Search Results

Interviewee:

Colescott, Robert, 1925-2009  Search this

Interviewer:

Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this

Names:

San Francisco State University -- Students  Search this

University of California, Berkeley -- Students  Search this

University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts  Search this

Cézanne, Paul, 1839-1906  Search this

Loran, Erle, 1905-1999  Search this

Ryder, Worth, 1884-1960  Search this

Saar, Betye  Search this

Extent:

23 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1999 April 14

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Robert Colescott conducted 1999 April 14, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, at his studio, in Tucson, Arizona.

Colescott discusses his early years growing up in Oakland; his education; military service; his experiences as a student at San Francisco State University and University of California, Berkeley; the influences at University of California, Berkeley, and of Paul Cézanne on the teaching by professors Erle Loran and Worth Ryder; working at the California School of Fine Arts; issues of race in art; views on the African-American community's desire to control visual statements by black artists, and why his work is viewed as stereotyping; political views; the work of artist Betye Saar; and his work, "George Washington Carver Crossing the Delaware."

Biographical / Historical:

Robert Colescott (1925-2009) was a painter from San Francisco, California and Tuscon, Arizona. Colescott was raised in Oakland, California. He attended San Francisco State University and University of California at Berkeley (B.A. 1949; M.A., 1952). After receiving his bachelor's degree, he studied in Paris with abstract painter Fernand Léger. From 1976-1985 he taught at the California School of Fine Arts, and was named Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona, Tucson in 1985.

General:

Originally recorded on 1 sound cassette. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for the transcription of this interview is provided by Richard Baker Fund.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Occupation:

Painters -- Arizona -- Tucson  Search this

Painters -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Topic:

African American artists  Search this

African American military personnel  Search this

African American painters  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

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

Identifier:

AAA.colesc99

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw934fa61ee-ec44-4adc-8e66-d4a4bc32a4dc

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-colesc99

Creator:

Spohn, Clay Edgar, 1898-1977  Search this

Subject:

Rothko, Mark  Search this

Corbett, Rosamond Walling Tirana  Search this

Fryworth, Teressa  Search this

Corbett, Edward  Search this

Calder, Alexander  Search this

Sievan, Maurice  Search this

Sihvonen, Oli  Search this

Reynal, Jeanne  Search this

Ribak, Louis  Search this

McChesney, Mary Fuller  Search this

Neininger, Urban  Search this

Still, Clyfford  Search this

University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts  Search this

School of Visual Arts (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Type:

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Account books

Ambrotypes

Photographs

Citation:

Clay Spohn papers, circa 1862-1985, bulk 1890-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

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

Painting, Abstract -- France -- Paris  Search this

Theme:

Diaries  Search this

Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)9468

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211666

AAA_collcode_spohclay

Theme:

Diaries

Sketches & Sketchbooks

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211666

Interviewee:

Holub, Leo, 1916-2010  Search this

Interviewer:

Karlstrom, Paul J  Search this

Subject:

Adams, Ansel  Search this

Arnautoff, Victor Mikhail  Search this

Barnes, Matthew Rackham  Search this

Corbett, Edward  Search this

Cunningham, Imogen  Search this

Gaw, William A.  Search this

Hackett, Dick  Search this

Holub, Florence  Search this

Mackey, Spencer  Search this

Mondale, Walter F.  Search this

Oldfield, Otis  Search this

Packard, Emmy Lou  Search this

Piazzoni, Gottardo  Search this

Randolph, Lee F.  Search this

Rivera, Diego  Search this

Sinel, Joseph Claude  Search this

Smith, Hassel  Search this

Sterne, Maurice  Search this

Weston, Edward  Search this

White, Minor  Search this

Wilson, Charis  Search this

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (Calif.)  Search this

Stanford University. Dept. of Art  Search this

University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts  Search this

Art Schools in California Oral History Project  Search this

Golden Gate International Exposition (1939-1940 : San Francisco, Calif.)  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Leo Holub, 1997 July 3. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Photographers -- California -- San Francisco -- Interviews  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching -- California  Search this

Photography  Search this

Photography -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area  Search this

Theme:

Photography  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12356

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)216329

AAA_collcode_holub97

Theme:

Photography

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_216329

Interviewee:

Holub, Leo, 1916-2010  Search this

Interviewer:

Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this

Creator:

Art Schools in California Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Art Schools in California Oral History Project  Search this

Golden Gate International Exposition (1939-1940 : San Francisco, Calif.)  Search this

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (Calif.)  Search this

Stanford University. Dept. of Art  Search this

University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts -- Faculty  Search this

University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts -- Students  Search this

Adams, Ansel, 1902-1984  Search this

Arnautoff, Victor Mikhail, 1896-1979  Search this

Barnes, Matthew Rackham, 1880-1951  Search this

Corbett, Edward, 1919-  Search this

Cunningham, Imogen, 1883-1976  Search this

Gaw, William A., 1891-1973  Search this

Hackett, Dick  Search this

Holub, Florence  Search this

Mackey, Spencer, 1880-1958  Search this

Mondale, Walter F., 1928-  Search this

Oldfield, Otis, 1890-1969  Search this

Packard, Emmy Lou, 1914-1998  Search this

Piazzoni, Gottardo, 1872-1945  Search this

Randolph, Lee F., b. 1880  Search this

Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this

Sinel, Joseph Claude, 1889-1975  Search this

Smith, Hassel, 1915-2007  Search this

Sterne, Maurice, 1878-1957  Search this

Weston, Edward, 1886-1958  Search this

White, Minor  Search this

Wilson, Charis, 1914-2009  Search this

Extent:

2 Sound cassettes (Sound recording (90 min), analog)

34 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound cassettes

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1997 July 3

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Leo Holub conducted 1997 July 3, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, in San Francisco, Calif.

Holub discusses his background, being born in Arkansas, moving to New Mexico, and then to Oakland, Calif. (1923); early educational experiences in Oakland, and later at the Art Institute of Chicago; seeing Edward Weston's photographic work at an exhibition in Chicago, and admiring Weston's nude studies of Charis Wilson; his return to the Bay Area; his studio on Montgomery St. (Monkey Block); meeting painter Matthew Barnes, who had assisted Diego Rivera with his murals at the California School of Fine Arts (CSFA), 1931-1932; his experiences as a student at CSFA- its program and instructors which included Maurice Sterne, Gottardo Piazzoni, Lee Randolph, Dick Hackett, Otis Oldfield, William Gaw, Spencer Mackey, and Victor Arnautoff; fellow students including Hassel Smith, Ed Corbett, and Florence Michelson (his future wife); and his beginning awareness of modernism.

Holub discusses his involvement with the Golden Gate International Exposition (1939); apprenticeship with industrial designer Joe Sinel and the advent of the product design era; his founding of Design Development Associates, and staying only a year before moving to Grass Valley, Calif. for his son's health; his return to the Bay Area, succeeding Emmy Lou Packard at the San Francisco Planning Office graphic arts dept.; working at the housing agency and redevelopment agency and as chief designer for the Bay Area Rapid Transit report.

He recalls his encounter with Ansel Adams at the 1955 Yosemite workshop where Holub produced a pictorial map of Yosemite; Adam's "zone system" of exposing for shadows and developing for highlights; going on to teach at CSFA (1955-1957), where Imogen Cunningham was a guest instructor; Minor White replacing him; his ten years at Stanford University's planning office (1960-1970); his campus views "Stanford Scene" that were used by the university to appeal for more space for the art dept., and his shows at Stanford's art gallery in 1964 and at the Washington, D.C. home of Vice President Walter Mondale in 1980.

Biographical / Historical:

Leo Holub (1916-2010) was a photographer, lithographer, and teacher from San Francisco, Calif.

Provenance:

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

Topic:

Photographers -- California -- San Francisco -- Interviews  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching -- California  Search this

Photography  Search this

Photography -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area  Search this

Function:

Art Schools -- California

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Bente and Gerald E. Buck Collection.

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

Identifier:

AAA.holub97

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw94a5ec6a4-7e88-40a7-8b1c-4379fe338240

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-holub97

Interviewee:

Colescott, Robert, 1925-2009  Search this

Interviewer:

Karlstrom, Paul J  Search this

Subject:

Cézanne, Paul  Search this

Loran, Erle  Search this

Ryder, Worth  Search this

Saar, Betye  Search this

San Francisco State University  Search this

University of California, Berkeley  Search this

University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Robert Colescott, 1999 April 14. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

African American artists  Search this

African American military personnel  Search this

African American painters  Search this

Theme:

African American  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)11502

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)216607

AAA_collcode_colesc99

Theme:

African American

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_216607

Interviewee:

Villa, Carlos, 1936-2013  Search this

Interviewer:

Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this

Names:

Park Place Gallery Art Research, Inc.  Search this

University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts  Search this

Berman, Wallace, 1926-1976  Search this

Bischoff, Elmer, 1916-1991  Search this

Brown, Joan, 1938-1990  Search this

Diebenkorn, Richard, 1922-1993  Search this

Garcia, Rupert, 1941-  Search this

Hudson, Robert, 1938-  Search this

Neri, Manuel, 1930-  Search this

Valledor, Leo, 1936-1989  Search this

Wiley, William T., 1937-2021  Search this

Extent:

134 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Interviews

Sound recordings

Date:

1995 June 20-July 10

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Carlos Villa conducted 1995 June 20-July 10, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art.

Villa discusses his "progress" from Filipino background to his art world identity; the phenomena and individuals who contributed to the new awareness in the mid-1970s: "El Movimiento," Chicano "Rasquache," Rupert Garcia, Amalia Mesa-Baines; the idea of "recuperation," and the sense of Asian-American identity and community as a basis for his art. Villa recalls growing up in San Francisco; his early life; living in the Tenderloin district and his exposure to racism; the influence of his cousin, artist Leo Valledor; growing up Filipino in California and the difficulties that accompanied it. Villa discusses popular (black) culture, jazz "guapo," zoot-suit style as role models and basis for aesthetic/art; his admiration for black self-esteem; his aesthetics; viewing art as a way out of the ghetto and an escape from racism.

Villa discusses his introduction to the California School of Fine Arts (soon thereafter the San Francisco Art Institute); his need to be part of the artist community; CSFA and other students and teachers; and his self-conception as a modernist. He discusses the technical aspects of his art; the influence of various Bay Area artists on his work; his investigation of Filipino art history and his role models; the role of the women at the CSFA and women as role models. Villa recalls his first show at Pointdexter in New York; his associations with minimalists and the Park Place Gallery group; his New York minimalist phase and his need to escape the New York environment after six years. He discusses his return to the Bay Area and his use of identity/politics as subjects for his art.

Villa recalls or mentions Rupert Garcia, Leo Valledor, Manuel Neri, Joan Brown, Bill Morehouse, David Stone Martin, Wallace Berman, William Wiley, Bob and Dona Hudson, Bill Allen, Elmer Bischoff, Richard Diebenkorn, Ralph DuCass, Walter Kuhlman, Wally Hedrick, Bruce Conner, Alvin Light, Claire Falkenstein, Bob McFarlane, Hayter, Tapies, Fred Martin, Nathan Oliveira, Jennifer Bartlett, Dick Maclean, Elizabeth Murray, Alfred Neumeyer, Mark Rothko, Kenneth Noland, Sol Lewitt, Mark di Suvero, Robert Grovesnor, Tom Seligman, Kurt Schwitters, Robert Rauschenberg, Angela Davis, and Moira Roth.

Biographical / Historical:

Carlos Villa (1936-2013) was a Filipino American painter, curator, and educator in San Francisco, California.

General:

Originally recorded on 8 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 15 digital wav files. Duration is 7 hr., 40 min.

Provenance:

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

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Occupation:

Painters -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Sculptors -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Topic:

Modernism (Art)  Search this

Latino and Latin American artists  Search this

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Filipino American art  Search this

Filipino American artists  Search this

Asian American painters  Search this

Asian American curators  Search this

Asian American educators  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Sound recordings

Sponsor:

The digital preservation of this interview received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.

Identifier:

AAA.villa95

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9568c3d5e-69b0-469a-a02b-20a978a5ad1d

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-villa95

Interviewee:

Carrasco, Barbara, 1955-  Search this

Interviewer:

Rangel, Jeffrey J.  Search this

Names:

Asco (Group of artists)  Search this

University of California, Los Angeles -- Faculty  Search this

University of California, Los Angeles -- Students  Search this

University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts -- Students  Search this

Almaraz, Carlos  Search this

Chavez, Cesar, 1927-  Search this

Gamboa, Harry  Search this

Garza, Carmen Lomas  Search this

Valadez, John, 1951-  Search this

Extent:

87 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1999 April 13-26

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Barbara Carrasco conducted 1999 April 13 and 26, by Jeffrey Rangel, in two sessions, for the Archives of American Art.

Carrasco speaks of the roles played by her parents in her career as an artist, her experiences as a light-skinned Chicana, and the marginalization of women artists within the Chicano art movement; her relationship and marriage to fellow artist, Harry Gamboa, Jr., who has supported women artists; and her perception of Asco ("nausea" in Spanish), a group of artists and performers who joined together during the Chicano civil rights movement. She also discusses the influence of the art professors at UCLA and the quality of the training she received there; working with Carlos Almaraz and John Valadez on the "Zoot Suit" mural in Hollywood; meeting César Chávez and how he in part shaped her identity as a cultural worker; attending California School of Fine Arts, Valencia, California, and receiving her MFA there; other Chicana artists such as Carmen Lomas Garza; and the changes in her most recent work.

Biographical / Historical:

Barbara Carrasco (1955-) is a painter and muralist from Los Angeles, California. Carrasco was born in El Paso, Texas, and a resident of the Los Angeles area since 1956. She is best known for her work inspired by the United Farm Workers Union, by her experiences as a Chicana, by historical events, and by personal issues.

General:

Originally recorded on 5 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 10 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 41 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for the interview and transcription provided by the Smithsonian Institution Latino Initiatives Fund.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Occupation:

Painters -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Muralists -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Topic:

Latino and Latin American artists  Search this

Mexican American artists  Search this

Chicano art movement  Search this

Chicano movement  Search this

Chicano artists  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women muralists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

The digital preservation of this interview received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.

Identifier:

AAA.carras99

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw917c77382-fd4a-4068-80f2-782f9c331c1c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-carras99

Interviewee:

Villa, Carlos, 1936-2013  Search this

Interviewer:

Karlstrom, Paul J  Search this

Subject:

Valledor, Leo  Search this

Garcia, Rupert  Search this

Neri, Manuel  Search this

Brown, Joan  Search this

Berman, Wallace  Search this

Wiley, William T.  Search this

Hudson, Robert  Search this

Bischoff, Elmer  Search this

Diebenkorn, Richard  Search this

University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts  Search this

Park Place Gallery Art Research, Inc.  Search this

Type:

Interviews

Sound recordings

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral History interview with Carlos Villa, 1995 June 20-July 10. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Modernism (Art)  Search this

Latino and Latin American artists  Search this

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Filipino American art  Search this

Filipino American artists  Search this

Asian American painters  Search this

Asian American curators  Search this

Asian American educators  Search this

Theme:

Latino and Latin American  Search this

Asian American  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)5561

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215877

AAA_collcode_villa95

Theme:

Latino and Latin American

Asian American

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_215877

Interviewee:

Bischoff, Elmer, 1916-1991  Search this

Interviewer:

Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this

Names:

San Francisco Art Institute  Search this

University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts  Search this

Brown, Joan, 1938-1990  Search this

Brown, William Theo, 1919-2012  Search this

Geis, Bill  Search this

Hudson, Robert, 1938-  Search this

MacAgy, Douglas, 1913-  Search this

Neri, Manuel, 1930-  Search this

Park, David, 1911-1960  Search this

Smith, Hassel, 1915-2007  Search this

Spohn, Clay Edgar, 1898-1977  Search this

Still, Clyfford, 1904-1980  Search this

Wiley, William T., 1937-2021  Search this

Extent:

82 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1977 August 10-September 1

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Elmer Bischoff conducted 1977 August 10-September 1, by Paul J. Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art.

Bischoff speaks of his family background; the influence of art teachers and attitudes at the University of California, Berkeley in the 1930s; his years of teaching at the California School of Fine Arts (San Francisco Art Institute), first under the directorship of Douglas MacAgy and then under Ernst Mundt and Gurdon Woods; his fellow faculty members Clyfford Still, David Park, Clay Spohn and Hassel Smith, and their work in abstract expressionism. He recalls some of his most successful students, including Joan Brown, Manuel Neri, and William T. Wiley.

Bischoff explains his turning away from abstract expressionism toward figurative painting, and cites the influence of David Park. He credits George Staempfli as the first New York art dealer to be interested in Bay Area figurative painting. He discusses the origins of the Bay Area funk movement. He speaks of teaching at the University of California, Berkeley, and reflects on the differences between teaching in a university environment and an art school. He discusses his move away from the figure to large scale abstraction.

Biographical / Historical:

Elmer Bischoff (1916-1991) was a painter and educator from San Francisco, California.

General:

Originally recorded 3 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 24 min.

Provenance:

These interviews are part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Abstract expressionism  Search this

Figurative art  Search this

Painters -- California -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

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

Identifier:

AAA.bischo77

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw95992df2f-6a60-4821-aa6c-649bcc282316

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-bischo77

Creator:

Spohn, Clay Edgar, 1898-1977  Search this

Names:

School of Visual Arts (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts  Search this

Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976  Search this

Corbett, Edward, 1919-  Search this

Corbett, Rosamond Walling Tirana, 1910-1999  Search this

Fryworth, Teressa, 1906-1981  Search this

McChesney, Mary Fuller  Search this

Neininger, Urban  Search this

Reynal, Jeanne, 1903-  Search this

Ribak, Louis, 1902-1979  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Sievan, Maurice  Search this

Sihvonen, Oli, 1921-  Search this

Still, Clyfford, 1904-  Search this

Extent:

20.4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Account books

Ambrotypes

Photographs

Date:

circa 1862-1985

bulk 1890-1985

Summary:

The Clay Spohn papers measure 20.4 linear feet and date from circa 1862 to 1985 with the bulk of the material dating from 1890 to 1985. The collection consists of biographical material, correspondence, business records, notes and writings, art work, printed material, and photographs which reflect the life and career of painter and educator Clay Spohn.

Scope and Content Note:

The Clay Spohn papers measure 20.4 linear feet and date from circa 1862 to 1985 with the bulk of the material dating from 1890 to 1985. The collection consists of biographical material, correspondence, business records, notes and writings, artwork, printed material, and photographs reflecting the life and career of painter and educator Clay Spohn.

Part 1 includes sketchbooks with annotated drawings by Spohn, writings including reminiscensces by Spohn, letters, clippings, and photographs of Spohn's artwork.

Part 2 includes biographical material; correspondence between Spohn and his colleagues; business records such as Spohn's general accounting records; Spohn's notes and writings on a variety of subjects; drawings and sketchbooks; printed material such as exhibition announcements and catalogs; and photographs of subjects such as Spohn, his family and colleagues, his house, and his artwork.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into three parts. Part 1 was lent to the Archives of American Art in 1964 by Clay Spohn, and was microfilmed and returned to Spohn. Part 2 was donated to the Archives of American Art by Urban Neininger in 1978 and was partially microfilmed. Because material from part 2 was not processed until over three decades after filming Part 1, the overall organization is inconsistent. In general, material within folders is arranged chronologically.

Missing Title

Part 1: Clay Spohn Papers, 1926-1963

Part 2: Clay Spohn Papers, circa 1862-1985 (boxes 1-22, OV 23, 19.9 linear ft.)

Part 3: Addition to the Clay Spohn Papers, 1958-1977 (box 24; 0.4 linear ft.)

Biographical Note:

Clay Edgar Spohn was born November 24, 1898, in San Francisco, to Lena (Schaefer) and John Henry Spohn. From 1919 to 1921, Spohn studied at the University of California at Berkeley, and from 1922 to 1924, he studied at the Art Students League in New York under Kenneth Hayes Miller, Boardman Robinson, George Luks and Guy Pene Du Bois. He also became acquainted with Alexander Calder at the Art Students League. In 1924, Spohn was employed as an assitant designer to muralist Ezra Winter. From 1926 to 1927 he studied in Paris at the Academie Modern, a school run by Fernand Leger and Orthon Fireze.

Returning to San Francisco in 1927, Spohn became an active member in the Bay Area art scene. The Treasury Department commissioned him, in 1938, to execute a mural for the Montebello, California post office, and in 1939, he completed another mural under the sponsorship of the WPA for Los Gatos Union High School in Los Gatos, California.

In 1942, the San Francisco Museum of Art mounted Spohn's solo exhibition "Fantastic War Machines and Guerragraphs", consisting of a series of drawings inspired by dreams of World War II. From 1945 until his resignation in 1950, Spohn was employed as instructor of drawing and painting at the California School of Fine Arts, where he befriended Clyfford Still and Mark Rothko. In 1949, at the California School, he organized a group exhibition entitled "The Museum of Unknown and Little Known Objects", in which Spohn's extraordinarily-constructed objects were a focal point.

Spohn moved to Taos, New Mexico in 1952, and participated in several national exhibitions. He was Visiting Lecturer at Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, in 1958, after which he moved to New York City where he executed a series of paintings under the sponsorship of the collector J. Patrick Lannan. From 1964 to 1969, he taught at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

After a two year move to Taos, Spohn returned to New York in 1971. In 1974, the Oakland Museum sponsored a retrospective of Spohn's work.

Clay Spohn died in New York City on December 19, 1977.

Separated Materials:

The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming (D169) including sketchbooks, writings, correspondence, and related material. Lent materials were returned to the lender and are described in the first series of the finding aid.

Provenance:

The material on reel D169 was lent for filming by Clay Spohn in 1964. The material on reel 5461-5474 was donated by Spohn's friend and the executor of his estate, Urban Neininger, in 1978. An additional 0.4 linear feet of papers were donated by Spohn's biographer, David Beasley, in 2008.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research. Use of unfilmed material 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:

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

Painting, Abstract -- France -- Paris  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Account books

Ambrotypes

Photographs

Citation:

Clay Spohn Papers, circa 1862-1985, bulk 1890-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.spohclay

See more items in:

Clay Spohn papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw989dc0985-c251-4480-9ed7-d84755d301bb

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-spohclay

Interviewee:

Bischoff, Elmer Nelson, 1916-1991  Search this

Interviewer:

Karlstrom, Paul J  Search this

Subject:

Brown, Joan  Search this

Brown, William Theo  Search this

Geis, Bill  Search this

Hudson, Robert  Search this

MacAgy, Douglas  Search this

Neri, Manuel  Search this

Park, David  Search this

Smith, Hassel  Search this

Spohn, Clay Edgar  Search this

Still, Clyfford  Search this

Wiley, William T.  Search this

University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts  Search this

San Francisco Art Institute  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Elmer Bischoff, 1977 August 10-September 1. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Abstract expressionism  Search this

Figurative art  Search this

Painters -- California -- Interviews  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)11991

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213307

AAA_collcode_bischo77

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213307