccaro and St. John.
Saccaro speaks of his background as an abstract expressionist; the California School of Fine Arts, 1951-1953; his experience as a student; abstract expressionism; and his work. Saccaro and St. John speak of the San Francisco art scene from the 1940s to the 1970s.
Biographical / Historical:
John Saccaro (1913-1981) and Terry St. John (1934- ) are painters from San Francisco, Calif. St. John is also assistant curator of art at the Oakland Museum.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 19 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
1974 April 30 transcript: For more information on how to access this interview contact Reference Services.
Occupation:
Museum directors -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area Search this
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with John Saccaro and Terry St. John, 1974 April 30-November 18. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with John Saccaro, 1964 June 18. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
