The papers of museum director, curator, writer, art historian, and collector Ralph T. Coe measure 12.5 linear feet and date from 1928 to 2010, with the bulk of the records dating from the 1950s to 2010. The papers consist of some biographical material; writings by Coe for essays, articles, and book chapters; exhibition material, most notably from Lost and Found Traditions: Native American Art 1965-1985 (1985-1986); records from Coe's tenure at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (1959-1982); Coe's association and membership records; files related to Coe's personal collection of Native American and European art; personal business records; printed material, photographs, and audiovisual material.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of museum director, curator, writer, art historian, and collector Ralph T. Coe measure 12.5 linear feet and date from 1928 to 2010, with the bulk of the records dating from the 1950s to 2010. Biographical material includes resumes, contact and address information, and some ephemera. Writings consist of notes, essays, articles, and book chapters written by Coe on collecting, Native American art, European art, and museology. Exhibition material, most notably from Lost and Found Traditions: Native American Art 1965-1985 (1985-1986), document Coe's involvement with various exhibitions as curator, consultant, and catalogue contributor. Records from Coe's time at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (1959-1982) include administrative papers and correspondence, some exhibition material, and papers related to Coe's resignation as director in 1982. Coe's association and membership records document his affiliation with various collections, government institutions, professional societies, and non-profit organizations. Coe's collector files consist of papers related to the purchase of Native American and European art for both himself and on behalf of Henry Bloch, as well as art loans from Coe's personal collection and tours held at his home. Personal business records consist of correspondence, receipts, bills, and tax information documenting Coe's various endeavors as an art consultant and valuator, guest speaker, and writer. Printed material includes clippings on a variety of topics, and ephemera from his travels to different communities, museums, galleries, and historic sites.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 11 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1944-2005 (11 folders, Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1928-2010, bulk 1955-2010 (1.5 linear feet, Box 1-2)
Series 3: Writings, 1982-2010 (0.5 linear feet, Box 2-3)
Series 4: Exhibition Material, 1973-2003 (2.4 linear feet, Box 3-5)
Series 5: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 1959-2010 (7 folder, Box 5-6)
Series 6: Association and Membership Records, 1977-2005 (0.8 linear feet, Box 6)
Series 7: Collector Files, 1953, bulk 1979-2010 (0.7 linear feet, Box 6-7)
Series 8: Personal Business Records, 1974-2006 (0.7 linear feet, Box 7-8)
Series 9: Printed Material, 1930, bulk 1950s-2000s (1.5 linear feet, Box 8-9)
Series 10: Photographs, circa 1960s-2000s (2.5 linear feet, Box 9-12, OV 14)
Series 11: Sound and Video Material, 1972-2007 (1.4 linear feet, Box 12-13)
Biographical / Historical:
Ralph T. Coe (1929-2010) was a museum director, art collector, writer, and art historian who primarily focused on contemporary Native American art, but also worked on European impressionism to some extent. He was born in Cleveland Ohio, received his bachelor's degree from Oberlin College in 1953, and then his M.A. from Yale University in 1957. His first position out of Yale was as an assistant curator for the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Coe then worked for the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri from 1959 to 1982.
In 1982 Coe was officially hired by the National Museum of American Art as a senior visiting scholar, working on an acquisition/exhibition project. This project ultimately produced the traveling exhibition, Lost and Found Traditions: Native American Art 1965-1985 (1985-1986), and established the largest collection of Native American contemporary art at the time. The project was funded by The American Federation of Arts (AFA) in conjunction with the American Can Corporation. It first opened at the American Museum of Natural History, New York City, in 1986, and then traveled for two years under the auspices of the AFA. The collection was showcased at the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, and the Kulturhuset, Stockholm, Sweden, among others. Coe also published a book-length catalogue for the exhibit.
As an independent art historian and writer, Coe published essays, articles, and book chapters. Coe worked closely with the collections of Eugene V. Thaw and Henry Bloch, and functioned as both a committee and trustee member for several organizations including the American Federation of Arts, Association of Art Museum Directors, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Art Advisory Panel, the American Council for Cultural Policy, the Archives of American Art, and the Southwestern Association on Indian Affairs.
As an art collector, Coe consistently traveled throughout North America meeting with Native American artists and cultural representatives. Coe established a wide range of relationships with Native American communities from coast to coast as he collected their art and engaged with their cultural practices.
Provenance:
This collection was donated by the Ralph T. Coe Estate in 2013.
Restrictions:
This material is ACCESS RESTRICTED; permission; written permission is required. Contact Reference 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:
Art historians -- New Mexico -- Santa Fe Search this
Arts administrators -- New Mexico -- Santa Fe Search this
Ralph T. Coe papers, 1928-2010, bulk 1950s-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Federica Beer-Monti, 1967 November 1. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
An interview with Friederike (Federica) Beer-Monti conducted 1967 November 1, by Butler Coleman, for the Archives of American Art.
Beer-Monti discusses her early life in Vienna, including posing for artists Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt; modeling clothing for the Wiener Werkstätte; her romantic relationship with Hans Böhler; architect Josef Hoffmann; volunteering at Nebehay Gallery; and her experiences of World War I and World War II. She discusses fleeing Europe for the United States in the mid-1930s due to the rise of Nazism; meeting Hugh Stix; and the founding of New York's Artists' Gallery. She mentions artists Oskar Kokoschka, Sarah Berman, De Hirsh Margules, Louise Nevelson, Louis Schanker, Eugenie Baizerman and Saul Baizerman.
Biographical / Historical:
Friederike (Federica) Beer-Monti (1876-1980) was an art dealer and artists' muse, born in Vienna, Austria, immigrating to New York, New York, in the mid-1930s.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 58 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Re-orientations Europe and Islamic art from 1851 to today editor, Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, Kunsthaus Zürich ; translations, Julian Jain (German-English)
The Rosa Esman Gallery and Tanglewood Press Inc. records measure 16.0 linear feet and date from circa 1922 to 2014, with the bulk of the records dating from 1972 to 1994. The records shed light on two businesses operated by Rosa Esman through administrative files, artist files, exhibition and event files, sales and financial records, printed material, photographic materials, and several objects.
Scope and Contents:
The Rosa Esman Gallery and Tanglewood Press Inc. records measure 16.0 linear feet and date from circa 1922 to 2014, with the bulk of the records dating from 1972 to 1994. The records shed light on two businesses operated by Rosa Esman through administrative files, artist files, exhibition and event files, sales and financial records, printed material, photographic materials, and several objects.
Administrative files contain correspondence files, printed material, and inventories; photos of the gallery, Rosa Esman, and others; a few gallery blueprints; and pins and magnets from a collaboration between the Esman Gallery and artists Roy Lichtenstein, Gustav Klutsis, Lazar "El" Lissitzky, and Sol LeWitt. Artist files consist of resumes and biographical summaries, correspondence, pricelists, exhibition material, press packets, photographic materials depicting artwork and artists, and more. Artists include Eileen Gray, Lev Nussberg, Pascal Verbena, Helen Frankenthaler, Alexander Rodchenko, Sol LeWitt, Peter Boynton, and Jan Muller. Exhibition and event files contain price lists, loan agreements, correspondence, printed materials, and photographic materials. Included in this series is one file for an exhibition held at Knoedler Gallery that was in collaboration with Rosa Esman after she had closed her gallery. Financial records consist of sales books, consignment records, receipts and invoices, ledgers, and some appraisals. Tanglewood Press Inc. files contain correspondence files, financial records, order forms and receipts, photographic materials, press packets, mailers, a certificate, and some exhibition materials. Printed material consists of some miscellaneous postcards, exhibition announcements and catalogs including a binder of exhibition announcements. Photographic material consists of photographs, slides, and negatives of artwork displayed at the gallery. There are also a number of CDs containing digital photographs.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as seven series.
Series 1: Administrative Files, 1973-2014 (Box 1-2, 16; 1.8 linear feet)
Series 2: Artist Files, 1920s, 1953-2011 (Box 2-8, 16; 5.7 linear feet)
Series 3: Exhibition and Event Files, 1971-2014 (Box 8-12, 16; 4.8 linear feet)
Series 4: Financial Records, 1965, 1977-2013 (Box 12-13, 16-17; 1.9 linear feet)
Series 5: Tanglewood Press Inc. Records, 1964-2003 (Box 13-15, 17; 1.0 linear feet)
Series 6: Printed Material, circa 1972-1994 (Box 2, 12, 17; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 7: Photographic Material, circa 1970s-2013 (Box 2, 7, 8, 12, 18; 0.4 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Rosa Esman Gallery was established in 1972 in New York, New York by Rosa Esman. The gallery exhibited mostly twentieth-century American and European art in various mediums and styles, including pop art, European outsider art, Dada, constructivism, architecture, interior design, and Russian artists from the early twentieth century. Tanglewood Press Inc. was an art publishing company founded by Esman, and published thirteen limited-edition portfolios by a number of artists from 1965 to 1991.
With encouragement from Doris Freedman and Hans Kleinschmidt, Esman established Tanglewood Press Inc. in 1965 as a publisher of artists' portfolios. The first publication, New York Ten (1965), included artwork by Tom Wesselmann, George Segal, Claes Oldenburg, Roy Lichtenstein, Mon Levinson,
Robert Kulicke, Nicholas Krushenick, Helen Frankenthaler, Jim Dine, and Richard Anuszkiewicz. Later publications included artwork by Andy Warhol, Mary Bauermeister, Ad Reinhardt, Robert Motherwell, Sol LeWitt, Jim Dine, and many others. The portfolio, "Ten Landscapes-Roy Lichtenstein (1967), was published in collaboration with Abrams Original Editions. Esman was contracted to work at Abrams Original Editions for a short period of time in the late 1970s. Esman and her Tanglewood Press Inc. were featured in the exhibition, The Great American Pop Art Store: Multiples of the sixties (1997-2000), University Art Museum, California State University, Long Beach, California.
Esman held a drawings exhibition of artwork borrowed from the Leo Castelli Gallery in 1972 in a space she rented for Tanglewood Press Inc.; she credited this as the beginning of Rosa Esman Gallery. Esman continued exhibiting in that location for the next several years, including a solo show of folded drawings by Sol LeWitt and Modern Master Drawings: Avery, Stuart Davis, De Kooning, Hoffman, Motherwell (1973). Esman moved her operation in 1975 to a building in midtown near the galleries of Tibor de Nagy and Virginia Zabriskie. Artists and printmakers shown at Esman Gallery during 1970s include Christo, Bill Fares, Tom Noskowski, Ursula Von Rydingsvard, Hannah Tierney, and Eileen Gray. In 1979, Esman began an exhibition series of Russian avant-garde art, The Russian Revolution in Art, 1-5 (1979-1983), featuring artwork by Kasmir Malevich, Alexander Rodchenko, Lyubov Popova, and many others of the Russian avant-garde. Esman moved the gallery to SoHo in 1980. In the 1980s, Esman began showing European outsider artists Pascal Verbena and Henry Darger and held a group exhibition of outsider artists in 1986, Outsiders: Art Beyond the Norm. Other exhibitions in the 1980s included Art by Architects (1980), Architecture by Artists (1981), Curator's Choice: A Tribute to Dorothy Miller (1982). Later exhibitions featured artists Joseph Zito, Sofia Dymshits-Tolstaya, Eric Snell, and Carl Goldhagen; and group shows of Dada art, twentieth-century photography, and constructivism. After closing Rosa Esman Gallery in 1992, Esman entered a partnership at Ubu Gallery with Adam Boxer and Alfred Jarry.
Rosa Mencher Esman was born in New York, New York in 1927. She studied government at Smith College in Northhampton, Massachusetts. She went abroad to Europe her junior year, visiting museums in Geneva, Florence, and Paris. After college, she worked several jobs including a position in the art book department of Harper and Brothers and as an office administrator for Rene d'Harnocourt at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. In 1957, she and a friend opened Tanglewood Gallery in Stockbridge, Massachusettes, showing artwork by artist-friends, utilizing the Museum of Modern Art lending service, and borrowing from the Downtown Gallery. The Tanglewood Gallery exhibited artists Milton Avery, Karl Schrag, Tom Wesselman, Alexander Calder, George Morrison, Robert Indiana, Richard Anuszkiewicz, Mervin Jules, and George L. K. Morris, among others. The gallery operated until circa 1960.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Rosa Esman conducted by James McElhinney, June 9-16, 2009.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Rosa Esman in 2003 and 2014 and in 2023 by the Esate of Rosa Esman via Abigail Esman, co-executor.
Restrictions:
Two folders comprised of Rosa Esman Gallery legal files, 1989-1991, in Box 15 are access restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records 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.
Rosa Esman Gallery and Tanglewood Press Inc records, circa 1922-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
