The papers of Xavier Gonzalez, a New York and Massachusetts painter, sculptor, educator, and owner of the Wellfleet Art Gallery, measure 14.1 linear feet and date from 1908 to 1997. The collection consists of biographical materials, correspondence, writings, project files, business records, printed materials, scrapbooks, photographs, and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Xavier Gonzalez, a New York and Massachusetts painter, sculptor, educator, and owner of the Wellfleet Art Gallery, measure 14.1 linear feet and date from 1908 to 1997. The collection consists of biographical materials, correspondence, writings, commission project files, business records, printed materials, scrapbooks, photographs, and artwork.
Biographical materials include an address book and calendars, awards, passports, resumes, student rosters, and legal documents. Correspondence is with family, friends, and colleagues regarding Gonzalez's work and art school in Wellfleet, his uncle and artist Jose Arpa, and other personal and professional activities. Manuscripts for Notes About Painting, unpublished books, and various essays by Gonzalez, along with manuscripts by other authors are in writings.
Commission project files are found for a U.S. Bicentennial monument, murals in New York and Texas, paintings commissioned by the Department of the Interior and Life magazine, and educational aids for the U.S. Navy.
Business records include sales and inventory records for Gonzalez's Wellfleet Art Gallery, The Spanish Institute, and other galleries. Printed materials consist of printed representations of artwork, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, invitations, press releases, and books including He Who Saw Everything, The Epic of Gilgamesh, illustrated by Gonzalez.
The collection also includes 72 numbered scrapbooks that contain sketches, printed materials, project plans, photographs, writings, correspondence, and business records. One of the scrapbooks contains a notebook labeled "Notes of Paris, Visits with Picasso, 1936-1938". Photographs are of Gonzalez, his artwork and studio, his family and friends, Ethel Edwards, student artwork, composer Aaron Copeland, museum director Philip R. Adams, and Art Students League director Stewart Klonis. Artwork includes illustrated notes to Ethel Edwards, folded and cutout paper projects, and pencil and painted sketches.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 9 series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1932-1992 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1930s-1995 (1.0 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
Series 3: Writings, 1948-1993 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 2, 14)
Series 4: Project Files, 1942-1987 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 2-3, OV 22)
Series 5: Business Records, 1949-1997 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 3, OV 22)
Series 6: Printed Materials, 1928-1990s (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 4-5, OV 22)
Series 7: Scrapbooks, circa 1911-1980s (5.4 linear feet; Boxes 5-9, 14-20, OV 21)
Series 8: Photographs, 1908-1990s (3.5 linear feet; Boxes 9-12, 14)
Series 9: Artwork, circa 1950s-1980s (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 12-14)
Biographical / Historical:
Xavier Gonzalez (1898-1993) was a painter, sculptor, and educator who was active in New York, NY and Wellfleet, Massachusetts.
Gonzalez was born in Almeria, Spain and came to the United States at the age of 19. While working odd jobs in Chicago, he attended the Chicago Art Institute. Throughout his career, Gonzalez completed numerous commissions including murals in Texas and New York, a monument for the 1976 bicentennial celebration in New York, paintings for the Department of the Interior, and paintings of Egypt's Old Kingdom for Life magazine. During World War II, he designed posters and maps for the Navy. After the war, Gonzalez opened the Wellfleet Art Gallery with his wife, artist Ethel Edwards, in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The gallery served as an exhibition space, studio, and art school where Gonzalez taught summer classes.
Gonzalez died in New York in 1993.
Related Materials:
Also found at the Archives of American Art are the papers of Xavier Gonzalez's wife, Ethel Edwards.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming on reels N68-113, N69-42, N69-43, and N70-53. Most of this material was included in subsequent gifts, but a comparison of the film and papers was not completed. Loaned materials not donated at a later date remain with the lender and are not described in the container listing of this finding aid.
Provenance:
Xavier Gonzalez first loaned the Archives of American Art material for microfilming in 1968, most of which was included in the later 1999 gift. Gonzalez also donated a small amount of papers in 1971. Additional materials were donated by the George Arents Research Library at Syracuse University in 1984 and 1992, and by the estate of Ethel Edwards Gonzalez in 1999.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
The Xavier Gonzalez papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Topic:
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- United States Search this
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- United States Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
The papers of New York gallery owner and art dealer David Herbert measure 5.8 linear feet and date from circa 1909-1996, with the bulk of the material dating from 1945-1995. Herbert's papers document his years working for Betty Parsons Gallery, Sidney Janis Gallery, Graham Gallery, and others; the operation of the David Herbert Gallery from 1959-1962; Herbert's partnerships and agreements with Richard Feigen and others; and his activities as an independent dealer. Records include biographical material, correspondence, notebooks, subject files, artist files, exhibition files, business records, printed material, and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of New York gallery owner and art dealer David Herbert measure 5.8 linear feet and date from circa 1909-1996, with the bulk of the material dating from 1945-1995. Herbert's papers document his years working for Betty Parsons Gallery, Sidney Janis Gallery, Graham Gallery, and others; the operation of the David Herbert Gallery from 1959-1962; Herbert's partnerships and agreements with Richard Feigen and others; and his activities as an independent dealer. Records include biographical material, correspondence, notebooks, subject files, artist files, exhibition files, business records, printed material, and photographs.
Biographical material includes address books and calendars, educational records, records of Herbert's military service in the United States Naval Construction Battalion in Japan, and resume's charting his career.
Correspondence is with Herbert's parents, friends, business colleagues, and artists. It includes documentation of Herbert's partnership with Richard Feigen, and his cooperative work with Irving Blum and Walter Hopps of Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, and Robert Fraser in London. Also documented are Herbert's relationship with Jaime Andrade and Andrade's family, and a lawsuit Herbert brought against Aaron Berman relating to the ownership of an Ellsworth Kelly drawing. There are scattered letters and postcards from artists and collectors, including Martin Blaszko, Lloyd Cotsen, Martin Hoffman, Ray Johnson, Josephine Merck, Alfonso Ossorio, Paul Sorel, and Clyfford Still.
Notebooks provide brief notes on Herbert's day-to-day business dealings. Subject files, consisting primarily of printed material, document Herbert's interests in several art world figures, subjects such as ancient art, and travel to locations such as Ecuador, Puerto Rico, and Greece.
Exhibition files include installation shots and catalogs for many of the exhibitions held at the David Herbert Gallery between 1959 and 1962.
Artist files document Herbert's interest in individual artists, such as William Draper, Ellsworth Kelly, Franz Kline, Sven Lukin, Edgar Negret, Louise Nevelson, Anthony Padovano, Eduardo Ramirez, and Jeanne Reynal, through printed material, photographs of artwork, scattered artist letters, and sales documentation.
Business records document the financial details and overall goals of Herbert's various business ventures. There is a sales book for Betty Parsons Gallery and Sidney Janis Gallery; Herbert's appraisal, consignment, commission, sales, and loan records; Herbert's business plans and projections; financial statements from the David Herbert Gallery; sales records for Graham Gallery; and records of Herbert's partnership with Douglas McKelvy.
Printed material includes announcements and catalogs from galleries Herbert worked for or collaborated with, including Graham Gallery, Betty Parsons Gallery, Feigen/Herbert Gallery, Stewart Neill Gallery, and Robert Fraser Gallery. Also found are obituaries and other new clippings of interest to Herbert.
Photographs are of Herbert, family members, and friends and colleagues, including his companion, Jaime Andrade, Leona Carrington, William Draper, Jon Carsman, Hans Namuth, and Leon Polk Smith. Many are color snapshots collected in two photographs albums. Also found are photographs taken in Japan and Iwo Jima in 1945-1946 of street scenes, Naval Construction Battalion facilities, and Herbert's army colleagues and friends.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as nine series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1920-circa 1995 (0.7 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1942-1996 (1 linear foot; Boxes 1-2)
Series 3: Notebooks, circa 1950s-circa 1995 (0.3 linear feet; Box 2)
Series 4: Subject Files, 1950s-1992 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 2-3)
Series 5: Exhibition Files, 1959-1963 (0.25 linear feet; Box 3)
Series 6: Artist Files, 1950s-1993 (0.75 linear feet; Boxes 3-4)
Series 7: Business Records, 1950s-1992 (0.6 linear feet; Box 4)
Series 8: Printed Material, 1949-circa 1995 (1.4 linear feet; Boxes 5-7)
Series 9: Photographs, circa 1909-circa 1990 (0.4 linear feet; Box 7)
Biographical / Historical:
New York gallery owner and art dealer David Herbert (1920-1995, born David Herbert Schmerer), worked for a number of important galleries in New York, had his own eponymous gallery from 1959-1962, operated as a private dealer, and was in partnership with dealer Richard Feigen from 1962-1964.
Herbert served in the United States Naval Construction Battalion from 1943-1946 and was posted to Japan in 1945-1946. After receiving a BA in art history from Syracuse University in 1951, he worked for Betty Parsons Gallery (1951-1953) and Sidney Janis Gallery (1953-1959), selling the work of contemporary American painters and sculptors, handling publicity, and installing exhibitions.
Herbert forged strong connections with artists and collectors alike, and was instrumental in launching the careers of a number of important artists. One such artist was Ellsworth Kelly, whom he recommended to Parsons, triggering Kelly's New York career. He opened the David Herbert Gallery in 1959, with investment from Douglas McKelvy, promoting the works of artists including Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, and Louise Nevelson, to leading collectors and museums.
Herbert often worked in cooperation with colleagues Irving Blum and Walter Hobbs in Los Angeles, and Robert Fraser in London. After closing his gallery in 1962, Herbert entered a partnership with dealer Richand Feigen, operating the Feigen/Herbert Gallery from 1962-1964. From 1964-1969 he worked as a private dealer specializing in twentieth century works of art and serving as a consultant to collectors, museums, artists, and corporate interests. From 1969-1975 he was Director and Art Salesman of contemporary and 19th Century American Art at Graham Gallery. Herbert subsequently continued as a private dealer from 1975 until his death.
Herbert traveled extensively, visiting museums, collectors, and galleries in England, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Hawaii, and Japan. Through Edgar Negret, whom Herbert represented, he met Jaime Andrade, who became his assistant at the Feigen/Herbert Gallery in 1963. In turn Andrade shared with Herbert an interest in pre-Columbian art and contemporary Spanish and Latin America art, hosting multiple visits to his native Ecuador by Herbert and others, including artist William Draper.
Andrade served as executor of Herbert's estate, following Herbert's death in 1995.
Provenance:
The David Herbert papers were given to the Archives of American Art by Jaime Andrade, Herbert's companion, in 1999.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D. C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
The David Herbert papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Gallery owners -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Citation:
David Herbert papers, circa 1909-1996. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
An interview of Antonio Homem, conducted 2016 March 14 and 23, by James McElhinney, for the Archives of American Art at the Sonnabend Gallery in New York, New York.
Homem speaks of his early memories of art and his childhood in Portugal; going to museums in Paris and Spain; studying engineering at the ETH in Zurich, Switzerland; working in a gallery in Zurich; reading Proust; discussion of reading, understanding, and misunderstanding art and literature; meeting Ileana and Michael Sonnabend in 1965; subsequently working at the Sonnabend gallery from 1968; job responsibilities; opening galleries in New York in 1970 and 1971; Showing new artists, like Bruce Nauman, Vito Acconci, John Baldessari; Willoughby Sharpe, Shunk and Kender and the Pier 18 Project; the differences between collectors and gallery visitors of New York and Paris; the influence of the creation of the Centre Pompidou; his thoughts on the evolution of artistic taste; Duchamp; Pop art; Arte Povera; and evolution of art market from the 1970s to the present. Homem also recalls Ileana Sonnabend in detail, Robert Rauschenburg, Andy Warhol, Jean-Luc Godard, Michel Guy, Marcel and Giselle Boulois, Dr. Peter Ludwig, Count Panza, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Antonio Homem is the director and owner of the Sonnabend Gallery in New York, New York. James McElhinney (1952- ) is a painter and educator of New York, New York.
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.
Occupation:
Gallery directors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
An interview of Joseph A. Helman conducted 2010 January 4, by James McElhinney, for the Archives of American Art, at Helman's home in New York, New York.
Helman recalls three major events from his early life--the exhibition "Masterpieces from the Berlin Museums: 1948-1949," the film "Lust for Life," and collecting--that led to his career as an art dealer; buying his first painting, which was a Jasper Johns work; meeting the art dealer Leo Castelli; opening his first gallery in St. Louis in 1969; selling his gallery to Ronald Greenberg and moving to Italy with his family; attending the Sotheby's auction of the Robert C. Scull Collection in 1973; teaming up with Irving Blum to open the Blum Helman Gallery in New York City; organizing exhibitions of established and emerging artists. Helman speaks about his relationship with Emily Rauh Pulitzer and the St. Louis Art Museum; his Happening with Allan Kaprow; the story behind Claes Oldenburg's drawing Tongue Cloud, over St. Louis, 1975; discovering the work of Ralston Crawford; introducing American art to Spain. In addition, Helman discusses the contemporary art market; collectors and the process of collecting; and the redefinition of Pop art to include British and American artists of the 1980s. Throughout the interview Helman mentions the various artists he has represented, exhibited or collected such as Richard Serra, Robert Rauschenberg, Josef Albers, Roy Lichtenstein, Ellsworth Kelly, Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Ronald Davis, and Bryan Hunt.
Biographical / Historical:
Joseph A. Helman (1937- ) is an art dealer and collector in New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound disc. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr.,19 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.
Topic:
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
Exploratory travels through the western territories of North America comprising a voyage from St. Louis, on the Mississippi, to the source of that river, and a journey through the interior of Louisiana, and the north-eastern provinces of New Spain. Performed in the years 1805, 1806, 1807, by order of the government of the United States By Zebulon Montgomery Pike. London, 1811
A voyage to South-America describing at large the Spanish cities, towns, provinces, &c. on that extensive continent : interspersed throughout with reflections on the genius, customs, manners, and trade of the inhabitants : together with the natural history of the country : and an account of their gold and silver mines undertaken by command of his Majesty the King of Spain, by Don George Juan, and Don Antonio de Ulloa, both captains of the Spanish Navy, members of the Royal Societies of London and Berlin, and corresponding members of the Royal Academy at Paris ; translated from the original Spanish ; illustrated with copper plates ; in two volumes
Historie del s. d. Fernando Colombo nelle quali s'ha particolare, & vera relatione della vita, & de' fatti dell' ammiraglio d. Christoforo Colombo, suo padre : et dello scoprimento, ch'egli fece dell' Indie Occidentali, dette Mondo Nuouo, hora possedute dal Sereniss. Re Catolico nuouamente di lingua Spagnuola tradotte nell' Italiana dal s. Alfonso Vlloa
Stribling, T. S. (Thomas Sigismund), 1881-1965 (Birthright) Search this
Twain, Mark, 1835-1910 (Man that corrupted Hadleyburg) Search this
Extent:
1.7 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Illustrations
Diaries
Sketches
Illustrated letters
Christmas cards
Photographs
Awards
Place:
Spain -- description and travel
Date:
1891-1986
bulk 1891-1922
Summary:
The papers of painter and illustrator F. Luis Mora measure 1.7 linear feet and date from 1891 to 1986, with the bulk of material dating from 1891 to 1922. The collection includes biographical information, correspondence, 242 monthy pocket diaries by Mora, and printed and photographic materials.
Scope and Contents note:
The papers of painter and illustrator F. Luis Mora measure 1.7 linear feet and date from 1891 to 1986, with the bulk of material dating from 1891 to 1922. The collection includes biographical information, correspondence, 242 small monthly pocket diaries by Mora, and printed and photographic materials.
Biographical material includes one folder containing Mora's Rothschild Prize certificate.
The correspondence is primarily with galleries regarding sales, the value of artwork, and Mora's murals for the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. There is also correspondence with Mora's family and friends regarding his personal life and a family vacation in Cadiz, Spain. The collection also includes two Christmas cards, several illustrated letters and two invitations to Mora's solo art shows. Some of the correspondence is to and from Mora's first wife, Sophia Compton.
The majority of the writings consists of 242 monthly pocket diaries, which contain brief daily entries and some sketches. Mora writes about his work, memberships in the Salmagundi Club and the National Academy of Design, and teaching at the Art Student League. He also discusses his ideas about painting and his observations of the art scene, including his visit to the 1913 Armory Show. Also included is a handwritten "Editorial" by Mora, probably for election to the Lotos Club.
Printed material includes clippings, brochures, programs, advertisements, exhibition catalogs, books, and magazines. Two books, The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg and Other Essays and Stories, by Mark Twain (1917), and Birthright, by T.S. Stribling (1922), both illustrated by Mora, are included, along with over a dozen magazines containing illustrations by Mora.
Photographs include black and white photographs and glass plate negatives of Mora, family and friends, students, and artwork. Black and white pictures of Mora's artwork include his "Thine is Glory" mural (1919), the "National Academy Jury of 1907" painting (1907) and an etching of his daughter, Rosemary. Glass plate negatives are of his first wife, Sophia Compton, her mother Emma, Mora's father Domingo, the painting "Dance of Salome" (1893), Mora's brother-in-law Alfred Compton, his Boston Museum and Chase School of Art classes, and the Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Company, where Mora's father worked.
Arrangement note:
The collection is arranged as 5 series. Records are generally arranged alphabetically by subject. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, circa early 1900s (Box 1; 1 folder)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1900-1969 (Box 1; 3 folders)
Series 3: Writings, 1899-1922 (Box 1; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1895-1986 (Boxes 1-2 and OV 3; 0.8 linear feet)
Series 5: Photographic Materials, 1891-1941 (Box 2, MGP 1, MGP 2; 0.4 linear feet)
Biographical/Historical note:
Francis Luis Mora (1974-1940) was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. In 1877, he and his family moved to Catalonia, Spain and in 1880, they moved again to the United States where they eventually settled in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Both his father, Domingo, and his brother, Joseph, were also noted sculptors.
Mora studied at the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and at the Art Students League of New York. He was a muralist, oil and watercolor portrait painter, and etcher, though he is best known for his illustrations in magazines such as Century, Harper's, and Ladies' Home Journal. He was a member of the Salmagundi Club and the National Academy of Design and taught at the Art Students League of New York and the Chase School of Art. He and his wife, Sophia ("Sonia") Compton, had a daughter, Rosemary, in 1918. After his wife's death, Mora married May Gosman Safford in 1932. Mora died at the age of 64 in 1940.
Related Archival Materials note:
Among the holdings of the Archives of American Art are the F. Luis Mora Art Works and Photographs (available on microfilm reel 5053) and a F. Luis Mora Letter to William John Wittemore (available on microfilm reel D30, frame 534.)
Provenance:
The F. Luis Mora papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Cornelia Colton, the daughter of Mora's second wife, May Safford, in 1975. Additional papers were donated in 2008 by Gwen Compton, Mora's niece.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.
Rights:
The F. Luis Mora papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
The letters of Thomas Eakins measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1866 to 1934. They primarily document the period between 1866 and 1869 that he spent studying art in Paris, as well as his career as a portrait artist.
Scope and Content Note:
The letters of Thomas Eakins measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1866 to 1934. They primarily document the period between 1866 and 1869 that he spent studying art in Paris, as well as his career as a portrait artist.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection, items are categorized into one series consisting of five folders. Items are arranged chronologically.
Biographical Note:
Realist painter Thomas Eakins was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1844. He was encouraged by his parents to develop his talent in art, and in 1862 he entered the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Also during this period Eakins developed an interest in anatomy, revealed later in the realistically detailed Gross Clinic, painted in 1875. In 1866 he moved to Paris, where he studied painting with Jean-Léon Gérôme at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts for three years, and briefly with sculptor Augustin-Alexandre Dumont and painter Léon Bonnat. He toured Spain for six months in 1870 and then returned to Philadelphia to become a portrait artist. Eakins began teaching at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and became its director of instruction in 1882. During this period he also met fellow artist Susan MacDowell and they were married in 1884. While at the Academy, he promoted a curriculum based on the study of the human figure, and began using photography as a method of study for his paintings. A dispute over the use of nude models forced Eakins to resign from the Academy in 1886, but he continued painting and exhibiting until his death in 1916.
Provenance:
Letters from Eakins to his family were donated by Dr. Caroline Crowell, daughter of Frances Eakins Crowell, and niece of Thomas Eakins. Other letters were donated in 1962 and 1963 by Irving Levitt and Lawrence Fleischman. Both accessions were microfilmed upon receipt.
Restrictions:
The bulk of the collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Use of material not digitized requires an appointment.
Rights:
The letters of Thomas Eakins are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Topic:
Painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
