Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Parsons, Betty
| title | Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991, bulk 1946-1983 | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | The Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers measure 49.6 linear feet and date from 1928 to 1991, with the bulk of the material dating from 1946-1983. Records provide extensive documentation of the gallery's operations from its inception in 1946 to its closing in 1983 and of the activities of Betty Parsons as one the leading art dealers of contemporary American Art in the latter half of the twentieth century, particularly the work of the Abstract Expressionists. Over one third of the of the collection is comprised of artists files containing correspondence, price lists, and printed materials. Additional correspondence is with galleries, dealers, art institutions, private collectors, and the media. Also found are exhibition files, exhibition catalogs and announcements, sales records, stock inventories, personal financial records, and photographs. Betty Parsons' personal papers consist of early curatorial files, pocket diaries, personal correspondence, and evidence of her own artwork, including sketchbooks, and files documenting her personal art collection. Artists files, the largest and most extensive series, consist of a wide variety of documents, including biographical materials, correspondence with or related to the artist, exhibition catalogs and announcements, sales and expense invoices, clippings, price lists, and photographs of the artist, exhibitions, and artwork. The files reflect Parsons' close personal relationships with certain artists, particularly Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, and Barnett Newman. Extensive documentation is also found for Forrest Bess, William Congdon, Paul Feeley, Thomas George, Alexander Liberman, Seymour Lipton, Richard Pousette-Dart, Jesse Reichek, and Jack Youngerman. Historians and researchers will find these files to be an invaluable resource both in tracing Betty Parsons' role in promoting Abstract Expressionism and researching individual artists. Exhibition files primarily document the gallery's infrequent group or themed exhibitions. Of particular note are the files on The Ideographic Picture, which was organized by Barnett Newman and included his work, as well as that of Pietro Lazzari, Boris Margo, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, Theodoros Stamos, and Clyfford Still. Price lists, artist biographies and exhibition schedules are housed in the general exhibition files. Loan exhibition files provide documentation of artwork borrowed by other galleries or institutions for exhibitions, as well as shows outside of the gallery that were organized by Betty Parsons. Also found are gallery exhibition guest books, and announcements and catalogs. Gallery correspondence is primarily with galleries and dealers, museums, arts organizations, and collectors. Scattered letters from artists are also found, although the bulk of the artists' correspondence is filed in the Artists Files. Also found here are memoranda and letters between Betty Parsons and her staff that contain detailed information concerning Parsons' schedule and gallery activities. Similar correspondence is found amongst the correspondence files within the series Betty Parsons papers. Appraisal and conservation files include correspondence, appraisal invoices, forms, and appraisal requests and other information from the Art Dealers Association of America, and conservation invoices and reports. The majority of the appraisal records contain information about the specific works of art, including artist, title, date, current owner and the estimated value at the time of the request. Conservation records document conservation treatments undertaken by outside conservators to gallery stock. Sales, purchases, stock and inventory are well documented in the sales and inventory records. The records provide detailed information about individual sales, prices of individual pieces of artwork, consignments, and loans. Most sales records also include detailed information about the buyer and are a valuable resource for provenance research. Files documenting the general administration, routine business operations, and financial transactions (not individual sales) of the gallery are housed in the general business and financial records. These records include ledgers, receipts, tax records, and banking records. There is some limited information about works of art scattered amongst the receipts and in the "in/out slips" files. Legal records house general legal documents and those concerning specific lawsuits. Of particular note is the file detailing the lawsuit between Betty Parsons and Sidney Janis over the fifth floor of 24 West 57th Street. The remainder of the collection consists of Betty Parsons' personal papers which document Parsons' career prior to opening her own gallery, her work as an artist, and her personal art collection. Some information about Parsons' work prior to opening her own gallery is found in the early curatorial files she retained from her curatorial and administrative work at the Wakefield Gallery and the Mortimer Brandt Gallery. Clippings, correspondence, announcements, exhibition lists and exhibition files are found. For both positions, she kept only the exhibition files for a small group of exhibitions organized around a specific theme, the most notable being the exhibition of Pre-Columbian Sculpture at the Wakefield Gallery. Biographical materials include copies of her biography, family genealogies, photographs of Parsons, interviews with Colette Roberts and WYNC radio, memberships, photographs, and ephemera, including a collection of programs and invitations from events that she attended. Throughout her life Parsons gave generously of her time to various cultural and charitable institutions and was awarded for her contributions. There are also a number of files that document her speaking engagements, her participation as a juror in numerous juried exhibitions, charitable work, and awards that she received. Parsons' personal correspondence files reflect how deeply Parsons' life was intertwined with the gallery. There are letters from museum directors, dealers, artists seeking representation, and personal letters from artists with whom she had close personal relationships, most notably Larry Bigelow, Alexander Calder, William Condon, and Ad Reinhardt. There are also letters from the English artist Adge Baker, with whom Parsons was romantically involved. Correspondence also includes several files of postcards and Christmas cards. Pocket diaries and engagement calendars, spanning from 1933-1981 (although the 1950s are notably missing) record social engagements, meetings, vacations, and telephone numbers. Also found are three notebooks, and three sketchbooks, two of which are annotated. Writings by others include writings about Betty Parsons or the Betty Parsons' Gallery, such as Lawrence Alloway's unpublished typescript titled "An American Gallery" and other topics. Printed material consists of exhibition announcements and catalogs, art magazines, and newspaper and magazine clippings about Betty Parsons, her family and acquaintances, artists, and other art related topics, coupled with a miscellaneous selection of clippings on topics that presumably captured Parsons' attention. Personal art work records document Betty Parsons' career as an artist through inventories, group and solo exhibitions files, price lists, appraisals, sales and consignment invoices. Photographs are primarily reproductions of her works of art, although there are scattered photographs of exhibition installations. Betty Parsons private art collection files document Parsons extensive personal collection of art that included works by Jackson Pollock, Agnes Martin, Romare Bearden, Barnett Newman, and Mark Rothko, in addition to Amlash sculpture from ancient Persia and primitive sculpture from New Hebrides. These files include inventories, lists, exhibition records, sales and purchase invoices, and photographs. There are also files for donations and loans from Parsons' personal collection to museums and fund raising auctions for several non-profit institutions. Finally, the personal financial records provide information about the Parsons' family finances and her personal financial success as an art dealer. In addition to her own investments, Parsons inherited shares in family investments through the estates of her parents, J. Fred Pierson, Jr. and Suzanne Miles Pierson, and younger sister, Emily Rayner. Real estate files include correspondence, utility bills, receipts, area maps, and land plots for houses in Sheepscot, Maine and St. Maartens, Netherlands Antilles. Tax returns, ledger worksheets, receipts, banking statements, deposit slips, and cancelled checks are among the other financial records. Biographical Note Betty Parsons (1900-1982) was one of the leading art dealers in New York City specializing in modern art, particularly the work of the Abstract Expressionists. She opened Betty Parsons Gallery in 1946 at 11 E. 57th St., later moving to 24 W. 57th St. The history of the Betty Parsons Gallery is inextricably bound to the life and experiences of its founder. Betty Parsons was born Betty Bierne Pierson on January 31, 1900 in New York City. She enjoyed a privileged childhood, which included vacation homes in Newport and Palm Beach. Her only formal education was a five year stint at the prestigious Chapin School from 1910-1915, where she met many of the women who would become life long friends and supporters. In the spring of 1920, she married Schuyler Livingston Parsons from one of New York's oldest families. The marriage ended after only three years and the couple traveled to Paris where they could obtain a divorce on the grounds of incompatibility. She retained her married surname and purchased a house on the rue Boulard in Paris, where she remained for ten years, pursuing studies in painting and sculpture. Financial constraints forced Parsons to return to the United States in 1933. She first traveled west to California, but it was her return to New York in 1935 that marked the start of her career as an art dealer. Her first opportunity to connect with the New York art world came after a successful exhibition of her watercolors at the Midtown Galleries where the owner, Alan Gruskin, noted Parson's faithful and wealthy group of supporters and offered her work installing exhibitions and selling paintings on commission. Her work for the Midtown Galleries led to a second position in the Park Avenue gallery of Mary Sullivan, one of the founders of the Museum of Modern Art. Here, Parsons learned the business of running a gallery. By 1940 Parsons was ready to take on more independent responsibility and agreed to manage a gallery within the Wakefield Bookshop. In this job, she exercised full curatorial control by selecting artists and organizing exhibitions. She championed then unknown contemporary American artists and the gallery's roster soon included Saul Steinberg, Hedda Sterne, Alfonso Ossorio, Joseph Cornell, Walter Murch, and Theodore Stamos. Although the majority of the exhibitions were solo shows, there were a few group shows and themed exhibitions, such as Love in Art (1941) and Ballet in Art (1942). Under Parson's direction, the gallery hosted an important exhibition of Pre-Columbian sculpture, curated by Barnett Newman. When the owners of the Wakefield Bookshop decided to close the gallery late in 1944, Mortimer Brandt, a dealer who specialized in Old Master paintings and drawings, offered her a position as head of the newly created contemporary section of his gallery. Many of the artists who had shown with Parsons at the Wakefield Gallery followed her to her new gallery, where they were joined by Ad Reinhardt, Boris Mango, and Hans Hofmann. While the exhibitions garnered attention from the press and the interest of contemporary artists, the contemporary section was not a financial success and Brandt opted to close his gallery in 1946. Using $1000 of her own money and an additional borrowed $4000, Parsons sublet the space that previously housed Mortimer Brandt's contemporary section, on the fifth floor of 15 East 57th Street, and opened the Betty Parsons Gallery. In many respects the early years of the Betty Parsons Gallery were the most vital, as it was during the period of 1947-1951 that the gallery became linked with the Abstract Expressionists and the history of post-WWII American Art. In an unpublished history of the gallery, noted art critic Lawrence Alloway stated that the significance of the gallery's early exhibitions ranks with Durand-Ruels Impressionists exhibitions or Kahnweiler's shows of the Cubists. Betty Parsons Gallery quickly became one of the most prestigious galleries in New York City associated with new American Art of all styles. Her close friend Barnett Newman organized the gallery's inaugural exhibition of Northwest Coast Indian Art and he soon began to exhibit his own work at the gallery. When Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century Gallery closed, Jackson Pollock, Clyfford Still, and Mark Rothko joined Parsons' growing stable of artists. Although Parsons continued to promote and exhibit many of the artists whom she had previously discovered, these four artists dominated this period. Newman, Pollock, Still, and Rothko worked closely together, holding themselves apart from the other artists somewhat. They were actively involved in the curatorial process and often hung their own shows. For these artists, the exhibition itself was an artistic act of creation. Parsons provided a supportive environment and allowed her artists enormous freedom in planning and designing their exhibitions. She was not, however, an aggressive salesperson. During this early period the gallery ledgers document sales to an impressive array of museums including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as important collectors such as Edward Root and Duncan Phillips. Nevertheless, the art that the gallery promoted was not yet widely accepted. Sales were few, prices were low and the business would not turn a profit for several years. Meanwhile, there was mounting pressure from Pollock, Newman, Still, and Rothko to drop some of the other artists from Parsons' stable and focus all resources on them. They wanted to be promoted to a larger audience and have their work sold at higher prices, but Parsons enjoyed discovering new artists and did not want to be restricted in this endeavor. The year 1951 marks the last time that Pollock's drip paintings or the monumental works of Newman, Rothko or Still were shown at the Betty Parsons Gallery. In the following years the Betty Parsons Gallery continued to attract a diverse group of talented artists. Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Tuttle, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jack Youngerman had their first New York exhibitions at the Betty Parsons Gallery. Parsons opened Section Eleven in 1958, a short-lived annex to the main gallery, so that she could promote younger, less well-known artists. It closed in 1960 due to the administrative difficulties in running two essentially separate galleries. In 1962, Sidney Janis, another prominent art dealer, started proceedings to evict Parsons from the floor that they shared on 15 East 57th Street. The Betty Parsons Gallery moved to 24 West 57th Street in 1963, where it remained until it closed in 1983, following Parsons' death the preceding year. Throughout the gallery's history, Parsons continued to promote faithful artists such as Hedda Sterne and Saul Steinberg, who had been with her from the beginning and to seek out new talent, both for her main gallery and for other venues, such as the short-lived Parsons-Truman Gallery, which she opened in 1974 with former Parsons Gallery director Jock Truman to show works on paper by emerging artists. In addition to being an art dealer, Betty Parsons was a respected artist and collector. With her connoisseur's eye and connections, Parsons amassed an impressive private collection of art. She bought her first piece while an art student in Paris in the 1920s, a small gouache by Zadkine, but did not begin acquiring works in earnest until she was established as an art dealer. Partial inventories of her personal collection show that the majority of her collection contained works by artists associated with the gallery. Mark Rothko, Hans Hofmann, Ad Reinhardt, Agnes Martin, and Kenzo Okada were among the artists represented. Many were gifts from the artists, such as an ink drawing by Jackson Pollock, inscribed "For Betty." Selections from her collection appeared in small museums across the United States, including a traveling exhibition organized by Fitch College, New York, in 1968. In her role as a promoter of contemporary American art, Parsons lent generously from her collection, particularly to the federal Art in the Embassies Program. Throughout her life she also donated works to a variety of museums, most notably, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark. Parsons frequently claimed that her desire to pursue a career as an artist stemmed from a visit to the Armory Show when she was thirteen. In her late teens, after pressuring her father for art lessons, she studied with the sculptor Gutzon Burglum of Mount Rushmore fame. In Paris, she continued her studies first with Antoine Bourdelle, whose sculptures she had admired at the Armory Show, and later with Ossip Zadkine. The first exhibition of her work, figurative watercolors and sculptures, took place in Paris in 1927. As she matured as an artist, her art became more abstract. Her late works were painted wood sculptures that she pieced together from wood that she found near her studio in Long Island. Parsons' work was exhibited in more than thirty solo exhibitions, including, Betty Parsons; Paintings, Gouaches and Sculpture, 1955-1968, at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. During her lifetime, she would not allow her works to be shown in her own gallery. Shortly after she died of a stroke in 1982, In Memoriam, Betty Parsons: Late Sculptures, opened at the Betty Parsons Gallery. RELATED MATERIALS Separated materials: Papers lent for microfilming in 1968 and 1969, reels N68/62-N68/74 and N69/105-106. Also found in the Archives of American Art are oral history interviews with Betty Parsons, June 4-9, 1969 and June 11, 1981. How to Cite this Collection Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, circa 1920-1991, bulk 1946-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. |
| extent | 49.6 linear ft. |
| formats | Business Papers Personal Papers Financial Records Correspondence Artist Files |
| access | Microfilmed portion must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unmicrofilmed portions requires an appointment. The Betty Parsons Gallery records and Betty Parsons papers in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2009. The bulk of the papers have been scanned and total 61,421 images. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.parsbett.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/betty-parsons-gallery-records-and-personal-papers-7211 |
| finding aid | Both at the Archives of American Art and available on their web site. |
| acquisition information | The gallery donated some records in 1974, many of which had been loaned earlier for microfilming. The bulk of the collection was donated in 1984 and 1986 by William Rayner and Christopher Schwabacher, executors of the Estate of Betty Parsons. Additional material was donated by William Rayner in 1998 and Christopher Schwabacher in 2017. Additional material was donated in 2018 by the Lee Hall estate via Carolyn Crozier and Deborah Jacobson, co-executors. Hall was Parsons's biographer and had the material in her possession at the time of Parsons's death. An additional photograph of Parons and Marie Carr Taylor by Henri Cartier-Bresson was donated in 2021 by Mary Carpenter, who inherited the photograph from her mother, Nan Thorton Jones, who received it as a gift from Taylor. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:11 |
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| title | Oral history interview with Betty Parsons, 1969 June 4-9 | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | An interview of Betty Parsons conducted by Paul Cummings for the Archives of American Art. Parsons speaks of her family background; her years in Paris; living in California for four years; teaching sculpture and drawing; the Wakefield Gallery; the establishment of her own gallery, and some of her clients and artists; a pre-Columbian show at her gallery; the New York gallery scene; her own collection; her affiliation with Arshile Gorky and John Graham; the importance of The Club; and the influence of critics and art magazines. She recalls Kenzo Okada, Barnett Newman and Sidney Janis |
| extent | 1 sound tape reel (2 hours) ; 7 in. Transcript: 44 p. |
| formats | Sound Recording Transcript |
| access | Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce must be obtained from Mr. William Rayner, 11 1/2 East 76th Street, New York City, N.Y. 10021 |
| record link | n/a |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-betty-parsons-12214 |
| acquisition information | Part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:19 |
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| title | American Museum of Natural History, Dept. of Anthropology correspondence with Barnett Newman and Betty Parsons, 1944-1946. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Correspondence of Harry L. Shapiro, Chair of the Dept. of Anthropology, with Barnett Newman and Betty Parsons, and registrar's records, concerning loans of objects to two exhibitions of American Indian art: "Pre-Columbian Stone Sculpture," Wakefield Gallery, 1944, and "Northwest Coast Indian Painting," Betty Parsons Gallery, 1946. Also included are exhibition catalogs and announcements for the exhibitions. |
| extent | 26 items (on partial microfilm reel) reel 4588 |
| formats | Correspondence |
| access | Patrons mus use microfilm. |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| acquisition information | Lent for microfilming by the American Museum of Natural History, Department of Anthropology, 1992. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:29:55 |
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| title | David Herbert papers, circa 1909-1996, bulk 1945-1995 | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Art gallery owner and employee; New York, N.Y. Herbert worked for a number of important contemporary galleries, namely the Betty Parsons Gallery (1951-1953), Sidney Janis Gallery (1953-1959), and the Graham Gallery (1969-1975). In addition, he had his own eponymous gallery (1959-1962), was a private dealer (1964-1969; 1975-1995) and was in partnership with dealer Richard Feigen (1962-1964). The papers of David Herbert consist of scattered records emanating from his work at various art galleries, as well as personal documents such as photographs of occupied Japan, where he served after World War II, and many letters to and from his mother, Sarah Schmerer. Gallery records include appointment calendars; sales books; receipts; list of commissions from the Sidney Janis, David Herbert, and Graham Galleries; and various announcements and catalogs. Also found are correspondence between Herbert and Richard Feigen; files on artists, dealers, and galleries, among them Ellsworth Kelly (whom Herbert discovered and recommended to Betty Parsons, triggering his New York career), Ferus Gallery (containing detailed letters from Irving Blum and Walter Hopps, 1958-1962, relating to its founding), Jeanne Reynal, Anthony Padovano, Sven Lukens, Martha Jackson Gallery, and the Arthur Tooth Gallery; and extensive newspaper clippings on art and the art world (mainly obituaries). Of special interest are two transcripts of radio interviews with Betty Parsons from 1951 and 1952, in which Parsons defends the new and controverial art she showed. |
| extent | 7.0 linear ft. |
| formats | Correspondence Photographs Catalogs Electronic Resource Clippings |
| access | Unmicrofilmed; use requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. office. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.herbdavi.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/david-herbert-papers-6259 |
| acquisition information | Donated 1999 by Jaime Andradre, Herbert's companion. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:12 |
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| title | Oral history interview with Walter Murch, 1967 June 6 | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | An interview of Walter Murch conducted by Dorothy Seckler for the Archives of American Art. Murch speaks of his family background and youth in Canada; studying at the Art Students League; studying with Arshile Gorky; the philosophy behind his work; techniques; influences on his work; subject matter of his work; commissions; murals for Raymond Lowey; teachings; exhibitions of his work; and his involvement with the Betty Parsons Gallery. He recalls Betty Parsons and Joseph Cornell. Bio/History: Painter, mural painter; New York, N.Y. |
| extent | 3 sound tape reels ; 7 in. (19 p. transcript on one microfilm reel) |
| formats | Sound Recording Transcript Microfilm |
| access | Contact repository for restrictions and policies. |
| record link | n/a |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-walter-murch-12276 |
| acquisition information | This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1959 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:20 |
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| title | Midtown Galleries records, 1904-1997. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Records of Midtown Galleries consist of administrative correspondence, exhibition files, inventories and sales records, financial records, miscellaneous items, photographs, printed matter, personal papers of Alan D. and Mary J. Gruskin, and papers of Francis C. Healey. Administrative correspondence, 1927-1989, is arranged alphabetically in separate sub-series: General Correspondence, Artists Correspondence, and Artists Applications. General correspondence concerns routine business matters, and is with clients, collectors, museums and galleries, arts organizations, collections and universities, and businesses providing services to the Galleries. Artists Correspondence includes both personal and business letters with artists represented by Midtown Galleries. Among the many artists found are Edward Betts, Julien Binford, Isabel Bishop, Paul Cadmus, Charles T. Cointer, Gladys Rockmore David, Stephen Etnier, Emlen Etting, Ernest Fiene, Maurice Freedman, Philip Guston, Nathan Cabot Hale, Dong Kingman, Henry Koerner, Renee Lahm, Ethel Magafan, Oronzio Maldarelli, Peppino Mangravite, Fletcher Martin, Richard Mayhew, Fred Meyer, Hans Moller, Edith Nagler, Fred Nagler, William C. Palmer, Betty Parsons, Waldo Peirce, Anatol Shulkin, Simka Simkhovitch, Robert Sivard, Miron Sokole, Isaac Soyer, Frederic Taubes, William Thon, Margit Varga, Robert Vickrey, and Arline Wingate. Exhibitions, 1932-1982, includes exhibition schedules, correspondence about cooperative exhibitions and traveling shows, and exhibition files, arranged alphabetically by title. Inventories and sales records, 1946-1980, consists of inventories arranged by artist as well as by warehouse location; lists of paintings on consignment and paintings returned to artists; loan/shipping log, and "traffic cards." Sales records include "group totals," artists account ledger, and sales slips, arranged alphabetically by artist. Financial records, 1933-1957, consist of bills paid, banking records, accounting records, and tax returns with related documentation. Photographs, ca. 1925-1980, are arranged into subseries: People, arranged alphabetically, and including the Gruskins, Francis C. Healey, and artists (both Midtown and others); Works of Art, arranged alphabetically by artist; Exhibitions, arranged alphabetically by title or location, including Midtown Galleries exhibitions as wells as shows elsewhere featuring Midtown artists; photographs of illustrations used in Alan Gruskin's book Painting in the U.S.A.; photographs of the work of Waldo Peirce, ca. 1925-1930, (2 v.), possibly compiled by Peirce; and miscellaneous photographs, including Gruskin's Dept. Store (Pa.); models used by artists Julien Binford, Henry Koerner, Doris Rosenthal, properties owned by Binford and Hans Moller; Anatol Shulkins's travel photographs of the Soviet Union; window displays featuring Midtown artists; and fashion models at Midtown Galleries. Printed matter, 1932-1990, includes exhibition catalogs, news releases, Midtown News; as well as files of printed material on artists and on exhibitions, containing newspaper clippings. The series Personal Papers of Alan D. and Mary J. Gruskin, 1931-1990, consists of biographical information, correspondence, financial records, calendars, writings, address books business cards and miscellany. The Papers of Francis C. Healey, 1932-1935, contains personal and gallery correspondence, scripts and drafts for radio broadcasts, printed material, and miscellany. Miscellaneous items include mss. of Isabel Bishop Catalogue Raisonne and Biography by Karl Lunde, and The Art of Philip Guston by Lester D. Longman; legal documents, such as Act of Incorporation, partnership agreement, leases, guest registers (32 v.), 1924-1985, and 15 samples of artist-designed fabrics produced by Onandoga Silk Co., 1946-47. ADDITION (Reels 5436-5438): Scattered records found after the gallery closed in 1995, and not incorporated into the main records as microfilming had already begun, including: Administrative records, 1934-1995, including general correspondence, correspondence with clients, correspondence regarding sales, gifts, and purchases, Gruskin and Payson inventories; documents relating to the sale of Midtown Galleries to John Payson; and a gallery history; photographs, including those of the Gruskins, their friends, and country house; of Midtown exhibitions, artists, and openings; and of works of art; artists greeting and holiday cards, with original art work; artists files, containing mostly printed matter; files on exhibitions, 1958-1996, some dated after Payson's purchase of Midtown Galleries, including announcements, news releases, catalogs, and a guest book; and videotapes, 1977-1988, of William Palmer, Isabel Bishop, and Robert Vickery. |
| extent | 86.8 linear ft. (on 117 microfilm reels) reels 5322-5438 and 5475 |
| formats | Correspondence Inventories Photographs Financial Records Clippings |
| access | Microfilmed portions must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unmicrofilmed material requires an appointment. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.midtgall.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/midtown-galleries-records-7098 |
| finding aid | Finding aid prepared by Catherine Gaines available at AAA offices and online at http://aaa.si.edu/findaids/midtgall/midtgall.htm |
| acquisition information | Donated by Mary J. Gruskin, Alan Gruskin's widow, 1972-1997. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:18 |
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| title | John Little papers, 1935-1978. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Correspondence, including letters from Sam Hunter, Hans Hofmann, Betty Parsons, Guild Hall, and Frederick Kiesler; clippings; correspondence; photographs of Little and his work; printed brochures, one which includes a large Hans Namuth photograph of Little; an exhibition catalog of Elizabeth Parker; and a clipping about the Signa Gallery. |
| extent | 0.2 linear ft. (71 items). |
| formats | Correspondence Clippings Photographs Exhibition Catalogs |
| access | Unmicrofilmed; use requires an appointment and is limited to Washington, D.C. storage facility. |
| record link | n/a |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/john-little-papers-7896 |
| acquisition information | Donated 1980-1981 by John Little. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:16 |
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| title | Colette Roberts Papers and Interviews with Artists, 1918-1971 | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Series 8: One hundred and forty-nine interviews of seventy-eight contemporary New York artists conducted by New York art critic Colette Roberts. Also included is one tape Colette Roberts made of herself and an interview of Grand Central Moderns Gallery founder Erwin S. Barrie. There are 31 tapes of interviews with Marcel Duchamp from 1961-1968. Some of these duplicate each other in part because Roberts created new recordings by taking and combining excerpts from various other recordings. There is a partial recording of Duchamp giving a lecture on his readymade sculpture at MOMA in 1961. Also included are 2 interviews with Duchamp and an unidentified male interviewer and 3 interviews of Duchamp for BBC radio, two conducted by Richard Hamilton and one conducted by George Hamilton. Most of the tapes are poor in audio quality. Bio / His Notes: New York art critic and former director of the Grand Central Moderns Gallery, New York, N.Y. |
| extent | Sound recording: 159 sound tape reels ; 3 in. Sound recording: 3 sound tape reels ; 5 in. Sound recording: 10 sound tape reels ; 7 in. Sound recording: 3 sound cassettes |
| formats | Sound Recording Transcript |
| access | Untranscribed interviews; use requires an appointment. Some interviews are ACCESS RESTRICTED; written permission is required. Bauermeister, Duchamp (spring 1963 interview only), Hultberg, Lam (Apr-May 1968 only), Lindner (1965 only), and Nevelson (1968 only): are transcribed. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.robecoli.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/colette-roberts-papers-and-interviews-artists-9702/series-8 |
| finding aid | A finding aid is available in all Archives of American Art offices. |
| acquisition information | Donated 1970 by Colette Roberts. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:12 |
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| title | Joan Seeman papers, 1973-1981. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Transcripts of interviews conducted by Seeman with artists, primarily sculptors, including Calvin Albert, Jose de Creeft, Herbert Ferber, Peter Grippe, Chaim Gross, David Hare (1973), Ibram Lassaw, Richard Lippold (1973), Seymour Lipton, Reuben Nakian, Theodore Roszak, and James Rosati. Also included are a typescript of comments by Calvin Albert on his work; notes relating to a visit with Barbara and Hugo Robus Jr.; correspondence between Seeman and Roszak; and a list of artists represented in the Wallace Wilson Collection. Untranscribed interviews on cassette, with Herman Cherry, Dorothy Dehner, Beauford Delaney, Nancy Graves, David Hare (1972), Richard Lippold (1975), and Betty Parsons. Bio/History: Art historian; Houston, Texas. Also, uses Joan Seeman- Robinson. Subject of her M.A. Thesis (1979, Stanford University) was sculptor Theodore Roszak. Additional forms: 35mm microfilm reel 3475 available for use at AAA's Washington, D.C. office; at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Library; and through interlibrary loan. |
| extent | 0.4 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on partial reel) |
| formats | Microfilm Interviews Correspondence Sound Recording |
| access | Donated 1983 by Joan Seeman-Robinson. Microfilmed as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project. |
| record source | http://firstsearch.oclc.org |
| acquisition information | Microfilmed portion must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unmicrofilmed portion (untranscribed tapes) requires an appointment. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:30:00 |
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| title | Henry Ernest Schnakenberg papers, 1905-1969. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Photographs, correspondence, appointment books, etchings, a scrapbook, printed materials, writings, and posters. Primarily letters received from artists, 1940s-50s; background material for Ft.Lee and Amsterdam (N.Y.) murals; and miscellaneous printed material and photographs. Correspondents include John Angel, Artists Equity, Peggy Bacon, Gifford Beal, Henry Billings, Isabel Bishop, Peter Blume, Louis Bouche, Van Wyck Brooks, Audrey Buller, Paul Cadmus, Alexander Calder, William Congdon, Horace T. Day, Olin Dows, Marcel Duchamp, Emlen P. Etting, Philip Evergood, Barry Faulkner, Ernest Fiene, Leon Hartl, Whitney F. Hoyt, William M. Ivins, Jr., Lincoln E. Kirstein, Leon Kroll, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Edward Laning, Joseph L. Lasker, Clare Leighton, Charles W. Locke, Sanford B.D. Low, Luigi Lucioni, Reginald Marsh, Kenneth H. Miller, Nat'l Institute of Arts and Letters, Betty Parsons, Hugo Robus, Homer Saint-Gaudens, Katherine Schmidt, Ben Shahn, Charles Sheeler, Eugene Speicher, Theodoros Stamos, Franklin C. Watkins, Forbes and Nan Watson, and Leonard Weisgard. Photographs, including 67 of Schnakenberg and friends, 1 of a portrait of him by Lloyd Goff, 95 of his oil paintings, 33 of his watercolors, 25 of his works in unidentified media, 29 of works by other artists, and 46 of pre-Columbian art from Central and South America. Among artists whose works are included are Antoine Louis Barye, Albert Bierstadt, Frederick Catherwood, Constantin Guys, Thomas Hardy, William Harnett, Winslow Homer, George Inness, Eastman Johnson, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Reginald Marsh, Rockland Savery, Theodoros Stamos, and Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait. Biographical information; personal and business correspondence; 17 diaries, mainly about Schnakenberg's travels, 1905-1960; appointment calendars, 1963-1969; 70 etchings by Schnakenberg; a scrapbook containing clippings, catalogs, and other printed material; a book published by G. Alan Chidsey on Schnakenberg; clippings, catalogs, and announcements; papers relating to gifts and acquisitions of works of art; receipts for Schnakenberg paintings from C.W. Kraushaar Galleries; a 650-page typescript for a book "The Background of Painting" by Schnakenberg; and drafts of speeches. Six World War I posters designed by Schnakenberg; Christmas cards from artists and other friends; printed material; and a photograph of Lloyd Goff, inscribed to Schnakenberg, in front of one of his paintings, 1939. Bio/History: Painter, etcher; Newton, Conn. |
| extent | 5.1 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 6 reels) |
| formats | Photographs Correspondence Printed Materials Writings Scrapbooks |
| access | Microfilmed material must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unmicrofilmed material requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. storage facility. |
| record source | http://firstsearch.oclc.org |
| acquisition information | Material donated 1963-1971 by Schnakenberg and, after his death, by his estate. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:30:00 |
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| title | Lawrence Alloway papers, 1935-2003. | repository | The Getty Research Institute |
| description | The Lawrence Alloway papers span the critic's entire career, including his earliest reviews, notes, and writings in 1940s England. In Series I. his assiduous correspondence with Sylvia Sleigh from the early 1950s portrays the workings of his mind and the development of his ideas in the period just before his relocation to America. It also conveys his impetuous personality and devotion to the person who remained his closest companion for the rest of his life. Other correspondence is relatively scant, though there are a number of letters from the artist Ray Johnson, and a photocopied set of correspondence between Alloway and Jean Dubuffet. Series II. Work files reflect the topics to which Alloway repeatedly returned, such as abstract expressionism, conceptual art, pop art, museum politics, realism, women's art, Betty Parsons, and also artists who interested him, such as Audrey Flack, Rosemary Mayer, Robert Smithson, Vito Acconci, Allan Kaprow and Barnett Newman. These files comprise clippings, brochures, notes, and writings, while Series VI. Photographs and slides of art, comprise a visual record of these interests. Series V. Personal contains photographs and drawings of Alloway in his professional life and at home with Sleigh. Poetry by Alloway is included in letters to Sleigh and in Series II.B. Writings. Bio/History: Lawrence Alloway, born in England and largely self-educated , became a major 20th century critic of American art, known for his pluralism and inclusiveness. |
| extent | ca. 36 linear ft. (71 boxes; 4 flat file folders) |
| formats | Business Papers Personal Papers Correspondence Writings Photographs |
| access | Open for use by qualified researchers; access restricted for Box 41 |
| record link | http://archives2.getty.edu:8082/xtf/view?docId=ead/2003.M.46/2003.M.46.xml;query=;brand=default |
| record source | http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cat609934 |
| finding aid | Unpublished finding aid available in the repository - folder level control. |
| updated | 07/28/2023 16:33:47 |
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| title | Norman Carton papers, 1949-1980. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Correspondence; writings and notes; financial data; sketchbooks; photographs; exhibition catalogs and clippings. Correspondence with galleries and others; writings and notes; consignment and sales statements and other financial records from the Gres Gallery and the Martha Jackson Gallery, 1955-1961; a guest book from exhibitions sponsored by the Rainbow Art League of New York, 1973-1975; 3 sketchbooks, containing watercolor sketches and ink, charcoal, pencil, and crayon drawings; exhibition announcements and catalogs; clippings, and other printed materials; and photographs of Carton, Willem de Kooning, Rene d'Haroncourt, John Ferren, Clement Greenberg, John Hultberg, Martha Jackson, Samuel M. Kootz, Betty Parsons, Milton Resnick, works of art by Carton, and gallery installations. Fifteen exhibition catalogs, twelve clippings, a resume, and a photograph of Carton in his studio with a model. Bio/History: Painter and instructor; New York, N.Y. |
| extent | 0.8 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 1 reel) |
| formats | Correspondence Writings Notes Financial Records Photographs |
| access | Microfilmed portion must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unmicrofilmed portion requires an appointment and is limited to Washington, D.C. storage facility |
| record link | n/a |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/norman-carton-papers-6989 |
| acquisition information | Donated 1978 and 1984 by Mr. & Mrs. Norman Carton. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:18 |
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| title | Grand Central Art Galleries records, 1931-1968, bulk circa 1952-circa 1965 | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | The collection contains material from the Grand Central Moderns art gallery in New York City from approximately 1951 through 1965, while under the curatorial direction of Colette Roberts. The collection contains original material pertaining to group and solo exhibitions held at Grand Central Moderns as well as an assortment of personal papers of Colette Roberts. Gallery material consists of clippings, correspondence, exhibition catalogs, photographs, and press releases relating to seventy-nine artists represented by the Gallery as well as several group exhibitions. The Colette Roberts material contains clippings, correspondence, memorabilia, photographs, and writings as well as exhibition catalogs and press releases from other galleries and museums. Gallery material related to Samuel Adler, Elise Asher, Virginia Banks, George Beattie, Ernestine Betsberg, Stanley Boxer, Byron Browne, Kenneth Campbell, Victor Candell, Edith Carlson, Alfred Chadbourn, Louis Cheney, Fred Conway, Howard Cook, Lucille Corcos, George Cress, Worden Day, Joseph De Martini, Lamar Dodd, Hazard Durfee, Ronnie Elliot, Dean Ellis, Paul England, Albert Fine, Leonard Flettrich, Gigi Ford, Stan Freborg, Nancy Galantiere, J. Iqbal Geoffrey, Andree Golbin, Milton Goldring, Xavier Gonzalez, James Grant, Channing Hare, Burton Hasen, Milton Hebald, Jim House, Stanley Kearl, Jennett Lam, Richard Lethem, Israel Levitan, David Lund, and Herbert Macdonald. Also, gallery material related to August Madrigal, Leo Manso, Janet Marren, Eleanore Mikus, Tad Miyashita, Elizabeth Moffitt, George Morrison, Seong Moy, Norman Narotzky, Louise Nevelson, Wilbur Niewald, Arthur Osver, Betty Parsons, Mary Gardner Preminger, Rudolf Ray, Robert Reid, Hugo Robus, Jack Roth, Herman Rowan, Richard Ruben, Alexander Russo, Janet Shahly, Sidney Simon, Bernard Steffen, Donald Stoltenberg, Taplitz, William Thompson, McKie Trotter, Russell Twiggs, Josef Twirbutt, Sylvia Wald, Robert Watts, Sybil Wilson, Conrad Woods, and Zuka. Bio/History: Art gallery. Founded in 1923, New York, N.Y. Grand Central Moderns, curated by Colette Roberts, was the modern art division; both under management of Erwin S. Barrie. |
| extent | 1.3 linear feet |
| formats | Ephemera Correspondence Clippings Exhibition Catalogs Photographs |
| access | Contact repository for restrictions and policies. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.grancent.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/grand-central-art-galleries-records-8254 |
| finding aid | Unpublished guide. |
| acquisition information | Grand Central Art Galleries loaned materials for microfilming in 1966. Addition records were donated to the Archives of American Art by Grand Central Art Galleries in 1966 and 1967. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:14 |
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| title | Colette Roberts Papers and Interviews with Artists, 1918-1971 | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Series 8: One hundred and forty-nine interviews of seventy-eight contemporary New York artists conducted by New York art critic Colette Roberts. Also included is one tape Colette Roberts made of herself and an interview of Grand Central Moderns Gallery founder Erwin S. Barrie. There are 31 tapes of interviews with Marcel Duchamp from 1961-1968. Some of these duplicate each other in part because Roberts created new recordings by taking and combining excerpts from various other recordings. There is a partial recording of Duchamp giving a lecture on his readymade sculpture at MOMA in 1961. Also included are 2 interviews with Duchamp and an unidentified male interviewer and 3 interviews of Duchamp for BBC radio, two conducted by Richard Hamilton and one conducted by George Hamilton. Most of the tapes are poor in audio quality. Bio / His Notes: New York art critic and former director of the Grand Central Moderns Gallery, New York, N.Y. |
| extent | Sound recording: 159 sound tape reels; 3 in. Sound recording: 3 sound tape reels; 5 in. Sound recording: 10 sound tape reels; 7 in. Sound recording: 3 sound cassettes |
| formats | Sound Recording |
| access | Untranscribed interviews; use requires an appointment. Some interviews are ACCESS RESTRICTED; written permission is required. Bauermeister, Duchamp (spring 1963 interview only), Hultberg, Lam (Apr-May 1968 only), Lindner (1965 only), and Nevelson (1968 only): are transcribed. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.robecoli.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/colette-roberts-papers-and-interviews-artists-9702/series-8 |
| finding aid | A finding aid is available in all Archives of American Art offices. |
| acquisition information | Donated 1970 by Colette Roberts. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:12 |
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| title | Artist file: Parsons, Betty | repository | National Portrait Gallery Library |
| description | Folder(s) may include exhibition announcements, newspaper and/or magazine clippings, press releases, brochures, reviews, invitations, illustrations, resumes, artist's statements, exhibition catalogs. |
| extent | 1+ folders (check with repository) |
| formats | Ephemera |
| access | Folder(s) do not circulate. Folder(s) available for use only at the holding library |
| record source | http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/Art-Design/artandartistfiles/ |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:30:05 |
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| title | Artist file: Parsons, Betty | repository | Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Library |
| description | Folder(s) may include exhibition announcements, newspaper and/or magazine clippings, press releases, brochures, reviews, invitations, illustrations, resumes, artist's statements, exhibition catalogs. |
| extent | 1+ folders (check with repository) |
| formats | Ephemera |
| access | Folder(s) do not circulate. Folder(s) available for use only at the holding library |
| record source | http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/Art-Design/artandartistfiles/ |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:30:05 |
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