20 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 10 reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1920-1982
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence; biographical material; artists files; files on organizations; business and financial records; photographs; writings and notes; diaries; scrapbooks; appointment calendars; exhibition catalogs and announcements; printed material; and miscellany.
REELS D351-D358: Biographical material; personal and business correspondence with family, artists, museums, and art organizations; 62 artists files containing photos of works of art, printed material, and correspondence; files on the American Federation of the Arts, Artists Equity Association, the Walker Foundation, and other organizations; business and financial records; material relating to Walker's work with Elizabeth McCausland in her studies of Marsden Hartley; printed material; and photos of Walker, his family, and miscellaneous works of art. Among the correspondents are: Berenice Abbott, Ben Benn, Theodore Brenson, Gene Charlton, Philip Evergood, Joseph Hirsch, Mervin Jules, Carl Sprinchorn, Harry Sternberg, and others.
REEL 130: Correspondence with Eugenia M. Fuerstenberg, Oct. 8, 1940-Sept. 25, 1941, concerning the consignment and sale of ca. 400 Alfred Maurer paintings owned by Mrs. Fuerstenberg. One letter is from Parke-Bernet Galleries, declining to handle the paintings.
REEL 1535: 4 volumes of a diary, 1929, 1930, 1942, and 1945. The first two volumes were kept while Walker was a graduate student at Harvard, the 1942 volume covers exhibitions and artists, including Marsden Hartley, and the 1945 volume details Walker's travels in Europe after World War II. Also included are 7 letters, a valentine, and two post cards from his wife, Ione G. Walker, and a 1967 letter from Hans van Weeren-Griek.
UNMICROFILMED: Correspondence with Henry Botkin, Philip Evergood, Susan Fuller, Marsden Hartley, Harry Sternberg and other artists and gallery directors; letters and poems by Harry Kemp, 1948-1955; essays by Walker on Joshua B. Cahn and Marsden Hartley; a report on the Walker Art Center by William Valentiner, 1930; notes from meetings, galleries and art associations; a silk screen by Seong Moy; financial records; 2 diaries, 1938-1939; 2 appointment calendars, 1950-1951; 8 school notebooks; 3 scrapbooks; exhibition catalogs; clippings; and photos of Walker and artists Cameron Booth, Byron Browne, Gladys Rockmore Davis, Carl Gaertner, Dorothea Greenbaum, Mervin Jules, Herman Maril, Dickson Reeder, Henry Schnakenberg, Miron Sokole, Harry Sternberg, Jean Tingley and Clifford West.
Biographical / Historical:
Collector and administrator; New York, N.Y.; d. 1976.
Provenance:
Material on reels D351-D358 & unmicrofilmed donated 1966-1982 by Hudson D. and Ione G. Walker; material on reel 1535 lent for microfilming 1979 by Ione G. Walker, widow of Walker; material on reel 130 donor unspecified.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm.
Occupation:
Administrators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The papers of sculptor Arnold Rönnebeck and painter Louise Emerson Ronnebeck measure 4.24 linear feet and date from 1884-2002. The collection contains biographical material, family and professional correspondence, sketches and drawings, writings, a scrapbook, and printed material. There are also numerous photographic prints, copy prints, negatives, and 7 glass plate negatives of the Rönnebecks and their artwork, travels, family, and friends, including Charles Demuth, Marsden Hartley, Alfred Stieglitz, and Tony Luhan.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of sculptor Arnold Rönnebeck and painter Louise Emerson Ronnebeck measure 4.24 linear feet and date from 1884-2002. The collection contains biographical material, family and professional correspondence, sketches and drawings, writings, a scrapbook, and printed material. There are also numerous photographic prints, copy prints, negatives, and 7 glass plate negatives of the Rönnebecks and their artwork, travels, family, and friends, including Charles Demuth, Marsden Hartley, Alfred Stieglitz, and Tony Luhan.
Biographical materials include articles on the Rönnebecks by Betsy Fahlman, curriculum vitae, and documentation on the Emerson family. Correspondence is primarily between Arnold Rönnebeck to Louise, and also includes letters in German to Arnold's sister Irmgard Rönnebeck. Among the professional and personal correspondence from friends and family to both of the Rönnebecks are letters from Kenneth Hayes Miller to Louise Ronnebeck.
Writings include essay drafts, notes, and poetry by the Rönnebecks, including Arnold Rönnebeck's "Paint-As-You-Go Plan." There is a scrapbook of clippings covering Louise Ronnebeck's work. Additional printed material includes Christmas cards, clippings, and exhibition announcements and catalogs of both the Rönnebecks' work. Artwork consists of drawings and sketches by Arnold Rönnebeck.
Photographic materials include photographs of the Rönnebecks and their travels to Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, New York, and Europe. The series also contains photos, copy prints, negatives, and 7 glass plate negatives of artist friends, and formal and informal documentation of their works of art and public and private art commissions.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 7 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1926-2002 (9 folders; Box 1, OV 7)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1909-1998 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1, 5)
Series 3: Writings, 1920-1944 (6 folders; Box 1, 5)
Series 4: Scrapbook, 1926-1966 (1 folder; Box 1)
Series 5: Printed Material, 1923-1999 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1-2)
Series 6: Artwork, 1915-1950 (2 folders; Box 2, 5)
Series 7: Photographic Materials, 1884-1976 (2.6 linear feet; Box 2-6)
Biographical Note:
Sculptor Arnold Rönnebeck (1885-1947) was part of the "Stieglitz circle" and settled in Denver where he served as director of the Denver Art Museum from 1926-1931. Rönnebeck married Louise Emerson (1901-1980) in 1926. Emerson was a painter and muralist who worked on New Deal mural commissions in Colorado and Wyoming.
Arnold Rönnebeck was born in Nassau, Germany and was a noted sculptor and lithographer. From 1905 to 1907, Rönnebeck studied architecture at the Royal Art School in Berlin and spent a year studying sculpture in Munich. In 1908, he moved to Paris where he furthered his studies in sculpture under Aristede Maillol and Emile Bourdelle. From 1914 to 1918, Rönnebeck served as an officer in the German Imperial Army during World War I. In 1923, he emigrated to the United States where he became part of the Stieglitz circle.
In 1925, Rönnebeck visited Mabel Dodge Luhan at her ranch in Taos, New Mexico, where he met his future wife, the painter Louise Emerson, born Mary Louise Harrington Emerson in 1901. After their marriage, the Rönnebecks lived in Denver where Arnold Rönnebeck worked as director of the Denver Art Museum and continued to execute commissioned works, including bas reliefs, portrait busts, and sculptures. He died in Denver, Colorado in 1947. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Louise Emerson Ronnebeck continued to receive commissions for frescoes and murals in Colorado and Bermuda and died in Denver, Colorado in 1980.
Related Material:
Correspondence between Arnold Rönnebeck and Alfred Stieglitz and Marsden Hartley is located at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University.
Provenance:
The papers were donated in 2001 by Ursula Moore Works and Arnold Rönnebeck, the artists' daughter and son.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
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.
Arnold Rönnebeck and Louise Emerson Ronnebeck papers, 1884-2002. 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 papers of abstract painter Milton Avery measure 2.8 linear feet and date from 1926 to 1982, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1950 to 1982. Almost the entire collection consists of records of the Milton Avery Trust (2.4 linear feet) maintained by Avery's wife Sally, who served as a trustee. Milton Avery's business and personal correspondence (five folders) contains letters from friends and fellow artists, including a few from George Duthuit, Louis Eilshemius, Marsden Hartley, Wallace Putnam, and Mark Rothko. Also found are scattered writings about Avery, price lists, estate records, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and news clippings.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of abstract painter Milton Avery measure 2.8 linear feet and date from 1926 to 1982, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1950 to 1982. Almost the entire collection consists of business files maintained by Milton Avery's wife Sally as a trustee for the Milton Avery Trust (2.4 linear feet). Milton Avery's business and personal correspondence (five folders) contains letters from friends and fellow artists, including a few from George Duthuit, Louis Eilshemius, Marsden Hartley, Wallace Putnam, and Mark Rothko. Also found are scattered writings about Avery, price lists, estate records, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and news clippings.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 7 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1964, 1975 (Box 1; 1 folder)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1935-1981 (Box 1; 10 folders)
Series 3: Subject Files, 1950-1981 (Box 1-4; 2.4 linear feet)
Series 4: Writings, circa 1951-1979 (Box 4; 5 folders)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1926, 1962-1977 (Box 4; 4 folders)
Series 7: Photographs, circa 1970 (Box 4; 1 folder)
Biographical Note:
Milton Avery (1885-1965) was born in Altmar, New York and grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. Around 1905 he began attending the Connecticut League of Art Students in Hartford where he studied life drawing while also working full-time as a factory worker and file clerk. In 1915 he had his first public exhibition and, in 1918, transferred to the School of Art Society in Hartford. In 1924 he met Sally Michel (1905-2003), a student at the Art Students League in New York, and moved to New York City to be closer to her. They married one year later. Around this time Avery also altered his year of birth to 1893, perhaps due to the age difference between him and Sally. After their marriage Sally worked as an illustrator so that Avery could paint full time.
During the early 1920s, Avery's works were traditional figurative and genre subjects, influenced by American Impressionism. By the mid 1920s, with his move to New York, Avery began to simplify his forms and use broader expanses of flat color. Although his paintings became increasingly abstract, he never fully abandoned representational subject matter, painting figure groups, still lifes, landscapes, and seascapes. By the mid-1940s, Avery's work was characterized by a reduction of elements and elimination of detail, filled with an emphasis on arbitrary color.
Avery exhibited in a group show at The Opportunity Gallery in 1928 which also featured Mark Rothko and the two became close friends. He became friends with many other artists including Adolph Gottlieb, Barnett Newman, and Marsden Hartley. Avery's color work was an important influence on many younger artists, particularly Mark Rothko, Adolph Gottlieb, Barnett Newman, Helen Frankenthaler, and other Color Field painters. The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. was the first museum to purchase one of his paintings in 1929 and to give him his first solo museum exhibition in 1944.
In 1949 Milton Avery suffered a major heart attack and began making monotypes during his recovery. He returned to painting despite periods of ill-health, and his reputation grew rapidly over the next ten years, culminating in a retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York in 1960. He also exhibited along with his wife Sally Avery and their daughter, March Avery Cavanaugh (born in 1932), both of whom were also painters. Avery died in 1965 and left behind an oeuvre of paintings that numbers in the thousands. His wife Sally managed his estate and the sale of his works to many major museums, and served as a trustee for the Milton Avery Trust until her death in 2003.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming on reels N68-95, N68-115, N69-63, and 2535 including six scrapbooks, a sketchbook, Christmas cards, exhibition catalogs, and photographs. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
The Milton Avery papers were donated in 1968, 1969, and 1982 by his widow Sally Avery, including a few letters previously loaned for microfilming.
Restrictions:
The collection has been digitized and is available online via the Archives of American Art's website.
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.
An interview of Sally Avery conducted 1982 February 19, by Tom Wolf, for the Archives of American Art's Mark Rothko and His Times oral history project.
Avery discusses the friendship between Mark Rothko and the Averys, noting especially Rothko's admiration for Milton Avery's work. She describes Avery's influence on Rothko and Adolph Gottlieb, recalling several summers spent together and their close association in New York. She mentions Rothko's and Avery's involvement with the Opportunity Gallery, and the activities of the Club and the Ten. Avery speaks of Rothko's "myth paintings" and the origination of the idea with Barnett Newman and Adolph Gottlieb. The second half of the interview focuses on Milton Avery and his manner of working. She mentions an Avery portrait of Marsden Hartley and remembers his visits with them.
Biographical / Historical:
Sally Michel Avery (1902-2003) was a painter and widow of Milton Avery. Sally Avery lived in New York and Long Island.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 32 min.
Provenance:
This interview was conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's Mark Rothko and his Times oral history project, with funding provided by the Mark Rothko Foundation.
Others interviewed on the project (by various interviewers) include: Sonia Allen, Ben-Zion, Bernard Braddon, Ernest Briggs, Rhys Caparn, Elaine de Kooning, Herbert Ferber, Esther Gottlieb, Juliette Hays, Sidney Janis, Buffie Johnson, Jacob Kainen, Louis Kaufman, Jack Kufeld, Katharine Kuh, Stanley Kunitz, Joseph Liss, Dorothy Miller, Betty Parsons, Wallace Putnam, Rebecca Reis, Maurice Roth, Sidney Schectman, Aaron Siskind, Joseph Solman, Hedda Sterne, Jack Tworkov, Esteban Vicente and Ed Weinstein. Each has been cataloged separately.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
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:
Richard York Gallery records, circa 1865-2005, bulk 1981-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care Fund
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:
Richard York Gallery records, circa 1865-2005, bulk 1981-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care Fund
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:
Richard York Gallery records, circa 1865-2005, bulk 1981-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care Fund
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:
Richard York Gallery records, circa 1865-2005, bulk 1981-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care Fund
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:
Richard York Gallery records, circa 1865-2005, bulk 1981-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care Fund
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:
Richard York Gallery records, circa 1865-2005, bulk 1981-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care Fund
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:
Richard York Gallery records, circa 1865-2005, bulk 1981-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care Fund
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:
Richard York Gallery records, circa 1865-2005, bulk 1981-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care Fund
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:
Richard York Gallery records, circa 1865-2005, bulk 1981-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care Fund
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:
Richard York Gallery records, circa 1865-2005, bulk 1981-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care Fund
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:
Richard York Gallery records, circa 1865-2005, bulk 1981-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care Fund
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:
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:
Nina Howell Starr papers, circa 1933-1996. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian's Collections Care and Preservation Fund.
Use of original material requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy 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:
Fred Mitchell papers, 1938-2007. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
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:
Dore Ashton papers, 1849, circa 1928-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of a portion of this collection was provided the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care and Preservation Fund
The papers of curator, art historian, and author Judith Zilczer measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1910-1995, with the bulk of material dated 1973-1995. The papers contain project files and related correspondence, unpublished manuscripts, photographs, and printed material documenting her research as an independent art historian.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of curator, art historian, and author Judith Zilczer measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1910-1995, with the bulk of material dated 1973-1995. The papers contain project files and related correspondence, unpublished manuscripts, photographs, and printed material documenting her research as an independent art historian.
This collection documents the correspondence and research of Judith Zilczer pertaining to her doctoral dissertation, The Aftermath of the Armory Show, 1913-1918, where she examines the arguments of both artists and critics over the question of abstraction in art during the early period of the twentieth century. Research files include information on Sadakichi Hartmann, Thomas H. Benton, Manierre Dawson, Andrew Dasburg, John Quinn, Alfred Stieglitz, Michael Brenner, Robert J. Coady and Gorham Munson. Project files document Synchromism, the Forum Exhibit and the Hartley Symposium at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Richard Lindner Exhibition at the Hirshhorn Museum. Written transcripts include "Robert J. Cody, Man of the Soil" and "Musical Analogy". Researchers should note that this collection does not include a copy of her doctoral thesis.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 2 series.
Series 1: Project Files, 1910-1995 (Box 1; 21 folders)
Series 2: Writings, circa 1980s (Box 1; 3 folders)
Biographical / Historical:
Judith Zilczer (1948-) was an art historian, author, and Curator Emerita of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C. She organized more than two dozen exhibitions in her twenty-nine years at the museum, where she served as Historian, Curator of Paintings, and Acting Chief Curator. Her exhibition publications include Willem de Kooning from the Hirshhorn Museum Collection (1993), Richard Lindner: Paintings and Watercolors, 1948-1977 (1996), and Visual Music: Synaesthesia in Art and Music Since 1900 (2005). A 1975 graduate of the doctoral program of the University of Delaware, she wrote her thesis on The Aftermath of the Armory Show 1913-1918. She has received numerous awards, including the 2006 George Wittenborn Memorial Book Award of the Art Libraries Society of North America. Dr. Zilczer has written and lectured widely on modern and contemporary art and is a leading authority on the art of Willem de Kooning.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Paul Allen Reed conducted by Judith Zilczer, April 29, 1994.
Additionally, Papers relating to art commissioned for the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1992-1998, donated by Judith Zilczer, can be found at Archives of American Art.
The Smithsonian Institution Archives in Washington, D.C. holds a large collection of Judith K. Zilczer Papers, 1975-2003.
Provenance:
Creator Judith Zilczer donated her papers to the Archives of American Art in 2014.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Chronological professional and personal letters received by Ben Benn relating to exhibitions, affiliations with various artists' groups, and relationships with other artists and friends. Found are letters from Alfred Barr, Holger Cahill, Juliana Force, Sidney Geist, Kaj Klitgaard, Rowan and Irene LeCompte, Audrey McMahon, Elie and Viola Nadelman, Samuel Rosenblum, Harry Salpeter, and Hugh Stix, and various art galleries and museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Newark Museum, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Walker Art Center Also found is correspondence from containing letters from Hudson Walker and others, relating to Benn's one-man exhibition; included are price lists of Benn's paintings.
See Appendix for list of notable correspondents from Series 2.1. and 2.3.
Appendix: Notable Correspondents from Series 2.1. and 2.3.:
Abbott, Jere, (See The Museum of Modern Art)
American Artists' Congress, 1936 (1 letter)
American British Art Center, 1944 (1 letter
American Federation of the Arts, 1959 (1 letter)
American Society of Painters, Sculptors, and Gravers, 1935-1936 (3 letters)
American Society for Technion, Women's Division, Israel Institute of Technology, 1958 (4 letters)
Anderson Galleries, The, 1922 (2 letters)
Arden Studios, Inc., 1931 (1 letter)
Art Appreciation Movement, 1942
Art For Living, 1949 (1 letter)
Art USA, 1959 (2 letters)
Artists Equity Association, 1951 (1 letter)
Artists' Gallery, The, 1937-1956 (11 letters)
Artists' and Sculptors' Division, Joint Distribution Committee, 1938 (1 letter)
Artists for Victory, 1943 (1 letter)
Artists Welfare Fund, Inc., 1973 (1 letter)
Associated American Artists, 1942 (1 letter)
Avery, Milton, 1930 (1 letter)
Barr, Alfred A., 1953-1956 (2 letters): See also The Museum of Modern Art
Baziotes, William, 1942 (1 letter)
Beer-Monti, Federica, (See The Artists' Gallery)
Bender, William H., 1968 (1 letter)
Benton, Tom, undated (1 letter)
Benton, Rita and Tom, 1925 (1 letter)
Benton, Rita, 1926-1928, undated (2 letters)
Biddle, George, 1949-1950 (3 letters)
Bluemner, Oscar, 1918-1932 (2 letters)
Blume, Peter, (See The National Institute of Arts and Letters)
Board, Brewster, (See First Municipal Art Exhibition)
Bourgeois Galleries, 1917-1918 (5 letters)
Bourgeois, P., (See Bourgeois Galleries)
Bourgeois, S., (See Bourgeois Galleries)
Breckinridge, Mrs. Henry, (See City of New York, Municipal Art Committee)
Brooklyn Museum, 1931-1932 (4 letters)
Brown, George Lippincott, 1922 (1 letter)
Brownell-Lamberston Galleries, 1930 (1 letter)
Bruckel, Fred H., (See Montross Gallery)
Bry, Edith, (See Artists' and Sculptors' Division, Joint Distribution Committee)
Bummell, Peter, (See The Museum of Modern Art)
Burck, Jacob, (See New Masses)
Cahill, Holger, (See First Municipal Art Exhibition): See also Works Progress
Administration/Federal Art Project
Carmel, Hilda, (See Artists Welfare Fund)
Chidsey, Alan C., 1937 (1 letter)
City of New York, Municipal Art Committee, 1936 (3 letters)
Coady, R.W., 1915-1918 (5 letters)
Codry, Patrick, (See New Masses)
Coffey, Katherine, (See The Newark Museum)
Cohen, Mildred, (See College Art Association)
College Art Association, 1932-1936 (5 letters; 1 press release)
Committee of Five/League for American Citizenship, 1928 (1 letter)
Corcoran Gallery of Art, The, 1938 (1 letter)
Dasburg, Andrew, 1921, undated (2 letters)
Educational Art Alliance, 1944 (1 letter)
The Day, 1935 (1 letter)
Egan, Charles, (See Egan Gallery)
Egan Gallery, 1946 (1 letter)
Elliott, James H., 1954 (1 letter)
Fair Lawn Art Association, The, 1950 (1 letter)
Ferargil Galleries, 1934 (1 letter)
First Municipal Art Exhibition, 1934 (2 letters)
Fisher, William, 1917-1925 (5 letters)
Fitzgerald, Eleanor M., The Studio Theatre, 1941 (2 letters)
Force, Juliana, (See Whitney Museum of American Art)
Ford Foundation, The, 1958-1960 (7 letters)
Forum Exhibition Committee, The, 1916 (6 letters)
Fraser, Joseph T., (See The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts)
Frueh, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred, 1916 (1 invitation)
Frueh, Alfred, 1917 (1 invitation)
Frueh, Giuliette, 1923 (1 letter)
Geist, Sidney, 1939-1959 (35 letters)
Gerdts, William H., (See The Newark Museum)
Glassgold, C. Adolph, (See Whitney Museum of American Art)
Goff, Carleton, (See Providence Art Club)
Gollomb, Joseph, 1931, undated (2 letters)
Goodyear, A. Conger, (See The Museum of Modern Art)
Hale, Robert Beverly, (See The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Hamlin, Elizabeth, (See Brooklyn Museum)
Hanna Ray, (See John Wanamaker New York)
Harris, Ruth F., (See The New York Times)
Hartley, Marsden, 1934 (1 postcard)
Hellman, George, 1926-1927 (2 letters): See also The New Gallery
Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 1974 (1 letter)
Horch, Louis L., (See Roerich Museum)
Irvine, Rosalind, (See Whitney Museum of American Art)
Johnston, E.M., (See Bourgeois Galleries)
Katz, Harry, The Library of Congress, 1993 (1 letter)
Kent, H.W., (See The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Klitgaard, Georgina and Kaj, 1920 (1 letter)
Klitgaard, Kaj, 1921-1936, undated (8 letters)
Korzenik, Lillian, (See American Society for Technion, Women's Division, Israel Institute of Technology
Krasne, Bell, 1954-1955 (2 letters)
Kruse, Alexander Z., 1941 (1 letter)
Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, (See American Artists' Congress)
LaGuardia, Fiorello, 1941 (1 letter)
Lambertson, Dorothy, (See Brownell-Lambertson Galleries)
Lang, Gladys V., (See The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Laurent, Robert, 1920 (1 letter)
Lechay, James, 1971 (1 letter)
LeCompte, Rowan, 1949-1953 (12 letters)
LeCompte, Irene and Rowan, 1952-1967 (12 letters)
LeCompte, Irene, 1951-1953 (4 letters)
Lerner, Abram, (See Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden)
Lewis, Robert, 1950-1952 (5 letters)
Lowry, W. McNeill, (See The Ford Foundation)
McBride, Henry, 1932 (1 letter)
McCausland, Elizabeth, 1951 (1 letter)
McKinney, Roland, (See Pepsi-Cola's Fifth Annual Art Competition): See also The Metropolitan Museum of Art
McMahon, Audrey, (See College Art Association)
Mallette, Alice, (See The Museum of Modern Art)
Marantz, Evelyn, (See Art For Living)
Marvel, Josiah P., The Springfield Museum of Art, 1932 (2 letters)
Meeting Place, The, 1931, (2 letters)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, The, 1939-1957 (8 letters)
Miller, Ann, (See The Fair Lawn Art Association)
Minnigerode, C. Powell, (See The Corcoran Gallery of Art)
Montross Gallery, 1930 (1 letter)
More, Hermon, (See Whitney Museum of American Art)
Museum of Modern Art, The, 1931-1951, undated (5 letters)
Musgrove, Louis, 1935-1954, undated (4 letters)
Musgrove, Nonnie, 1963 (1 letter)
Nadelman, Elie, 1915 (1 letter): in French
Nadelman, Elie and Viola, 1921-1947, undated 6 letters)
Nadelman, Viola, 1925-1929 (4 letters)
National Society of American Art, 1934 (2 letters)
Nestor, Bernard and Dudley Pratt, (See Seattle Art Museum)
New Gallery, The, 1926-1927 (2 letters)
New Masses, 1933 (3 letters)
Newark Museum, The, 1958 (4 letters)
New York Times, The, 1938-1957 (2 letters)
Nordness, Lee, (See Art USA)
Ostrowsky, Abbo, (See Educational Art Alliance)
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, The, 1942-1965 (3 letters)
Pepsi-Cola's Fifth Annual Art Competition, 1948 (3 letters)
Phillips Memorial Gallery, 1929 (1 letter)
Providence Art Club, 1965 (3 letters)
Rickey, George, 1936 (1 letter)
Ritchie, Andrew C., (See The Museum of Modern Art)
Robinson, Eleanor, (See Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.)
Rockefeller, Mrs. John D., 1940 (1 letter)
Roerich, Horch L., (See Roerich Museum)
Roerich Museum, 1936 (1 letter)
Rogovin, Howard, 1956 (4 letters)
Rollins, Lloyd L., 1944 (3 letters): See also Works Progress Administration/Federal Art Project
Ross, Sidney, (See Theatre in Art Exhibition)
Rowan, Edward B., (See Treasury Department, Section of Painting and Sculpture)
Saarinen, Aline B., (See The New York Times)
Salpeter, Harry, (See Harry Salpeter Gallery, Inc.)
Harry Salpeter Gallery, Inc., 1956-1961 (11 letters)
Seattle Art Museum, 1933 (1 letter)
Shahn, Ben, 1949 (1 letter)
Slatkin, Charles E., (See Charles E. Slatkin Galleries)
Charles E. Slatkin Galleries, Inc., 1959 (1 letter)
Society of Independent Artists, The, 1923 (1 letter)
Marie Sterner Fine Arts, 1930 (1 letter)
Stix, Hugh, 1930-1960 (6 letters): See also The Artists' Gallery
Theatre in Art Exhibition, 1932 (2 letters)
Treasury Department, Section of Painting and Sculpture, 1934 (1 letter)
Tschudy, Herbert B., (See Brooklyn Museum)
Usher, Elizabeth, (See The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Van Deventer, S., Kröller-Müller Museum, 1924 (1 letter)
Varian , Dorothy, 1937 (1 letter)
Von Groschwitz, Gustave, (See Ferargil Galleries)
Walker Art Center, 1953-1954 (17 letters)
Walker, Hudson, 1948-1958 (6 letters): See also Hudson Walker Art Center
Walkowitz, Abraham, 1928 (1 letter)
John Wanamaker New York, 1934 (1 letter)
Wehle, Harry B., (See The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Weichsel, John, The People's Guild, 1915 (1 letter)
Whitney Museum of American Art (pre-1930: Whitney Studio Club), 1927-1950, undated (16 letters)
Woodstock Artists Association, 1977 (1 letter)
Works Progress Administration/Federal Art Project, 1935-1936 (2 letters)
Wright, Willard Huntington, (See The Forum Exhibition Committee)
Yiddisher Kultur Farband, 1951 (1 letter)
Zorach, William, 1916 (1 letter)
Notable Correspondents from Series 2.3: Velida Benn Correspondence, 1906-1963
Art Foundation, The, 1943 (Page proof of advertisement for Art News)
Ashton, Dore, The New York Times, 1958 (1 letter)
Avery, Sally, 1934 (1 letter)
Benton, Rita, 1925 (2 letters)
Bluemner, Oscar, undated (1 letter)
Bouché, Louis, 1918 (2 letters)
Champanier, Abram, 1933 (1 letter)
City of New York, The, Department of Parks, 1915 (Permit to paint and sketch in the boroughs of Manhattan and Richmond)
Columbia University, 1928-1929 (4 letters)
Force, Juliana, 1933 (1 letter)
Freeman, Anne, (See Juliana Force)
Furlong, Tomás, 1909-1911 (3 letters; 1 letter in Spanish)
Hitchings, Elisabeth J., College Art Association 1935 (1 letter)
Kelly, Anne, (See Mrs. John D. Rockefeller)
Klitgaard, Kaj, undated (1 note)
LeCompte, Irene, 1951-1953, (2 letters)
LeCompte, Rowan and Robert Lewis, 1949 (1 letter)
Mora, Luis F., 1911 (1 letter in Spanish)
Nadelman, Viola, 1942 (1 letter)
Osma, Julio, 1923-1924 (4 letters: 2 letters in Spanish)
Rockefeller, Mrs. John D., 1931 (1 letter)
Rollins, Lloyd, 1944 (2 postcards)
Salpeter, Betty and Harry, 1956 (1 letter)
Salpeter, Harry, 1960 (1 postcard)
Sanger, William, 1915 (1 letter)
Stella, Joseph, 1918 (1 letter)
Stieglitz, Alfred, 1925 (1 letter)
Weber, Max, 1918 (1 letter)
Weischel, Mr. and Mrs., 1915 (1 postcard)
Zorach, Marguerite, 1915-1916 (2 letters)
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. research facility.
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:
Ben Benn papers, 1905-1993. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.