Search Results

Creator:

Strider, Marjorie  Search this

Names:

University of Iowa -- Faculty  Search this

Extent:

1.8 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Diaries

Photographs

Writings

Date:

1965-1978

Summary:

The papers of pop artist, sculptor, performance artist, and art instructor Marjorie Strider date from 1965-1978, and measure 1.8 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical materials, correspondence with colleagues and art institutions, six diaries, scattered business and financial records, notes, writings, teaching and lecture typescripts, printed material, and photographs of the "Peoples' Hole Project" of a summer class taught by Strider at the University of Iowa in 1970.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of pop artist, sculptor, performance artist, and art instructor Marjorie Strider date from 1965-1978, and measure 1.8 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical materials, correspondence with colleagues and art institutions, six diaries, scattered business and financial records, notes, writings, teaching and lecture typescripts, printed material, and photographs of the "Peoples' Hole Project" of a summer class taught by Strider at the University of Iowa in 1970.

Biographical materials include an address book. Correspondence is primarily between Strider, colleagues, and art institutions concerning exibitions and art-related activities. Six diaries dated from 1968 through 1973 contain very brief daily entries. Business records are primarily financial, but also include contracts for a commissioned poster for the HKL, Ltd. Project "Ikebana International," and for a merger between the stockholders of Chick Pea Conspiracy, Inc. and Max's Kansas City, Inc.

A teaching file contains material relating to a 1970 summer class taught by Strider and Scott Burton at the University of Iowa contains the best documentation about Strider's ideas about art. Included here are notes outlining various assignments for street performances and avant-garde uses of public spaces, writings by students describing their assignments, miscellaneous printed material, and notes, writings, clippings, and photographs concerning the "Peoples' Hole Project."

Additional notes and writings include miscellaneous teaching and lecture typescripts, a list of artists' names, and miscellaneous notes. Printed material includes clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, prospectuses, and press releases.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into 7 series arranged chronologically:

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1968 (Box 1; 1 folder)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1966-1977 (Box 1: 25 folders)

Series 3: Diaries, 1968-1973 (Box 1; 3 folders)

Series 4: Business Records, 1965-1976 (Boxes 1-2; 56 folders)

Series 5: Teaching File from University of Iowa, Iowa City, 1970 (Box 3; 11 folders)

Series 6: Notes and Writings, 1970-1977 (Box 3; 9 folders)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1966-1978 (Box 3; 6 folders)

Biographical Note:

Marjorie Virginia Strider was born on January 26, 1931 in Guthrie, Oklahoma and attended the Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. After graduating, she spent two years working on window displays for the Robinson Shoe Company in Kansas City.

By the early 1960s, Strider was working as a painter-sculptor in New York City. Along with work by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, her work was included in one of the first exhibitions of Pop Art, "First International Girlie Show" at Pace Gallery in 1965. Strider also had solo exhibitions at Pace Gallery in 1965 and 1966, and at Park College, Parkville, Missouri, in 1968.

In 1969, Strider began teaching at the School of Visual Arts in New York. During the summer of 1970, she taught at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

In the early 1970s, Strider's work evolved into assemblage, three-dimensional multi-media organic forms, street installations, films, and performance pieces, with a characteristic theme of forms breaking out from confined spaces. One of her more famous works, Big Box, 1973, consisted of a hand-constructed cardboard carton displaying an eruption of polyurethane pouring down the side. In 1973 and 1974, Strider had solo exhibitions at the Nancy Hoffman Gallery in New York City.

Strider also participated in group exhibitions at the Felix Handschin Gallery in Basel, Switzerland in 1970, at Boston Museum in 1972, at New York's School of Visual Arts in 1973 and, in 1974, at the Virginia Museum of Art and Storm King Art Center.

Strider's works are in the collections of the Albright-Knox Museum, Des Moines Art Center, New York University, Wadsworth Atheneum, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

Marjorie Strider lives in Saugerties, New York.

Provenance:

Marjorie Strider donated her papers in 1978.

Restrictions:

Use or original papers requires an appointment.

Rights:

The Marjorie Strider papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Occupation:

Art teachers -- United States  Search this

Topic:

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

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

Art -- Philosophy  Search this

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

Pop art  Search this

Genre/Form:

Diaries

Photographs

Writings

Citation:

Marjorie Strider papers, 1965-1978. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.strimarj

See more items in:

Marjorie Strider papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-strimarj

Creator:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2017-06-22T21:57:21.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Art, Asian  Search this

See more by:

FreerSackler

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

YouTube Channel:

FreerSackler

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_LqFmHqJ5Cz4

Creator:

Gray, Cleve  Search this

Names:

Berry-Hill Galleries  Search this

Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this

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

Jacques Seligmann & Co  Search this

Neuberger Museum of Art  Search this

Pratt Institute  Search this

Princeton University  Search this

Rhode Island School of Design  Search this

Barzun, Jacques, 1907-  Search this

Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976  Search this

Davis, Jim, 1901-1974  Search this

Dillenberger, Jane  Search this

Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this

Ernst, Jimmy, 1920-1984  Search this

Gabo, Naum, 1890-1977  Search this

Grace, Louise N.  Search this

Gray, Francine du Plessix  Search this

Lipchitz, Jacques, 1891-1973  Search this

Marin, John, 1870-1953  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Richter, Hans, 1888-1976  Search this

Smith, David, 1906-1965  Search this

Villon, Jacques, 1875-1963  Search this

Weber, Nicholas Fox, 1947-  Search this

Extent:

9.2 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Poems

Articles

Photographs

Reviews (documents)

Notes

Illustrations

Notebooks

Sketches

Drafts (documents)

Video recordings

Sound recordings

Interviews

Manuscripts

Paintings

Prints

Watercolors

Drawings

Lectures

Date:

1933-2005

Summary:

The Cleve Gray papers, 1933-2005, measure 9.2 linear feet. Papers include biographical material, alphabetical files, writings, artwork, audio/visual records, artifacts, printed material, and photographs. Extensive alphabetical files contain personal and professional correspondence as well as subject files relating to projects and interests. Especially well-documented are: Gray's involvement with the Vietnam protest movement; and Threnody, his best-known work composed of fourteen large panels lamenting the dead of both sides sides in Vietnam, commissioned by the Neuberger Museum of Art.

Scope and Content Note:

The Cleve Gray papers, 1933-2005, measure 9.2 linear feet. Papers include biographical material, alphabetical files, writings, artwork, audio/visual records, artifacts, printed material, and photographs. Extensive alphabetical files contain personal and professional correspondence as well as subject files relating to projects and interests. Especially well-documented are: Gray's involvement with the Vietnam movement; and Threnody, his best-known work composed of fourteen large panels lamenting the dead of both sides sides in Vietnam, commissioned by the Neuberger Museum of Art.

Among the biographical material are award and membership certificates, biographical notes, and personal documentation.

The alphabetical files contain Cleve Gray's personal and professional correspondence, as well as subject files relating to projects and interests. Correspondence is with friends and family, colleagues, publishers, museum curators and directors, art dealers, collectors, and fans. Among the correspondents of note are: Jacques Barzun, James E. Davis, Naum Gabo, Louise N. Grace, Hans and Fridel Richter, and Jacques and Gaby Villon. Other substantial correspondence includes: Berry-Hill Galleries, Betty Parsons Gallery, Connecticut Commission on the Arts, Jacques Seligmann and Co., Neuberger Museum of Art, Pratt Institute, Princeton University, and Rhode Island School of Design. Subject files mostly consist of correspondence, but include printed material and some photographs. Among the subject files are: Art Collection of Cleve and Francine Gray, Artist-Dealer Consignments and Visual Artists' Rights Act of 1989, Artists' Tax Equity Act of 1979, Promised Gifts to Museums, Threnody, Vestments, and Vietnam Protest. Of particular interest are files relating to the Estate of Hans Richter (Cleve Gray, executor), and Gray's research correspondence and illustrations for his Cosmopolitan article "Women-Leaders of Modern Art."

Writings are manuscripts and drafts, research materials, notes, and miscellaneous writings by Cleve Gray and other authors. Those by Gray include articles and catalog introductions on a wide range of art-related topics, as well as book and exhibition reviews. Also found are a book proposal, texts and notes for lectures and talks, miscellaneous notes, poems, political statements, and student papers. Of particular interest are autobiographical notes in the form of a chronology that his biographer, Nicholas Fox Weber, cited as an "autochronology."

Among the writings by other authors are pieces about Cleve Gray including Nicholas Fox Weber's manuscript Cleve Gray. A significant amount of material relates to three books edited by Gray: David Smith by David Smith: Sculpture and Writings, Hans Richter, and John Marin. Research material survives for an unpublished volume, Naum Gabo. Also included are notes relating to his translation of A l'Infinitif by Marcel Duchamp. Jane Daggett Dillenberger is represented by a lecture, "The Resurrection in Art." The remaining items by other authors are unsigned; of particular interest is a small notebook of reminiscences and notes about Jackson Pollock.

Artwork by Cleve Gray consists mostly drawings and sketches, and a small number of paintings, prints, and watercolors. Works by other artists consist are an unsigned mobile of paper cut-outs, possibly by Alexander Calder, and a pencil drawing signed Dick (probably Richard Avedon).

Audio recordings are a radio broadcast featuring Cleve Gray, several lectures by Gray on John Marin, and a lecture titled "Meaning in the Visual Arts." Other recordings are of Hans Richter and an interview with Jimmy Ernst conducted by Francine du Plessix Gray. Also found is a videocassette of "Glenville School Students at SUNY (Lincoln Center Activity)."

Artifacts are a Chinese scroll representative of those that hung in Cleve Gray's studio, two of his paintbrushes, Aberdeen-Angus Breeders' Association blue ribbon, and Neuberger Museum of Art Lifetime Achievement Award.

The vast majority of printed material - articles, clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, reproductions of art work, etc. - are about or by Cleve Gray. Miscellaneous items and publications mentioning Gray consist of annual reports, brochures, calendars, newsletters, programs, etc. Clippings about Vietnam and Vietnam protest memorabilia reflect his passionate involvement in the anti-war movement; a small number of these items mention Gray or were written by him.

Photographs are of artwork, events, people, places, and miscellaneous subjects. Most of the art work appearing in the photographs is by Cleve Gray and includes images of destroyed paintings. Also found is an original print of Photo Abstraction by Gray, circa 1934. Of particular note are photographs of Threnody, among them preparatory drawings and views of the work in progress. Photographs of artwork by other artists include Louise N. Grace, Jacques Lipchitz, John Marin, Hans Richter, and Jacques Villon.

Photographs of people are mainly portraits of Gray, and views of him with his wife and sons. Other individuals appearing in photographs are Hans Richter and some of Richter's descendants. Pictures of places consist of Gray's studio.

Events are an unidentified exhibition opening. Miscellaneous subjects are mostly exhibition installations. Illustrations consist of photographs published in David Smith by David Smith: Sculpture and Writings. Also found are small number of negatives and color transparencies.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into 8 series:

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1943-circa 2001 (Box 1; 0.1 linear ft.)

Series 2: Alphabetical Files, 1936-2005 (Boxes 1-5, 9; 4.3 linear ft.)

Series 3: Writings, 1935-2000 (Boxes 5-6; 0.85 linear ft.)

Series 4: Artwork, circa 1933-1987 (Boxes 6, 9, OV 12; 0.45 linear ft.)

Series 5: Audio/Visual Records, 1971-1989 (Box 6; 0.25 linear ft.)

Series 6: Artifacts, 1957-1999 (Box 6, RD 11; 0.45 linear ft.)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1933-2005 (Boxes 7-8; 1.25 linear ft.)

Series 8: Photographs, circa 1934-2002 (Boxes 8-10; 1.15 linear ft.)

Biographical Note:

Abstract Expressionist painter, sculptor, and writer Cleve Gray (1918-2004) lived and worked in Connecticut where he was politically active in the Vietnam protest movement and other liberal causes.

Born Cleve Ginsberg in New York City (the family changed its name to Gray in 1936), he attended the Ethical Culture School and at a young age developed a fascination with color and paint. At the urging of friends, Cleve's parents allowed him to accompany a school friend for lessons with George Bellows' student Antonia Nell. She encouraged and inspired the young artist, and a still life he painted in her class was shown at the National Academy of Design's 1932 annual exhibition. Miss Nell also introduced him to Louise N. Grace, an artist who became a good friend and had a lasting influence on him. While a student at Phillips Academy, Cleve studied painting with Bartlett Hayes and aspired to paint in France. Upon his graduation in 1936, he was awarded the Samuel F. B. Morse Prize for most promising art student.

Gray's mother was always supportive of his career choice. His businessman father, who didn't understand his son's desire to be an artist, insisted on a college education. Cleve chose Princeton, where he majored in art and archaeology, and studied painting with James E. Davis. His senior thesis was on Chinese landscape painting; both Eastern philosophy and art were long-term influences on Gray's work and outlook. He graduated summa cum laude in 1940, and then spent several months painting while living at the farm of a family friend in Mendham, New Jersey.

When a doctor suggeted that a dry climate might relieve sinus and asthma problems, Gray moved to Tucson, Arizona. Once settled in the desert, he contacted Louise N. Grace, whom he had met as a young teenager through his art instructor. Miss Grace, an artist and daughter of the founder of W. R. Grace and Co., was a highly cultured and independent woman older than his parents. The summer before Gray entered Phillips Academy, she had hired him to brush ground color onto canvases for murals she was painting for "Eleven Arches," her home in Tuscon then under construction. Miss Grace invited Gray to visit "Eleven Arches" to see the completed murals, and despite the substantial age difference, their friendship deepened; Gray found in her intellectual and spiritual guidance that was lacking in his own family. He remained in Tucson until enlisting in the U. S. Army in 1942, and they corresponded frequently during the the war. When a stroke in 1948 prevented Miss Grace from participating in the extensive tour of Europe she was arranging for a small group of friends, including Gray, she provided sufficient funds and insisted he make the trip on his own. Another stroke, suffered while Gray was traveling, left her in a coma; he was not permitted to see her again. Upon her death in 1954, Gray inherited "Eleven Arches."

Between 1943 and 1946, Gray was stationed in England, France, and Germany, serving in Army Signal Intelligence. Most of his work was performed at night, and he spent his free time drawing. While in London, Gray produced many colored pencil drawings of buildings that had been bombed. In France, a Red Cross volunteered to introduce him to Jacques Villon; although unfamiliar with the artist, Gray knew of Villon's brother, Marcel Duchamp, and accepted the invitation. Jacques and Gaby Villon lived near Gray's billet and he became a frequent visitor. Their friendship was important to his development as an artist. After being discharged from the Army in 1946, Gray remained in France to work with Villon who introduced him to the study of color and the concept of intellectual quality in painting. Gray also studied informally with André Lhote, Villon's former teacher. "American Painters in Paris," an exhibition presented in 1946 at Galerie Durand-Ruel, included work by Cleve Gray.

He returned to New York City in 1946. In the tight post-war rental market Gray managed to find a small room upstairs from a grocery store on East 106th Street for use as a studio. He commenced painting the London Ruins series based on drawings he had made during the war, and began thinking about exhibiting in New York. Gray secured introductions to Pierre Matisse, Curt Valentin, and Dorothy Miller. They encouraged him, but no opportunities came his way until Germain Seligmann, whose gallery was expanding its scope to include contemporary art, followed the advice of Curt Valentin and looked at Gray's work. Gary's first solo exhibition, held at Jacques Seligmann and Co., included selections from the London Ruins series, paintings done in Maine and Arizona, and a few portraits. The New York Times called it "an auspicious first," and one of the London Ruins series was selected by Edward Alden Jewell for the "Critic's Exhibition" at Grand Central Gallery.

Gray found New York City too frenetic. In 1949 he bought a large, old house in Warren, Connecticut, and lived and worked at "Graystones" for the remainder of his life. Half of a 6-car garage was converted to a studio; many years later, his studio moved to a barn, its renovation and design planned by sculptor and architect Tony Smith.

He married Francine du Plessix in 1957. Always interested in literature and philosophy, in the 1960s Francine du Plessix Gray began contributing articles to The New Yorker and is still affiliated with the magazine. Her reviews and articles appeared in prominent publications, and she wrote several award-winning novels and biographies. Their sons, Thaddeus and Luke (now a painter), were born in 1959 and 1961. Francine's mother, Tatiana du Plessix (the hat designer Tatiana of Saks), and step-father, the sculptor Alexander Liberman (also former art director of Vogue and later editorial director of Condé Nast publications) became Cleve Gray's closest friends.

The paintings and drawings of Cleve Gray - first consisting of figures and portraits, and then abstract compositions - were often produced in series. The earliest series, London Ruins, grew from the colored pencil drawings made while stationed in London during World War II. Travels to France, Italy, Greece, Morocco, Hawaii, Spain, Egypt, Japan, and Czechoslovakia, inspired many series, among them: Etruscan, Augury, Ceres, Demeter Landscape, Hera, Morocco, Hawaii, Ramses, Perne, Hatshepsut, Roman Walls, Zen, and Prague. His hometown, the Holocaust, and musicians inspired other series: Warren, Sleepers Awake!, Bela Bartok, and Four Heads of Anton Bruckner. Some series were works on paper, others were collage canvases, and a few series later spawned prints. Gray began using acrylics in the 1940s. Although the medium offered many benefits, he did not always like its appearance and frequently returned to oils. Around 1966 Gray was painting almost exclusively with acrylic, and eventually developed a technique of thinning the paint and applying successive layers of color (sometimes by pouring or with a sponge) on cotton duck rather than traditional canvas.

Gray was attracted to sculpture, too, working in that medium at different points in his career. His first sculpture, in plaster, was completed in 1959. In the early 1960s he visited a commercial sand-casting foundry and became excited about learning to cast in bronze. He made about a dozen sculptures to cast in sand, but due to too much undercutting, their casting became too difficult a problem. Lava flows seen while in Hawaii during 1970 and 1971 inspired a return to sculpture. This time, he used wood, papier maché, and metal. Gray then decided these pieces should be cast in bronze, and he was determined to do it himself. Friends taught him the lost wax process and he began working at the Tallix Foundry in Peekskill, New York where, over the next year, he cast about forty bronzes.

Gray's best known work is Threnody, a lament for the dead of both sides in Vietnam. In 1972, Gray received a commission to fill a very large gallery of the soon-to-open Neuberger Museum of Art (State University of New York, College at Purchase) designed by Philip Johnson. Friends of the Neuberger Museum paid his expenses and Gray, who was enormously excited about the project he considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, donated his time. Developing plans for the execution of Threnody consumed most of his time during 1972 and 1973. Composed of a series of fourteen panels, each approximately twenty feet square, the piece presented a number of technical challenges. It was constructed and painted in situ during the summer and early fall of 1973. Since then, Threnody has been reinstalled at the Neuberger Museum of Art on several occasions.

Gray was commissioned to design liturgical vestments for two Episcopal churches in Connecticut in the 1970s. A chasuble, stoles, and a mitre were commissioned by the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut in 1984.

He won the "Outdoor Art at the Station Competition," for Union Station, Hartford, Connecticut. His very large porcelain enamel tile mural, Movement in Space, was installed on the façade of the transportation center in 1988.

Gray began writing occasional articles and exhibition reviews in the late 1940s. His concern with rational structure in art led him to question Abstract Expressionism and write "Narcissus in Chaos." This article, published in 1959 by The American Scholar, drew considerable attention. In 1960, Cosmopolitan published "Women - Leaders of Modern Art" that featured Nell Blaine, Joan Brown, Elaine de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Sonia Gretchoff, Grace Hartigan, Ethel Magafan, Louise Nevelson, and Georgia O'Keeffe. Between 1960 and 1970, Gray was a contributing editor of Art In America, producing numerous articles (a few co-authored with Francine) and reviews for the periodical. He edited three books, David Smith by David Smith: Scupture and Writings, Hans Richter, and John Marin, all published by Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, and translated Marcel Duchamp's A l'Infinitif.

During the early 1960s, Gray became intensely focused on the situation in Vietnam. His first artistic response came in 1963 with Reverend Quan Duc, painted to commemorate a Buddhist monk who had immolated himself. Francine, too, felt strongly about the issue and over time the couple became increasingly active in the anti-war movement. They joined a number of organizations and helped to found a local chapter of Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam. The years 1968 and 1969 were an especially intense and active period for the Grays. They protested, wrote and spoke out against the war, raised funds to support anti-war political candidates, and on a few occasions were arrested and jailed. Writing for Art in America, editing the book series, and anti-war activities left little time for his art. In 1970 Gray refocused his attention on painting.

Beginning in 1947, Gray was always represented by a New York Gallery: Jacques Seligmann and Co. (1947-1959), Staempfli Gallery (1960-1965), Saidenberg Gallery (1965-1968), Betty Parsons Gallery (1968-1983), Armstrong Gallery (1984-1987), and Berry-Hill Galleries (1988-2003). He was represented by galleries in other cities, as well, but not as consistently or for such long periods.

He exhibited extensively in group and solo exhibitions throughout the United States and internationally. In addition to numerous solo exhibitions presented by the dealers who represented Gray, there were retrospective exhibitions at: Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Brooklyn Museum, Columbus Museum of Art, Krannert Art Museum (University of Illinois, Champaign), Princeton University Art Museum, Rhode Island School of Design, and Wadsworth Atheneum.

Many museums' permanent collections include the work of Cleve Gray, among them: Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Butler Institute of American Art, Columbus Museum of Art, Neuberger Museum of Art (SUNY, College at Purchase), the Museum of Modern Art (New York), Newark Museum, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Phillips Collection, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery (University of Nebraska, Lincoln), Smithsonian Institution, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, and Yale University Art Gallery.

Cleve Gray served as artist-in-residence at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art in 1963 and at the Honolulu Academy of Arts in 1970, both sponsored by Ford Foundation programs. In 1980, he was appointed an artist-in-residence at the American Academy in Rome, where Francine concurrently served as a writer-in-residence; they returned for shorter periods during each of the subsequent seven years. Cleve Gray was presented the Connecticut Arts Award in 1987, and the Neuberger Museum of Art Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. He was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Hartford in 1992, and was elected a member of The American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1998. In addition, he was a trustee of the Neuberger Museum of Art, New York Studio School, Rhode Island School of Design, and Wadsworth Atheneum.

Cleve Gray hit his head and suffered a massive subdural hematoma after falling on ice outside of his home. He died the following day, December 8, 2004.

Separated Material:

Exhibition catalogs and announcements and two scrapbooks donated to the Archives in 1967 and 1968 were microfilmed on reels D314-D315. Items on reel D315, transferred to the Smithsonian American Art Museum Library in 1975, are not described in this finding aid.

Provenance:

The Cleve Gray papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Mr. Gray in 1967 and 1968. The bulk of the collection was given by his widow, Francine du Plessix Gray, in 2007 and 2008.

Restrictions:

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

Rights:

The Cleve Gray papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Occupation:

Painters  Search this

Topic:

Women artists  Search this

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

Women artists -- Photographs  Search this

Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975 -- Protest Movements -- United States  Search this

Sculptors  Search this

Designers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Poems

Articles

Photographs

Reviews (documents)

Notes

Illustrations

Notebooks

Sketches

Drafts (documents)

Video recordings

Sound recordings

Interviews

Manuscripts

Paintings

Prints

Watercolors

Drawings

Lectures

Citation:

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

Identifier:

AAA.grayclev

See more items in:

Cleve Gray papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-grayclev

Creator:

Catherine Viviano Gallery  Search this

Names:

American Academy of Arts and Letters  Search this

American Federation of Arts  Search this

Art Club of Chicago  Search this

Art Institute of Chicago  Search this

Barnes Foundation  Search this

Brooklyn Museum  Search this

Carnegie Institute  Search this

City Art Museum of St. Louis  Search this

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center  Search this

Dallas Museum of Fine Arts  Search this

Des Moines Art Center  Search this

Detroit Institute of Arts  Search this

Fogg Art Museum  Search this

Harvard University  Search this

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden  Search this

Los Angeles County Museum  Search this

Mary Washington College  Search this

Massachusetts Institute of Technology  Search this

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

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston  Search this

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston  Search this

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

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts  Search this

Philadelphia Art Alliance  Search this

Santa Barbara Museum of Art  Search this

University of Virginia  Search this

Wadsworth Atheneum  Search this

Walker Art Center  Search this

William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts  Search this

World House Galleries  Search this

Yale University. Art & Architecture Library  Search this

Afro, 1912-1976  Search this

Ashton, Dore  Search this

Baker, Richard Brown  Search this

Bareiss, Walter  Search this

Barker, Walter  Search this

Birolli, Renato, 1905?-1959  Search this

Bishop, Elizabeth, 1911-1979  Search this

Broderson, Robert M, 1920-  Search this

Callery, Mary, 1903-1977  Search this

Chaet, Bernard  Search this

Cox, Jan, 1919-1980  Search this

Dorazio, Piero, 1927-  Search this

Dorazio, Virginia Dortch  Search this

Dubuffet, Jean, 1901-  Search this

Dudensing, F. Valentine, 1892-1967  Search this

Eisendrath, William N., 1903-  Search this

Ernst, Dallas  Search this

Faison, S. Lane (Samson Lane), 1907-2006  Search this

Fleischman, Barbara  Search this

Fleischman, Lawrence A. (Lawrence Arthur), 1925-1997  Search this

Genauer, Emily, 1910-2002  Search this

Giacometti, Alberto, 1901-1966  Search this

Glasco, Joseph, 1925-  Search this

Goodhue, Bertram Grosvenor, 1869-1924  Search this

Graves, Morris, 1910-  Search this

Guerrero, José, 1914-  Search this

Göpel, Barbara  Search this

Göpel, Erhard  Search this

Hirschhorn, Joseph  Search this

Lerner, Abe, 1908-  Search this

Ludgin, Earle, 1898-1981  Search this

Mabe, Manabu  Search this

Manrique, César, 1920-  Search this

McCray, Porter A., 1908-2000  Search this

Meltzer, Doris, 1908-1977  Search this

Menil, Dominique de  Search this

Miller, Stephen Robeson  Search this

Minguzzi, Luciano, 1911-  Search this

Miró, Joan, 1893-  Search this

Morlotti, Ennio, 1910-1992  Search this

Moyens, H. Marc  Search this

Myers, John Bernard  Search this

Ossorio, Alfonso, 1916-1990  Search this

Perlin, Bernard, 1918-  Search this

Price, Vincent, 1911-1993  Search this

Pulitzer, Joseph, 1913-1993  Search this

Rathbone, Perry Townsend, 1911-2000  Search this

Ribicoff, Belle Krasne, 1924-  Search this

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

Rosenthal, Bernard M.  Search this

Sage, Kay  Search this

Seeger, Stanley J.  Search this

Shapiro, Meyer  Search this

Stout, George L. (George Leslie)  Search this

Tanning, Dorothea, 1910-2012  Search this

Valentin, Curt, 1902-1954  Search this

Van Veen, Stuyvesant  Search this

Viviano, Catherine, 1899-1992  Search this

Wakabayashi, Kazuo  Search this

Yunkers, Adja, 1900-1983  Search this

Extent:

11.6 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Notes

Photographs

Date:

1930-1990

bulk 1949-1978

Summary:

The records of the Catherine Viviano Gallery measure 11.6 linear feet and date from 1930-1990, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1949-1978. Established in New York City in 1949, the gallery specialized in contemporary painting and sculpture primarily by American and European artists. The collection consists of artists' files; correspondence with artists, collectors, dealers, museum directors, curators, and publishers; business records; printed material; and photographs of artwork and artists. Also included are records relating to Catherine Viviano's activities as a private dealer and consultant after she closed the gallery in 1970.

Scope and Contents note:

The records of the Catherine Viviano Gallery measure 11.6 linear feet and date from 1930-1990, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1949-1978. Established in New York City in 1949, the gallery specialized in contemporary painting and sculpture primarily by American and European artists. The collection consists of artists' files; correspondence with artists, collectors, dealers, museum directors, curators, and publishers; business records; printed material; and photographs of artwork and artists. Also included are records relating to Catherine Viviano's activities as a private dealer and consultant after she closed the gallery in 1970.

Artists' files include biographical material; artists' statements; correspondence; sales and expense reports; lists and notes; guest lists; writings by others; receipts, invoices, and statements; printed material, including press releases, exhibition announcements, brochures, catalogues, clippings; and photographs of artwork and artists. Included are extensive files on Afro Basaldella, Renato Birolli, Robert Broderson, Anselmo Franesconi, Joseph Glasco, Manabu Mabe, César Manrique, Luciano Minguzzi, Ennio Morlotti, Bernard Perlin, Daniel Rice, and Bernard Rosenthal. There are also files on Jan Cox, Kay Sage, and Kazuo Wakabayashi.

Correspondence comprises the largest series in the collection and consists of general correspondence; correspondence with museums, galleries, and art-related institutions in the United States; and correspondence with museums, galleries, and art-related institutions abroad. Letters focus on routine business matters, e.g., appraisals and sales, acquisitions, and organizing exhibitions at the Catherine Viviano Gallery and other venues.

General correspondence includes letters between Catherine Viviano and artists and their family members. Among the correspondents are: Mary Callery, Bernard Chaet, Piero and Virginia Dorazio, Jean Dubuffet, Dallas Ernst, Karl Fortress, Alberto Giacometti, Henry Sage Goodwin, Morris Graves, José Guerrero, Earle Ludgin, Joan Miro, Alfonso Ossorio, Dorothea Tanning, Stuyvesant Van Veen, Adja Yunkers and his wife, Dore Ashton, among others. Also found is Viviano's correspondence with clients, many of whom were prominent collectors, e.g., Richard Brown Baker, Carl and Joan Fisher, Lawrence and Barbara Fleischman, Joseph Hirschhorn, Marc Moyens, Vincent Price, Joseph Pulitzer, Jr., Nelson Rockefeller, Stanley Seeger, and Frederick and Dorothy Zimmerman. Of interest, are letters from Elizabeth Bishop inquiring about the purchase of a work of art from the gallery. Included are letters from art historians, museum directors, curators, representatives at other art-related institutions, and publishers including Walter Bareiss, Walter Barker, Dominque De Menil, Valentine Dudensing, William Eisendrath, S. Lane Faison, Emily Genauer, Bertram Goodhue, Erhard and Barbara Göpel, James Laughlin, Porter McCray, Abram Lerner, Doris Meltzer, Stephen Robson Miller, John Bernard Myers, Perry Rathbone, Belle Krasne Ribicoff, Meyer Shapiro, George Stout, and Curt Valentin.

Correspondence with museums, galleries, and art-related institutions in the United States contains letters between Viviano and museum directors, curators, dealers, artists, and collectors pertaining to loans, shipping and delivery of artwork, appraisals and sales, and acquisitions. Files include substantive correspondence with the American Academy of Arts and Letters, American Federation of the Arts, Art Institute of Chicago, Arts Club of Chicago, the Barnes Foundation, Bristol Art Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Bundy Art Gallery, Carnegie Institute, City Art Museum of St. Louis, Cleveland Museum of Art, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Denver Art Museum, Des Moines Art Center, Detroit Institute of Arts, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles County Art Museum, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Museum of Fine Arts of Houston, Museum of Modern Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia Art Alliance, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, University of Nebraska Art Galleries, University of Virginia, Mary Washington College, Wadsworth Atheneum, Walker Art Center, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, Atkins Museum of the Fine Arts, World House Gallery, and Yale University Art Library.

Correspondence with museums, galleries, and art-related institutions abroad primarily concerns the lending of artwork for exhibitions, acquisition and sales; also included are letters requesting biographical information on artists. Letters between Catherine Viviano and representatives of Max Beckmann Gesellschaft Archiv and Galerie Gunther Franke contain provenance-related information on Beckmann's work.

Business records document the routine business operations of the gallery. Printed material includes an incomplete run of Catherine Viviano Gallery exhibition catalogues; invitations and announcements from other galleries and institutions; and miscellaneous printed material.

Photographs include three images of miscellaneous artwork used for art reference.

Arrangement note:

Records are generally arranged by material type and in chronological order thereafter. Artists' files and correspondence files are arranged in alphabetical order and materials within the folders are arranged chronologically

The collection is arranged as 5 series:

Series 1: Artists' Files, 1945-1986 (Boxes 1-3; 3.5 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1939-1985 (Boxes 3-6; 5.5 linear feet)

Series 3: Business Records, 1949-1972 (Boxes 10-11; 1.0 linear feet)

Series 4: Printed Material, 1930-1990 (Boxes 11-13; 1.6 linear feet)

Series 5: Photographs (1948-1954), undated (Box 14; 1 folder)

Biographical/Historical note:

Catherine Viviano (1889-1992) opened her gallery in 1949 on 42 East 57th Street in New York City. Specializing in contemporary American paintings and sculpture, the gallery featured younger American and European artists, e.g., Robert Broderson, Carlyle Brown, Jan Cox, Joseph Glasco, Peter Lanyon, Manabu Mabe, César Manrique, Bernard Perlin, Joseph Rollo, Bernard Rosenthal, and Kay Sage, among others. The gallery was also notable for introducing the work of Italian artists, who had been cut off from the American art scene during World War II, including Afro Basaldella and his brother Mirko Basaldella, Renato Birolli, Leonardo Cremonini, and Luciano Minguzzi.

Born in Italy in 1899 and raised in Chicago, Catherine Viviano came to New York in the early 1930's to work at the Pierre Matisse Gallery, where she remained for sixteen years before founding the Catherine Viviano Gallery.

In 1970, Catherine Viviano closed the gallery, though she continued to work from her home as an art dealer and consultant. She died of a stroke at the age of ninety-two in 1992.

Related Archival Materials note:

Among the other resources relating to Catherine Viviano Gallery in the Archives of American Art are the Kay Sage papers, 1925-circa 1985, bulk 1950-1965.

Provenance:

The Catherine Viviano Gallery records were donated in 2003 on behalf of Margaret Viviano, Catherine Viviano's sister, by her grandnephew, Peter C. Salerno, who had Power of Attorney for Margaret Viviano.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Rights:

The Catherine Viviano Gallery records records are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Occupation:

Art dealers  Search this

Topic:

Sculpture  Search this

Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Painting  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Genre/Form:

Notes

Photographs

Citation:

Catherine Viviano Gallery records, 1930-1990, bulk 1949-1978. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.cathvivi

See more items in:

Catherine Viviano Gallery records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-cathvivi

Collection Creator:

Gilliam, Sam, 1933-  Search this

Container:

Box 7, Folder 5

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1972-1974

Collection 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.

Collection Rights:

Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce must be obtained from Sam Gilliam.

Collection Citation:

Sam Gilliam papers, 1957-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.

See more items in:

Sam Gilliam papers

Sam Gilliam papers / Series 6: Subject Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-gillsam-ref320

Collection Creator:

Avery, Milton, 1885-1965  Search this

Container:

Box 4, Folder 3

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1962-1964

Collection Restrictions:

The collection has been digitized and is available online via the Archives of American Art's website.

Collection Rights:

The Milton Avery papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Collection Citation:

Milton Avery papers, 1926-1982. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

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

See more items in:

Milton Avery papers

Milton Avery papers / Series 3: Subject Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-avermilt-ref142

Artist:

James Sharples, c. 1751 - 1811  Search this

Sitter:

George Washington, 22 Feb 1732 - 14 Dec 1799  Search this

Medium:

Pastel on paper

Dimensions:

22.5cm x 16.9cm (8 7/8" x 6 5/8"), Sight

Type:

Painting

Date:

c. 1796

Topic:

George Washington: Male  Search this

George Washington: Military\Army\Officer\Revolution  Search this

George Washington: Politics and Government\Statesman\Colonial Statesman  Search this

George Washington: Natural Resources\Agriculturist\Farmer  Search this

George Washington: Military\Army\Officer\General  Search this

George Washington: Politics and Government\President of US  Search this

George Washington: Science and Technology\Engineer\Surveyor  Search this

George Washington: Congressional Gold Medal  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Wadsworth Atheneum

Object number:

1848.18

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm45d4cff07-cd00-418e-b968-04ed13f796b7

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_1848.18

Painter:

Hartley, Marsden 1877-1943  Search this

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Type:

Paintings

Owner/Location:

Smithsonian American Art Museum 8th & G Streets, N.W Washington District of Columbia 20560 Accession Number: 2004.30.3

Date:

1932

Topic:

Landscape--Mexico  Search this

Landscape--Time--Morning  Search this

Landscape--Mountain--Mt. Popocateptl  Search this

Control number:

IAP 08583912

Data Source:

Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museums

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_ari_395770

Creator:

Ribicoff, Belle Krasne, 1924-  Search this

Names:

Storm King Art Center  Search this

Wadsworth Atheneum  Search this

Albee, Edward, 1928-  Search this

Arp, Jean, 1887-1966  Search this

Ashton, Dore  Search this

Bailey, William, 1930-2020  Search this

Bazaine, Jean, 1904-2001  Search this

Benn, Ben, 1884-  Search this

Bloom, Claire, 1931-  Search this

Chelimsky, Oscar  Search this

Cornell, Joseph  Search this

D'Harnoncourt, Rene, 1901-1968  Search this

De Vries, Peter, 1910-1993  Search this

Dorazio, Piero, 1927-  Search this

Dorazio, Virginia Dortch  Search this

Ferren, John, 1905-1970  Search this

Fitzsimmons, James, 1919-1985  Search this

Foote, Horton  Search this

Frankenthaler, Helen, 1928-2011  Search this

Geist, Sidney  Search this

Gottlieb, Adolph, 1903-1974  Search this

Graham, John, 1887-1961  Search this

Greenberg, Clement, 1909-1994  Search this

Greene, Balcomb, 1904-1990  Search this

Holty, Carl, 1900-1973  Search this

Kazan, Elia  Search this

Kelly, Ellsworth, 1923-  Search this

Krautheimer, Richard, 1897-  Search this

Lamos, Mark  Search this

Lebrun, Rico, 1900-1964  Search this

Matisse, Pierre, 1900-1989  Search this

Morris, George L. K., 1905-1975  Search this

Parsons, Estelle  Search this

Pearlstein, Philip, 1924-  Search this

Ribicoff, Abraham, 1910-1998  Search this

Richardson, Edgar Preston, 1902-1985  Search this

Ritchie, Andrew Carnduff  Search this

Rosenborg, Ralph M., 1913-1992  Search this

Roszak, Theodore, 1907-1981  Search this

Saarinen, Eero, 1910-1961  Search this

Salpeter, Harry  Search this

Shapiro, Karl Jay, 1913-  Search this

Skinner, Cornelia Otis, 1901-  Search this

Smith, David, 1906-1965  Search this

Soby, James Thrall, 1906-1979  Search this

Travers, P. L.(Pamela Lyndon), 1899-1996  Search this

Valentin, Curt, 1902-1954  Search this

Van Doren, Mark, 1894-1972  Search this

Yunkers, Adja, 1900-1983  Search this

Extent:

1.6 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sketches

Drafts (documents)

Photographs

Prints

Illustrated letters

Postcards

Christmas cards

Date:

1942-circa 2010

bulk 1945-2004

Summary:

The papers of Belle Krasne Ribicoff measure 1.6 linear feet and date from 1942-circa 2010, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1945-2004. Papers include biographical materials; correspondence with artists, art historians, writers, museum directors, and others; individual files relating to Belle and Irving Ribicoff's art collection and the Friends of Abe Ribicoff's campaign for the United States Senate; artwork; printed material, e.g., clippings, announcements, exhibition catalogues, brochures; and photographs. The collection documents Ribicoff's career as an arts editor, critic, and her involvement in civic and arts organizations for the State of Connecticut.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of Belle Krasne Ribicoff measure 1.6 linear feet and date from 1942-circa 2010, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1945-2004. Papers include biographical materials; correspondence with artists, art historians, writers, museum directors, and others; individual files relating to Belle and Irving Ribicoff's art collection and the Friends of Abe Ribicoff's campaign for the United States Senate; artwork; printed material, e.g., clippings, announcements, exhibition catalogues, brochures; and photographs. The collection documents Ribicoff's career as an arts editor, critic, and her involvement in civic and arts organizations for the State of Connecticut.

Biographical materials include documentation of the Buttenweiser Prize awarded to Belle Krasne by the Art History Departmental Honors at Vassar College in 1945 and curriculum vitae.

Correspondence, primarily incoming letters consists of letters, postcards, draft versions, and copies of e-mails. Belle Krasne Ribicoff was friends with many artists; their letters focus on daily activities, work, and the art world. Among the correspondents are Oscar and Eleanor Chelminsky, Joseph Cornell, Piero and Virginia Dorazio, John and Rae Ferren, Helen Frankenthaler, James Fitzsimmons, Adolph Gottlieb, John Graham, Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Modell, George L.K. Morris, Philip Pearlstein, Eero Saarinen, David Smith, and Adja Yunkers. There is substantial correspondence from Ben Benn, Sidney Geist, Leon Hartley, Ralph Rosenborg, and Theodore Roszak. Also found are love letters to Belle Krasne Ribicoff from Jean Bazaine. Many of the artists' letters are illustrated. Of note, are a letter from Carl Holty to J.B. Neumann and an artist's statement written by Adolph Gottlieb.

Ribicoff had a professional and personal relationship with a number of prominent writers, actors, and other individuals known for their work in the arts, such as Edward Albee, Claire Bloom, Peter DeVries, Horton Foote, Elia Kazan, Mark Lamos, Estelle Parsons, Karl Shapiro, Cornelia Otis Skinner, and P.L. Travers. There are letters from museum directors, art historians, and other well-known cultural figures, such as Dore Ashton, Clement Greenberg, Balcomb Greene, Rene d'Harnoncourt, Pierre Matisse, E. P. Richardson, Andrew C. Ritchie, Harry Salpeter, Curt Valentin, and Mark Van Doren. Also found are files of holiday cards, many original artwork; letters to Ribicoff upon her departure from Art Digest; letters from representatives at Storm King Art Center Museum and the Wadsworth Atheneum; and letters from unidentified correspondents.

The Ribicoff collection relates to the personal art collection of Belle and Irving Ribicoff; materials document the purchase and sale of artwork and the lending of artwork for exhibitions. There is a file of petition letters sponsored by the Friends of Abe Ribicoff campaign for the United States Senate.

Original artwork includes prints by Jean Arp and Adja Yunkers and pencil sketches of Sarai Ribicoff by William Bailey. Printed material consists of news clippings; a periodical; exhibition announcements; brochures; an offprint of an article by Cleve Gray; and miscellaneous printed material.

Photographs contain black and white photographs of Belle Krasne Ribicoff, Ben and Velida Benn, Richard Krautheimer, and of the jurors attending the Carnegie International exhibition (circa 1954), including Jean Bazaine, Rico Lebrun, Eric Newton, and James Thrall Soby.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 7 series:

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1945, circa 2010 (Box 1; 1 folder)

Series 2: Belle Krasne Ribicoff Correspondence, 1942-2007 (Boxes 1, 3; 1.0 linear feet)

Series 3: The Ribicoff Collection, 1949-1988 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 4: Friends of Abe Ribicoff Campaign, 1968 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 5: Artwork, circa 1950s-1978 (Box 1, OV 4; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1948-2000 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 7: Photographs, 1945-circa 2007 (Boxes 1-2; 0.1 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Belle Krasne Ribicoff (b. 1924) lives in Hartford, Connecticut and has served as an arts editor, critic, and university administrator.

Ribicoff was born and raised in New York City. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in art history from Vassar College in 1945. After a brief stint with an advertising agency in New York, Ribicoff became Assistant Editor at Magazine of Art (1946-1947), where she developed an interest in contemporary art. She served as editor for such publications as Art News (1948-1949), Art Digest (1949-1954), and Craft Horizons (1954-1955).

In 1955, she married Irving S. Ribicoff (1915-1994), an attorney and moved to Hartford, Connecticut. The Ribicoffs' had two daughters, Dara (b. 1956) and Sarai (1957-1980).

Ribicoff has held various positions at the University of Hartford: Development Director at the Hartford School of Art (1980-1981), Development Liaison to the Office of President (1982-1988), and Associate Vice President for Public Affairs (1980-1983). Belle Krasne Ribicoff has served as a professional volunteer for educational and cultural organizations in Connecticut; she has been involved in efforts to make the arts a part of the school curriculum. She was Vice-President of the Hartford Board of Education (1961-1967; 1965-1971) and was Chairman of the State of Connecticut's Commission on the Arts (1965-1971). Ribicoff is a Life Director at the Hartford Stage Company and a Life Regent at the University of Hartford. She is a Sterling Fellows at Yale University and sits on the President's Advisory Committee at Vassar College.

Belle Krasne Ribicoff has received recognition for her professional and public service contributions by a number of institutions. In 1954, she received the Frank Jewett Mather Award for critical writing from the College Art Association. Other honors have included: Charter Oak Leadership Medal for Distinguished Service (1968), the University of Hartford Medal for Distinguished Service (1995), and the Spirit of Vassar award for outstanding commitment and service to Vassar or another community (2005).

Related Material:

Also found at the Archives of American Art is Belle Krasne's letter to Philip Pavia, May 14, 1954 on microfilm reel 3470.

Provenance:

The collection was donated by Belle Krasne Ribicoff to the Archives of American Art in 2008.

Restrictions:

Use of original material requires an appointment.

Letters from Jean Bazaine to Belle Krasne Ribicoff and sketches of Sarai Ribicoff by William Bailey are access restricted. Their use requires written permission.

Rights:

The Belle Krasne Ribicoff papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Occupation:

Editors  Search this

Art critics  Search this

Topic:

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Art, American  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sketches

Drafts (documents)

Photographs

Prints

Illustrated letters

Postcards

Christmas cards

Citation:

Belle Krasne Ribicoff papers, 1942-circa 2010 bulk 1945-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.krasbell2

See more items in:

Belle Krasne Ribicoff papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-krasbell2

Creator:

De Ferrari, Gabriella, 1941-  Search this

New School University  Search this

Subject:

Katz, Ada  Search this

Katz, Alex  Search this

Gund, Agnes  Search this

Gray, Francine du Plessix  Search this

Cuno, James B.  Search this

Castelli, Leo  Search this

Michael, Brenson  Search this

Sischy, Ingrid  Search this

Segal, Martin  Search this

Seator, Glen  Search this

LeWitt, Carol  Search this

LeWitt, Sol  Search this

Pan-American Society of New England  Search this

Wadsworth Atheneum  Search this

Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston, Mass.)  Search this

Busch-Reisinger Museum  Search this

Type:

Diaries

Photographs

Interviews

Illustrated letters

Sound recordings

Video recordings

Scrapbooks

Topic:

Authors -- Massachusetts  Search this

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

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)16023

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)306634

AAA_collcode_defemari

Theme:

Women

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_306634

Creator:

Constable, W. G. (William George), 1887-1976  Search this

Correspondent:

Allied Forces. Supreme Headquarters. Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section  Search this

Art Gallery of Toronto  Search this

Germany (Territory under Allied occupation, 1945-1955 : U.S. Zone). Office of Military Government  Search this

National Gallery of Canada  Search this

Watts Gallery  Search this

Brandt, Mortimer  Search this

Frick, Helen Clay, 1888-1984  Search this

Gluck, Helen  Search this

Hencken, Hugh O'Neill  Search this

Ivins, William Mills, 1881-1961  Search this

Links, J. G.  Search this

Perry, Ralph  Search this

Phillips, Duncan, 1886-1966  Search this

Sachs, Paul J. (Paul Joseph), 1878-1965  Search this

Stout, George L. (George Leslie)  Search this

Vasalle, Rudolph  Search this

Names:

American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas  Search this

Christie, Manson & Woods International Inc.  Search this

Fogg Art Museum  Search this

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston  Search this

United States. Internal Revenue Service  Search this

Canaletto, 1697-1768  Search this

Extent:

25.7 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Place:

Germany (Territory under Allied occupation, 1945-1955)

Date:

1905-1983

bulk 1920-1976

Summary:

The papers of art historian and museum curator W.G. (William George) Constable measure 25.7 linear feet and date from 1905 to 1981, with the bulk of the material from 1920 to 1976. The papers include biographical material; professional and personal correspondence; extensive lectures, writings, and notes; exhibition and book research files; printed materials; and photographs, glass plate negatives, and slides. There is substantive correspondence related to Constable's participation in the American Defense Harvard Group and about the formation of the Roberts Commission, including correspondence with Ralph Perry, Hugh Hencken, Paul Sachs and George L. Stout. There are numerous official reports prepared by Constable after World War II for the U. S. Office of Military Government for Germany.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of art historian and museum curator W.G. (William George) Constable measure 25.7 linear feet and date from 1905 to 1981, with the bulk of the material from 1920 to 1976. The papers include biographical material; professional and personal correspondence; extensive lectures, writings, and notes; exhibition and book research files; printed materials; and photographs, glass plate negatives, and slides. There is substantive correspondence related to Constable's participation in the American Defense Harvard Group and about the formation of the Roberts Commission, including correspondence with Ralph Perry, Hugh Hencken, Paul Sachs and George L. Stout. There are numerous official reports prepared by Constable after World War II for the U. S. Office of Military Government for Germany.

Biographical material includes W.G. Constable's curriculum vitae; club memberships; personal, educational, and military records; three memorial essays and obituaries; five address books; appointment books dating from 1930-1968; and financial records related to personal business travels.

Correspondence is mostly professional and arranged into General, Committee, Condolences, and J.G. Links. General correspondence is with friends, business associates, auction houses, galleries, and museums. The letters cover a wide variety of professional work, such as research projects, letters of inquiry and recommendation, and work done for Christie's and the Internal Revenue Service. Correspondents include Mortimer Brandt, Helen Frick, Helen Gluck, William Ivins, Duncan Phillips, Paul Sachs, and Rudolph Vasalle, among many others.

Committee related correspondence includes letters, memoranda, and reports related to ongoing committee objectives, projects, and routine activities. There is correspondence related to Constable's advisory work with the Art Gallery of Toronto, the National Gallery of Canada, and the Watts Gallery, among other projects. Condolences consists of letters and cards received by Constable's wife, Olivia, after Constable's death. Correspondence with J.G. Links is primarily about the second edition revision of Constable's book Canaletto.

There are over 170 drafts of Constable's notes and outlines for lectures. Topics range from 13th-20th century European and American art to museum conservation, ethics, art education, and art collecting. The series also includes lecture notes from organized touring trips to Canada, Northern Europe, Scandanavia, and Poland.

Writings consist of Constable's published and unpublished articles, articles submitted for the Encyclopedia of World Art, essays, notes, exhibition catalogs, translations, and drafts and research material related to Art Collecting in the United States, Art History and Connoisseurship, and The Painter's Workshop.

Files specifically documenting Constable's advisory role in the World War II American Defense Harvard Group drafting and organizing lists of men with curatorial, museum conservation, or library/archives backgrounds to aid in the protection European most valued cultural artifacts, artwork, and architecture. There are letters documenting the formation of the Harvard Group and its goals and objections. The files also include many of the original lists that were forwarded to the Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in Europe, also known as the Roberts Commission, eventually leading to the formation of the U.S. Army's Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives division. The series also includes the Harvard Group's manual Safeguarding and Conserving Cultural Materials in the Field, committee minutes, and clippings related to their work. Correspondents include Ralph Perry, Paul Sachs, George L. Stout, and Hugh Hencken.

Constable's work after the war for the U.S. Office of Military Government for Germany is documented through numerous reports, memoranda, letters, and other official documents from the U. S. Army to Constable about surveying the state of German and Italian art institutions after World War II. The series also includes Constable's notebook "Visits in Germany" (1949), and a copy of his report Art and Reorientation: Status and Future of Museums and the Teaching of Art in Western Germany.

Exhibition files contain correspondence, notes, lists, research material, and reports related to exhibitions that Constable organized prior to his employment by and after his retirement from the Boston Museum of Art.

Research files contain materials relevant to Constable's interests and include notes, lists, correspondence, and printed and photographic reference material. These subject areas cover artists, including extensive files on Canaletto and other vedute painters, museum conservation, museums and galleries, private and public art collections, and schools of art.

Printed materials include clippings, programs, book excerpts and other miscellaneous printed materials.

Photographic materials include prints of Constable with friends and family, as well as prints, glass negatives and slides of artwork. There are also prints of the Fogg Art Museum's interiors and exterior and interior shots of Tennessee Valley Authority dam projects.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 10 series.

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1905-1983 (1.2 linear feet; Box 1-2, OV 28)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1906-1981 (6.2 linear feet; Box 2-8, OV 28-29)

Series 3: Lectures, 1909-1963 (4.6 linear feet; Box 8-12)

Series 4: Writings and Notes, 1910-1974 (2 linear feet; Box 13-14)

Series 5: American Defense Harvard Group, 1942-1946 (0.6 linear feet; Box 15)

Series 6: Office of Military Government for Germany, 1947-1952 (0.3 linear feet; Box 15)

Series 7: Exhibition Files, 1930-1969 (1 linear foot; Box 15-16, OV 29)

Series 8: Research Files, 1922-1976 (7.5 linear feet; Box 16-24, OV 28-29)

Series 9: Printed Material, 1921-1977 (0.5 linear feet; Box 24)

Series 10: Photographic Materials, circa 1940-1960 (1.4 linear feet; Box 24-27, OV 28-29)

Biographical / Historical:

W. G. (William George) Constable (1887-1976) was a museum curator and art historian who worked in England and Boston.

Born in Derby, England, Constable studied for the bar at Cambridge University, but was encouraged to pursue art over law by the Lord Chancellor who told him that law would be too strenuous after a two year convalescence from gassing during World War I. For three years, he studied at the Slade School and the Bartlett School of Architecture. In 1923, he joined the National Gallery of London where he became the Assistant Director in 1929. In 1930, he accepted the first Director's position at the newly formed Courtauld Institute, where he worked to develop one of the first programs on art history. In 1938, Constable became Curator of Paintings at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and worked there until his retirement in 1957.

Throughout his career as an arts administrator, Constable remained an accomplished lecturer and held appointments as the Slade Professor of Art at Cambridge (1933-1936), Ryerson Lecturer at Yale University (1940), and the Lowell Lecturer at the Lowell Insitute (1958). As a researcher and art historian, he published a steady stream of essays on European and American art connoisseurship, and authored over ten scholarly books, including The Painter's Workshop (1953), Richard Wilson (1953), and Canaletto (1962), the definitive work on the Venetian master.

Constable was a trusted arts advisor and, in this capacity, worked for the Wadsworth Atheneum from 1943-1945. He also worked closely with Lord Beaverbrook to establish the National Gallery of Canada and later consulted for Sotheby's and the U. S. Internal Revenue Service.

In the years leading to World War II, Constable served as an advisor to the American Defense Harvard Group and was later appointed to the Commission for the Protection of Artistic and Historic Monuments in Europe (the Roberts Commission) by President Roosevelt. The Roberts Commission was responsible for the establishment of the U. S. Army's Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section. After the war, Constable served the U.S. government as a member of a commission responsible for the recovery of looted art work and the evaluation of the state of the arts in Germany and Italy.

After his retirement from the Boston Museum, Constable continued to research and write, and also served as president of the International Institute of Conservation (1958-1960) and the Renaissance Society of America (1959-1961). From 1957 to 1966, he worked on behalf of Christie's auction house, where he met with prospective clients and provided preliminary valuations of private art works and collections.

On February 4, 1976, Constable died in Cambridge, Massachusetts from natural causes.

Related Materials:

The Archives also holds additional materials related to W.G. Constable, including an oral history interview with Constable conducted by Robert Brown in 1972-1973, and a photograph and clipping of Constable donated by Eleanor Barton in 1982.

Additional W.G. Constable papers are located at archival materials are also located at St. Johns College in Cambridge,England; the Warburg Institute in London, England; the National Gallery in London, England; and the Society for the Protection of Science and Learning in London, England. Photographs of works art collected by Constable are found at the British Studies Center at Yale University. Records relating to his tenure at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston are housed there.

Provenance:

The papers of W.G. Constable were donated in multiple gifts from 1978 to 1979 and in 1987 to 1988 by his son Giles Constable. Additional material regarding Constable's research on Canaletto was donated by researcher J.G. Links in 1985.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.

Rights:

The W.G. Constable papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Occupation:

Painters  Search this

Art historians -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this

Art historians -- England  Search this

Topic:

World War, 1939-1945 -- Destruction and pillage -- Germany  Search this

Art, European  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

World War, 1939-1945 -- Destruction and pillage -- Italy  Search this

Museum curators -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this

Art, American  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Cultural property -- Conservation and restoration -- Germany  Search this

Cultural property -- Conservation and restoration -- Italy  Search this

Art -- Conservation and restoration  Search this

Museum curators -- England  Search this

World War, 1939-1945 -- Art and the war  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

W.G. Constable papers, 1905-1983, bulk 1920-1976. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

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

Identifier:

AAA.conswmgp

See more items in:

W.G. Constable papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-conswmgp

Creator:

De Ferrari, Gabriella  Search this

Source:

New School University  Search this

Names:

Busch-Reisinger Museum  Search this

Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston, Mass.)  Search this

Pan-American Society of New England  Search this

Wadsworth Atheneum  Search this

Castelli, Leo  Search this

Cuno, James B.  Search this

Gray, Francine du Plessix  Search this

Gund, Agnes  Search this

Katz, Ada, 1928-  Search this

Katz, Alex, 1927-  Search this

LeWitt, Carol  Search this

LeWitt, Sol, 1928-2007  Search this

Michael, Brenson  Search this

Seator, Glen  Search this

Segal, Martin  Search this

Sischy, Ingrid  Search this

Former owner:

New School University  Search this

Extent:

7.7 Linear feet

0.012 Gigabytes

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Gigabytes

Diaries

Photographs

Interviews

Illustrated letters

Sound recordings

Video recordings

Scrapbooks

Date:

1931-2011

bulk 1975-2011

Summary:

The papers of art historian Gabriella De Ferrari measure 7.7 linear feet and 0.012 GB and date from 1931-2011, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1975-2011. The collection provides an overview of her activities as an arts administrator, writer, and philanthropist through biographical materials, correspondence, interviews, extensive writings and notes, subject files, printed and digital material, scrapbooks, and photographs.

Scope and Contents note:

The papers of art historian Gabriella De Ferrari measure 7.7 linear feet and 0.012 GB and date from 1931-2011, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1975-2011. The collection provides an overview of her activities as an arts administrator, writer, and a philanthropist through biographical materials, correspondence, interviews, extensive writings and notes, subject files, printed and digital material, scrapbooks, and photographs.

Correspondence with artists, academic administrators, museum directors, curators, literary agents, editors, and publishers is primarily of a social nature, e.g., thank you notes, invitations, and congratulatory letters. Letters include references to De Ferrari's professional activities from circa 1975-circa 2006. There are illustrated letters and handmade birthday cards by De Ferrari, family, and friends. Among the correspondents are Michael Brenson, James Cuno, Francine Du Plessix Gray, Agnes Gund, Alex and Ada Katz, Sol and Carol Lewitt, and Glen Seator.

Writings and notes primarily document Gabriella De Ferrari's career as an author and include numerous drafts and annotated versions of her novels, short stories, memoir, and articles. Subject files include materials chronicling De Ferrari's activities at the Busch-Reisinger Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, and the Pan-American Society of New England. Also documented is her service as a Board of Trustees member, consultant, and advisor to major educational, corporate, and cultural institutions, including the New School University, United Technologies, Inc., and the Wadsworth Atheneum, among others. Interviews of De Ferrari are found on six sound cassettes. Additional audio cassettes and one videocassette are found within her writings.

Photographs are of Gabriella De Ferrari, family members, friends, and colleagues, including Michael Brenson, Leo Castelli, Agnes Gund, Martin Segal, Ingrid Sischy, Sol Lewitt, among others.

Arrangement note:

The collection is arranged as 8 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1947-2003 (Boxes 1, 9; 0.3 linear feet, ER01; 0.001 GB)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1964-2011 (Boxes 1-2; 1.3 linear feet, ER02; 0.001 GB)

Series 3: Interviews, 1990-1996 (Box 2; 3 folders)

Series 4: Writings and Notes, 1950-2010 (Boxes 3-6; 3.6 linear feet, ER03-ER10; 0.011 GB)

Series 5: Subject Files, 1953-2008 (Boxes 6-7; 1 linear feet, ER11; 0.001 GB)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1961-2011 (Box 7; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 7: Scrapbooks, 1974-1981 (Box 9; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 8: Photographs, 1931-circa 2010 (Box 8, 0.4 linear feet)

Biographical/Historical note:

Art historian Gabriella De Ferrari (1941-) has lived and worked in Boston, Massachusetts and New York City.

Born in Tacna, Peru to Italian parents, De Ferrari graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Louis University in Missouri in 1963. She went on to receive a Master of Arts from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University in 1966, and in 1981, she earned a Masters of Art in Fine Arts from Harvard University. De Ferrari has held administrative and curatorial positions at major museums and art organizations. At the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, she was curator of exhibitions before becoming the Director of the Institute in 1975. From 1978-1982, De Ferrari was Assistant Director of Curatorial Affairs and Programs at the Fogg Museum and the Busch-Reisinger Museum, where her responsibilities included exhibition programs for twentieth century art and coordinating programs for corporate and public fundraising. In 1989, De Ferrari moved to New York City, where she established herself as a freelance writer. In 1990, her novel, A Cloud on Sand received a Barnes and Noble Discover Award. Gringa Latina, De Ferrari's memoir about her experience living in two cultures was published in 1994.

She has served on the Boards of Trustees and on the advisory committees of many leading institutions, including Colby College, City University Graduate Center Foundation, Harvard University Museum, the New School, and the Wadsworth Atheneum. From 2000-2006, she was the philanthropic advisor to the chairman and CEO of United Technologies Corporation. In 1996, De Ferrari was awarded the New School Medal for Distinguished Service, and in 2008, she received an Honorary Doctorate in Letters from Colby College.

Gabriella De Ferrari continues to reside in New York City.

Provenance:

The papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Gabriella De Ferrari, in 2011.

Restrictions:

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

Rights:

The Gabriella De Ferrari papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Occupation:

Arts administrators -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this

Arts administrators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art historians -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this

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

Philanthropists -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this

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

Topic:

Authors -- Massachusetts  Search this

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

Genre/Form:

Diaries

Photographs

Interviews

Illustrated letters

Sound recordings

Video recordings

Scrapbooks

Citation:

Gabriella De Ferrari papers, 1931-2011, bulk 1975-2011. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.defemari

See more items in:

Gabriella De Ferrari papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-defemari

Creator:

Chernow, Burt  Search this

Names:

Housatonic Community College (Bridgeport, Conn.)  Search this

Housatonic Museum of Art  Search this

Westport Schools Permanent Art Collection  Search this

Westport-Weston Arts Council (Westport, Conn.)  Search this

Arman, 1928-2005  Search this

Avery, Milton, 1885-1965  Search this

Christo, 1935-  Search this

Christo, 1935- (Wrapped Reichstag)  Search this

Hendricks, Barkley L., 1945-  Search this

Jeanne-Claude, 1935-2009  Search this

Johnson, Lester, 1919-2010  Search this

Peterdi, Gabor  Search this

Woodham, Jean, 1925-  Search this

Zúñiga, Francisco, 1912-1998  Search this

Extent:

21.8 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Interviews

Transcriptions

Video recordings

Sound recordings

Photographs

Date:

1930-2002

Summary:

The papers of Burt Chernow measure 21.8 linear feet and consist mainly of research materials gathered and produced in the course of writing Christo and Jeanne-Claude: A Biography over an extensive period of close contact with the subjects, from the early 1980s until Chernow's death in 1997. Research materials for the biography include photocopies of personal documents of the Christos, hundreds of recorded interviews with Christo, Jeanne-Claude, their family members, and their associates, transcripts of interviews and research on interview subjects, other collected research material compiled chronologically, drafts of the biography written by Chernow, drafts of the biography and its epilogue produced after Chernow's death, and business records related to the book's production, which include significant correspondence with the Christos. Also found are the published German and U.S. editions of the biography, printed materials and photographs related to the book's subject matter, and fabric samples from five of the Christos' projects undertaken during Chernow's association with them. Chernow's career as an art critic, writer, educator, and arts advocate, primarily in Southern Connecticut, is documented in Chernow's other writings, organizational records, printed materials, and photographs.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of Burt Chernow measure 21.8 linear feet and consist mainly of research materials gathered and produced in the course of writing Christo and Jeanne-Claude: A Biography over an extensive period of close contact with the subjects, from the early 1980s until Chernow's death in 1997. Research materials for the biography include photocopies of personal documents of the Christos, hundreds of recorded interviews with Christo, Jeanne-Claude, their family members, and their associates, transcripts of interviews and research on interview subjects, other collected research material compiled chronologically, drafts of the biography written by Chernow, drafts of the biography and its epilogue produced after Chernow's death, and business records related to the book's production, which include significant correspondence with the Christos. Also found are the published German and U.S. editions of the biography, printed materials and photographs related to the book's subject matter, and fabric samples from five of the Christos' projects undertaken during Chernow's association with them.

Chernow's career as an art critic, writer, educator, and arts advocate, primarily in Southern Connecticut, is documented in Chernow's other writings, organizational records, printed materials, and photographs. Other writings include drafts of articles, lectures, exhibition reviews, and catalog essays, some of which include research material gathered on the subjects. Artists written about by Chernow include Arman, Milton Avery, Barkley Hendricks, Francisco Zuñiga, Lester Johnson, Gabor Peterdi, and Jean Woodham, among many others, and including many Connecticut artists. A recorded interview with Arman, as well as transcripts of multiple interviews with Zuñiga, are filed with these writings. Also found are many writings and lectures related to the value of visual art in public life and in elementary and higher education. Numerous lectures by Chernow about several of the Christos' large-scale projects are also found, one of which, on the Wrapped Reichstag, is recorded on video.

Organizational records document Chernow's involvement in various art education organizations, his years of teaching at Housatonic Community College, his development of the Housatonic Museum of Art collection, and his work with several local arts organizations in Westport, Conn., including the Westport Arts Advisory Council, the Westport Arts Center, the Westport Schools Permanent Art Collection Committee, and the Westport Weston Arts Council. Types of documents found include correspondence, clippings, photographs, flyers, and notes.

Printed material includes many of the books written by Chernow, and monographs and magazines which included essays on specific artists by Chernow. A file of clippings about Chernow spanning his career is also found. Photographs include prints, negatives, and contact sheets, and consist mainly of photographs of artists, many of which were taken by Chernow, and many of which are signed by the artists with a personal note to the Chernows. A handful of personal photographs of the Chernows are also found.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged as 5 series.

Series 1: Research Material for -- Christo and Jeanne-Claude: A Biography -- , 1930-2002 (17.1 linear feet; Boxes 1-17, 23, OV 24)

Series 2: Other Writing, 1962-1999 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 17-19)

Series 3: Organizational Records, 1963-2000 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 19-20, 23, OV 24)

Series 4: Printed Material, 1960-2002 (1.3 linear feet; Boxes 20-21, 23)

Series 5: Photographs, 1950-1997 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 21-23, OV 24)

Biographical / Historical:

Burt Chernow was an art historian, writer, educator, collector, and dealer who founded the Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and who, upon his retirement from Housatonic Community College, became the authorized biographer of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, which he researched through close contact with the Christos from 1984 until his death in 1997. Although he had not completed the biography when he died, his wife Ann Chernow saw the manuscript through to publication, and the biography, Christo and Jeanne-Claude: A Biography, was first published in Germany in 2000, and then in the United States in 2002.

Born in New York City in 1933, Chernow earned a master's degree in art education at New York University in 1960, and began his career as an art teacher in the Westport, Connecticut public schools, later joining the faculty of the Art Department at the Housatonic Community College, where he eventually became the department's director. He also taught at the Museum of Modern Art, organizing the Children's Art Carnival in Harlem through the museum, and at Silvermine School of the Arts, the A.B.C.D. Arts Center in Bridgeport, Conn., and the Stamford Museum. While on the faculty at Housatonic Community College, he began collecting original artworks, mainly through donations directly from the artists, for what eventually became the Housatonic Museum of Art. Over the course of nearly 30 years he amassed over 4000 works for the collection, the largest of its kind for a community college, and remained the museum's Emeritus Director until his death. He remained active in civic arts organizations in Westport as well, where he was a founding member of the Westport Arts Center, served on the Westport Arts Advisory Council, and helped to establish the annual Westport Arts Awards.

Upon his retirement from the Housatonic faculty in 1984, Chernow approached Christo and Jeanne-Claude about becoming their authorized biographer. He had participated in their project Surrounded Islands in Miami in 1983, and had played a role in exhibitions and artist talks by Christo at the Aldrich Museum (1981) and the Wadsworth Atheneum (1978) as well. He and his wife Ann Chernow attended and helped to document the Wrapped Pont Neuf (1985) in Paris, and then visited Christo's family in Bulgaria in 1986. It was after their Bulgarian trip that Christo and Jeanne-Claude agreed to authorize him to write their biography, and Chernow's research began in earnest. He conducted hundreds of interviews with them, their family, and associates, participated in the major large-scale projects that took place between 1985 and 1995, and completed a draft of the biography up to the year 1982 before he died suddenly in 1997. After his death, his wife Ann Chernow saw the biography through to publication. It was published with an epilogue by Wolfgang Volz, the Christos' official photographer, bringing the Christos' story up to date from where Chernow had left off, first in Germany, and later in the United States and Italy.

Chernow wrote many books, catalogs, and articles about other artists as well, including Milton Avery, Francisco Zuniga, Gabor Peterdi, Will Barnet, Jean Woodham, and Lester Johnson, among others, and published and lectured widely on the subjects of art education and public art.

Provenance:

Donated 2002 by Ann Chernow, the widow of Burt Chernow.

Restrictions:

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

Rights:

The Burt Chernow papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Occupation:

Art historians -- Connecticut  Search this

Art critics -- Connecticut  Search this

Topic:

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Authors -- Connecticut  Search this

Educators -- Connecticut  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Transcriptions

Video recordings

Sound recordings

Photographs

Citation:

Burt Chernow papers, 1930-2002. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

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

Identifier:

AAA.cherburt

See more items in:

Burt Chernow papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-cherburt

Creator:

Jacques Seligmann & Co.  Search this

Subject:

Hauke, Cesar M. de (Cesar Mange)  Search this

Glaenzer, Eugene  Search this

Haardt, Georges  Search this

Seligman, Germain  Search this

Seligmann, Arnold  Search this

Parker, Theresa D.  Search this

Waegen, Rolf Hans  Search this

Trevor, Clyfford  Search this

Seligmann, René  Search this

Seligmann, Jacques  Search this

De Hauke & Co., Inc.  Search this

Jacques Seligmann & Co  Search this

Eugene Glaenzer & Co.  Search this

Germain Seligmann & Co.  Search this

Gersel  Search this

Type:

Gallery records

Topic:

Mackay, Clarence Hungerford, 1874-1938 -- Art collections  Search this

Schiff, Mortimer L. -- Art collections  Search this

Arenberg, duc d' -- Art collections  Search this

Liechtenstein, House of -- Art collections  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting -- France -- Paris  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

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

World War, 1939-1945 -- Art and the war  Search this

La Fresnaye, Roger de, 1885-1925  Search this

Art, Renaissance  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Art treasures in war  Search this

Art, European  Search this

Art galleries, Commercial -- France -- Paris  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)9936

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212486

AAA_collcode_jacqself

Theme:

The Art Market

Art Gallery Records

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_212486

Creator:

Catherine Viviano Gallery.  Search this

Subject:

Wakabayashi, Kazuo  Search this

Viviano, Catherine  Search this

Van Veen, Stuyvesant  Search this

Shapiro, Meyer  Search this

Seeger, Stanley J.  Search this

Sage, Kay  Search this

Valentin, Curt  Search this

Tanning, Dorothea  Search this

Stout, George L. (George Leslie)  Search this

Price, Vincent  Search this

Pulitzer, Joseph  Search this

Perlin, Bernard  Search this

Rockefeller, Nelson A. (Nelson Aldrich)  Search this

Rosenthal, Bernard M.  Search this

Rathbone, Perry Townsend  Search this

Ribicoff, Belle Krasne  Search this

Morlotti, Ennio  Search this

Moyens, H. Marc  Search this

Ossorio, Alfonso  Search this

Myers, John Bernard  Search this

McCray, Porter A.  Search this

Menil, Dominique de  Search this

Meltzer, Doris  Search this

Miller, Stephen Robeson  Search this

Miró, Joan  Search this

Minguzzi, Luciano  Search this

Hirschhorn, Joseph  Search this

Lerner, Abe  Search this

Mabe, Manabu  Search this

Ludgin, Earle  Search this

Manrique, César  Search this

Giacometti, Alberto  Search this

Glasco, Joseph  Search this

Goodhue, Bertram Grosvenor  Search this

Graves, Morris  Search this

Guerrero, José  Search this

Göpel, Barbara  Search this

Göpel, Erhard  Search this

Eisendrath, William N.  Search this

Ernst, Dallas  Search this

Faison, S. Lane (Samson Lane)  Search this

Fleischman, Barbara  Search this

Fleischman, Lawrence A. (Lawrence Arthur)  Search this

Genauer, Emily  Search this

Chaet, Bernard  Search this

Callery, Mary  Search this

Bishop, Elizabeth  Search this

Broderson, Robert M  Search this

Dorazio, Virginia Dortch  Search this

Dubuffet, Jean  Search this

Dorazio, Piero  Search this

Cox, Jan  Search this

Afro  Search this

Birolli, Renato  Search this

Barker, Walter  Search this

Bareiss, Walter  Search this

Baker, Richard Brown  Search this

Ashton, Dore  Search this

Dudensing, F. Valentine  Search this

Yunkers, Adja  Search this

Wadsworth Atheneum  Search this

Yale University  Search this

World House Galleries  Search this

Harvard University  Search this

William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts  Search this

University of Virginia  Search this

Santa Barbara Museum of Art  Search this

Philadelphia Art Alliance  Search this

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston  Search this

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston  Search this

Walker Art Center  Search this

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts  Search this

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

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

Los Angeles County Museum  Search this

Mary Washington College  Search this

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden  Search this

Fogg Art Museum  Search this

City Art Museum of St. Louis  Search this

Detroit Institute of Arts  Search this

Massachusetts Institute of Technology  Search this

Brooklyn Museum  Search this

Dallas Museum of Fine Arts  Search this

Des Moines Art Center  Search this

American Federation of Arts  Search this

American Academy of Arts and Letters  Search this

Barnes Foundation  Search this

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center  Search this

Art Club of Chicago  Search this

Carnegie Institute  Search this

Art Institute of Chicago  Search this

Type:

Notes

Photographs

Topic:

Sculpture  Search this

Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Painting  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)11096

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)243136

AAA_collcode_cathvivi

Theme:

The Art Market

Lives of American Artists

Women

Art Gallery Records

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_243136

Painter:

Allston, Washington 1779-1843  Search this

Medium:

Oil on linen

Culture:

Persian  Search this

Type:

Paintings

Owner/Location:

Wadsworth Atheneum 600 Main Street Hartford Connecticut 06103 Accession Number: 1955.100

Date:

Ca. 1832

Topic:

Figure female--Full length  Search this

Ethnic  Search this

Landscape--River  Search this

Landscape--Forest  Search this

Object--Musical Instrument--Lute  Search this

Control number:

IAP 06910090

Data Source:

Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museums

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_ari_35779

Interviewee:

Windham, Donald, 1920-2010  Search this

Interviewer:

Korhauser, Elizabeth  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)13602

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)270814

AAA_collcode_windha07

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_270814

Interviewee:

Buckley, Charles E. (Charles Edward), 1919-2011  Search this

Interviewer:

Brown, Robert F.  Search this

Subject:

Corcoran Gallery of Art  Search this

Currier Gallery of Art  Search this

City Art Museum of St. Louis  Search this

Wadsworth Atheneum  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Topic:

Museum directors -- Interviews  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12234

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212223

AAA_collcode_buckle80

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212223

Interviewee:

Minkowitz, Norma M., 1937-  Search this

Interviewer:

Malarcher, Patricia  Search this

Subject:

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Type:

Interviews

Sound recordings

Topic:

Crocheting  Search this

Handicraft -- Study and teaching  Search this

Fiber artists -- Connecticut -- Interviews  Search this

Sculpture  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12513

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)229606

AAA_collcode_minkow01

Theme:

Craft

Women

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_229606

Creator:

Wadsworth Atheneum  Search this

Subject:

Morgan, J. Pierpont (John Pierpont)  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)8707

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)210888

AAA_collcode_wadsathe

Theme:

Communities, Organizations, Museums

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_210888