An interview of Sol LeWitt conducted 1974 July 15, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.
LeWitt speaks of his studies at Syracuse University, the Tiffany Foundation award for his lithograph, odd jobs, his work for magazines and the graphics department of I. M. Pei's firm, travel in Europe, his army service, graphic design work, typography, and abstract expressionism.
He discusses his job at the Museum of Modern Art, influences upon his work, his interest in film and the photographs of Eadward Muybridge, and exhibitions at the Dwan, Daniels, and Kaymar Galleries. LeWitt comments on his change from metal to wood sculpture; conceptual, minimal and post-minimal art; series and systems; his wall drawings; torn paper and folded paper "drawings"; prints and etchings; music and books; and the exploitation of art and artists. He recalls Anthony Candido, Dan Flavin, Earl Kerkam, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) was a sculptor and draftsman of Italy and New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 6 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Correspondence with family, artists, and others, 1887-1925; legal and financial documents, 1887-1925; printed materials, 1888-1925; sketches, drawings, and blueprints, undated 1916-1920; and certificates, 1915-1918.
Correspondence consists of a chronological series, 1887-1925, containing letters and postcards from John White Alexander, Samuel P. Avery, William A. Clark, Frank Edwin Elwell, John Flanagan, Daniel Chester French, Henry-Bonnard Bronze Company, Gorham Company, J. Scott Hartley, John LaFarge (undated), Charles Loring, Frederick MacMonnies, Charles Sprague Pearce, Auguste Rodin, Frederic Wellington Ruckstull, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and scattered letters from other nineteenth century artists regarding the execution of works, commissions, exhibitions and expositions in Paris and the United States, among them the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904) and the Exposition Universale (1899-1900), and Bartlett's illness and death in 1925.
The remainder of the correspondence, arranged by subject, includes letters from Bartlett's father, Truman Howe Bartlett, 1899-1913, many written from Boston where he taught in the architecture department of MIT, or from New Hampshire where he kept a studio, and letters to Paul regarding his father's entry in the National Cyclopedia of American Biography, 1925; correspondence with the American Club of Paris, 1903-1906, regarding Bartlett's membership; correspondence with the International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers, 1905-1907 (some from Joseph Pennell) regarding exhibitions; correspondence regarding commissions, including Lafayette, McClellan, General Warren, Library of Congress and other statues; postcards from artists, 1892-1895; and miscellaneous letters.
Legal documents relate to the Lafayette statue, 1900, and also include Bartlett's death certificate. Financial records, 1899-1922, consist of bank statements, checkbooks, bills and receipts for casting, photography, dues and rent. Clippings and a scrapbook deal with Bartlett's Lafayette statue. Other printed material includes articles on various Bartlett sculptures and other sculptors, exhibition catalogs, passes and announcements, yearbooks from the American Club of Paris, 1905-1909, and material from the American Art Association of Paris, including a 20 p. booklet by Bartlett giving the history of the group, and an invitation, 1906, to an auction to benefit the victims of the San Francisco earthquake.
Also included are sketches by Bartlett and his father, undated and ca. 1913; oversized drawings, plans and prints for monuments, statues, and the Capitol ceiling, undated and 1916-1920; postcards depicting Bartlett's sculpture; and certificates from the National Academy of Design and the Panama Pacific International Exposition.
Biographical / Historical:
Sculptor and portraitist; Paris, France and Washington, D.C. Bartlett was born in Connecticut and raised in France where he entered the Ecole des Beaux Arts and also studied under Emmanual Fremiet and Auguste Rodin. His early sculpture focused on animals and his piece "Bear Tamer" was presented to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1891 and exhibited in the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. After 1895, he produced a number of public monuments, sculptures, and historical portraits including the figures of Columbus and Michelangelo for the Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress, the Lafayette statue presented to France, and the pediment for the House wing of the U.S. Capitol. Bartlett died in Paris of blood poisoning on September 20, 1925.
Related Materials:
Additional Paul Wayland Bartlett papers also located at: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming by the Tudor Place Foundation, Inc., 1994. The Tudor Place Foundation inherited the papers in 1994 with the estate of Armistead Peter III of Tudor Place. Peter III was married to Caroline, the daughter of Bartlett's wife by her first marriage to Mahlon Odgen-Jones. After Bartlett's death in 1925, Suzanne cared for his papers, and donated the bulk of them to the Library of Congress in 1954. The papers she retained passed on to Caroline, and at her death to Armistead Peter III.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
An interview of Richard Stankiewicz conducted between 1963 February-August 20, by Richard Brown Baker, for the Archives of American Art.
Biographical / Historical:
Richard Stankiewicz (1922-1983) was a sculptor and educator from Huntington, Massachusetts.
General:
Originally recorded on 7 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 12 digital wav files. Duration is 12 hr., 53 min.
Sound quality is poor.
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.
An interview of Richard Stankiewicz conducted by Richard Brown Baker in 1963 for the Archives of American Art, regarding the Hansa Gallery.
Biographical / Historical:
Richard Stankiewicz (1922-1983) was a sculptor and educator and Huntington, Massachusetts.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 5 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:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Correspondence with Forrest Bess, Jack Boynton, Roy Fridge, Harry Hilson, David McManaway, Harvey Quaytman, and others; clippings, exhibition catalogs, and announcements; and photographs of Love and his friends, of his art works, and his exhibitions.
Biographical / Historical:
Sculptor, Houston, Texas; born in Amarillo, Texas. Represented in the Menil Collection in Houston and Museum of Modern Art, New York in addition to other collections. Works primarily in steel.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1979 by Jim Love.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
An interview of Peter J. Grippe conducted 1968 August 27, by Dorothy Seckler, for the Archives of American Art.
Grippe speaks of abstract expressionist and surrealists artists; abstract expressionist style in the 1940s; his approach to sculpture; printmaking; collaboration between printmakers and poets in the 1950s; working with terra cotta; making pottery and selling it to make a living; teaching at Brandeis University; working with armatures; being invited to join "The Pictograph Movement;" exhibitions at the Willard Gallery; City of Desolation; the Bounty series; the "9th Street Art Exhibition;" and travelling to Europe on a Guggenheim Fellowship. Grippe recalls Theodoros Stamos, David Smith, Louise Bourgeois, André Masson, Seymour Lipton, Herbert Ferber, Arshile Gorky, Roberto Matta, Edward Alden Jewell, Barney Newman, Julio Gonzalez, Pablo Picasso, Leo Castelli, James Rosati, Matt Gorelli, Hans Hofmann, Ibram Lassaw, Robert Motherwell, Alfred Barr, Richard Lippold, Sidney Gordin, Grace Borgenicht, Theo van Doesburg, Robert Mondrian, Auguste Rodin, Jean-Baptiste Carapeaux, William Stanley Hayter, Dylan Thomas, Frank O'Hara, Esteban Vicenti, Louise Nevelson, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Peter Grippe (1912-2002) was a sculptor and printmaker from Newton, Massachusetts.
General:
Sound quality is poor.
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 51 min.
Provenance:
These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
2.9 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 3 microfilm reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1930-1963
Scope and Contents:
Photographs of Browne and his works of art; biographical material; business and financial records, including check stubs, financial records kept for income tax purposes, income tax records, payroll slips, bills and receipts; a eulogy by Joseph Solman; gallery literature; exhibition catalogs, announcements, and brochures; correspondence, including letters regarding a lottery to help Browne after his heart attack in 1952; greeting cards, letters of condolence and business letters; 19 slides of his work; a drawing by Browne; teaching charts for his classes at the Art Students League and New York University; and printed material, including clippings and other miscellaneous materials. A brief motion picture film clip of Browne working is also found.
Correspondents include John von Wicht, James Michener, Abraham Rattner, Yasuo Kunioshi, Robert Gwathmey, and Edith Lowenthal.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, sculptor, educator; New York, N.Y. and Provincetown, Mass. Was Married to Rosalind Bengelsdorf Browne, painter, art critic and educator.
Provenance:
Lent and donated 1963-1978 by Rosalind Bengelsdorf Browne, widow of Byron Browne.
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 -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- History -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painting, Abstract -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
An interview of Fletcher Benton conducted 1989 May 2-4, by Paul J. Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, at the artist's studio, in San Francisco, California.
Benton speaks of his education in the Midwest and the decision to pursue an art career in California, and the problems of regionalism and provincialism in art. He describes the art scene in San Francisco in the 1950s, and talks about the effect of the San Francisco environment on him. He also speaks of art dealers and their methods, art criticism and museum politics. He discusses his methods and materials, his early ventures into sculpture, his involvement with kinetic sculpture, his work in watercolor. He recalls his acquaintance with John McLaughlin and discusses the influence of Joan Brown's work on his own.
Biographical / Historical:
Fletcher Benton (1931-2019) was a painter and sculptor from San Francisco, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 7 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 14 digital wav files. Duration is 7 hr., 9 min.
Provenance:
These interviews are 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:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Topic:
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- United States Search this
Kinetic sculpture, American. -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Painters -- California -- San Francisco -- Interviews Search this
Sculptors -- California -- San Francisco -- 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.
An interview of Faith Ringgold conducted 1989 September 6-October 18, by Cynthia Nadelman, for the Archives of American Art.
Ringgold discusses Harlem from the 1930s through the 1970s; her background and education; her art and political activities; feminism; the evolution of her work; her paintings, soft sculpture constructions, quilts, and performance pieces. She recalls Robert Gwathmey, Tom Lloyd, Robert Morris, Marcia Tucker, Lucy Lippard, her mother, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Faith Ringgold (1930- ) is an Afro-American painter, sculptor, and performance artist from New York, N.Y.
General:
Originally recorded on 8 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 15 digital wav files. Duration is 10 hr., 50 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. Funding for this interview provided by the Lannan Foundation.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Quiltmakers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Interview of Carl Andre conducted 1972 September, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art. Andre speaks of his family and education at Phillips Andover Academy and Kenyon College and classes with Patrick and Maud Morgan. He discusses his interest in Brancusi; Ezra Pound as a critic of sculpture; the relationship between painting, sculpture, prose, and poetry; materials and methods including his "theory of masonry"; exhibitions at Hunter College, the Tibor de Nagy, Dwan, and Konrad Fisher Galleries; the appeal of Japanese art; artists' rights and art and language. He recalls his employment at the Boston Gear Works, Prentice-Hall Publishing Company, and the Pennsylvania Railroad and reminisces about Michael Chapman, Hollis Frampton, Agnes Bernice Martin, Frank Stella, Barbara E. Rose, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Carl Andre (1935-) is a sculptor from New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hrs., 9 minutes.
Provenance:
These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
ACCESS RESTRICTED; written permission required. Contact Archives Reference Services for information.
Topic:
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
