Search Results

Interviewee:

Biddle, George, 1885-1973  Search this

Interviewer:

Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington), 1920-  Search this

Creator:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Public Works of Art Project  Search this

Bacon, Peggy, 1895-1987  Search this

Benton, Thomas Hart, 1889-1975  Search this

Billings, Henry, 1901-  Search this

Bouché, Louis, 1896-1969  Search this

Bruce, Edward, 1879-1943  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Cassatt, Mary, 1844-1926  Search this

Curry, John Steuart, 1897-1946  Search this

Demuth, Charles, 1883-1935  Search this

Evergood, Philip, 1901-1973  Search this

Grosz, George, 1893-1959  Search this

Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970  Search this

Hartley, Marsden, 1877-1943  Search this

Kroll, Leon, 1884-1974  Search this

Marsh, Reginald, 1898-1954  Search this

Miller, Kenneth Hayes, 1876-1952  Search this

Orozco, José Clemente, 1883-1949  Search this

Pascin, Jules, 1885-1930  Search this

Poor, Henry Varnum, 1887-1970  Search this

Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this

Robinson, Boardman, 1876-1952  Search this

Siqueiros, David Alfaro  Search this

Sterne, Maurice, 1878-1957  Search this

Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946  Search this

Tamayo, Rufino, 1899-  Search this

Weber, Max, 1881-1961  Search this

Zorach, William, 1887-1966  Search this

Zorach, William, 1887-1966  Search this

Extent:

239 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1963

Scope and Contents:

An interview of George Biddle conducted in 1963, by Harlan Phillips, for the Archives of American Art.

Biddle speaks of his background in Philadelphia; his Harvard education in preparation for a law career; literary acquaintances; travel; the beginning of his art career; his preoccupation with portraiture; his tragic and pleasant works; the importance of mood; his drawing techniques; drawing from nature; color experimentation; Stieglitz's circle; the susceptibility of artists to change during the 1930s; his involvement with the Public Works of Art Project; government censorship of his murals; his involvement with artists overseas during World War II; and his aesthetic philosophy. He recalls Max Weber, Maurice Sterne, George Grosz, William Zorach, Kenneth Hayes Miller, Peggy Bacon, Marsden Hartley, Charles Demuth, Edith Halpert, Boardman Robinson, Reginald Marsh, Thomas Hart Benton, Henry Billings, Ned Bruce, Holger Cahill, Philip Evergood, Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, David Siqueiros, and Rufino Tamayo.

Biographical / Historical:

George Biddle (1885-1973) was a painter and sculptor, in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.

General:

Originally recorded 3 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 9 digital wav files. Duration is 13 hr., 56 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:

This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Topic:

Art -- Censorship  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this

Sculptors -- New York (State) -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.biddle63

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9bb4fdb2d-29ab-4c56-bcef-655c27a0afb8

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-biddle63

Interviewee:

Tomkins, Margaret, 1916-2002  Search this

Interviewer:

Guenther, Bruce  Search this

Subject:

Fitzgerald, James  Search this

Artists Gallery (Seattle, Wash.)  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Margaret Tomkins, 1984 June 6. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Abstract expressionism  Search this

Artists -- Northwestern States -- Interviews  Search this

Art, Modern -- Northwestern States  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12308

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212455

AAA_collcode_tomkin84

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212455

Creator:

Gray, Cleve, 1918-2004  Search this

Subject:

Richter, Hans  Search this

Marin, John  Search this

Lipchitz, Jacques  Search this

Pollock, Jackson  Search this

Grace, Louise N.  Search this

Gray, Francine du Plessix  Search this

Duchamp, Marcel  Search this

Dillenberger, Jane  Search this

Gabo, Naum  Search this

Ernst, Jimmy  Search this

Davis, Jim  Search this

Calder, Alexander  Search this

Barzun, Jacques  Search this

Weber, Nicholas Fox  Search this

Smith, David  Search this

Villon, Jacques  Search this

Pratt Institute  Search this

Rhode Island School of Design  Search this

Neuberger Museum of Art  Search this

Jacques Seligmann & Co  Search this

Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this

Connecticut. Commission on Arts, Tourism, Culture, History and Film  Search this

Princeton University  Search this

Berry-Hill Galleries  Search this

Type:

Poems

Articles

Photographs

Reviews (documents)

Notes

Illustrations

Notebooks

Sketches

Drafts (documents)

Video recordings

Sound recordings

Interviews

Manuscripts

Paintings

Prints

Watercolors

Drawings

Lectures

Citation:

Cleve Gray papers, 1933-2005. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Protest movements -- United States  Search this

Designers  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women sculptors  Search this

Theme:

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)9567

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211768

AAA_collcode_grayclev

Theme:

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211768

Creator:

Cash, Marie Romero, 1942-  Search this

Type:

Sketchbooks

Citation:

Marie Romero Cash papers, 1981-2021. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Santeros  Search this

Latino and Latin American artists  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women sculptors  Search this

Theme:

Latino and Latin American  Search this

Women  Search this

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)17505

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)390313

AAA_collcode_cashmari

Theme:

Latino and Latin American

Women

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_390313

Creator:

Cash, Marie Romero  Search this

Extent:

0.7 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sketchbooks

Date:

1981-2021

Summary:

The Marie Romero Cash papers measure 0.7 linear feet and date from circa 1981 to 2021. The papers document Cash's career as an artist through sketches (some annotated), a sketchbook, photographs, and printed material documenting Cash's sculptures and paintings in the Santera tradition. This also includes the originial illustrations for Santera-based book projects and one fully realized, hand-painted artist book, 'The Book of Tobit.' The book comes in a tin container, with designs in relief created by the artist. Also included is 1 CD containing an episode of 'The Muse,' an arts-based interview program produced by Boss Productions; 1 CD documenting Cash's wooden sculpture 'The Chicken Bus'; and 1 CD labeled "photos: David Alfaya for Marie Cash".

Scope and Contents:

The Marie Romero Cash papers measure 0.7 linear feet and date from circa 1981 to 2021. The papers document Cash's career as an artist through sketches (some annotated), a sketchbook, photographs, and printed material documenting Cash's sculptures and paintings in the Santera tradition. This also includes the originial illustrations for Santera-based book projects and one fully realized, hand-painted artist book, 'The Book of Tobit.' The book comes in a tin container, with designs in relief created by the artist. Also included is 1 CD containing an episode of 'The Muse,' an arts-based interview program produced by Boss Productions; 1 CD documenting Cash's wooden sculpture 'The Chicken Bus'; and 1 CD labeled "photos: David Alfaya for Marie Cash".

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into one series

Series 1: Marie Romero Cash papers, 1981-2021 (0.7 linear feet; Box 1, OV 2-3, Artifact 4)

Biographical / Historical:

Marie Romero Cash (1942- ) is an artist and Santera (saint artist) living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Cash has completed commissions for St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Cathedral Church of St. John in Albuquerque, and for various other churches in New Mexico.

Provenance:

Donated 2017 and 2022 by Marie Romero Cash.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.

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 Mexico -- Santa Fe  Search this

Topic:

Santeros  Search this

Latino and Latin American artists  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women sculptors  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sketchbooks

Citation:

Marie Romero Cash Papers, 1981-2021. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.cashmari

See more items in:

Marie Romero Cash papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw932a73bb7-31b8-4b14-90df-87ce718f9f3c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-cashmari

Creator:

National Portrait Gallery  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2014-12-18T15:29:27.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Portraits  Search this

See more by:

NatlPortraitGallery

Data Source:

National Portrait Gallery

YouTube Channel:

NatlPortraitGallery

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_7tZah-bIxpk

Creator:

Archives of American Art  Search this

Type:

Interviews

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2020-05-29T19:17:14.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

See more by:

SmithsonianAAA

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

YouTube Channel:

SmithsonianAAA

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt__sd_mNOa5iE

Creator:

Archives of American Art  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2009-06-23T14:24:25.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

See more by:

SmithsonianAAA

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

YouTube Channel:

SmithsonianAAA

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_q0XG66fdVEE

Published by:

Johnson Publishing Company, American, 1942 - 2019  Search this

Medium:

ink on paper

Dimensions:

H x W: 7 1/2 x 5 1/4 in. (19.1 x 13.3 cm)

Type:

pamphlets

Place printed:

Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America

Place depicted:

Senegal, West Africa, Africa

South Africa, Southern Africa, Africa

Colombia, Latin America, North and Central America

Date:

May 1975

Topic:

African American  Search this

Africa  Search this

Art  Search this

Black Press  Search this

International affairs  Search this

Judaism  Search this

Mass media  Search this

Poetry  Search this

Politics  Search this

Religion  Search this

Credit Line:

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the family of Dr. Maurice Jackson and Laura Ginsburg

Object number:

2010.55.128

Restrictions & Rights:

© 1975 Johnson Publishing Company, Inc. Permission required for use.

See more items in:

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification:

Documents and Published Materials-Published Works

Memorabilia and Ephemera-Political and Activist Ephemera

Movement:

Pan Africanism

Data Source:

National Museum of African American History and Culture

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd58d6547f3-c1af-47db-9b76-edaabd2c8f41

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmaahc_2010.55.128

Interviewee:

Hague, Raoul, 1905-1993  Search this

Interviewer:

Berman, Avis  Search this

Extent:

2 Sound cassettes (Sound recording (3 hrs.), analog)

48 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound cassettes

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1983 Sept. 29

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Raoul Hague conducted 1983 Sept. 29, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art.

Biographical / Historical:

Raoul Hague (1905-1993) was a sculptor from Woodstock and New York, N.Y. Birthdate also listed as 1904.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

Sculptors -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the transcription of this interview provided by the Smithsonian Institution's Women's Committee.

Identifier:

AAA.hague83

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw99f652db4-5981-45ba-8f06-14278fca85e0

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-hague83

Creator:

Hopper, Inslee  Search this

Interviewer:

Brown, Robert F.  Search this

Names:

Bruce, Edward, 1879-1943  Search this

Force, Juliana, 1876-1948  Search this

Shahn, Ben, 1898-1969  Search this

Watson, Forbes, 1880-1960  Search this

Extent:

1 Sound tape reel (Sound recording, 5 in.)

44 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound tape reels

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1981 July 28

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Inslee Hopper conducted 1981 July 28, by Robert Brown, for the Archives of American Art.

Hopper speaks of his education in art history at Princeton University; his work as editor of THE ARTS under Forbes Watson, 1933-1934; a survey of sculptors for Juliana Force of the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1934-1935; his involvement in the Painting and Sculpture section of the Treasury Department under Edward Bruce, 1935-1938; supervising the decoration for the Federal Building at the World's Fair, 1938-1939; his work with Ben Shahn on the documentation of a resettlement project in West Virginia; the Smithsonian Gallery of Art project, 1938-1940; and his work as Edward Bruce's aide.

Biographical / Historical:

Inslee Hopperis an art administrator and preservationist.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Occupation:

Arts administrators -- Interviews  Search this

Topic:

Art and state  Search this

Preservationists -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.hopper81

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f78d7a86-5d09-4d2a-8513-0441342309ac

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-hopper81

Interviewee:

Sanborn, Jim, 1945-  Search this

Interviewer:

Berman, Avis  Search this

Creator:

United States. General Services Administration. Design Excellence and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

United States. General Services Administration. Design Excellence and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (data compact disc (6 hr., 32 min.) 4 tracks, digital, WMA files)

108 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

2009 July 14-16

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Jim Sanborn conducted 2009 July 14-16, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art's U.S. General Services Administration, Design Excellence and the Arts oral history project, at Sanborn's home, in Washington, D.C.

Sanborn speaks of his father, Herbert James Sanborn, who worked at the Library of Congress and was also an artist; his education, including attending Randolph-Macon College, taking a course in archaeology at Oxford University, and attending the Pratt Institute; his interest in medieval history and art; how he began to create public art; the difference between his public art and his gallery work; his residency at Glen Echo Park, VA; working on General Services Administration (GSA) commissions; the commissioning, conceptualization, and creation process behind his artwork Kryptos (1990) at CIA headquarters; the media sensation surrounding Kryptos; the importance of secrecy in his work; the process of engineering waves for Coastline (1993) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric headquarters; his recreation of a particle generator for the exhibition Atomic Time (2003); incorporating science and technology into his work; and how his work changed after 9/11. Sanborn also recalls Jack and Nancy Witt, Nancy Holt, Mark di Suvero, Raya Bodnarchuk, Isamu Noguchi, Gene Davis, Max Protetch, Walter Hopps, Yuri Schwebler, Ned Rifkin, Gordon Hanes, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Jim Sanborn (1945- ) is a sculptor in Washington, D.C. Sanborn is known for his use of stone and cryptography. Full name is Herbert James Sanborn, Jr.

General:

Originally recorded on 1 sound disc. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 6 hr., 30 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Restrictions:

The transcript and recording are open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Topic:

Sculptors -- Washington (D.C.) -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the U.S. General Services Administration, Design Excellence and the Arts.

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.sanbor09

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw98cc76089-e934-41be-b227-746f85bf8f0c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-sanbor09

Creator:

Whitney, Gertrude Vanderbilt, 1875-1942  Search this

Names:

American Ambulance Field Hospital (Juilly, France)  Search this

Greenwich House (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Whitney Museum of American Art  Search this

Whitney Studio Club  Search this

Cushing, Howard Gardiner, 1869-1916  Search this

De Meyer, Adolf, Baron, 1868-1949  Search this

Miller, Flora Whitney  Search this

Strelecki, Jean de, count  Search this

Watson, Forbes, 1880-1960  Search this

Whitney, Harry Payne, 1872-1930  Search this

Extent:

36.1 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Lithographs

Photographs

Interviews

Sketchbooks

Diaries

Scrapbooks

Blueprints

Sketches

Date:

1851-1975

bulk 1888-1942

Summary:

The Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney papers measure approximately 36.1 linear feet and date from 1851 to 1975, with the bulk of the material dating from 1888 to 1942. The collection documents the life and work of the art patron and sculptor, especially her promotion of American art and artists, her philanthropy and war relief work, her commissions for memorial sculpture, and her creative writing. Papers include correspondence, journals, writings, project files, scrapbooks, photographs, artwork, printed material, two sound recordings, and miscellaneous personal papers.

Scope and Content Note:

The Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney papers measure approximately 36.1 linear feet and date from 1851 to 1975, with the bulk of the material dating from 1888 to 1942. The collection documents the life and work of the art patron and sculptor, especially her promotion of American art and artists, her philanthropy and war relief work, her commissions for memorial sculpture, and her creative writing. Papers include correspondence, journals, writings, project files, scrapbooks, photographs, artwork, printed material, two sound recordings, and miscellaneous personal papers.

Material relating to more personal aspects of Whitney's life include school papers, a paper doll book dating from her childhood, financial material, interviews, awards and honorary degrees, address and telephone books, committee files, and other items. Correspondence consists of incoming and outgoing letters concerning both personal and professional matters, including her patronage of the arts and sponsorship of artists, her sculpture commissions and exhibitions, and her war relief work and other philantrophic activities. Also found are family correspondence and correspondence received by the Flora Whitney Miller and the Whitney Museum of American Art after Whitney's death. Journals include personal ones that she kept periodically from the time she was a child to near the end of her life, in which she recorded her travels, her impressions of people, her experiences with friends, and her thoughts on art, among other topics; and social ones, in which she recorded dinners and dances attended, and people invited to different social gatherings, and in which she collected invitations received and accepted.

Scattered files can be found that relate to the Whitney Studio Club and the Whitney Museum of American Art, consisting of notebooks, catalogs, a financial report, and other material. Files relating to Whitney's own sculpture projects are more extensive and consist of correspondence, contracts, printed material, notes, financial material for proposed and completed commissions for fountains, memorials, and monuments. The Whitney Museum of American Art, rather than Whitney herself, seems to have kept these files. Files relating to Whitney's philanthropic activities span from the time just before to just after the First World War and consist of correspondence, minutes, reports, and printed material stemming from her contributions to charities and war relief organizations, her sponsorship of the war hospital in Juilly, France, and her support of the Greenwich House Social Settlement.

Whitney's writings include extensive drafts, and handwritten and typed manuscripts and copies of novels, plays, and stories, as well as some autobiographical and early writings, notes and writings on art, and clippings of published writings, documenting her principle means of creative expression towards the end of her life. Also found are some writings by others. Scrapbooks consist of clippings, photographs, letters and other material, compiled by Whitney, Flora Whitney Miller, and possibly others, documenting Whitney's public life, her sculpture commissions and exhibitions, exhibitions at the Whitney Studio, the war hospital in Juilly, France, the death of Harry Payne Whitney in 1930, and the sickness and death of Whitney in 1942.

Photographs include ones of the Whitney and Vanderbilt families, ones of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (including portraits taken by Baron Adolf de Meyer and Count Jean de Strelecki), ones of various Vanderbilt and Whitney residences and of Whitney's studios, ones of Whitney's sculpture exhibitions as well as exhibitions at her studio, and ones of her sculptures, as well as some miscellaneous and unidentified ones. Artwork consists of sketchbooks and sketches by Whitney (including sketches for sculptures) and artwork by others (including a sketchbook of Howard Cushing's containing a sketch of her and albums of World War I lithographs) collected by Whitney. Also found amongst the collection are printed material (clippings, exhibition catalogs, programs, and publications) and blueprints (including drawings for Whitney's studio on MacDougal Alley and various of her sculptures).

Arrangement:

The Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney papers are arranged into twelve series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Miscellaneous Personal Papers, 1888-1947, 1975 (Boxes 1-3, 33-34, OV 42; 2.5 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1889-1949, 1959 (Boxes 3-9; 6 linear feet)

Series 3: Journals, circa 1886-1939 (Boxes 9-12, 33; 2.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Whitney Studio Club and Whitney Museum of American Art Files, 1921-1943 (Box 12; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 5: Sculpture Files, 1900-1960 (bulk 1909-1942) (Boxes 12-15; 3 linear feet)

Series 6: Philanthropy Files, 1902-1923 (bulk 1915-1920) (Boxes 15-17; 2 linear feet)

Series 7: Writings, 1889-1942, 1974 (Boxes 17-26; 10 linear feet)

Series 8: Scrapbooks, 1893-1942 (Boxes 26-27, 33, 35; 1.5 linear feet)

Series 9: Printed Material, 1859-1942 (Boxes 27-28, 36; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 10: Photographs, 1862-1942 (Boxes 28-32, 36-41, OV 43-51; 6.4 linear feet)

Series 11: Artwork, 1871-1930s (Boxes 32, 41, OV 52-54; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 12: Blueprints, 1913-1945 (OV 55; 0.1 linear feet)

Biographical/Historical note:

New York art patron and sculptor, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875-1942), was the eldest daughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt II and Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt, and founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Whitney was born January 9, 1875 in New York City, the. She was educated by private tutors and attended Brearley School in New York. From the time she was a young girl, she kept journals of her travels and impressions of the people she met, and engaged in creative pursuits such as sketching and writing stories. In 1896, she was married to Harry Payne Whitney. They had three children, Flora, Cornelius, and Barbara.

In 1900, Whitney began to study sculpture under Hendrik Christian Anderson, and then under James Fraser. Later, she studied with Andrew O'Connor in Paris. From the time she started studying sculpture, her interest in art grew, as did her particular concern for American art and artists. In 1907, she organized an art exhibition at the Colony Club, which included several contemporary American paintings. She also opened a studio on MacDougal Alley, which became known as the Whitney Studio and was a place where shows and prize competitions were held. (She also had other studios in Westbury, Long Island and Paris, France.) Over the years, her patronage of art included buying work, commissioning it, sponsoring it, exhibiting it, and financially supporting artists in America and abroad. From 1911 on, she was aided in her work by Juliana Force, who started out as Whitney's secretary, was responsible for art exhibitions at the Whitney Studio, and became the first director of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

The first recognition Whitney received for her sculpture came in 1908 when a project on which she had collaborated (with Grosvenor Atterbury and Hugo Ballin) won a prize for best design from the Architectural League of New York. The following year she received a commission to do a fountain sculpture for the Pan-American Building in Washington, D. C. She went on to do numerous other commissioned works over the next several decades, including: a fountain for the New Arlington Hotel in Washington D.C. (the design of which was reproduced in various sizes and materials, one cast being submitted to the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition where it won a bronze medal and a later cast being installed on the campus of McGill University, Montreal, Canada in 1930); the Titanic Memorial (designed in 1913 and erected in 1930); the Buffalo Bill Memorial (1924) in Cody, Wyoming; the Columbus Memorial (1929) in Port of Palos, Spain; the Peter Stuyvesant statue in Stuyvesant Square (1939); and The Spirit of Flight (1939) for the New York World's Fair. In 1916, she had her first one-man show at the Whitney Studio, another at the Newport Art Association, and a retrospective at the San Francisco Art Association Palace of Fine Arts. A traveling exhibition in the Midwest followed in 1918.

During the First World War, Whitney was involved with numerous war relief activities, most notably establishing and supporting a hospital in Juilly, France. She made several trips to France during the war, keeping a journal and eventually publishing a piece on the hospital in several newspapers. Her sculpture during this period was largely focused on war themes. In 1919, she exhibited some of these works at the Whitney Studio in a show called "Impressions of War." In the years after the war, she was also commissioned to do several war memorials, including the Washington Heights War Memorial (1922) and the St. Nazaire Memorial (1926) commemmorating the landing of the American Expeditionary Force in France in 1917.

In 1918, Whitney opened the Whitney Studio Club, which served as pioneering organization for American art, putting on exhibition programs and offering social space and recreational amenities to its members (one point numbering over four hundred artists living in New York). She planned an "Overseas Exhibition" of American art, which traveled to Paris and other European cities in 1920-1921, and had her own shows in Paris and London in 1921. In 1928, the Whitney Studio Club was transformed into an art gallery, known as the Whitney Studio Galleries and directed by Juliana Force, which eventually became the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1931.

Whitney pursued creative writing throughout her life, but beginning in the 1930s writing became her principle means of creative expression. Over the years, she produced numerous manuscripts for stories, novels, and play. One novel, Walking the Dusk, was published in 1932 under the pseudonym L. J. Webb. Beginning in 1940, Whitney took a "Professional Writing" course at Columbia University with Helen Hull, which resulted in the production of numerous short stories. In 1941, she collaborated with Ronald Bodley to adapt one of her stories as a play and attempted to get it produced, although unsuccessfully.

In 1934, Whitney was involved in a custody battle for her niece, Gloria Vanderbilt (daughter of her late brother, Reginald Vanderbilt and his wife, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt). In an agreement reached by the court, custody was awarded to Whitney and visitation rights to Gloria's mother. Litigation continued in the ensuing years.

In 1935, Whitney established the World's Fair Five Organization, with Juliana Force and four architects, to work on preparing a plan for the site of the 1939 New York World's Fair at Flushing Meadow, although the fair's own Board of Design ended up coming up with its own plan.

Whitney continued her work in sculpture, writing, art patronage, and philanthropy throughout the remaining years of her life. She died on April 18, 1942.

Related Archival Materials note:

Related material found in the Archives includes Research Material on Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney compiled by Flora Miller Irving and the Whitney Museum of American Art artists' files and records, available on microfilm only (originals are located in the Whitney Museum of American Art). Also found in the Archives of American Art's Miscellaneous Exhibition Catalog Collection are a bundle of Whitney Studio Club and Mrs. H. P. Whitney's Studio catalogs and announcements.

Provenance:

The Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney papers were donated in 1981 and 1991 by Whitney's granddaughter, Flora Miller Irving.

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. 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

Philanthropists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

Art patrons -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women sculptors  Search this

World War, 1914-1918  Search this

Genre/Form:

Lithographs

Photographs

Interviews

Sketchbooks

Diaries

Scrapbooks

Blueprints

Sketches

Citation:

Whitney Museum of American Art, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Papers, 1851-1975 (bulk 1888-1942). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art

Identifier:

AAA.whitgert

See more items in:

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9db113d72-cc31-4974-85fe-3e99c53dd62e

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-whitgert

Interviewee:

Miller, Dorothy Canning, 1904-2003  Search this

Interviewer:

Berman, Avis  Search this

Creator:

Mark Rothko and His Times Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Mark Rothko and His Times Oral History Project  Search this

Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Barr, Alfred H., Jr., 1902-1981  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

Motherwell, Robert  Search this

Newman, Barnett, 1905-1970  Search this

Panicali, Carla  Search this

Putzel, Howard, 1898-1945  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Still, Clyfford, 1904-1980  Search this

Extent:

30 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1981 May 14

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Dorothy Canning Miller conducted 1981 May 14, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art's Mark Rothko and His Times oral history project.

Miller talks about the first time she, with Alfred Barr, saw Mark Rothko's work in Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors exhibitions. She remembers her first visit to Rothko's studio and frequent conversations at an Italian restaurant near the studio. Miller recounts incidents involving Rothko and Clyfford Still while she was organizing the show "15 Americans" and others at the Museum of Modern Art. She recalls the relationship between Rothko and Still, their split, her own split with Still, and the psychological changes she noted in Rothko. She recalls Holger Cahill, Alfred Barr, Barnett Newma, Robert Motherwell, Clyfford Still, Howard Putzel, Carla Panicali, de Kooning, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Dorothy Miller (1904-2003) was an art museum curator and art consultant from New York, N.Y.

General:

Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 24 min.

Provenance:

This interview was conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's Mark Rothko and his Times oral history project, with funding provided by the Mark Rothko Foundation.

Others interviewed on the project (by various interviewers) include: Sonia Allen, Sally Avery, Ben-Zion, Bernard Braddon, Ernest Briggs, Rhys Caparn, Elaine de Kooning, Herbert Ferber, Esther Gottlieb, Juliette Hays, Sidney Janis, Buffie Johnson, Jacob Kainen, Louis Kaufman, Jack Kufeld, Katharine Kuh, Stanley Kunitz, Joseph Liss, Betty Parsons, Wallace Putnam, Rebecca Reis, Maurice Roth, Sidney Schectman, Aaron Siskind, Joseph Solman, Hedda Sterne, Jack Tworkov, Esteban Vicente and Ed Weinstein. Each has been cataloged separately.

Restrictions:

Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's website.

Topic:

Abstract expressionism  Search this

Art museum curators -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the interview was provided by the Mark Rothko Foundation.

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.miller81

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9848553d6-3075-427e-b4a6-97d47bce0334

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-miller81

Interviewee:

Kirkland, Larry, 1950-  Search this

Interviewer:

Berman, Avis  Search this

Creator:

United States. General Services Administration. Design Excellence and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

United States. General Services Administration. Design Excellence and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Extent:

4 Items (Sound recording: 4 sound files (6 hr., 26 min.), digital, wav file)

94 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

2009 Aug. 26-27

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Larry Kirkland conducted 2009 Aug. 26-27, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Arts' U.S. General Services Administration, Design Excellence and the Arts oral history project, at Kirkland's studio, in Washington, D.C.

Biographical / Historical:

Larry Kirkland (1950- ) is a sculptor in Washington, D.C. Kirkland has done public art installation pieces for The American Red Cross, and the National Academy of Sciences, as well as numerous international commissions.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Rights:

Authorization to quote or reproduce for the purposes of publication requires written permission from Larry Kirkland. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Topic:

Sculptors -- Washington (D.C.) -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the U.S. General Services Administration, Design Excellence and the Arts.

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.kirkla09

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9397c9c75-c869-4a6f-8bc6-4e4cf446fa7d

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-kirkla09

Creator:

Teller, Jane  Search this

Names:

Albright-Knox Art Gallery  Search this

Montclair Art Museum  Search this

Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

National Council on the Aging  Search this

Newark Museum  Search this

Noyes Museum  Search this

Parma Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Princeton Gallery of Fine Art  Search this

Squibb Gallery (Princeton, N.J.)  Search this

Whitney Museum of American Art  Search this

Brodsky, Judith K.  Search this

Caparn, Rhys, 1909-1997  Search this

Dehner, Dorothy, 1901-1994  Search this

Fuller, Sue, 1914-  Search this

Gatch, Lee, 1902-1968  Search this

Johnson, Margaret K. (Margaret Kennard)  Search this

Kadish, Reuben, 1913-1992  Search this

Lamis, Leroy, 1925-  Search this

Lassaw, Ibram, 1913-2003  Search this

Siskind, Aaron  Search this

Extent:

8.6 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Video recordings

Interviews

Prints

Sketchbooks

Slides (photographs)

Motion pictures (visual works)

Sketches

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Sound recordings

Date:

1911-1991

Summary:

The papers of printmaker and sculptor Jane Teller measure 8.6 linear feet and date from 1911 to 1991. The papers include biographical materials, correspondence, business records, notes, writings, three sketchbooks, sketches and prints, five scrapbooks, printed material, subject files, photographs, sound and video recordings, and motion picture film.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of printmaker and sculptor Jane Teller measure 8.6 linear feet and date from 1911 to 1991. The papers include biographical materials, correspondence, business records, notes, writings, three sketchbooks, sketches and prints, five scrapbooks, printed material, subject files, photographs, sound and video recordings, and motion picture film.

Biographical material includes a birth certificate, school work, and passports. General correspondence includes letters from several artists including Rhys Caparn, Sue Fuller and Lee Gatch, and from art galleries, including the Museum of Modern Art, Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Additional correspondence is found in the Subject Files.

Business records include an account book, lists of expenses and prices of art works, and sales records. Notes and writings include Teller's notes about art and travel, artists' statements, autobiographical writings, and a compilation of many artists' statements regarding "The Nine Bean Question."

Artwork includes three sketchbooks, 30 sketches and three prints primarily depicting nature and sculpture designs.

Five scrapbooks contain clippings, exbition announcements and catalogs. Additional printed material includes magazines, exhibition announcements and catalogs, a booklet by Teller entitled Art, Age and the River, published posthumously by her husband, and a manuscript of Poems or Poetic Expressions of Sculptors, collected by L. Lamis.

Subject files are arranged by name or subject and may contain letters, photographs, and printed material. Many of the files focus on galleries and museums, including the Montclair Art Museum, the Newark Museum, Noyes Museum, Parma Gallery, the Princeton Gallery of Fine Art and the Squibb Gallery. There are also subject files for associations, travel, projects, and colleagues including Margaret K. Johnson, Reuben Kadish, Ibram Lassaw, Aaron Siskind and Dorothy Dehner.

Photographs and slides depict Teller, her friends, works, gallery installations, and travels. Also included are photographs of trees, bark, and other natural formations used by Teller in her work.

The audio-visual materials include several sound recordings, videocassettes and 16 mm motion picture films. The videocassettes include television programs in which Teller, printmaker Judith Brodsky and actor Harry Hamlin are interviewed, a retrospective at Skidmore College and a film featuring Teller speaking for the National Council on Aging. Sound recordings include two interviews and a "Talk on Malta" by Teller and Joan Needham. The 16 mm films are black and white footage of Teller's first Parma Gallery show.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 11 series. Records are generally arranged by material type and chronologically thereafter.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1911-1985 (Box 1; 4 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1956-1991 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 3: Business Records, 1961-1990 (Box 1; 5 folders)

Series 4: Notes, 1960-1987 (Box 1; 13 folders)

Series 5: Writings, 1960-1989 (Boxes 1 and 9; 5 folders)

Series 6: Artwork, circa 1950s (Boxes 1 and 9; 6 folders)

Series 7: Scrapbooks, 1948-1990 (Boxes 1-2; 0.7 linear feet)

Series 8: Printed Material, 1957-1991 (Boxes 2-3 and 9; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 9: Subject Files, 1951-1990 (Boxes 3-5; 2.5 linear feet)

Series 10: Photographs, 1934-1985 (Boxes 5-9; 2.5 linear feet)

Series 11: Audio-Visual Materials, 1961-1989 (Box 8, FC 10-12; 0.6 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Jane Teller (1911-1990) worked as a printmaker and sculptor primarily in New Jersey. She specialized in working with wood and studied at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Skidmore College, and Barnard College. She also attended Federal Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) classes in New York City, studying sculpture with Aaron J. Goodelman and wood carving with Karl Nielson. She later studied welding in the studio of Ibram Lassaw. She was also a lifelong friend of photographer Aaron Siskind. In 1960, she was awarded the Mary and Gustave Kellner Prize at the National Association of Women Artists Annual Exhibition at the National Academy of Design in New York, and in 1966 the Sculpture Prize at the Fiftieth Anniversary Exhibition, Philadelphia Art Alliance in Philadelphia. She exhibited mainly in New York and New Jersey and was married to author and editor Walter Teller.

Provenance:

The Jane Teller papers were donated by Jane Teller in 1990 and in 1991 by Walter Teller, widower of Jane Teller.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

Printmakers -- New Jersey  Search this

Sculptors -- New Jersey  Search this

Topic:

Printmakers -- New Jersey  Search this

Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women sculptors  Search this

Women printmakers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Video recordings

Interviews

Prints

Sketchbooks

Slides (photographs)

Motion pictures (visual works)

Sketches

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Sound recordings

Citation:

Jane Teller papers, 1911-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.telljane

See more items in:

Jane Teller papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw95c6d3902-ef80-4ea1-ba58-b2abe402072c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-telljane

Interviewee:

Kohlmeyer, Ida, 1912-1997  Search this

Interviewer:

Berman, Avis  Search this

Names:

Glade, Luba B.  Search this

Hofmann, Hans, 1880-1966  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Still, Clyfford, 1904-1980  Search this

Sweeney, James Johnson, 1900-  Search this

Trivigno, Pat, 1922-  Search this

White , Ruth  Search this

Extent:

177 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1989 May 17-20

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Ida Kohlmeyer conducted 1989 May 17-20, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art.

Kohlmeyer discusses how she became an artist, her training, her marriage, the New Orleans art scene, her teaching and students, her work in sculpture, and the "Clusters and Circus" series. She recalls Pat Trivigno, Mark Rothko, Hans Hofmann, Clyfford Still, James Johnson Sweeney, Luba Glade, and Ruth White.

Biographical / Historical:

Ida Kohlmeyer (1912-1997) was a painter from New Orleans, La.

General:

Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 8 digital wav files. Duration is 6 hr.

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. Funding for this interview provided by the Lannan Foundation.

Restrictions:

For information on how to access this interview contact Reference Services.

Occupation:

Painters -- Louisiana -- New Orleans  Search this

Educators -- Louisiana -- New Orleans  Search this

Sculptors -- Louisiana -- New Orleans  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women educators  Search this

Women sculptors  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Lannan Foundation.

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.kohlme89

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw997d588d5-2290-41c3-b7da-8e0f728e1576

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-kohlme89

Interviewee:

Dine, Jim, 1935-  Search this

Interviewer:

Berman, Avis  Search this

Extent:

9 Sound recordings ((15 hrs., 11 min), digital, WMA)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

2020 February 24-2022 January 12

Scope and Contents:

An interview with Jim Dine conducted 2020 February 24-2022 January 12 by Avis Berman for the Archives of American Art, at Dine's home and studio in Paris, France, and the Mark Hotel in New York, New York.

Biographical / Historical:

Jim Dine (1935- ) is an American pop artist in New York, New York, and Paris, France. His work includes Happenings, painting, and sculpture. Avis Berman (1949- ) is an art historian, writer, and curator from New York, N.Y.

Related Materials:

The Archives of American Art also holds an interview with Jim Dine conducted 1965 February 26 by Bruce Hooten.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Restrictions:

This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its Oral History Program interviews available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. Quotation, reproduction and publication of the audio is governed by restrictions. If an interview has been transcribed, researchers must quote from the transcript. If an interview has not been transcribed, researchers must quote from the audio recording. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Painters -- France -- Paris  Search this

Sculptors -- France -- Paris  Search this

Topic:

Pop art  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Lichtenberg Family Foundation.

Identifier:

AAA.dine20

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9add394c3-a32b-4c75-98cf-1deb2af3787c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-dine20

Creator:

Kiesler, Lillian, 1910?-2001  Search this

Names:

Anthology Film Archives  Search this

Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts  Search this

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

University of Iowa, Museum of Art  Search this

Whitney Museum of American Art  Search this

Adnan, Etel  Search this

Andres, Jo  Search this

Arnaud, Leopold, 1895-1984  Search this

Bartos, Armand P., 1910-  Search this

Bultman, Fritz, 1919-1985  Search this

Buscemi, Steve, 1958-  Search this

Castelli, Leo  Search this

Copley, Alfred L.  Search this

Diller, Burgoyne, 1906-1965  Search this

Dlugoszewski, Lucia, 1931-2000  Search this

Dorazio, Piero, 1927-  Search this

Dorazio, Virginia Dortch  Search this

Dreier, Katherine Sophie, 1877-1952  Search this

Dubuffet, Jean, 1901-  Search this

Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this

Hawkins, Erick  Search this

Hodges, Alice  Search this

Hofmann, Hans, 1880-1966  Search this

Holtzman, Harry  Search this

Howe, George, 1886-1955  Search this

Kamler, Richard  Search this

Kiesler, Frederick  Search this

MacIver, Loren, 1909-  Search this

Meredith, Burgess, 1907-1997  Search this

Milius, Tom  Search this

Miller, Henry, 1891-  Search this

Mondrian, Piet, 1872-1944  Search this

Montgomery, Chandler  Search this

Owen, Jane Blaffer, 1915-2010  Search this

Purdy, James  Search this

Takaezu, Toshiko  Search this

Tawney, Lenore  Search this

Zogbaum, Wilfrid, 1915-1965  Search this

Extent:

49.1 Linear feet

0.001 Gigabytes

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Gigabytes

Scrapbooks

Sound recordings

Diaries

Interviews

Scripts (documents)

Motion pictures (visual works)

Date:

circa 1910s-2003

bulk 1958-2000

Summary:

The papers of New York artist Lillian Kiesler and architect and sculptor Frederick Kiesler measure 49.1 linear feet and 0.001 GB and date from circa 1910s-2003, with the bulk of the material from 1958-2000. The collection documents their personal and professional lives and the legacy of Frederick Kiesler's work through biographical material, correspondence, legal, financial and business records, teaching files, exhibition and performance files, artwork, subject files, printed and digital material, writings and interviews, monographs, photographic material, and sound and video recordings. Also found are papers related to Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann and the papers of artist Alice Hodges.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of artist, performer, and arts educator Lillian Kiesler and sculptor, architect, set designer, educator, and writer Frederick Kiesler measure 49.1 linear feet and 0.001 GB and date from circa 1910s-2003, with the bulk of the material from 1958-2000. The collection documents their personal and professional lives and the legacy of Frederick Kiesler's work through biographical material, correspondence, legal, financial and business records, teaching files, exhibition and performance files, artwork, subject files, printed and digital material, writings and interviews, monographs, photographic material, and sound and video recordings. Also found are papers related to Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann and the papers of artist Alice Hodges.

The collection is arranged into two series: the Lillian Kiesler Papers (Series 1) and the Frederick Kiesler Papers (Series 2). Measuring 41.1 linear feet, the Lillian Kiesler Papers (Series 1) make up the bulk of the collection and document her personal life and professional career as an artist, actor, teacher, arts benefactor and promoter of Frederick Kiesler's legacy. The series spans her lifetime, although most of the material is dated after 1965. Among her papers are biographical materials, correspondence, legal and financial records, teaching files, exhibition and performance files, artwork, subject files, printed material, monographs, papers related to Frederick Kiesler and his legacy, papers of and related to Hans Hofmann, papers of Alice Hodges, photographic material, and sound and video recordings.

Found among Lillian Kiesler's personal papers are address books, numerous calendars and appointment books, and diaries and journals. Her correspondence is extensive and contains business correspondence with John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The University of Iowa Museum of Art, and Erick Hawkins Dance Foundation, and personal letters and greeting cards from friends, family, artists, scholars, and researchers, including Etel Adnan, Alcopley, Fritz Bultman, Steve Buscemi, Mike Diamond, Burgoyne Diller, Lucia Dlugoszewski, Piero Dorazio, Jean Dubuffet, Jay Gottlieb, Erick Hawkins, Burgess Meredith, Henry Miller, James Purdy, and Herrel Thomas. Of interest is a letter from Harry Holtzman postmarked March 13, 1935 describing his initial meeting with Mondrian, and a letter from E.B. Gordon describing Henry Miller in Paris.

Materials related to Lillian Kiesler's estate and last wishes can also be found, as well as teaching plans, student work, and writings by Lillian Kiesler's mentor and friend, New York University professor Chandler Montgomery. Various printed material, correspondence, scripts, and rehearsal schedules from Lillian Kiesler's exhibitions and performances are also found, and among the directors, artists and writers represented are Jo Andres, Steve Buscemi, Cindy Lugar, Tim Miller and James Purdy. Artwork contains photographs by Bob Del Fredici, drawings by Piero Dorazio, and notes to Frederick Kiesler from Lillian Kiesler.

Subject files about artists, friends, colleagues, performances, and organizations in which she supported, such as the Anthology Film Archives, include printed materials and research materials. Signed exhibition catalogs of Loren MacIver, Dina Ghen, Lenore Tawney, and Toshiko Takaezu, and a reprint article inscribed by Alcopley can be found, as well as numerous inscribed monographs, including books inscribed by Max Weiler and Piero Dorazio, an inscribed first edition of Henry Miller's Black Spring (1936), and a 1937 monograph by Harry Holtzman titled American Abstract Artists.

Series 1 also includes materials related to her husband Frederick Kiesler, papers of and related to Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann, and the personal papers of artist Alice Hodges. The Papers Related to Frederick Kiesler were primarily created or compiled by Lillian Kiesler and document her work on behalf of Frederick Kiesler's legacy. Of interest are letters from Frederick Kiesler to Lillian Kiesler and Alice Hodges; a bound volume of correspondence to Piero Dorazio; an inventory of objects in the Frederick Kiesler estate; photographs of artwork; an interview (sound recordings and transcript) with Lillian Kiesler about Frederick Kiesler for "Music of the Age," included on the tape is a portion of a Frederick Kiesler interview (1965); a recording of Lillian Kiesler interviewing Richard Kamler about Frederick Kiesler; and Frederick Kiesler's dialogue with Leo Castelli (undated).

Lillian Kiesler was a student of Hans Hofmann (1880-1966) in New York City and Provincetown, Massachusetts, as well as an enthusiastic volunteer promoter and assistant to The Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts. The bulk of the papers of and related to Hans Hofmann were created or compiled by Lillian Kielser and are about Hofmann's career and legacy. However, also found are some papers of Hans Hofmann, including letters from Hofmann to Lillian Kiesler and Alice Hodges describing his artwork, life in Provincetown, and issues with The Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, typed and handwritten lectures given by Hofmann, Hofmann's 1941 address to the American Abstract Artists (AAA), three boxes of card files on students of the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts in New York City and Provincetown, and photographs of Hofmann and his house in Provincetown taken by Wilfrid Zogbaum and Tom Milius.

The artist Alice Hodges (b. unknown-1965) was a close friend of Lillian Kiesler, a former secretary to Frederick Kiesler, and a student of Hans Hofmann. Included among her personal papers is some correspondence from Hans Hofmann and Katherine Drier and numerous postcards from Hodges and Lillian Kiesler's trip to Europe in 1950, posters and printed material from her exhibitions, an oversized scrapbook chronicling Lillian Kiesler's teaching career, records from the United States Treasury War Bond Art Auction in 1945, original artwork and greeting cards made by Hodges and Lillian Kiesler, and 31 rolled negative strips in metal canisters of Frederick Kiesler sculptures, Provincetown and Hans Hofmann, Wellfleet, Empire State Music Festival (1955), and travels to Colorado and Europe, some of which may be printed and found in this subseries.

Photographs found in the Lillian Kiesler Papers are mostly black and white and color snapshots of Lillian Kiesler's friends and family at events and at home, including candid photos of Hans Hofmann, Alice Hodges, Frederick Kiesler, and Alcopley. Slides prepared by Lillian Kiesler for a lecture on Frederick Kiesler and her lecture notes on index cards are found. Sound and video recordings include recordings of productions in which Lillian Kiesler performed, and music, film, or live stage performances written, directed, or performed by friends.

Measuring 7.1 linear feet, Frederick Kiesler's personal papers (Series 2) document his professional career and date from 1923-1992. Biographical materials include his curriculum vitae, four passports, and numerous appointment books and notes from late in his life. Correspondence with architects, publishers, editors, universities, museums, galleries, manufacturers, artists and friends includes letters from L. Alcopley, Leopold Arnaud, Armand P. Bartos, Piero and Virginia Dorazio, George Howe, Kay Johnson, Jane Owen, and others. There are also photocopied letters from Katherine Dreier, Marcel Duchamp, and Piet Mondrian. Business and financial records from the 1940s to mid-1960s comprise a significant bulk of this series and are primarily tax returns and receipts and statements used to file tax returns. Materials on the publication of "Inside the Endless House" (1966), the International Theatre Exposition (in German) in 1924 and other exhibits from shortly after his death are found, as well as student artwork and papers from Kiesler's classes in the mid-1950s. A bound copy of the "Bibliography of Writings of and About Frederick Kiesler" compiled by Lillian Kiesler is found, as well as printed material about Frederick Kiesler and a handful of photographs of artwork.

Users should note that Lillian Kiesler's and Frederick Kiesler's papers contain similar types of material that often overlap in subject matter, especially among the Papers Related to Frederick Kiesler (Subseries 1.10) in Series 1 and the Frederick Kiesler Papers (Series 2). This collection contains limited material related to Lillian Kiesler prior to the 1940s and Frederick Kiesler prior to his arrival in the United States in 1926.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into two series. Each series is divided into several subseries, with the arrangement described in detail in the series descriptions.

Missing Title

Series 1: Lillian Kiesler papers, circa 1910s-2003 (Box 1-39, 47-52, OV 53-57; 41.1 linear feet, ER01; 0.001 GB)

Series 2: Frederick Kiesler papers, 1923-1992 (Box 40-46, OV 53; 7.1 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Frederick Kiesler (1890-1965) was a sculptor, architect, set designer, educator, and writer active in New York and Connecticutt. Lillian Kiesler (1911-2001) was a performer, arts educator, and painter married to Frederick Kiesler. She was also active in the administration of the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts.

Frederick Kiesler was born in Romania in 1890, although he gave various other dates for his birth and regularly cited Vienna as his birthplace. He arrived in the United States with his wife Steffi in 1926 for the International Theatre Exposition at Steinway Hall in New York City. They stayed in the United States and were granted citizenship in 1936.

Kiesler secured a teaching position at Columbia University's School of Architecture in 1930, and from 1934 through 1957 he was the scenic design director at The Juilliard School of Music. He also lectured at Yale University from 1950-1952. Often labeled a Surrealist, Kiesler's work was experimental and frequently described as ahead of its time. He published, lectured, and participated in numerous exhibitions throughout his career. He is known for his theory of "coreallism;" "The Space House" (1933), a full-scale model of a single family home; an installation designed for Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century gallery in 1942; "The Endless House" drawings and model (1950); "The Universal Theatre" (1961) model; and the Shrine of the Book (1965), a building to exhibit the Dead Sea Scrolls in Jerusalem. He died in New York City in December 1965.

Lillian Olinsey met architect and sculptor Frederick Kiesler in 1934. After years of friendship, they were married in 1964, a year and a half before Frederick's death in 1965.

Lillian Kiesler studied art at the Art Students League, Cooper Union, and the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, where she also assisted Hofmann and the school administration. She taught art to children and young adults for twenty years in New York City. From 1945 to 1955, she taught at the Greenwich House Art workshops and the Woodward School, followed by the Brooklyn Museum (1948-1958), Barnard School (1953-1963), New York University School of Education (1955-1966), and Juilliard School of Visual Arts (1963-1965). Lillian was involved in the performing arts and between the late 1970s through the 1990s she performed in New York City with numerous directors, notably Jo Andres, Steve Buscemi, Richard Foreman, John Jesurun, Cindy Lubar, and Tim Miller. She frequently performed with her close friend, painter Maryette Charlton, who was the executor of the Lillian Kiesler estate.

Lillian Kiesler tirelessly promoted Frederick Kiesler's work and legacy after his death in 1965. From the late 1980s through the 1990s, she delivered lectures about his work at universities and museums, gave interviews, corresponded with researchers, and organized his papers to donate to the Harvard Theatre Collection, Yale School of Art and Architecture, and the Archives of American Art. In 1997, she helped found the Frederick and Lillian Kiesler Foundation in Vienna, Austria. She endowed the Austrian Frederick Kiesler Prize, an award given to a notable contributor to the field of architecture. The first recipient was Frank Gehry in 1998. Lillian Kiesler passed away in 2001 in New York City.

Related Material:

The holdings of the Archives of American Art include the Hans Hofmann Papers, 1904-1978 and the Maryette Charlton Papers, 1929-1998. Additional Frederick Kiesler papers are available at the Museum of Modern Art, the Harvard Theater Collection, and the Yale School of Art and Architecture.

Separated Material:

Some of the materials related to Frederick Kiesler were initially loaned for microfilming on reels 57 and 127-128. This material is not described in the container listing of this finding aid. Most, but not all, of the loaned material was later donated and has been merged with the other accretions.

Provenance:

The collection was donated by Lillian Kiesler and Maryette Charlton, executrix of her estate, in several accessions between 1980-2002. Some of the papers related to Frederick Kiesler were originally loaned for microfilming in 1971, most of which was later donated in 1980. Additional papers related to Frederick Kiesler were donated in 1993. Papers related to Hans Hofmann were given in 1981. Lillian Kiesler's papers were donated in 2000 by Lillian Kiesler, and in 2002, by Maryette Charlton.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Set designers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Educators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Authors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Performance artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art patrons -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

Architects -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Exhibition designers  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women educators  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women performance artists  Search this

Function:

Art schools -- Massachusetts

Art Schools -- New York (State)

Genre/Form:

Scrapbooks

Sound recordings

Diaries

Interviews

Scripts (documents)

Motion pictures (visual works)

Citation:

Lillian and Frederick Kiesler papers, circa 1910s-2003, bulk 1958-2000. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.kieslill

See more items in:

Lillian and Frederick Kiesler papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw92be035c5-5063-4d6e-8ac2-5f08c17ef915

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-kieslill

Creator:

Lawrence P. Fraiberg Productions  Search this

Names:

Lawrence P. Fraiberg Productions  Search this

Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

New Museum (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

O.K. Harris Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Whitney Museum of American Art  Search this

Campoli, Cosmo  Search this

Cavanau, Ted  Search this

Derman, Rick  Search this

Fraiberg, Lawrence P.  Search this

Karp, Ivan C., 1926-2012  Search this

Kovich, Robert  Search this

Nolan, Barry  Search this

Paik, Nam June, 1932-2006  Search this

Phillips, Liz  Search this

Rose, Barbara  Search this

Segal, George, 1924-2000  Search this

Solomon, Holly  Search this

Thorne, Joan, 1943-  Search this

Extent:

2.4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Interviews

Video recordings

Date:

1979

Summary:

The State of the Arts videorecordings measure 2.4 linear feet and consist of 30 videocassettes (U-matic) and three sets of handwritten notes, all created during the production of a pilot episode for a broadcast television documentary series on contemporary art in 1979. Four stories were produced for the pilot: a staged debate on modern art at the Museum of Modern Art; an investigation into the economics of the contemporary art market, a collaboration between video artist Nam June Paik and sound artist Liz Phillips, and an extended interview with sculptor George Segal on the occasion of his 1979 retrospective exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Video footage includes raw footage for each segment and edited versions of the economics of art story, the Nam June Paik and Liz Phillips story, and the George Segal story. The reporter and interviewer for the program was Barry Nolan.

Scope and Contents:

The State of the Arts videorecordings measure 2.4 linear feet and consist of 30 videocassettes (U-matic) and three sets of handwritten notes, all created during the production of a pilot episode for a broadcast television documentary series on contemporary art in 1979. Four stories were produced for the pilot: a staged debate on modern art at the Museum of Modern Art; an investigation into the economics of the contemporary art market, a collaboration between video artist Nam June Paik and sound artist Liz Phillips, and an extended interview with sculptor George Segal on the occasion of his 1979 retrospective exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Video footage includes raw footage for each segment and edited versions of the economics of art story, the Nam June Paik and Liz Phillips story, and the George Segal story. The reporter and interviewer for the program was Barry Nolan.

Although the program never aired, the video shot for the pilot documents significant artists and gallerists of its time, with profiles of O.K. Harris Works of Art and its founder, Ivan Karp, as well as art dealer Holly Solomon and critic Barbara Rose, Marcia Tucker in the early days of the New Museum, and footage of artists like Nam June Paik, Liz Phillips, and George Segal in their studios, describing their work in detail. The sound and video piece created by Paik and Phillips with the dancer Robert Kovich was commissioned by the State of the Arts producers for the pilot program, and the four hours of video documenting their collaboration and its product may therefore be unique.

Interview subjects for the economics of art story include Ivan Karp, Tom Drysdale, Rick Derman, Cosmo Campoli, Joan Thorne, Holly Solomon, Marcia Tucker, and Barbara Rose. The Marcia Tucker interview takes place at the New School, which was at the time the home of the New Museum. Footage also includes a gallery opening at O.K. Harris Works of Art. Extended interviews with Liz Phillips, Nam June Paik, and George Segal are found in the footage of their respective stories.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as one series.

Missing Title

Series 1: -- State of the Arts -- Production Video, 1979 (2.4 linear feet; boxes 1-3)

Biographical / Historical:

State of the Arts was planned as a broadcast television magazine program on the subject of contemporary art. The pilot was produced in 1979 by Lawrence P. Fraiberg Productions with funding provided jointly by IBM and the National Endowment for the Arts. Fraiberg and Tom Cavanau served as executive co-producers, Rick Derman as field producer, and Barry Nolan as interviewer. The program never aired.

Lawrence P. Fraiberg was a longtime television documentary veteran when the pilot was produced. He graduated from the University of California in 1949 and began his career at television station KPIX in San Francisco. He became vice president and general manager of WNEW-TV in New York in 1965, and was named president of Metromedia Television in 1977. In 1980 he was appointed president of the Television Station Group for Westinghouse Broadcasting. An active member in community and industry organizations, he is a recipient of an honorary degree (1978) from St. John's University, New York, a Peabody Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Broadcasting Industry (1986), and a Trustees Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (1990). He died in 2011.

Barry Nolan, the interviewer for State of the Arts, went on to a career as a television magazine host and producer, with credits including Evening Magazine, Hard Copy, Extra!, and Nitebeat, and in 2012 produced the documentary No Way Out But One with his wife, Garland Waller.

Provenance:

Donated 1979-1980 by Lawrence P. Fraiberg.

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. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Rights:

Authorization to quote or reproduce for purposes of publication requires written permission from Ted Cavanu, Rick Derman and Barry Nolan. Contact Reference Services for more information.

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.

Topic:

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Study and teaching  Search this

Performance art  Search this

Artists' studios  Search this

Video art  Search this

Sound sculpture -- United States  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

Function:

Production companies

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Video recordings

Citation:

State of the Arts Videorecordings, 1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources' Hidden Collections grant program.

Identifier:

AAA.frailawr

See more items in:

State of the arts videorecordings

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw92f7d4bec-4caf-4705-8058-87f72987ab5a

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-frailawr