Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Additional Online Media

Catalog Data

Creator:
Bohrod, Aaron  Search this
Names:
Milch Galleries  Search this
Ball, F. Carlton, 1911-1992  Search this
Benton, Thomas Hart, 1889-1975  Search this
Coward, Noel, 1899-1973  Search this
Dehn, Adolf, 1895-1968  Search this
Extent:
17.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketchbooks
Interviews
Drawings
Sound recordings
Motion pictures
Date:
1507-1994
bulk circa 1930-1994
Summary:
The papers of Wisconsin painter, ceramicist, and educator Aaron Bohrod measure 17.8 linear feet and date from 1507 to 1994 with the bulk of the collection dating from circa 1930 to 1994. The collection documents his career through biographical material, correspondence, gallery files, personal business records, writings, printed material, seven scrapbooks, photographs, and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Wisconsin painter, ceramicist, and educator Aaron Bohrod measure 17.8 linear feet and date from 1507 to 1994 with the bulk of the collection dating from circa 1930 to 1994. The collection documents his career through biographical material, correspondence, gallery files, personal business records, writings, printed material, seven scrapbooks, photographs, and artwork. Biographical material includes film and audio recordings of interviews with Bohrod, War Art Unit employment records, awards, an exhibition guest book, architectural plans for Bohrod's studio, and other personal records. Personal and business correspondence is with David Breger, Adolf Dehn, the Hammer Galleries, the Milch Galleries, Thomas Hart Benton, Henri Cadiou, Noel Coward, and many others. Gallery files contain records of Bohrod's business dealings with over 20 galleries and personal business records consist of primarily financial and legal records, as well as project files for his pottery collaboration with F. Carlton Ball and Madison Public Schools. Writings by Bohrod include manuscripts, lectures, and drafts for the book A Decade of Still Life along with several writings by others about Bohrod. Printed materials relate to Bohrod, his artwork, and other art subjects. Photographic materials depict Bohrod, his studio, family and friends, travel, and works of art. Artworks include drawings, prints, and designs by Bohrod, and lithographs and etchings by others.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as nine series. Series 1: Biographical Materials, circa 1930-1987 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1, OV 24, FC 25) Series 2: Correspondence, 1849-1994 (6.2 linear feet; Boxes 1-7, 19) Series 3: Gallery Files, 1957-1993 (1.2 linear feet; Boxes 7-8) Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1939-1994 (1.4 linear feet; Boxes 8-10) Series 5: Writings, circa 1948-circa 1979 (0.2 linear feet; Box 10, OV 24) Series 6: Printed Materials, 1831-1991 (3.0 linear feet; Boxes 10-13, 19, OV 24) Series 7: Scrapbooks, 1929-1992 (1.3 linear feet; Boxes 13, 18, BVs 20-23) Series 8: Photographic Materials, circa 1930-1992 (3.8 linear feet; Boxes 13-16, 19, OV 24) Series 9: Artwork, 1507-circa 1989 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 17, 19)
Biographical / Historical:
Aaron Bohrod (1907-1992) was a painter, ceramicist, and educator in Madison, Wisconsin. Bohrod was born in Chicago, Illinois to Fannie and George Bohrod, a Russian immigrant grocer and cigar maker. From 1926 to 1928, Bohrod studied at the School of the Chicago Art Institute under John Sloan, Boardman Robinson, and Kenneth Hayes Miller. He married Ruth Bush in 1929. His first New York solo exhibition took place in 1934, and during the next four years, he received two Guggenheim Fellowhsips, which financed his projects to depict Midwestern American towns in paintings. During World War II, Bohrod was an artist and correspondent for the U.S. Corps of Engineers in the Pacific and for Life magazine in Europe. Bohrod followed John Stuart Curry as artist-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin in Madison from 1948 until his retirement in 1973. In 1950, he began work in pottery with F. Carlton Ball with whom he published A Pottery Sketch Book in 1959. In 1954, Bohrod began a meticulous style of still life painting and published A Decade of Still Life in 1966. These trompe l'oeil paintings also appeared in many magazines, including Life, Fortune, Holiday, and several covers of Time magazine. Bohrod died in Madison, Wisconsin in 1992.
Related Materials:
Also found at the Archives of American Art is an interview of Aaron Bohrod conducted by Ralph E. Sandler from 1973 to 1974. The Aaron Bohrod papers are also at Syracuse University.
Provenance:
The Aaron Bohrod papers were donated in 1974 by Aaron Bohrod and in 1996 by Neil Bohrod, Aaron Bohrod's son.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Painters -- Wisconsin -- Madison  Search this
Ceramicists -- Wisconsin -- Madison  Search this
Educators -- Wisconsin -- Madison  Search this
Topic:
Decorative arts  Search this
World War, 1939-1945 -- Art and the war  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketchbooks
Interviews
Drawings
Sound recordings
Motion pictures
Citation:
Aaron Bohrod papers, 1507-1994, bulk circa 1930-1994. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.bohraaro
See more items in:
Aaron Bohrod papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9da9c9477-772b-4335-8a8f-710b70031ac5
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-bohraaro