The collection is arranged as 8 series: Series 1: Correspondence, 1918-1971 (Box 1, 0.5 linear feet) Series 2: Notes and Writings, 1936-1970 (Box 1, 0.3 linear feet) Series 3: Personal Records, 1944-1971 (Box 1-2, 11; 0.7 linear feet) Series 4: Grand Central Moderns Gallery Records, 1952-1970 (Box 2-3, 11; 0.7 linear feet) Series 5: Printed Material, 1938-1971 (Box 3-5, 11-12; 2.0 linear feet) Series 6: Photographs, 1930-1971 (Box 5; 0.2 linear feet) Series 7: Artwork, 1940-1969 (Box 5; 4 folders) Series 8: Interviews with Artists, 1959-1971 (Box 5-10; 5.5 lienar feet)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Summary:
The papers of New York City and Paris art historian, educator, and gallerist Colette Roberts measure 10.2 linear feet and date from 1918 to 1971. Papers include correspondence, writings, teaching records, project proposals, gallery records from Grand Central Moderns Gallery, clippings, Roberts' printed articles, press releases, exhibition catalogs, posters, photographs, and a few works of art on paper. Also found are 124 interviews with contemporary artists conducted by Roberts.
Citation:
Colette Roberts Papers and Interviews with Artists, 1918-1971. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
All of the sound recordings in this collection were digitized for research access in 2009-2010 and are available at the Archives of American Art offices. Researchers may view the original sound tape reels for the archival notations on them, but original reels are not available for playback due to fragility.
Funding:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc.
Use Note:
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.
Related Materials:
Additional papers and recordings of Colette Roberts are held by Syracuse University Library Special Collections Research Center. A copy of a 1967 oral history with Adolf Gottlieb conducted by Dorothy Seckler for the Archives of American Art oral history program, which was found in Roberts' papers, has been returned to the Archives' oral history collection.
Biography Note:
Colette Roberts was a French artist, curator, gallery director, and scholar who emigrated to the United States in 1939, settling in New York City and remaining there until her death in 1971.
Language Note:
The records are in English and French.
Provenance:
The sound recordings and transcripts of interviews with artists, were donated by Colette Roberts in 1970. The remaining papers were donated by her son, Richard B. Roberts, in 1973.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001