Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with William Thon, 1992 December 15-16. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
An interview of William Thon conducted 1992 December 15-16, by Robert Brown for the Archives of American Art, at the artist's home at Port Clyde, Maine. Thon discusses his childhood and education; early exhibitions; service in the Navy during World War II; being represented by Midtown Galleries from 1943 on; his dealers Alan and Mary Gruskin; moving to Maine; the importance to his art of Europe and his time spent at the American Academy in Rome; his painting technique; and his watercolors.
Biographical / Historical:
William Thon (1906-2000) was a painter from New York, N.Y. and Port Clyde, Maine. Studied at the Art Students League. Served as a trustee and artist in residence at the American Academy in Rome.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 5 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for this interview provided by John W. Payson.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.