Search Results

Creator:

Egri, Ted, 1913-  Search this

Interviewer:

Egri, Katherine  Search this

Names:

Hoffman, Hazel  Search this

Self, Christine  Search this

Ufer, Regina  Search this

Ufer, Walter, 1876-1936  Search this

Yaple, Dixie  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (microfilm reel and 4 sound cassettes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1970-1980

Scope and Contents:

Research material on Walter Ufer, including an exhibition catalog from his 1970 retrospective; notes and writings; correspondence about Egri's article on Ufer for American Artist (1978); transcripts and notes from telephone conversations and interviews with friends and associates about their recollections of Ufer; photographs of his paintings; photocopies of 3 letters from Ufer to Frank and Hazel Hoffman and Carl Runguis; and 4 taped interviews with Regina Ufer, Christine Self, Hazel Hoffman and Dixie Yaple.

Biographical / Historical:

The Egri's researched Walter Ufer, a painter; Taos, New Mexico. Ted Egri, b. 1913, sculptor, painter, art instructor, FAP artist, Taos, N.M., brother of painter Ruth Egri

Other Title:

Walter Ufer papers (microfilm title)

Provenance:

Material on reel 3125 was lent for microfilming by Ted and Katherine Egri, 1984, as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project. The tapes were lent for duplicating at the same time.

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 Mexico -- Taos  Search this

Topic:

Painting, Modern -- New Mexico -- Taos  Search this

Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- New Mexico -- Taos  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.egritedr

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-egritedr

Creator:

Rosen, Charles, 1878-1950  Search this

Names:

Carnegie Institute -- Photographs  Search this

Bellows, George, 1882-1925  Search this

Speicher, Eugene Edward, 1883-1962  Search this

Extent:

0.8 Linear feet ((on 4 microfilm reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scrapbooks

Sketchbooks

Date:

1896-1971

Scope and Contents:

Correspondence, sketchbooks, diaries, writings, printed material, photographs, and scrapbooks.

REEL 1033: Letters, including 2 from George Bellows and 17 from Eugene Speicher.

REELS 1118-1119: Biographical data and certificates; correspondence with many American artists; a European diary, 1909; writings, lectures and notes by and about Rosen; records of his paintings; sketches and sketchbooks; scrapbooks; exhibition catalogs, clippings and art school catalogs; and reproductions of portraits of Rosen.

REEL 1130: Photographs of Rosen as a young man, teaching and working, and with friends. Other photographs include the Carnegie Institute Jury, 1931; Rosen's friends, many of whom are American artists at Woodstock; Seminole Indians and a mural in Florida; and people and houses in Texas.

Photographs of artists include George Bellows, Ernest Blumenschein, Dennis Burlingame, Jo Cantine, John Carroll, Konrad Cramer, Andrew Dasburg, Randall Davey, Buckminster Fuller, Wendell Jones, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Henri E. Le Sidaner, Jonas Lie, Eugene D. Ludins, Ethel Magafan, Henry Mattson, Henry McFee, Paul Nash, Homer Saint-Gaudens, Judson Smith, Eugene Speicher, John Striebel, and Carl Walters.

Biographical / Historical:

Landscape painter, printmaker, instructor; Woodstock, N.Y. Studied at the National Academy of Design with Chase and DuMond. Associate Member and Academician, National Academy of Design. Painted murals for the United States Post Offices in Beacon and Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and Palm Beach, Fla.

Provenance:

Material on reel 1033 lent for microfilming by Katherine Rosen Warner, Rosen's daughter, 1975. Other material donated by Warner, 1975.

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:

Landscape painters -- New York -- Woodstock  Search this

Topic:

Artists -- United States -- Photographs  Search this

Landscape painting -- New York (State)  Search this

Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- Florida -- Palm Beach -- Photographs  Search this

Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- Woodstock  Search this

Genre/Form:

Scrapbooks

Sketchbooks

Identifier:

AAA.rosechar

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-rosechar

Creator:

Owens, Gene, 1931-  Search this

Names:

Noguchi, Isamu, 1904-1988  Search this

Extent:

139 Items ((on 1 microfilm reel))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1960-1980

Scope and Contents:

Correspondence, 1962-1974, primarily with Isamu Noguchi, who was aided by Owens on sculpture projects; several poems by Owens; newspaper articles on art by Owens; clippings; exhibition catalogs and announcements; a photograph of Owens; and photographs of works of art, 1965-1980.

Biographical / Historical:

Sculptor; Fort Worth, Tex.

Provenance:

Material lent and donated 1980 by Gene Owens.

Microfilmed as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project.

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:

Sculptors -- Texas -- Fort Worth  Search this

Topic:

Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- Texas -- Fort Worth  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.owengene

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-owengene

Creator:

Norton, John Warner, 1876-1934  Search this

Extent:

200 Items (Ca. 200 items (on 3 partial microfilm reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1893-1954

Scope and Contents:

Correspondence, sketches and sketchbooks, printed material, writings and photographs.

REEL 3257: Norton's passport; 2 photographs of him and his work; a bibliography; letters to Norton's wife (some illustrated), his mother, ca. 1898, when he was with the Rough Riders, and correspondence concerning mural commissions; subject files on the Jefferson County Court House murals in Birmingham, Ala. and at the Logan Museum, Beliot College; his memorial exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, and obituaries and condolence letters received by his wife; cancelled checks; a typescript of writings by his children regarding a trip to Mexico City; a contract for a mural; an award; clippings; his memorial biography, JOHN W. NORTON: AMERICAN PAINTER; a sketchbook and sketches; and a scrapbook containing illustrated letters, photographs and sketches.

REEL 3367: A typed draft of Norton's story "White Man's Luck"; Norton's United Scenic Artists' union card; 9 sketches and a sketchbook of drawings, notes and a draft of Norton's last letter to Tom Lea, 1933.

REEL 4074: Twelve letters, many illustrated, from John to his family including his son "Bud" (John Francis Norton); a magazine article on Norton from Northwest Architect; an address and a poem by Norton; and 19 photographs and a 5 page manuscript written by Madge Norton, John's wife, describing their trip to Arizona in 1904.

Biographical / Historical:

Painter, muralist; Chicago, Ill. Taught at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Provenance:

Passport and photographs donated 1984 by Mr. and Mrs. John Norton Garrett, Norton's grandson. Material on reels 3257 & 3367 lent for microfilming by Mr. & Mrs. Garrett, 1984, as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas Project. Material on reel 4074 lent for microfilming, 1987, by John C. Norton, John Norton Garrett and Katherine Norton Smalley, grandsons and granddaughter of John W. Norton as part of AAA's Chicago project.

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:

Muralists -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this

Painters -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this

Topic:

Artists' writings  Search this

Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Painting, American -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.nortjohn

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-nortjohn

Creator:

Nagler, Fred, 1891-1983  Search this

Nagler, Edith Kroger, 1890-1986  Search this

Names:

Bishop, Isabel, 1902-1988  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Eilshemius, Louis M. (Louis Michel), 1864-1941  Search this

Kieran, John, 1892-  Search this

Orozco, José Clemente, 1883-1949  Search this

Saint-Gaudens, Homer, b. 1880  Search this

Sloan, John, 1871-1951  Search this

Teale, Edwin Way, 1899-  Search this

Extent:

1.6 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 4 reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scrapbooks

Date:

1913-1979

Scope and Contents:

Printed material, correspondence, photographs, a scrapbook, and a journal.

UNMICROFILMED: Ca. 450 letters from Edith to her friends and ca. 50 letters to Edith and Fred from family and friends; clippings and exhibition announcements; address lists; and a short priced list of Edith's paintings.

REEL 75: Letters to Edith and Fred from Louis Eilshemius, Jose Orozco, John Sloan of the Artists and Writers Dinner Club, Holger Cahill of the First Municipal Art Exposition, Edwin Way Teale and professional organizations; clippings about Edith and Fred, particularly Fred's religious paintings, exhibition catalogs and announcements; photographs of Fred; a sketch of Fred by Edith; and a letter from John Kieran, "Why I Want Willkie."

REEL 414: Correspondence, with letters from Anthony Lauck, Isabel Bishop and other friends and art institutions; Fred's journal containing ideas on religion, poems, and observations; a scrapbook, 1913-1946; clippings and articles; a photograph of Edith's portrait of her husband; and an address given by Fred.

REELS 1798 & 1799: Ca. 200 letters from Edith to her friends plus correspondence with Joseph Bates, Jr., Isabel Bishop, John Kieran, Elsie Nagler, and Homer Saint-Gaudens; clippings and exhibition invitations.

Biographical / Historical:

Painters; Massachusetts and Dallas, Tex. Fred Nagler and Edith Kroeger met while studying at the Art Students League in New York. Fred was a painter of religious subjects. Edith was a landscape painter.

Provenance:

Donated by Edith and Fred Nagler, 1968-1979.

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 -- Texas -- Dallas  Search this

Topic:

Art and religion  Search this

Landscape painting -- 20th century  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Scrapbooks

Identifier:

AAA.naglfred

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-naglfred

Creator:

Hombordy, Hanna Lore  Search this

Names:

A.W. Lewin (Firm)  Search this

Colonial House Candies  Search this

Cooper-Hewitt Design Archive  Search this

General Electric Company  Search this

Houbigant, Inc.  Search this

Kohn Bros.  Search this

L.S. Brach Manufacturing Corporation  Search this

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

Pratt Institute. Dept. of Graphic Arts  Search this

Berkowitz, Irving  Search this

Schaus, Christian Frederick, 1959-  Search this

Young, Bill  Search this

Extent:

0.5 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Drawings

Trade catalogs

Advertisements

Clippings

Date:

[194-]-1955

Scope and Contents:

The project files include booklets: "Elements of Design" (1953-54); "Appearance Design" (1954); packaging and label designs and prototypes, photographs of drawing machinery, clippings, and misc. designs and printed advertisements for shoes, antennas, and candies.,This collection documents Hombordy's work as a graphics designer in the late 1940s and 1950s while employed at A.W. Lewin, General Electric, and Houbigant, Inc.

Arrangement:

Unprocessed; The archive material consists of labels, booklets, drawings, photographs and printed materials related to Hanna Lore Hombordy's work while employed at A.W. Lewin advertising agency, General Electric and Houbigant, Inc. in the 1940s-1950s.

Biographical / Historical:

Hanna Lore Hombordy (née Galle) holds a BFA, with honors, from the School of Art and Design, Pratt Institute, New York. Before moving to Ventura, Calif. in 1973 her main occupation was in the field of creative design and graphic arts. She was employed as a designer by General Electric Co. in the Appearance and Design department; Houbigant, Inc. doing packaging design; and advertising agencies in New York doing catalog design, newspaper ads, and illustrations. Since 1973 most of her art has been three-dimensional.

Recent work has been included in twenty national juried shows and in 1987 she received the Monarch Best Tile Award. In California, she won an Award of Merit at the State Fair. Locally, she has received numerous awards, among them 1st place in the Thousand Oaks City Competition, the Oxnard Art Association Competition, the Ventura Assembly of the Arts and the Ventura County Fair. She has had fourteen solo exhibits in the southern California area. Hombordy works at her studio home in Ventura, Calif. She creates clay and sculpture and vessels as well as decorative custom tiles and house numbers. She does research and experimental work in clay and uncommon fine art materials such as expanded polystyrene foam. Discoveries in airbrushing on clay are documented in the December 1991 issue of Ceramics Monthly. An article on her work has been published in Ceramic Review, the British ceramics magazine. Recent publications include: Pottery Making Illustrated (Spring 1999) and Clay Times (November 2000 and 2001).

Related Archival Materials:

Works by Hombordy are in the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art collection in Logan, Utah; Moorpark College, UCSD, Santa Paula Savings and Loan, and Monarch Tile Co., in Texas.

Provenance:

Collection donated by Hanna Lore Hombordy in 1993.

Restrictions:

Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Occupation:

Packaging designers -- United States  Search this

Graphic designers -- United States  Search this

Topic:

Commercial art -- Sources -- History -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- 20th century

Drawings

Trade catalogs

Advertisements

Clippings

Citation:

Hanna Lore Hombordy Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1273

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1273

Creator:

McVey, William Mozart, 1905-1995  Search this

McVey, Leza  Search this

Names:

Canaday, John, 1907-1985  Search this

Gonzales, Boyer  Search this

Gross, Chaim, 1904-1991  Search this

Sepeshy, Zoltan, 1898-1974  Search this

West, Clifford B.  Search this

Extent:

22.8 Linear feet ((microfilmed on 22 reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1932-1974

Scope and Contents:

Papers regarding sculptor William McVey and to a lesser extent his wife, ceramist and weaver, Leza McVey.

REELS 869-870: Files on 26 commissions executed between 1938 and 1973; 2 scrapbooks; printed articles by McVey; sketches and drawings; clippings; and photographs. Correspondents include Chaim Gross, Zoltan Sepeshy, Boyer Gonzales, Clifford West, John Canaday, and others.

REELS 5439-5460: Correspondence, writings, art work by the McVey's and others, photographs, and printed material.

Biographical / Historical:

William McVey: Sculptor, educator; Cleveland, Ohio; Leza McVey: Ceramist, weaver, Cleveland, Ohio.

Provenance:

Material on reels 869-870 lent for microfilming by William McVey. He subsequently donated the originals to Rice University in Houston, Texas. Material on reels 5439-5460 was donated in 1998 by the McVey estate via executor Seth C. Taft.

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:

Sculptors  Search this

Ceramicists  Search this

Weavers  Search this

Topic:

Sculpture, American  Search this

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

Women artists  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.mcvewill

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-mcvewill

Creator:

Gonzalez, Xavier, 1898-1993  Search this

Names:

Spanish Institute (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Adams, Philip Rhys, 1908-1993  Search this

Arpa Perea, José, 1858-1952  Search this

Edwards, Ethel, 1914-1999  Search this

Osver, Arthur, 1912-2006  Search this

Extent:

14.1 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Travel sketches

Sketchbooks

Sketches

Prints

Place:

Egypt -- description and travel

Date:

1908-1997

Summary:

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 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:

Painters -- Massachusetts  Search this

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

Artists' studios -- Massachusetts -- Wellfleet -- Photographs  Search this

Genre/Form:

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Travel sketches

Sketchbooks

Sketches

Prints

Citation:

Xavier Gonzalez Papers, 1908-1997. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care and Preservation Fund

Identifier:

AAA.gonzxavi

See more items in:

Xavier Gonzalez papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-gonzxavi

Creator:

Fleetwood, Charles  Search this

Names:

Hurd, Peter, 1904-1984  Search this

Extent:

1 Microfilm reel

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Microfilm reels

Date:

1949-1976

Scope and Contents:

Clippings on Peter Hurd, Andrew Wyeth, Fleetwood, and the building of the Prudential Building in Houston; photographs of Hurd and his art work, including murals and covers for Time magazine; and correspondence.

Biographical / Historical:

President, Prudential Life Insurance Company; Houston, Texas.

Provenance:

Material lent for microfilming by Charles Fleetwood, 1979, as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project.

Restrictions:

The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.

Topic:

Art, American -- Texas -- Houston  Search this

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Texas -- Houston  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.fleechar

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-fleechar

Creator:

First National Bank of Fort Worth (Fort Worth, Tex.)  Search this

Names:

Fearing, Kelly  Search this

Noguchi, Isamu, 1904-1988  Search this

Reeder, Dickson, 1912-1970  Search this

Utter, Bror, 1913-1993  Search this

Extent:

128 Items ((on 1 microfilm reel))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1954-1968

Scope and Contents:

A file containing correspondence, photographs and publicity material relating to the Isamu Noguchi sculpture commissioned for the bank's plaza; a file of publicity material about the bank's commissioning Christmas paintings from Texas artists, including Kelly Fearing and Dickson Reeder; and a scrapbook of clippings on the Bror Utter paintings commissioned by First National Bank.

Provenance:

Lent for microfilming, 1980, by the First National Bank of Fort Worth, via Gordon Crow, Vice President of the bank, as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project.

Restrictions:

The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.

Occupation:

Art patrons -- Texas -- Fort Worth  Search this

Bankers -- Texas -- Fort Worth  Search this

Topic:

Art commissions -- Texas -- Fort Worth  Search this

Art patronage -- Texas -- Fort Worth  Search this

Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Texas -- Fort Worth  Search this

Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- Texas -- Fort Worth  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.firsnati

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-firsnati

Creator:

Tamarind Lithography Workshop  Search this

Names:

Tamarind Institute  Search this

Adams, Clinton, 1918-2002  Search this

Antreasian, Garo Z., 1922-2018  Search this

Brice, William, 1921-2008  Search this

Francis, Sam, 1923-1994  Search this

Hultberg, John, 1922-  Search this

McLaughlin, John, 1898-1976  Search this

Schwartz, Aubrey, 1928-  Search this

Wayne, June, 1918-2011  Search this

Woelffer, Emerson, 1914-2003  Search this

Extent:

1 Linear foot (Gift: (partially microfilmed on 2 reels))

37 Reels (Loan)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Reels

Date:

1954-1984

Scope and Contents:

Artists' files; institutional files; printed material and photographs.

REELS 2866-2878: Artists' files, 1960-1981, containing biographical data, correspondence, project proposals, contract agreements, invoices, receipts, newspaper and magazine clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, and press releases.

REELS 2952-2975: Organizational files, 1958-1972, containing Board member's and Board of Directors correspondence, 1958-1972, Executive Committee minutes and panel of selection correspondence and recommendations; correspondence of Garo Antreasian, Clinton Adams, John Sommers and June Wayne, 1954-1973; grant applications from Manolis Piladakis, Noemi Smilansky and other artists; data on staff, including biographical data, employment contracts and printed material; and material on printer training programs, artists, writers, printers and curators.

REEL 3051: Files, 1960-1978, containing correspondence with artists, Board of Directors, Panel of Selections, Clinton Adams, Garo Antreasian, June Wayne and others; and printer evaluation reports and general correspondence.

REELS 3052-3055: Organizational files, 1959-1981, containing correspondence, information on fellowships and printer and curatorial training, biographical data, printed material, photographs of artists and printers, progress reports and proposals, financial material and printed material; 4 scrapbooks of printed material, 1960-1972; and photographs of artists, printers, the studio, staff parties, workshops, special projects and lithographs. [261 duplicate prints of some of the above photos were given to the Archives April 2, 1984 for study purposes only].

UNMICROFILMED: Printed material, 1958-1984, including catalogs, brochures, exhibition catalogs and publications by the workshop and institute; price lists of Tamarind lithography editions, 1983-1984; publications concerning the art and technique of lithography and the marketing of prints; and photographs of William Brice, Sam Francis, John Hultberg, John D. McLaughlin, Aubrey E. Schwartz and Emerson Woelffer with June Wayne working in the studio.

REEL 439-440 AND SCANNED Seventeen photos of artists, previously microfilmed under Photos of Artists I, and subsequently scanned and returned to the Tamarind records. Artists include: Annie Albers, Josef Albers, William Brice, Richard Diebendorn, Sam Francis, John Hultberg, John McLaughlin, Nathan Loiveria, Henry C. Pearson, Miriam Schapiro, Aubrey Schwartz, Esteban Vicente, Romas Viesulas, Emerson Woelffer, and Adja Yunkers.

Biographical / Historical:

Lithography workshop; Los Angeles, Calif. Founded in 1960 by Garo Antreasian, Clinton Adams and June Wayne. Relocated to Albuquerque, N.M., 1970, by Adams and Antreasian and re-established as the Tamarind Institute.

Provenance:

Microfilmed as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project, 1983-1984. Unmicrofilmed material and 261 duplicate prints of some photos on reels 3052-3055 donated 1984 by the Tamarind Institute via Clinton Adams, director.

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.

Reel 3051 is ACCESS RESTRICTED written permission is required.

Occupation:

Lithographers -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Printmakers -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Topic:

Artists' studios -- California -- Los Angeles -- Photographs  Search this

Lithography -- 20th century -- California -- Los Angeles -- Study and teaching  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.tamalitw

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-tamalitw

Creator:

Nordfeldt, Bror Julius Olsson, 1878-1955  Search this

Names:

Arthur H. Hahlo (Firm)  Search this

Harriet Hanley Gallery (Minneapolis, Minn.)  Search this

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

Albinson, Dewey, 1898-1971  Search this

Bidwell, Watson, 1904-  Search this

Candell, Victor, 1903-1977  Search this

Catlin, Stanton L. (Stanton Loomis)  Search this

Cheney, Sheldon, 1886-  Search this

Coke, Van Deren, 1921-  Search this

Cook, Howard Norton, 1901-1980  Search this

Davison, Edward L.  Search this

Devree, Howard, 1891-1966  Search this

Dickerson, William Judson, 1904-  Search this

Ficke, Arthur Davison, 1883-1945  Search this

Forsyth, Constance, 1903-  Search this

Hale, John Douglass  Search this

Hanley, Harriet  Search this

Jonson, Raymond, 1891-1982  Search this

Knee, Gina, 1898-1982  Search this

Lester, William, 1910-1991  Search this

Mayor, A. Hyatt (Alpheus Hyatt), 1901-1980  Search this

Nordfeldt, Emily Abbott, 1900-  Search this

Passedoit, Georgette  Search this

Saint-Gaudens, Homer, b. 1880  Search this

Walker, Hudson D. (Hudson Dean), 1907-1976  Search this

Extent:

3.6 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 2 reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sketchbooks

Date:

1909-1989

Scope and Contents:

Biographical material, correspondence, business records, writings and notes, printed material, scrapbooks, and photographs document Nordfeldt's career as a painter and instructor, and his widow's involvement after his death in exhibitions, biographies, and sales of his work.

REELS D166-D167: Biographical material includes a biographical sketch by Stanton L. Catlin, several letters from Nordfeldt's first wife Margaret to his second wife, Emily, and his nephew, Leonard Olson, in response to requests for biographical information, and biographical documents; correspondence of Emily and B.J.O., 1909-1959, with museum directors, gallery owners, patrons, artists, friends, universities, and others, mainly regarding the sale and exhibitions of his paintings and his teaching positions; artists' statements; exhibition catalogs; photographs of Nordfeldt; an excerpt from The Man on the Hilltop, by Arthur Davison Ficke; 5 sketchbooks; 3 scrapbooks; and an extensive catalog of Nordfeldt's paintings compiled by Emily, containing photographs and descriptive information.

Among the correspondents are Dewey Albinson, Watson Bidwell, Gina Knee Brook, Victor Candell, Howard N. Cook, Edward L. Davison, Howard Devree, William Dickerson, Constance Forsyth, Harriet Hanley of Harriet Hanley Gallery, Raymond Jonson, William Lester, A. Hyatt Mayor, Georgette Passedoit of the Passedoit Gallery, his student Roberta Shelton, Homer Saint-Gaudens, and Hudson D. Walker. Some of the letters are illustrated.

UNMICROFILMED: Resumes; correspondence, undated, 1923-1979, includes excerpts of letters from Nordfeldt to Constance Forsyth, 1942-1943 and Emily Abbott Nordfeldt, 1944; Emily Abbott Nordfeldt's correspondence with art collectors, art dealers, galleries and museums regarding exhibitions, gifts and sales of Nordfeldt's work; with Nordfeldt's biographers F. Van Deren Coke and J. Douglas Hale; and with the University of Minnesota, University Gallery, 1970-1972 regarding a Nordfeldt exhibition and the Nordfeldt Fund established by Emily; receipts and other business records; 1944-1979; writings and notes by Emily, ca.1930-1950, and others including the preface by Sheldon Cheney for Nordfeldt, the Painter by Coke, 1972;

a transcript of an interview with Raymond Jonson by Coke; printed material, including clippings, 1912-1984, exhibition catalogs, posters and announcements, undated, 1915-1991, notably a catalog of Nordfeldt's etchings shown at the Arthur H. Hahlo & Co. with an introduction by Robert W. Bruere, 1915; reproductions of graphic work for The Outlook and Harper's Monthly Magazine, 1910; miscellaneous printed material; a scrapbook of clippings and printed material, 1971-1980; photographs of Nordfeldt, undated 1910-1955, of the Santa Fe Players' production of "Grumpy," 1921; 3 photo albums of works of art, ca. 1930-1940; 10 seconds of motion picture film; and 2 sketches by Nordfeldt.

Biographical / Historical:

Painter, etcher, block printer, engraver, lithographer, watercolorist, teacher; Santa Fe, N.M. and Lambertville, N.J. Born in Tullstorp, Scania, Sweden, and came to the United States in 1891. Taught at the Minneapolis School of Art and the University of Texas. Moved to Lambertville, N.J. in 1937 from Santa Fe, N.M.

Provenance:

Material on reels D166-D167 lent for microfilming 1963 by Emily Abbott Nordfeldt, Bror's widow. In 1991 her estate donated additional material as well as portions of the previously microfilmed material. Material previously lent but NOT subsequently donated includes portions of the biographical material; several letters; artists' statements; a few personal photographs; the 5 sketchbooks; items from the scrapbooks; and the catalog of paintings. (The collection file contains a list of specific reel and frame numbers.)

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:

Watercolorists  Search this

Etchers  Search this

Painters -- New Jersey  Search this

Painters -- New Mexico -- Santa Fe  Search this

Topic:

Expressionism (Art)  Search this

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

Genre/Form:

Sketchbooks

Identifier:

AAA.nordbror

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-nordbror

Creator:

Pollock Galleries  Search this

Names:

Southern Methodist University  Search this

Achepohl, Keith  Search this

Bywaters, Jerry  Search this

Dowell, James, 1949-  Search this

Fridge, Roy, 1927-  Search this

Jordan, William B., 1940-  Search this

Pauley, Hal  Search this

Extent:

3.2 Linear feet ((on 6 microfilm reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1958-1979

Scope and Contents:

Files on ca. 150 exhibitions held 1958-1979. Files contain correspondence, mainly with the directors William Jordan and Jerry Bywaters; bio. info on artists, photos, writings, price lists, bills, press releases, exhibition catalogs and announcements, clippings and printed material.

REELS 1680-1681: Exhibition files include Schedules for 1965-1966, SMU art rental, Prints by Masters, Oskar Kokoschka, Paul Flores Drawings, Eskimo Exhibition, Dan Wingren, University Collects, Edgar Tafur, Onda Exhibition, Old Master Prints, Museum of Modern Art Drawings, IBM: The Bold Tradition, Heritage of Edward Weston, French Museums Fortnight, Architect Chooses Art, The American Woman as Artist, Wingren: Art 26 Project '67, 20th Print National Exhibition, Student Art Shows, Mirror of the Artist, Kepes Exhibition, Jewish Exhibition, British Fortnight, American Watercolor Society, Schedule 1968-1969, Tobin Exhibition, Ten in Focus, Roten Sales, DeForrest Judd, Japan Art Festival, Italian Fortnight, Da Vinci Models, Baskin Prints, American Drawings, 10 Contemporary Figures, Student Art, 1969, 1970, S.W. Watercolors, Printmakers, People Figures, R. Kotoske, Jasper Johns, Faculty Exhibits, Michael Thomas, Asiatic Artists, Photography as Printmaking, Prints from the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, North Texas Faculties, The Lakeside Studio Sales, Diane Hopkins, Graduate Student Exhibits, Drawings Exhibition, Contemporary Russian Painting, Contemporary American Masterpieces, Don Bradley, American Folk Art, Keith Achepohl, Possible Exhibits, 1970-1971, Howard Neufeld, Ex-students and activities file, Exhibitions completed-AFA, Exhibitions completed-Smithsonian, Exhibitions completed-Western Association of Art Museums, and Philbrook Art Center's Exhibition: Texas Collects 20th Century Art.

REEL 1908: Exhibition files include Recent Paintings by James Dowell, May 20-June 30 1979, Student Exhibition, MFA Qualifying Exhibition Schneider, Lovell, Peters, Bos, April 20-27 1979, MFA Qualifying Exhibition Hausman, Carlson, Jarzemsky, April 11-18 1979, Drawings: Matisse to Lichtenstein, February 20-April 8 1979, Drawings: Matisse to Lichtenstein Publicity and invitations, Egypt: Day and Night (Keith Achepohl), January 14-February 11 1979, Contemporary Paintings from the Meadows Collection, November 1-December 13 1978, Modern Sculpture from the Nasher Collection, September 17-October 22 1978, Faculty Show August-September 1978, Exhibition Committee, 1977-1978, and documentation from the 1971 "One i at a Time" exhibition, showing works by Charles Williams, Jim Love, Roy Fridge, David McManaway, Hal Pauley, and Roger Winter among others. Also included in addition to items mentioned previously is a catalogue with an introduction written by guest curator and former director of the Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts, Douglas MacAgy.

Biographical / Historical:

Art gallery; Dallas, Tex.

Provenance:

Microfilmed as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project.

Lent for microfilming 1980 by University Gallery, Southern Methodist University.

Restrictions:

The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.

Occupation:

Art directors  Search this

Artists -- Texas  Search this

Topic:

Art gallery -- Texas -- Dallas  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.pollgall

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-pollgall

Creator:

Love, Jim, 1927-  Search this

Names:

Bess, Forrest, 1911-1977  Search this

Boynton, Jack, 1928-2010  Search this

Fridge, Roy, 1927-  Search this

Hilson, Harry  Search this

McManaway, David, 1927-  Search this

Quaytman, Harvey, 1937-  Search this

Extent:

500 Items ((on 2 microfilm reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1959-1979

Scope and Contents:

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.

Occupation:

Sculptors  Search this

Sculptors  Search this

Topic:

Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- History  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.lovejim

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-lovejim

Creator:

Hofmann, Hans, 1880-1966  Search this

Names:

Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts  Search this

Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts (Provincetown, Mass.)  Search this

Amgott, Madeline  Search this

Dickey, Tina, 1954-  Search this

Hawthorne, Charles Webster, 1872-1930  Search this

Hofmann, Maria, 1885-1963  Search this

Hofmann, Renate Schmitz, 1930-1992  Search this

Mauer, Alfred  Search this

Extent:

29.92 Linear feet

5 Gigabytes

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Gigabytes

Video recordings

Sound recordings

Scrapbooks

Transcripts

Interviews

Photographs

Date:

circa 1904-2011

Summary:

The papers of painter, teacher, and writer Hans Hofmann measure 29.92 linear feet and 5.00 GB and date from circa 1904 to 2011, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1945 to 2000. The majority of the papers were created after 1932 and document Hofmann's life and professional career after settling in the United States. Among his papers are personal and professional correspondence; records of his schools in Munich, New York City, and Provincetown, Mass.; writings and notes; financial records; photographs; printed matter; estate records; and a small number of personal papers of his second wife, Renate Schmitz Hofmann. Hofmann's personal papers are augmented by a large selection of printed matter, including exhibition catalogs, articles, news clippings, and monographs about Hofmann and modern art, as well as documentary projects including Tina Dickey's compilation of oral histories and records of Hofmann's students, and research materials, sound and video recordings, digital material, and motion picture film created and gathered by Madeline Amgott during the production of two video documentaries about Hans Hofmann released in 1999 and 2002. Hofmann's Library was acquired with his papers; inscribed/annotated volumes have been retained with the collection.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of painter, teacher, and writer Hans Hofmann measure 29.92 linear feet and 5.00 GB and date from circa 1904 to 2011, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1945 to 2000. The majority of the papers were created after 1932 and document Hofmann's life and professional career after settling in the United States. Among his papers are personal and professional correspondence; records of his schools in Munich, New York City, and Provincetown, Mass.; writings and notes; photographs; address and appointment books; artifacts; artwork; biographical information; interview transcripts; sales and estate records; and a small number of personal papers of his second wife, Renate Schmitz Hofmann. Hofmann's personal papers are augmented by a large selection of printed matter, including exhibition catalogs, articles, news clippings, and monographs about Hofmann and modern art, as well as documentary projects including Tina Dickey's compilation of oral histories and records of Hofmann's students, and research materials, sound and video recordings, digital materials, and motion picture film created and gathered by Madeline Amgott during the production of two video documentaries about Hans Hofmann released in 1999 and 2002. Hofmann's Library was acquired with his papers; inscribed/annotated volumes have been retained with the collection.

Correspondence, 1914-1966 (Series 1), consists mainly of incoming letters about professional matters and personal business. A large portion of the letters are from museum directors and curators regarding the exhibition, loan, sale or donation of Hofmann's work; publishers, editors, and others preparing catalogs or biographical works; and galleries that showed Hofmann's paintings or represented him. Also among the correspondents are students and former students, art historians, art critics, fans, and friends. Family correspondents are a sister-in-law, nieces, and a nephew in Germany. Additional correspondence concerning administrative matters, and requests for catalogs, transcripts and recommendations are among the Records of the School of Fine Arts (Series 2). Financial Records (Series 4) contain a small amount of correspondence regarding banking, taxes, and Social Security. Estate Records (Series 9) include correspondence relating to taxes, the sale of Hofmann's Provincetown house, and various legal documents. Correspondence among the Papers of Renate Schmitz Hofmann (Series 10) include condolence letters, and a small number of personal letters and business correspondence regarding Hofmann's estate.

School of Fine Arts Records, 1915-1965 (Series 2), include a very small number of items relating to the Hans Hofmann Schule fur Bildende Kunst that operated in Munich from 1915 until 1933. These are printed prospectuses, a financial record, 1925; and "Italian Schools of Painting: The Renaissance in Italy," a printed chart, probably used as a teaching aid. Other items relating to the Munich school are photographs (Series 6) of Hans Hofmann with students in the 1920s, including some taken during the summer course in Capri, circa 1925. Travel photographs, 1920s, may have been taken while teaching summer courses in Europe, and an unidentified photograph, undated, of an exhibition installation in Germany may be school-related.

The Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts was established in New York in 1933, and his summer school in Provincetown, Mass., opened in 1934; both operated continually until Hofmann closed them in 1958 in order to paint full-time. Records of these schools are more substantial, but still quite incomplete. They consist of administrative files containing accreditation records, correspondence, model bookings, inquiries from prospective students, and printed matter about the schools. Financial records are comprised of expense statements and an analysis of income from the 1956 summer session. Student records consist of student ledgers, registration and payment records, and requests for transcripts and recommendations. Miscellaneous items are student artwork and notes. Records postdating the schools' closing are inquiries from prospective students and requests from former students for transcripts or recommendations. Additional letters from former students about matters other than transcripts and recommendations are filed with Correspondence (Series 1).

Writings, circa 1904-1965 (Series 3), are published and unpublished manuscripts by Hans Hofmann and other authors. Hoffman wrote extensively about his philosophy of painting, about himself as a teacher and an artist, and about modern art. Included are manuscripts, drafts, and revisions of Hofmann's book, Das Malerbuch: Form und Farbe in Gestaltung, circa 1904-[1952?], Search for the Real in the Visual Arts and Other Essays, published in 1948, and The Painter and His Problems-A Manual Dedicated to Painting, 1963. Articles and Essays include the constituent essays of Search for the Real in the Visual Arts and Other Essays and others on theoretical aspects of painting, Alfred Maurer, and Charles W. Hawthorne. Talks and Lectures consist of notes, outlines, and some complete texts of Hofmann's speeches. Miscellaneous Writings are shorter, informative pieces, mostly unpublished. Representative titles include: "I Am Often Asked to Explain My Work," 1946, and "About the Relation of Students and Teachers," undated. Poems by Hofmann include some written to Miz Hofmann. Notes and Lists include notes on specific works of art and lists of paintings for exhibitions, framing, and shipping.

Financial Records, 1927-1966 (Series 4), consist mainly of banking records and tax returns with supporting documentation. There are also statements of assets and liabilities, and a few subject files concerning financial matters such as "House Expenses," "Social Security," and "University of California-Financial Standing With." Additional tax records are among the documents of the Estate of Hans Hofmann (Series 9), and expenses are recorded in his 1932 appointment book (Series 5).

Miscellaneous Records, 1906-1966 (Series 5) include Addresses and Appointment Books. Artifacts are a leather wallet and 6 photogravure blocks. Artwork consists of 4 sketches and block prints of 3 red shapes, one the numeral 5. Included with Biographical Information are birth and marriage certificates, immigration and naturalization papers, wills, Hofmann and Wolfegg family documents, biographical notes and chronologies, and a bibliography of writings on and by Hofmann. Interview Transcripts are of 3 interviews with Hofmann conducted for various purposes. Sales Records include lists of paintings sold through galleries and privately, and a list of prices computed by canvas size.

Photographs, circa 1925-1966 (Series 6) are of People, Events, Places, Works of Art, and Miscellaneous Subjects; also, Oversize Photographs. People include views of Hofmann alone and with Miz, students, and others; Miz Hofmann; Renate Schmitz Hofmann; and the Hofmann family. Also, there are pictures of identified and unidentified individuals and groups. Events recorded are "Forum 49" at Gallery 200, exhibition installations, openings, and ceremonies for honorary degrees awarded Hofmann. Photographs of places include Miz Hofmann's Munich apartment; interior and exterior views of Hofmann's Provincetown house; exterior views of the Provincetown school; Hofmann's New York studio; and unidentified houses and landscapes. Travel pictures are of Italy, Mexico, California [?], and unidentified locations. Photographs of works of art by Hofmann are mainly 35-mm color slides of works completed from 1935 to 1965. There are also photographs of works by other artists and Hofmann students. Teaching materials are photographs of Old Masters paintings, drawings, and Classical sculpture, some marked to indicate line, form, or proportion. Miscellaneous subjects are a dog, cat, and doll; also, a cover design for Search for the Real in the Visual Arts. The oversize photographs include portraits of Hans Hofmann and Miz, and works of art by Hofmann students.

Printed Matter, 1930-1978 (Series 7), contains articles, essays and a letter to the editor by Hans Hofmann; the remaining material by other authors is categorized by type. Exhibition Catalogs and Related Items (mainly announcements and invitations), 1931-1978, undated, are from group and solo shows that featured the work of Hans Hofmann; also, catalogs and announcements of other artists' exhibitions collected by Hofmann. Newspaper clippings and articles from periodicals include reviews, feature articles, articles with brief references to Hofmann or reproductions of his work, and obituaries. Others are on art-related topics and miscellaneous subjects. Miscellaneous printed matter includes a variety of items such as brochures about art courses (not the Hofmann school), reproductions of works by Hofmann and other artists, book prospectuses, and statements. Art Museum: A Center for Cultural Study, a prospectus showing models and drawings of the proposed University Art Museum, Berkeley, notes the location of its Maria and Hans Hofmann Wing. A Scrapbook, 1944-1962, contains clippings, exhibition reviews, and some catalogs, checklists, and invitations. Nineteen books that mention or are about Hofmann are a part of this series.

Hans Hofmann's Library (Series 8) of art books and general literature was acquired with his papers. Inscribed and annotated volumes have been retained. Books about or mentioning Hofmann are among Printed Matter (Series 7). All other books and periodicals (376 items) were transferred to the Library of the Smithsonian's American Art Museum.

Estate of Hans Hofmann, 1945-1974 (Series 9), consists of records of Hofmann's attorney and co-executor, Robert Warshaw, and includes correspondence and legal documents concerning taxes, the Provincetown house, and miscellaneous business matters.

Papers of Renate Schmitz Hofmann, 1962-1967 (Series 10), include notes, correspondence, condolence letters and records regarding Hans Hofmann's funeral, and information about the theft of Hofmann paintings from his Provincetown house in 1966.

Hans Hofmann Documentary Projects, 1944-2011 (Series 11) includes research materials compiled by Tina Dickey concerning Hofmann's students, correspondence as well as primary source and supplementary research materials produced and gathered by Madeline Amgott for two video documentaries on Hofmann released in 1999 and 2002. Original and edited audiovisual recordings are included in the series, as well as primary source material gathered from a variety of sources. Some material is in digital format.

Arrangement:

The Hans Hofmann papers are arranged into 11 series. Correspondence (Series 1), Financial Records (Series 4), and Papers of Renate Schmitz Hofmann (Series 10) are arranged alphabetically by folder title. Unless noted otherwise, material within each folder is arranged chronologically.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1914-1966 (3 linear feet; Box 1-3)

Series 2: School of Fine Arts records, 1915-1965 (2 linear feet; Box 4-5)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1904-1965 (2.5 linear feet; Box 6-8)

Series 4: Financial records, 1927-1966 (0.5 linear feet; Box 8)

Series 5: Miscellaneous records, 1906-1966 (0.8 linear feet; Box 9)

Series 6: Photographic materials, circa 1925-1965 (1.5 linear feet; Box 9-10, Box 19, MGP 1)

Series 7: Printed material, 1928-1978 (5.2 linear feet; Box 11-15, Box 20)

Series 8: Hans Hofmann Library (2.5 linear feet; Box 16-18, Box 20)

Series 9: Estate of Hans Hofmann, 1945-1974 (0.5 linear feet; Box 18)

Series 10: Papers of Renate Schmitz Hofmann, 1962-1967 (0.1 linear feet; Box 18)

Series 11: Hans Hofmann Documentary Projects, 1944-2011 (12.3 linear feet; Box 19, 21-31, FC 32-44, 5.00 GB; ER01-ER04)

Biographical Note:

German-born Hans Hofmann (1880-1966), a leading figure of the 20th century art world, was the first painter to be called an Abstract Expressionist. An esteemed and influential teacher, Hofmann operated his own school in Munich and later in New York City and Provincetown, Mass. He wrote extensively on theoretical aspects of modern art, and about himself as an artist and teacher, and was in demand as a speaker. Hofmann alternated among a variety of styles and techniques throughout his career. Many paintings combine Fauve-inspired color and Cubist structure; influenced by the Surrealist's automatism, much of Hofmann's abstract work often uses poured and spattered paint.

Johann (Hans) Georg Albert Hofmann showed musical and artistic talent as a boy and excelled in the study of science and mathematics. Technical knowledge acquired through working as assistant to the Director of Public Works of the State of Bavaria enabled him, while still a teenager, to invent several mechanical devices. Hofmann attended Moritz Heymann's Munich art school in 1898. Willi Schwarz, one of his teachers during this period, introduced him to Impressionism, and by visiting galleries Hofmann's awareness of contemporary art movements expanded. Schwarz also introduced him to art collector Phillip Freudenberg whose patronage made a move to Paris possible.

Hofmann arrived in Paris in 1904 and began attending evening sketch classes at the Académie Colarossi and the Académie de la Chaumière where Matisse was among his fellow students. During his 10 years in Paris, Hofmann established a close friendship with Robert Delaunay and met Braque, Arthur B. Carles, Léger, Picasso, and Leo Stein. He painted Cubist landscapes, still lifes, and figure studies, and participated in group shows with Neue Sezessions, Berlin, 1908 and 1909. In 1910, the Paul Cassierer Gallery, Berlin, presented Hofmann's first solo exhibition.

When World War I broke out, Hofmann was visiting Germany. War conditions prevented his return to Paris and terminated Freudenberg's financial assistance. Disqualified for military service due to a lung condition, Hofmann decided to earn his living by teaching. The Hans Hofmann Schule für Bildende Kunst in Munich opened in 1915 and was a success from its earliest days. Beginning in 1917, summer courses were offered in locations such as Italy, France, Bavaria, and Dalmatia. After the war, Hofmann's school began to attract American students including Carl Holty, Alfred Jensen, Louise Nevelson, Worth Ryder, Vaclav Vytlacil, and Glenn Wessels.

Hofmann first came to the United States in 1930, when former student Worth Ryder, art department chairman at the University of California, Berkeley, invited him to teach the summer session at Berkeley. He returned to California the following year, teaching a semester at the Chouinard School of Art, Los Angeles, followed by another summer session at Berkeley. Hofmann moved to New York in 1932 because of the political situation at home and at the urging of his wife, who was to remain in Germany until 1939.

While Hofmann served as guest instructor at the Thurn School of Art, Gloucester, Mass., during the summers of 1932 and 1933, his Munich school offered summer sessions taught by Edmund Daniel Kinzinger. Its 1933 prospectus noted, "Mr. Hofmann will probably conduct the summer school personally..." But he did not return, and the school closed in the fall of 1933.

Hofmann taught at Art Students League in the fall of 1932. The Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts opened in New York City in the autumn of 1933, operating in several locations before moving to permanent quarters at 52 West 8th Street in 1938. He established the summer school at Provincetown, Mass. in 1934. Firsthand knowledge of Picasso, Matisse, and european modern art trends, along with his theories and the freedom he offered students, made Hofmann a widely admired, influential, and important teacher. Among his students were: Burgoyne Diller, Ray Eames, Helen Frankenthaler, Red Grooms, Harry Holtzman, Allen Kaprow, Lillian Kiesler, Lee Krasner, George McNeil, Irene Rice Pereira, and Richard Stankiewicz. In addition, art critic Clement Greenberg was significantly influenced by Hofmann's lectures on artistic theory. Both schools flourished until Hofmann decided to close them in 1958; after teaching for 43 consecutive years, he wanted to paint full-time.

In his writings, Hofmann expanded on theories regarding form, color, and space developed during his years in Paris. His most important text, Das Malerbuch: Form und Farbe in Gestaltung, based on notes begun in Paris circa 1904, was written during his second summer at Berkeley, 1931. That same year, Glenn Wessels translated it into English as Creation in Form and Color. Although Hofmann produced additional notes and revisions over the next two decades, the manuscript remains unpublished. Hofmann wrote essays and articles, many of which were published. A collection of Hofmann's writings, Search for the Real and Other Essays, was published in conjunction with his 1948 retrospective exhibition at the Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Mass., the first solo show of an Abstract Expressionist to be organized by a museum. Other published and unpublished articles, essays, and shorter writings that elucidate his theoretical concerns include: "The Mystification of the Two- and Three-Dimensional in the Visual Arts," 1946; "Pictorial Function of Colours," 1950; "Space Pictorially Realized Through the Intrinsic Faculty of the Colours to Express Volume," 1951; "The Color Problem in Pure painting-Its Creative Origin," 1955; "The Creative Process-Its Physical and Metaphysical Performing," 1956; "Nature as Experience and Its Pictorial Realization," undated; and "Pure Colour Space," undated.

Hofmann's lectures to his own students, and talks presented to art groups and the general public addressed many of the same themes. He gave his first American lecture in 1930 at the University of Minnesota, and presented talks to a variety of groups while in California. Hofmann was a frequent speaker at the Provincetown Art Association, and participated in the "Forum 49" series he helped to organize at Gallery 200 in Provincetown, 1949.

In the last decade of his life, Hofmann produced a large number of paintings. He was represented in the XXX Venice Biennale, 1960, and major retrospective exhibitions were organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1957, and the Museum of Modern Art, 1963. In 1963, he made a gift of 45 paintings to the University of California, Berkeley, and funded construction of a wing to house them in the soon-to-be-built University Art Museum. Hans Hofmann died in New York City on Feb. 17, 1966.

1880 -- Hans Hofmann is born in Weissenburg, Bavaria, on 21 March, the son of Theodor and Franziska Hofmann.

1886 -- The family moves to Munich, where Theodor becomes a government official. Hans studies mathematics, science, and music at the gymnasium. He plays the violin, piano and organ and begins to draw.

1896 -- With his father's help, finds a position as assistant to the director of public works of the State of Bavaria. Develops his technical knowledge of mathematics, resulting in several scientific inventions, including an electromagnetic comptometer.

1898 -- Studies with Willi Schwarz at Moritz Heymann's art school in Munich, where he is introduced to Impressionism.

1900 -- Meets Maria (Miz) Wolfegg, his future wife.

1903 -- Through Willi Schwarz, he meets the nephew of a Berlin collector, Philipp Freudenberg, who becomes his patron from 1904-1914 and enables him to live in Paris.

1904 -- Frequents the Café du Dome, a haunt of artists and writers, with Jules Pascin, a friend from Moritz Heymann's school. Miz joins him in Paris. Attends evening sketch class at the Académie de la Grand Chaumière and the Académie Colarossi. Meets Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Henri Matisse.

1908 -- Exhibits with the Neue Sezession in Berlin and again in 1909. Miz designs scarves with Sonia Delaunay (then Sonia Uhde).

1910 -- First one-person exhibition held at Paul Cassirer Gallery, Berlin. Meets Robert Delaunay, with whom he designs patterns for Sonia Delaunay's Cubist fashions. During their close friendship, both men develop as colorists.

1914 -- Hans and Miz leave Paris for Corsica so that Hans can regain his health during a bout of what turned out to be tuberculosis. Called to Germany by the illness of his sister Rosa, they are caught on the Tegernsee by the outbreak of World War I.

1915 -- Disqualified for the army due to the after effects of his lung condition, and with the assistance of Freudenberg terminated by the war, Hofmann decides to earn a living teaching. In the spring, he opens the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts at 40 Georgenstrasse, Munich.

1918-29 -- After the war his school becomes known abroad and attracts foreign students such as Worth Ryder, Glenn Wessels, Louise Nevelson, Vaclav Vytlacil, Carl Holty, Alfred Jensen, and Ludwig Sander. Holds summer session at Tegernsee, Bavaria (1922), Ragusa (1924), Capri (1925-1927), St. Tropez (1928-1929). Makes frequent trips to Paris. Has little time to paint but draws continually.

1924 -- Marries Miz Wolfegg on 5 June.

1929 -- A series of his drawings is reproduced by a photographic process known as Lichtdrucke.

1930 -- At the invitation of Worth Ryder, teaches in a summer session at the University of California, Berkeley, where Ryder is chairman of the Department of Art. Returns to Munich for the winter.

1931 -- In the spring, teaches at the Chouinard School of Art, Los Angeles, and again at Berkeley in the summer. Wessels helps him with the first translation of his book Form und Farbe in der Gestaltung, begun in 1904. Exhibits a series of drawings at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, his first show in the United States.

1932 -- Returns to the Chouinard School of Art in the summer. Advised by Miz not to return to Munich because of a growing political hostility to intellectuals, settles in New York. Vaclav Vytlacil helps arrange a teaching position for him at the Art Students League.

1932-33 -- Summer sessions at the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts continue in St. Tropez (1932) and Murnau (1933), taught by Edmund Daniel Kinzinger. The school closes in the fall of 1933, and Miz gives up the lease in 1936.

1933 -- Spends the summer as guest instructor at the Thurn School of Art in Gloucester, Mass. In the fall, opens the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts at 444 Madison Avenue in New York. After a prolonged period of drawing, begins to paint again.

1934 -- Upon the expiration of his visa, travels to Bermuda to return with a permanent visa. Opens a summer school in Provincetown, Mass. The Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts opens at 137 East 57th Street in New York. In 1936, the Hofmann School moves to 52 West 9th Street.

1938 -- The Hofmann School moves to 52 West 8th Street. A planned European summer session (traveling to Paris, the Cote d'Azure, Italy, and Capri) is called off after Hitler moves into Austria in the Spring. Delivers a lecture series once a month at the school in the winter of 1938-39, which is attend by the vanguard of the New York art world, including Arshile Gorky and Clement Greenberg.

1939 -- Miz Hofmann arrives in America. After a stay in New Orleans, joins her husband in Provincetown. They spend five months each summer in Provincetown and the rest of the year in New York.

1941 -- Becomes an American citizen. Delivers an address at the annual meeting of the American Abstract Artists at the Riverside Museum. One-person exhibition at the Isaac Delgado Museum of Art, New Orleans.

1942 -- Hofmann's former student Lee Krasner introduces him to Jackson Pollock.

1944 -- First exhibition in New York at Art of This Century Gallery, arranged by Peggy Guggenheim. "Hans Hofmann, Paintings, 1941-1944" opens at the Arts Club in Chicago and travels on to the Milwaukee Art Institute in January 1945. Howard Putzel includes Hofmann in "Forty American Moderns" at 67 Gallery, New York. He is also included in "Abstract and Surrealist Art in America" at the Mortimer Brandt Gallery, New York (arranged by Sidney Janis in conjunction with publication of Janis's book of the same title).

1947 -- Exhibitions at Betty Parsons Gallery in New York, in Pittsburgh, and at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The Texas show travels to Denton, Tex.; Norman, Okla.; and Memphis, Tenn. Begins to exhibit with the Kootz Gallery in New York. Kootz holds a one-person show of Hofmann's work each year until his death (with the exception of 1948 and 1956).

1948 -- Retrospective exhibition a the Addison Gallery of American Art in Andover, Mass., in conjunction with publication of his book, Search For the Real and Other Essays.

1949 -- Travels to Paris to attend the opening of his exhibition at the Galerie Maeght and visits the studios of Picassso, Braque, Constantin Brancusi, and Joan Miro. Helps Fritz Bultman and Weldon Kees organize Forum 49, a summer series of lectures, panels, and exhibitions at Gallery 200 in Provincetown.

1950 -- Participates in a three-day symposium at Studio 35 in New York with William Baziotes, James Brooks, Willem de Kooning, Herbert Ferber, Theodoros Stamos, David Smith, and Bradley Walker Tomlin. Joins the "Irascibles"-a group of Abstract Expressionists-in an open letter protesting the exclusion of the avant-garde from an upcoming exhibition of American art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

1951 -- Juries the 60th Annual Exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago with Aline Louchheim and Peter Blume.

1954 -- One-person exhibition held at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

1955 -- Designs mosaic murals for the lobby of the new William Kaufmann Building, architect William Lescaze, at 711 Third Avenue, New York. Retrospective held at the Art Alliance in Philadelphia.

1957 -- Retrospective exhibitions held at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, which then travel to Des Moines, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Minneapolis, Utica, and Baltimore.

1958 -- Hofmann ceases teaching to devote himself full time to painting. He moves his studio into the New York and Provincetown schools. Completes a mosaic mural for the exterior of the New York School of Printing (Kelley and Gruzen, architects) at 439 West 49th Street.

1960 -- Represents the United States with Philip Guston, Franz Kline, and Theodore Roszak at the XXX Venice Biennale.

1962 -- Retrospective exhibition opens in Germany at the Frankische Galerie am Marientor, Nuremberg, and travels to the Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, and the Kongreilhalle, Berlin. In Munich, Neue Galerie im Kunstlerhaus presents "Oils on Paper, 1961-1962." Awarded an honorary membership in the Akademie der Bildenden Kunste in Nuremberg and an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by Dartmouth College in Hanover, N. H.

1963 -- Miz Hofmann dies. Retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art organized by William Seitz travels throughout the United States and internationally to locations in South America and Europe, including Stuttgart, Hamburg, and Bielefeld. Signs a historic agreement to donate 45 paintings to the University of California at Berkeley and to fund the construction of a gallery in his honor at the new university museum, then in the planning stage. The exhibition "Hans Hofmann and His Students," organized by the Museum of Modern Art, circulates in the United States and Canada.

1964 -- Awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Serves on the jury for the 1964 Solomon Guggenheim International Award. Becomes a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, New York. Renate Schmitz inspires the Renate series.

1965 -- Awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by Pratt Institute, New York. Marries Renate Schmitz on 14 October.

1966 -- Hans Hofmann dies on 17 February in New York.

Related Material:

The holdings of the Archives of American Art include papers and oral history interviews of many former students and friends of Hofmann; among these collections are correspondence, photographs, reminiscences, writings, and printed items relating to Hofmann and his school. The Lillian Kiesler Papers, 1920s-1990s include records of the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts. Researchers are advised to conduct a name search in the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS).

Other Hans Hofmann Papers, 1929-1976 (1.65 linear ft.) are owned by The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley (Collection number: BANC MSS 80/27 c). An inventory is available on The Bancroft Library's website at http//www.lib.berkeley.edu/BANC/

Separated Materials:

Monographs and periodicals (376 items) from Hofmann's Library not directly related to the artist were transferred to the Library of the Smithsonian's American Art Museum in 2001. The Library retained relevant volumes, dispersed others to appropriate libraries within the Smithsonian Institution, and made final decisions regarding disposition of any remaining items.

Provenance:

Renate Schmitz Hofmann, widow of the artist, donated to the Archives of American Art 313 35-mm color slides of work by Hans Hofmann in 1974. The remainder of the collection was a gift of the Estate of Hans Hofmann in 1997. Tina Dickey donated her research material in 2000 and 2001 under the auspices of the Renate, Hans, and Maria Hofmann Trust. In 2006, additional manuscripts, notes, and illustrations for Hofmann's Das Malerbuch: Form und Farbe in der Gestaltung were received from the Trust. In 2015, the Trust donated additional correspondence, research and video production materials related to two documentaries on Hans Hofmann by Madeline Amgott. 13.0 linear ft. books, exhibition catalogs, and periodicals (376 items) from Hofmann's library, received with the collection, were transferred to the Smithsonian's American Art Museum-National Portrait Gallery Library.

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:

Max Spoerri interview: Authorization to quote or reproduce for purposes of publication requires written permission from Max Spoerri. 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.

Occupation:

Painters  Search this

Art teachers  Search this

Topic:

Motion pictures (visual works)  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Art -- Philosophy  Search this

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

Authors -- Massachusetts  Search this

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

Abstract expressionism  Search this

Art schools -- Massachusetts -- Provincetown  Search this

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

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

Genre/Form:

Video recordings

Sound recordings

Scrapbooks

Transcripts

Interviews

Photographs

Citation:

Hans Hofmann papers, circa 1904-2011, bulk 1945-2000. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.

Identifier:

AAA.hofmhans

See more items in:

Hans Hofmann papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-hofmhans

Creator:

Hemphill, Herbert Waide  Search this

Names:

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center  Search this

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)  Search this

Exposition Universelle de Paris (1878 : Paris, France)  Search this

Folk Art Society of America  Search this

Museum of International Folk Art (N.M.)  Search this

National Museum of American Art (U.S.)  Search this

Aiken, Gayleen  Search this

Bogun, Maceptaw, Rev.  Search this

Borkowski, Mary  Search this

Brice, Bruce  Search this

Carpenter, Miles B. (Miles Burkholder), 1889-  Search this

Coins, Raymond  Search this

Crittenden, Varick A.  Search this

Dinsmoor, Samuel Perry, 1843-1932  Search this

Donovan, Carrie  Search this

Fancher, John W.  Search this

Finster, Howard, 1916-2001  Search this

Flanagan, Thos. J. (Thomas Jefferson), b. 1890  Search this

Fowler, Tim  Search this

Gatto, Victor Joseph, 1893-1965  Search this

Ghostley, Alice, 1926-2007  Search this

Goins, Vernon  Search this

Hall, Michael D., 1941-  Search this

Hamblett, Theora, 1895-1977  Search this

Hartigan, Lynda Roscoe  Search this

Harvey, Bessie, 1929-  Search this

Hawkins, William Lawrence, 1895-1990  Search this

Hicks, Tiny  Search this

Holley, Lonnie  Search this

Hunter, Clementine  Search this

James, A. Everette (Alton Everette), 1938-  Search this

Jennings, James Harold  Search this

Jones, S. L. (Shields Landon), 1901-  Search this

Jordan, John  Search this

Josephson, Nancy, 1955-  Search this

Klumpp, Gustave, 1902-1974  Search this

Lisk, Charles  Search this

Little, Roy  Search this

Lopez, George  Search this

Maldonado, Alexander Aramburo, 1901-1989  Search this

McCarthy, Justin, 1891-1977  Search this

Merrill, James Ingram  Search this

Morgan, Gertrude  Search this

Mr. Imagination, 1948-  Search this

Nathaniel, Inez  Search this

O'Kelley, Mattie Lou  Search this

Orth, Kevin, 1961-  Search this

Patterson, Clayton  Search this

Prince, Daniel C.  Search this

Prince, Neal A.  Search this

Robertson, Royal  Search this

Rowe, Nellie Mae, 1900-1982  Search this

Smith, Fred, 1886-1975  Search this

Smith, Robert E., 1926-  Search this

Smither, John  Search this

Smither, Stephanie  Search this

Spies, Jim  Search this

St. EOM, 1908-1986  Search this

Terrillion, Veronica  Search this

Tolliver, Mose, 1920-  Search this

Tolson, Edgar, 1904-1984  Search this

Walters, Hubert  Search this

Weissman, Julia  Search this

Young, Purvis, 1943-  Search this

Zeldis, Malcah  Search this

Extent:

26.7 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Video recordings

Watercolors

Sketchbooks

Sound recordings

Photographs

Drawings

Poems

Reports

Prints

Interviews

Date:

1776-1998

bulk 1876-1998

Summary:

The papers of folk art collector and museum curator Herbert Waide Hemphill date from 1776-1998, bulk 1876-1998, and measure 26.7 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical materials, personal business records, files documenting his collecting, writings, art work, minutes of meetings, a scrapbook, printed material including exhibition and auction announcements and catalogs, and miscellaneous artifacts. The collection also contains numerous photographs of Hemphill, family members, his residences, friends and colleagues, exhibitions, travel, and art work. Sound and video recordings include interviews of Hemphill.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of folk art collector and museum curator Herbert Waide Hemphill date from 1776-1998, bulk 1876-1998, and measure 26.7 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical materials, personal business records, files documenting his collecting, writings, art work, minutes of meetings, a scrapbook, printed material including exhibition and auction announcements and catalogs, and miscellaneous artifacts. The collection also contains numerous photographs of Hemphill, family members, his residences, friends and colleagues, exhibitions, travel, and art work. Sound and video recordings include interviews of Hemphill.

Biographical material includes photocopies of Hemphill's birth certificate and passport, social security cards, and international health card, genealogical notes, an evaluation of his school work, membership cards, award certificates, address books, and an engagement calendar containing very brief annotations of his activities.

Correspondence documents Hemphill's affairs with miscellaneous museums and art institutions, discussing his presentation of lectures, exhibitions, and loans from his collection to organizations including the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Collection, the Folk Art Society of America, the Museum of International Folk Art, and the Smithsonian Institution's American Art Museum.

Hemphill's correspondence with friends and colleagues discuss collecting activities and pursuit of newly discovered folk art and artists. Many of the letters are from artists. Correspondents include Varick A. Crittenden, Michael D. Hall, A. Everette James, Daniel C. Prince, Neal A. Prince, and artists Rev. Maceptaw Bogun, Mary Borkowski, Tim Fowler, Joseph Victor Gatto, S. L. Jones, Gustav Klumpp, Roy Little, George Lopez, Kevin Orth, and Malcah Zeldis. There are also scattered letters from artists Miles Burkholder Carpenter, John W. Fancher, Rev. Howard Finster, William Hawkins, Sister Gertrude Morgan, Mr. Imagination, Mattie Lou O'Kelley, Clayton Patterson, St. EOM, and Mose Tolliver. One letter from Stephanie and John Smither is etched on a bone.

Personal business records include both legal and financial documents. There are wills for Hemphill, his mother, and for his friend Neal A. Prince. The records also include leases, insurance records, contracts, grant proposals, loan agreements, deeds of gift, price lists, consignment records, tax records, and miscellaneous receipts. Cancelled checks relate to Hemphill's collecting interests and activities, and include payments to artists for their work. There are court papers documenting a lawsuit by Hemphill's landlord who was attempting to evict him.

Art work consists of a sketchbook by Roy Little, a set of hand-cut Japanese mask designs, a collage of Polaroid photographs taped to glass created by Rev. Howard Finster, a hand-made book by Nancy Josephson, and miscellaneous drawings, watercolors, and prints by various artists including Justin McCarthy, Inez Nathaniel, and Nellie Mae Rowe.

Notes and writings include card files of artists, extensive bibliographic card files, and scattered notes on artists including Miles Carpenter, Raymond Coins, Rev. Howard Finster, Mattie Lou O'Kelley, Royal Robertson, Veronica Terrillion, Mose Tolliver, and Bill Traylor. Also found are lists of artists, patrons, and art work, miscellaneous notes, and minutes of meetings. Writings by Hemphill and others including Michael D. Hall, Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, A. Everett James, and Julia Weissman, consist of reports, typescripts, and poems concerning a wide range of art-related topics and travel.

A scrapbook consists of unbound pages of clippings and newsletters about Hemphill, his collection, and exhibitions of folk art.

There is extensive additional printed material illustrating Hemphill's many interests. This series primarily consists of clippings and exhibition announcements and catalogs for mainstream artists as well as folk artists. Also included are auction announcements and catalogs, announcements for festivals, press releases, and calendars of events. Numerous booklets, brochures, programs, menus, business cards, and novelty postcards concern a variety of topics including worldwide travel, the sale of art work, miscellaneous galleries, museums, organizations, conferences, schools, lectures, antiques and craft shops, films, publications, restaurants, household items, historical topics, and miscellaneous artists including Miles Carpenter, S. P. Dinsmoor, Lonnie Holley, Clementine Hunter, and Veronica Terrillion. There are also autographed copies of booklets The Black Swan and Other Poems by James Merrill, and The Blood of Jesus by Thomas Jefferson Flanagan. Novelty postcards range from photographs of Elvis Presley to cards with amusing captions or cartoon jokes. There is also sheet music by Charles Trenet. Miscellaneous printed material includes several eighteenth-century newspapers and a 1776 thirty shilling note from New Jersey.

Photographs are of Hemphill, family members, his residences, friends and colleagues including style editor Carrie Donovan, artist Rev. Howard Finster dancing at an exhibition opening, actress Alice Ghostley, Michael D. Hall, circus performers Vernon Goins and Tiny Hicks, Smithsonian curator Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, Neal A. Prince, and Jim Spies. Photographs of exhibitions include stereographic views of the International Exhibition in Philadelphia and the Exposition Universelle in Paris, and photographs of Hemphill's donation of his collection and its subsequent exhibition at the Smithsonian's American Art Museum. Travel photographs include views of South Dakota, Texas, the American West, Japan, Mexico, and The Netherlands.

Numerous photographs of art work sometimes include images of the artists with their work including Bruce Brice, Raymond Coins, John W. Fancher, Rev. Howard Finster, Theora Hamblett, Bessie Harvey, William Hawkins, James Harold Jennings, John Jordan, Charles Lisk, Alexander Maldonado, St. EOM, Fred Smith, Edgar Tolson, Hubert Walters, and Purvis Young. Some photographs of unattributed art work has been arranged by the state in which it is located and includes a Mardi Gras parade in Louisiana, a Mummer's parade in Pennsylvania, Lucy the Elephant-shaped building in New Jersey, and Holy Ghost Park in Wisconsin. Other photographs of unattributed art work include works on paper, paintings, sculpture, signs, collages, needlework, glass, ceramics, and architecture.

Sound and video recordings include a cassette from Hemphill's phone answering machine that contains only Hemphill's message to callers, cassette recordings of interviews with and concerning Hemphill, artist St. EOM, painter Robert E. Smith discussing his work, and the tour narration for a Smithsonian exhibition Made With Passion. There are videotapes about Hemphill and about artists Gayleen Aiken, Miller and Bryant, and Malcah Zeldis, and miscellaneous African American artists. There is also a videotape of an American Museum of Natural History tour group arriving in a succession of villages in Melanesia and Papua New Guinea where they are greeted by the native people and given the opportunity to purchase their art work.

Artifacts consist of a scattered assemblage of three-dimensional objects including three wooden "fringe" pieces from cigar store figures, ceramic fragments from a sword handle, a lock of horse hair, and a hand-painted View Master viewer souvenir from the opening of the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. The View Master contains a disc of photographs of artists with their work including Vollis Simpson and Mary Frances Whitfield. Also included is a teacher's kit Little Adventures in Art containing four phonograph albums and four short film strips of slides showing art work in animal and bird forms.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 10 series; all series are arranged chronologically:

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1916-1997 (Box 1, 28; 12 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1901-1998 (Boxes 1-5, 27- 28, OV 31; 4.0 linear feet)

Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1817-1997 (Box 5-7, 28; 2.0 linear feet)

Series 4: Art Work, 1911-1997 (Box 7, 32; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 5: Notes and Writings, 1938-1996 (Box 7-10, 28; 2.5 linear feet)

Series 6: Scrapbook, 1965-1976 (Box 10; 1 folder)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1776-1998 (Box 10-19, 28-29, OV 31; 9.5 linear feet)

Series 8: Photographs, 1876-1997 (Box 19-24, 29; 5.5 linear feet)

Series 9: Sound and Video Recordings, 1986-1991 (Box 25-26; 13 folders)

Series 10: Artifacts, 1968-1995 (Box 26, 30; 0.7 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., (1929-1998) lived in New York city and was a prominent curator, historian, and collector of American folk art. Hemphill was one of the founding members of the Museum of American Folk Art, organized several large exhibitions of folk art, and co-authored Twentieth Century American Folk Art and Artist.

Hemphill was born on January 21, 1929 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the son of businessman Herbert Waide Hemphill, Sr., and Emma Bryan Bradley Hemphill whose uncle, William Clark Bradley, was one of the owners of the Coca-Cola Company.

Hemphill was reared in his mother's home town of Columbus, Georgia, and attended Wynnton School. At the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and the Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania, Hemphill's principle interests were in art and theater. In 1948, he spent a year studying fine arts at Bard College under Stefan Hirsch, a painter and folk art collector.

Hemphill developed his interest in collecting while accompanying his mother on her shopping forays searching for Dresden china. His first acquisition was a wooden duck decoy purchased when he was seven years old. His early collections were of glass bottles, marbles, stamps, and puzzle jugs. In 1949, Hemphill moved to Manhattan and began to focus on modern European and American art and African sculpture, but after 1956 he concentrated exclusively on 19th and early 20th century American folk art. He often discovered artists during his extensive travels, especially in the American South.

In 1961, Hemphill became one of the six founding trustees of the Museum of Early American Folk Art, later named the Museum of American Folk Art, in New York City. Between 1964 and 1973, he was the museum's first curator and curated many exhibitions, helping to promote awareness of work created by self-taught or visionary artists. He later served as Trustee Emeritus for many years.

Between 1974 and 1988, Hemphill loaned portions of his extensive personal collection to 24 museums nationwide and in 1976, the American Bicentennial Commission selected works from his collection for a goodwill tour of Japan. He was named guest curator at the Brooklyn Museum in 1976 and at the Abby Aldrich Folk Art Collection in 1980, and often appeared as guest lecturer at various universities, the Smithsonian Institution, and at the Library of Congress. In 1986, Hemphill donated more than 400 folk art works to the Smithsonian Institution's American Art Museum, resulting in a landmark exhibition Made with Passion: The Hemphill Folk Art Collection of the National Museum of American Art.

Hemphill's publications include books Twentieth Century American Folk Art and Artists, co-authored with Julia Weissman in 1974, Folk Sculpture USA for the Brooklyn Museum in 1976, and Found in New York's North Country: The Folk Art of a Region, co-authored with Varick A. Chittenden in 1982 for the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute.

Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. died on May 8, 1998 in New York City.

Provenance:

Herbert Waide Hemphill donated his papers in 5 installments between 1988 and 1996.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of audiovisual materials 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.

Topic:

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Folk art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

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

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

Genre/Form:

Video recordings

Watercolors

Sketchbooks

Sound recordings

Photographs

Drawings

Poems

Reports

Prints

Interviews

Citation:

Herbert Waide Hemphill papers, 1776-1998, bulk 1876-1998. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.hempherb

See more items in:

Herbert Waide Hemphill papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-hempherb

Creator:

Edwards, Ethel, 1914-1999  Search this

Names:

Art Students League (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

United States. Department of the Interior. Bureau of Reclamation  Search this

Wellfeet Art Gallery  Search this

Backus, Franklin T., 1813-1870  Search this

Croce, Elaine  Search this

Gonzalez, Xavier, 1898-1993  Search this

Reynolds, Sally K.  Search this

Rockefeller, Nelson A. (Nelson Aldrich), 1908-1979  Search this

Storrs, Immi  Search this

Truro Center for Arts -- Faculty  Search this

Extent:

11.2 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Travel diaries

Scrapbooks

Transcripts

Sketchbooks

Date:

circa 1929-1999

Summary:

The papers of painter, illustrator, and educator Ethel Edwards (1914-1999) measure 11.2 linear feet and date from circa 1929 to 1999. The papers are comprised of biographical materials, correspondence, writings and notes, business records for the Wellfeet Art Gallery that she operated with her husband Xavier Gonzalez along with records for Edwards' personal business activities, printed materials, three scrapbooks, photographic materials, artwork, and 32 sketchbooks.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of painter, illustrator, and educator Ethel Edwards (1914-1999) measure 11.2 linear feet and date from circa 1929 to 1999. The papers are comprised of biographical materials, correspondence, writings and notes, business records for the Wellfeet Art Gallery that she operated with her husband Xavier Gonzalez along with records for Edwards' personal business activities, printed materials, three scrapbooks, photographic materials, artwork, and 32 sketchbooks.

Biographical materials consist of address, awards, membership documents, obituaries, resumes, and scattered teaching files for the Art Students League and the Truro Center for the Arts. Correspondence is with Xavier Gonzalez, galleries, and friends and colleagues including Franklin Backus, Sally Knudson Reynolds, Hall Groat, and Immi Storrs.

Writings and notes include a travel journal; various writings, essays, and notes about art by Edwards; a few writings about Edwards by others; and a speech transcript by Nelson A. Rockefeller. Business records consist of files for Wellfleet Art Gallery and Studio; documents concerning painting commissions for the Department of Interior Bureau of Reclamation; records of sales, inventory, and artwork donations; scattered exhibition files; and funding applications.

Printed materials include printed reproductions of artwork, brochures and clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, magazines and journals, posters, and press releases. There are three scrapbooks containing exhibition announcements, clippings, and photographs of artwork.

Photographs are of Edwards, her studio, family and friends, students, works of art, photographer Elaine Croce, and travel in Asia. Artwork includes sketches by Edwards, Ulrich Erben, and unidentified artists, as well as 32 sketchbooks by Edwards.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 9 series.

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1936-1999 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1940s-1990s (2.0 linear feet; Box 1-3)

Series 3: Writings and Notes, 1937-1980s (0.5 linear feet; Box 3)

Series 4: Business Records, 1949-1994 (0.5 linear feet; Box 3-4)

Series 5: Printed Materials, circa 1940s-1990s (2.0 linear feet; Box 4-6, 13)

Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1940s-1960s (0.2 linear feet; Box 6, 13)

Series 7: Photographic Materials, 1937-circa 1992 (3.0 linear feet; Box 6-9, 13)

Series 8: Artwork, circa 1929-1980s (0.2 linear feet; Box 9)

Series 9: Sketchbooks, circa 1936-circa 1994 (2.3 linear feet; Box 9-12, 14)

Biographical / Historical:

Ethel Edwards (1914-1999) was a painter, illustrator, and educator active in New Orleans, LA, New York City, Provincetown, RI, and Wellfleet, MA.

Ethel Edwards was born in New Orleans in 1914 and attended Newcomb College in 1933 on scholarship. Her instructor for life drawing, watercolor, and portrait drawing was painter Xavier Gonzalez, whom she married in 1936 in Texas, where Gonzalez ran a summer school. She studied in Paris from 1937 to 1938. She returned to Alpine, Texas where, in 1939, she won a national mural competition to paint a mural in the U.S. Post Office in Lampasas, Texas. In 1942 she completed a second post office in Lake Providence, Louisiana.

In 1942, Edwards and Gonzalez moved to New York City, where Edwards continued to paint, working with powdered color and egg-oil emulsion and experimenting with line in various media and surfaces. She also worked as a fashion illustrator for Town and Country and Fortune magazines in 1944 and 1945. In 1946, her illustrations for Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince were shown at the Museum of Modern Art. She regularly exhibited in New York City, Provincetown, and Wellfleet, Massachusetts on Cape Cod, where she and Gonzalez also operated the Wellfleet Art Gallery which served as a gallery, studio, and art school. For many years, she taught at the Art Students League and Truro Center for the Arts.

Edwards died in New York in 1999.

Related Materials:

Also found at the Archives of American Art are the papers of Ethel Edwards' husband, Xavier Gonzalez.

Provenance:

The collection was donated in 1999 by the estate of Ethel Edwards Gonzalez.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the 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:

Painters -- United States  Search this

Muralists -- United States  Search this

Art teachers -- United States  Search this

Topic:

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this

Illustrators -- United States  Search this

Women artists  Search this

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

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Travel diaries

Scrapbooks

Transcripts

Sketchbooks

Citation:

Ethel Edwards papers, circa 1929-1999. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care and Preservation Fund

Identifier:

AAA.edwaethe

See more items in:

Ethel Edwards papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-edwaethe

Creator:

Adelman, Lucy  Search this

Names:

18th Street Gallery  Search this

Constitutional Rights Foundation (1963-)  Search this

Texas Commerce Bank  Search this

Venice Art Walk  Search this

Venice Family Clinic (Venice, Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

Works Gallery  Search this

Chaffee, Marta  Search this

Colvill, Tracy  Search this

Gabrielson, Walter, 1935-  Search this

Hines, David  Search this

Lowry, Janice Ann, 1946-2009  Search this

Lubner, Lorraine  Search this

Lubner, Robert  Search this

Miura, Shigeo  Search this

Rush, Kent  Search this

Schairer, Mary  Search this

Starbuck, Marjorie, 1921-  Search this

Tomlinson, Robert  Search this

Walding, Clark  Search this

Extent:

13 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Slides (photographs)

Photographs

Date:

1971-1992

Summary:

The records of Los Angeles Art Space gallery measure 13 linear feet and date from 1971 to 1992. The majority of the collection consists of the gallery's exhibition files which contain correspondence, clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, slides, photos, invoices, price lists, loan records, and other materials. There is also correspondence with artists and organizations, financial and administrative records, and slides of artwork and exhibitions.

Scope and Contents:

The records of Los Angeles Art Space gallery measure 13 linear feet and date from 1971 to 1992. The majority of the collection consists of the gallery's exhibition files which contain correspondence, clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, slides, photos, invoices, price lists, loan records, and other materials. There is also correspondence with artists and organizations, financial and administrative records, and slides of artwork and exhibitions.

Most of the correspondence in the collection is from artists regarding exhibition opportunities, with other galleries and organizations about sales and collaborative exhibits and event, including with the 18th Street Gallery, the Constitutional Rights Foundation, Texas Commerce Bank, Venice Family Clinic regarding the Venice Art Walk, and The Works Gallery.

About two-thirds of the collection consists of extensive exhibition records for individual and group shows held at Art Space. Contents of files vary but may include correspondence, exhibition announcements and programs, price lists, sales records, loan agreements and other legal forms, artist resumes and statements, photographs and slides of artwork and exhibition installations, and other printed material. Particularly rich files exist for artists Marta Chaffee, David Hines, Walter Gabrielson, Janice Lowry, Lorraine Lubner, Robert Lubner, Kent Rush, Mary Schairer, Marg Starbuck, Robert Tomlinson, and Clark Walding.

Scattered financial and administrative files document the gallery's business dealings, and include price lists, a cost sharing agreement form, an inventory, business correspondence, invoices, and financial statements. Additionally, a substantial number of slides in this collection include images of artwork and of exhibitions held at Art Space. Artists Shigeo Miura and Tracy Colvill have particularly sizeable slide files. Most of the artists with slides are also represented in the exhibition files.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 4 series.

Series 1: Correspondence, circa 1977-1991 (Box 1; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 2: Exhibition Files, 1972-1992 (Boxes 1-11; 9.45 linear feet)

Series 3: Financial and Administrative Records, circa 1977-1991 (Box 11; 0.35 linear feet)

Series 4: Slides, 1971-1992 (Boxes 11-13; 2.4 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical:

The Art Space gallery operated in Los Angeles from 1977 to 1991 and was owned by artist, philanthropist, and activist Lucy Adelman (1909-2007). Settling in Los Angeles in 1938, Adelman was also one of the founders of the Womanspace Gallery, a cooperative gallery for feminist activities established in 1972 in Los Angeles.

Located at 10550 Santa Monica Boulevard, Art Space's first show honored the work of women artists. Specializing in contemporary art, the gallery, according to Adelman, had two purposes: "[Art Space] is for artists, creative people who communicate through many different fields of expression...It will also be a meeting place for people who wish to acquaint themselves with different concepts and directions." The gallery held 118 exhibitions before closing its doors in 1991.

Adelman and her husband, Isadore, were involved in other activities and gave generously to the American Civil Liberties Union and the Venice Family Clinic, which honored them at its annual fund-raising Art Walk Festival in 1988. Lucy Adelman died in 1997.

Provenance:

The records were donated in 1992 by Lucy Adelman, the director of Art Space.

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 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:

Artists -- California -- Los Angeles -- Exhibitions  Search this

Topic:

Art galleries, Commercial -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Genre/Form:

Slides (photographs)

Photographs

Citation:

Art Space records, 1971-1992. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund.

Identifier:

AAA.artspac

See more items in:

Art Space records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-artspac

Creator:

Berkowitz, Rosalie  Search this

Names:

Bess, Forrest, 1911-1977  Search this

Extent:

0.4 Linear feet ((on 2 microfilm reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1947-1981

Scope and Contents:

Correspondence between Forrest Bess and Rosalie Berkowitz.

REEL 3458: 12 letters from Forrest Bess; a catalogue from a show of Berkowitz's work in 1947 held in Bess' San Antonio studio; a photograph of a cabin designed by Bess; a snapshot of his work; and a letter from Berkowitz to Bess.

REEL 3752: Twenty-nine letters to Sidney and Rosalie Berkowitz, Bess' friends, from Bess, concerning his work and theories; a 1950 letter to Bess from Lucy Milton of Willard Gallery concerning the painting, "Black Seascape"; a 1950 letter to Betty Parsons from Bess concerning canvases for the Guggenheim; a 1953 letter to Bess from the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center concerning slides of Bess' work; an essay, "Finally, A Bit of Prophecy"; 3 slides of works of art; and a slide of a small wooden building.

Biographical / Historical:

Painter; New York, N.Y.

Provenance:

Microfilmed as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project.

Material on reel 3458 lent for microfilming 1984 by Harry Berkowitz, son of Berkowitz; material on reel 3752 donated 1985 by Rosalie Berkowitz.

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  Search this

Topic:

Women painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Texas  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.berkrosa2

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-berkrosa2

Creator:

Abercrombie, Gertrude, 1909-1977  Search this

Names:

Algren, Nelson, 1909-1981  Search this

Armin, Emil, 1883-  Search this

Armour, Richard Willard, 1906-  Search this

De Diego, Julio, 1900-  Search this

Evans, B.  Search this

Huppler, Dudley, 1917-1988  Search this

Karidis, Jerome  Search this

Priebe, Karl J., 1914-1976  Search this

Purdy, Carl  Search this

Purdy, James  Search this

Rollins, Sonny  Search this

Rorem, Ned, 1923-  Search this

Terkel, Studs, 1912-2008  Search this

Van Vechten, Carl, 1880-1964  Search this

Warren, Paul, 1916-  Search this

Wilcox, Wendell  Search this

Wilde, John, 1919-2006  Search this

Wilder, Thornton, 1897-1975  Search this

Extent:

5.9 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sketchbooks

Diaries

Drawings

Scrapbooks

Sound recordings

Sketches

Photographs

Writings

Date:

circa 1880-1986

bulk 1935-1977

Summary:

The papers of surrealist artist Gertrude Abercrombie date from circa 1880-1986, with the bulk of the material dated 1935-1977, and measure 5.9 linear feet. Found within are biographical material; correspondence (mostly incoming letters) with friends, museums, and galleries; files for artists that interested her; writings and notes, including five journal-type notebooks; scattered personal business records; two sketchbooks by Abercrombie and additional sketches and drawings, some by others; printed material, audio recordings, one scrapbook, photographs, and estate records.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of surrealist artist Gertrude Abercrombie date from circa 1880-1986, with the bulk of the material dated 1935-1977, and measure 5.9 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical material; correspondence (mostly incoming letters) with friends, museums, and galleries; artists files; writings and notes, including five journal-type notebooks; scattered personal business records; two sketchbooks by Abercrombie and additional sketches and drawings, some by others; printed material, audio recordings, one scrapbook, photographs, and estate records.

Biographical material consists of biographical notes, Gertrude Abercrombie's will, address books, and a file titled "memorabilia." Personal and professional correspondence consists mainly of incoming letters and some drafts of Gertrude Abercrombie's outgoing letters. Letters from museums and galleries concern loans of paintings and exhibitions. A large amount of the personal correspondence consists of post cards including many antique ones, as well as cards containing original art work by Julio de Diego, Jerry [Jerome] Karidis, Karl Priebe.

Artist files consist of correspondence, printed material, and photographs concerning painters, writers, a jazz musician, and a photographer. The individuals represented are: Dudley Huppler, Jerome Karidis, Karl Priebe, James Purdy, Sonny Rollins, Carl Van Vechten, Wendell Wilcox, John Wilde, and Thornton Wilder.

Writings and notes include reminiscences, miscellaneous writings and notes, and a girlhood diary with brief entries. Five notebooks contain a variety of writings dating from 1953 through 1975, and undated. One volume concerns only her second husband Frank Sandiford.

Business records include a painting catalog on file cards, mailing and guest lists, and miscellaneous sales records. In addition, six notebooks record expenses, sales, inventories, mailing lists, a register of paintings, and a guest book.

There are two sketchbooks, Christmas card designs, sketches and drawings done by Gertrude Abercrombie. There are also prints, drawings, and a painting by Emil Arman, B. Evans, de Diego, and unknown artists.

Printed material consists of articles and clippings about Gertrude Abercrombie, exhibition catalogs, and reproductions. Also included are books by friends inscribed by the authors, among them: Nelson Algren, Richard Armour, Dudley Huppler, James Purdy, Ned Rorem, Paul Warren [pen name of Abercrombie's second husband, Frank Sandiford], Studs Terkel, and Thornton Wilder.

Audio recordings (33-1/3 rpm phonograph alums) are inscribed to Gertrude Abercrombie by the artists. Orlando's album cover, designed by Abercrombie, incorporates one of her paintings.

Records of the Estate of Gertrude Abercrombie and the Gertrude Abercrombie Trust, Donald Baum, Executor, consist mainly of correspondence with the institutions that were offered works of art by Gertrude Abercrombie and from her personal collection. Also included are general correspondence, financial and tax records, and legal documents.

There is one scrapbook dated 1943 containing photographs and printed material.

Photographs are of art work, people, places, and miscellaneous subjects; negatives, slides, and transparencies are included in this series, too. Photographs of art include the work of Gertrude Abercrombie, Karl Priebe, and Charles Sebree. People pictured are Gertrude Abercrombie and family, including her parents, Richard I. Livingston, Dinah Livingston, and Frank Sandiford. There are also 19th and early 20th century photographs of ancestors. Among the images of friends are: Ivan le Lorraine Albright, Arnold Blanch, Dudley Huppler, Doris Lee, Karl Priebe, and Richard Purdy. Photographs of jazz artists include: Louis Armstrong, George Davis, Erroll Garner, Dizzy Gillespie, Earl Hines, Orlando, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Sarah Vaughn, and the Modern Jazz Quartet. Of particular note the portraits of Gertrude Abercrombie and Dizzy Gillespie by Carl Van Vechten.Among the photographs of places are interior views of Gertrude Abercrombie's home and studio, unidentified landscapes, travel pictures of San Francisco and commercially produced stereopticon slides of other locations. Miscellaneous subjects are automobiles, cats, exhibition installations, and a still life setup.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 11 series:

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1902-1976 (Box 1, OV9; 0.1 linear ft.)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1935-1977 (Boxes 1-2; 1.65 linear ft.)

Series 3: Artist files, circa 1935-1977 (Box 2; 0.25 linear ft.)

Series 4: Writings and Notes, circa 1919-1977 (Box 3; 0.1 linear ft.)

Series 5: Business Records, circa 1944-1977 (Box 3; 0.2 linear ft.)

Series 6: Art Work, circa 1939-1975 (Boxes 3, 7; O.2 linear ft.)

Series 7: Printed Material, circa 1906-1977 (Boxes 3-4; 1.6 linear ft.)

Series 8: Audio Recordings, circa 1970-1974 (Box 7; 0.1 linear ft.)

Series 9: Estate Records, circa 1976-1986 (Box 5; o.5 linear ft.)

Series 10: Scrapbook, circa 1943(Box 5; 1 folder)

Series 11: Photographs, circa 1880-1978(Boxes 5-7; OV8, 1.0 linear ft.)

Biographical Note:

Surrealist painter Gertrude Abercrombie (1909-1977) lived and worked in Chicago and was a prominent member of Chicago's Hyde Park arts community.

Abercrombie was known for surrealist oil paintings featuring dreamlike landscapes and fantasies. Her wide circle of friends included locally and nationally known artists, writers, and jazz musicians who made her home a popular avant-garde salon. She was the inspiration for Richie Powell's "Gertrude's Bounce" and, appeared as a fictional character in Malcolm, Eustace Chisholm, and as herself in Gertrude of Stony Island Avenue all by James Purdy.

The only child of Tom and Lula Janes [Jane] Abercrombie, Gertrude was born in Austin, Texas in 1909, while her opera singer parents were in town with a traveling company. In 1913, the family relocated to Berlin to further Jane's career, but the outbreak of World War I forced their return to the United States. They lived with Tom Abercrombie's family in Alledo, Illinois, before permanently settling in Chicago.

Gertrude Abercrombie had a facility with language and possessed musical and artistic talents. After graduation from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana with a degree in romance languages in 1929, she studied figure drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for a short time. She then enrolled at the American Arcademy of Art, also in Chicago, for a year long course in commercial art. Her first job was drawing gloves for Mesirow Department Store ads, followed by a stint working as an artist for Sears.

By 1932, Gertrude Abercrombie began painting seriously. The following summer, she participated in an outdoor art fair in downtown Chicago where she made her first sale and received favorable mention in a newspaper review of the event. Abercrombie's work that featured self-portraits and recurring images of personal symbols - trees, horses, owls, keys, shells, doors, stairways, ladders - began to attract attention. Beginning in 1934, Gertrude Abercrombie was employment as a painter in the WPA Federal Art Project in 1934, enabling her to feel validated as an artist and move from the home of her conservative, Christian Scientist parents to her own apartment. The Chicago Society of Artists presented a solo exhibition of Abercrombie's work in 1934, and in 1936 she showed at the Katharine Kuh Gallery (along with Rita Stein and Nicola Ziroli). In 1936 and 1938 Gertrude Abercrombie won prizes at the Art Institute of Chicago's Annual Exhibition of Works by Artists of Chicago and Vicinity.

She left the WPA in 1940 and married lawyer Robert Livingston. Their daughter, Dinah, was born in 1942, and they soon moved to a large Victorian house on South Dorchester St. where Gertude lived for the remainder of her life. The couple divorced in 1948. That same year she married Frank Sandiford, a music critic whose pen name was Paul Warren. An accomplished improvisational pianist, Gertrude Abercrombie became friends with many prominent jazz artists whom she met through Sandiford; in fact, Dizzy Gillespie performed at their wedding. Abercrombie and Sandiford separated in 1964.

The 1940s through 1950s were Gertrude Abercrombie's most productive and prolific period. Although she no longer painted many portraits, he work remained focused on the same themes and symbols. She believed that art was about ideas rather than technique and insisted that "It is always myself that I paint." During this period, Amercrombie exhibited widely in group shows and had solo exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago, Associated American Artists (New York), and Leonard Linn, Inc. (Winnetka, Ill.)

By the late 1950s, Gertrude Abercrombie began a long decline. Alcoholism started to take a toll. She suffered serious financial reverses, and in 1964 separated from Frank Sandiford. Debilitating arthritis eventually landed her in a wheel chair, and she became reclusive. In 1977, very near the end of her life, Gertrude Abercrombie was honored with a well-received retrospective exhibition at the Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago. She was able to attend the reception and enjoy seeing the many old friends who were at the event.

Gertrude Abercrombie died in Chicago in 1977. Her will established The Gertrude Abercrombie Trust that cared for and distributed to various institutions her own paintings and a personal collection of works by other artists to selected institutions, mainly in the Midwest.

Related Material:

A photograph of Gertrude Abercrombie at home with her painting "Slaughter House", was donated by Donald Baum to the National Collection of Fine Arts in 1979 and transferred to the Archives of American Art that same year.

Provenance:

Donald Baum, executor of both the estate and trust of Gertrude Abercrombie, donated the papers to the Archives of American Art in 1978 and 1986.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

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.

Topic:

Surrealism  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sketchbooks

Diaries

Drawings

Scrapbooks

Sound recordings

Sketches

Photographs

Writings

Citation:

The Gertrude Abercrombie papers, circa 1880-1986, bulk 1935-1977. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.abergert

See more items in:

Gertrude Abercrombie papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-abergert