The papers of painter Thomas Downing measure 1.4 linear feet and date from circa 1946 to 1995. The papers document his career as an artist in Washington, D.C. and Provincetown, Massachusetts through biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records, printed material, photographic material and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter Thomas Downing measure 1.4 linear feet and date from circa 1946 to 1995. The papers document his career as an artist in Washington, D.C. and Provincetown, Massachusetts through biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records, printed material, photographic material and artwork.
Biographical material consists of Downing's college diploma, resume, biographical outlines, birth and death certificates, travel documents, passports and other miscellaneous documents.
Correspondence is between Thomas Downing and his family, friends, and colleagues. Notable correspondents include Phillip Romero, Osuna Galleries and Sidney Wordell.
Writings include notes, notebooks, annotated calendars and essays. There are a few writings by others such as poems by Sidney Wordell and Philip Romero's essay about Thomas Downing.
Personal business records consist of a few legal records, shipping and transportation invoices, and professional certificates.
Printed material includes clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, two books and an auction catalog.
Photographic material depict Thomas Downing, friends, family, travel, and artwork.
Artwork consists of sketchbooks and drawings by Thomas Downing, plus some drawings by the artist's son, Aaron Downing.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as seven series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1949-1995 (Box 1; 7 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1948-circa 1987 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 3: Writings, 1969-1986 (Box 1; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1950-1986 (Box 1; 5 folders)
Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1946-1987 (Boxes 1-2; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 6: Photographs, circa 1950-1988 (Box 2; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 7: Artwork, circa 1950-1984 (Box 2; 0.2 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Thomas Downing (1928-1985) was a painter based in Washington, D.C., and Provincetown, Massachusetts, who was associated with the Washington Color School.
Thomas Downing was born in Suffolk, Virginia, in 1928. He received his undergraduate degree from Randolph Macon College in Virginia in 1948, then attended Pratt Institute in New York from 1948 to 1950. He traveled to Europe for one year in 1950 to 1951 on a grant from Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
After serving in the military, Downing moved to Washington, D.C., for a teaching job in 1953. He enrolled in a course at Catholic University and studied art under Kenneth Noland, who was a major influence on his work. Downing later shared a studio with Howard Mehring, with whom he founded the Origo, a cooperative gallery that operated from early 1959 to roughly mid-1960. During the 1960s, Downing also taught at the Corcoran School, numbering among his students Sam Gilliam, Rockne Krebs, and Michael Clark. Although he mostly resided in D.C., the last ten years of his life were spent in Provincetown, Massaschusetts, where he died in 1985.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reel 4058) including eleven letters from Thomas Downing to his son Aaron and seven photographs of Thomas Downing and others. Lent material was returned to the lender and is not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
Material was first lent to the Archives of American Art for microfilming in 1988 by Downing's son, Aaron Downing, and then returned to the lender. His widow, Louise Downing, donated additional papers in 1988.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
[Television interviews of Marcella Brenner and Sybil and Robert Meyersburg] [videorecordings] /WETA ; producers and interviewers, Jeffrey Bieber and Jackson Frost
Unedited interviews produced for a WETA public television program "Washington Colorists," including one of Marcella Brenner (4 videocassettes) concerning her husband, painter Morris Louis, conducted by Jackson Frost, and one of artists Sybil and Robert Meyersburg conducted by Jeffrey Bieber. The program aired April 15, 1987.
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Washington, D.C. : WETA, 1987.
Provenance:
Donated 1989 by Sybil Meyersburg.
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.
Rights:
Authorization to quote, publish, or reproduce requires written permission from GWETA (Greater Washington Educational Television Association). Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.
Topic:
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Washington (D.C.) Search this
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.
Collection Citation:
Ad Reinhardt papers, 1927-1968. 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.
Includes articles about Davidovich, SoHo, garbage art, and art events.
Collection 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.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Jaime Davidovich papers, 1949-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing and digitization of this collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. Additional funding for the digitization of the papers was provided by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.
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:
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.
Collection Citation:
Alan R. Solomon papers, 1907-1970, bulk 1944-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of the Alan R. Solomon papers is provided by the Lichtenstein Foundation.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Collection Rights:
Max Spoerri interview: Authorization to quote or reproduce for purposes of publication requires written permission from Max Spoerri. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.
Collection Citation:
Hans Hofmann papers, circa 1904-2011, bulk 1945-2000. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
The notes of painter and sculptor Jules Olitski to Joan Olitski measure 0.02 linear feet and date from 1981-2004. The collection comprises of ten humorous love notes, some illustrated, written by Jules Olitski to his wife, Joan. Olitski wrote the notes to his wife (also known as Kristina) in the morning when he left his studio after working through the night.
Scope and Contents:
The notes of painter and sculptor Jules Olitski to Joan Olitski measure 0.02 linear feet and date from 1981-2004. The collection comprises of ten humorous love notes, some illustrated, written by Jules Olitski to his wife, Joan. Olitski wrote the notes to his wife (also known as Kristina) in the morning when he left his studio after working through the night.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 1 series.
Series 1: Notes, 1981-2004 (0.1 linear feet; Box 1)
Biographical / Historical:
Painter and sculptor Jules Olitski (1922-2007) lived and worked from New York City; Meredith, New Hampshire; and Islamorada, Florida and was known for his color field abstractions and painted metal sculptures. Born Jevel Demikovsky in Snovsk, Russia (now Shchors, Ukraine), Olitski's father was politically executed months after his birth, and his mother and grandmother moved with him to the United States in 1923. Showing an early propensity for art, Olitski trained at both New York's National Academy of Design and the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design and furthered his art studies in Paris. After returning to New York, Olitski received a master's in art education from NYU in 1954 and subsequently taught at C.W. Post College (1956-1963) and Bennington College (1963-1967).
His first solo show of abstract impastos at the Alexander Iolas Gallery in 1958 caught the attention of art critic Clement Greenberg, who continued to champion him throughout his career. In the 1960s, Olitski came to prominence with color field paintings that used stain and spray methods to emphasize the broad, flat plane of the canvas. By the 1970s, he began producing and painting large scale abstract aluminum sculptures and returned to painting in the more textured style he had used in the 1950s.
Olitski, along with Roy Lichtenstein, Helen Frankenthaler, and Ellsworth Kelly, was selected to represent the United States at the 1966 Venice Biennale and was also the first living artist invited to exhibit a one-person show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1969. A prolific artist, he exhibited in over 150 solo shows and was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1994. Olinski continued painting and exhibiting new abstractions of monochrome landscapes late into his career and died of cancer in New York.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Jules Olitski papers.
Provenance:
The notes were donated in 2014 by Olitski's wife, Joan Olitski, also known as Kristina.
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.
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.
Topic:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Genre/Form:
Illustrated letters
Citation:
Jules Olitski notes to Joan Olitski, 1981-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Andre Emmerich. An installation view of works by Morris Louis at the Andre Emmerich Gallery, 1966 Mar. Morris Louis and Morris Louis Estate papers, circa 1910s-2007. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Andre Emmerich. An installation view of works by Morris Louis at the Andre Emmerich Gallery, 1966 Mar. Morris Louis and Morris Louis Estate papers, circa 1910s-2007. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
An installation view of Morris Louis' Veils show at the Andre Emmerich Gallery, 1969. Morris Louis and Morris Louis Estate papers, circa 1910s-2007. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
An installation view of Morris Louis' Veils show at the Andre Emmerich Gallery, 1969. Morris Louis and Morris Louis Estate papers, circa 1910s-2007. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Use of electronic records requires advance notice.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Zarina Hashmi papers, 1950-2015. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The papers of painter Howard Mehring measure 0.2 linear feet and date from circa 1931-1978. This small collection of documentation on Mehring's career includes graduation and birth certificates; letters to Mehring from his mother, dealers, lawyers and clients; and childhood photographs.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter Howard Mehring measure 0.2 linear feet and date from circa 1931-1978. This small collection of documentation on Mehring's career includes graduation and birth certificates; letters to Mehring from his mother, dealers, lawyers and clients; and childhood photographs.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Howard Mehring (1931-1978) was a painter in Washington, D.C., considered one of the six core members of the Washington Color School, which also included his instructor at Catholic University, Kenneth Noland. His mature work, all abstract, ranged from loose Abstact Expressionism to a more structured geometic style of Color Field Painting.
Provenance:
The papers were donated in 2018 by Patricia and William Taffe Driscoll, friends of Mehring, who had held the documents on Mehring's behalf.
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.
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.
Color : an exhibition / organized by a graduate seminar of the Department of Art ; sponsored by the UCLA Art Council ; presented by the UCLA Art Galleries ; [artists] Ron Davis ... [et al.]
Author:
California University University at Los Angeles Department of Art Search this
The great decade of American abstraction; modernist art 1960 to 1970; inaugural exhibition for the Brown Pavilion, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, January 15-March 10, 1974. With an introductory note by Philippe de Montebello, and text and catalogue by E. A. Carmean, Jr