Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Archives related to: Blum, Irving, 1930-

titleOral history interview with Irving Blum, 1977 May 31-1977 June 23.
repositoryArchives of American Art
descriptionAn interview of Irving Blum conducted by Paul Cummings for the Archives of American Art.
extentSound recording: 2 sound tape reels ; 5 in. (81 p Transcript 81 p.
formatsSound Recording Transcript Online Transcript
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record linkhttp://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-irving-blum-13182#transcript
record sourcehttp://www.siris.si.edu/
acquisition informationPart of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958.
updated03/16/2023 10:29:49
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titleJay DeFeo papers, 1948-1976.
repositoryArchives of American Art
descriptionCorrespondence; letters; business material; photographs; writings; original works of art; Christmas cards; postcards; exhibition catalogs and announcements; clippings; and printed materials.

REEL 908: Material relating to DeFeo's "The Rose," 1972-1974, including correspondence, mainly with Bruce Conner; business material; and clippings.

REEL 1645: A passport; postcards, birthday greetings, collages, and other correspondence with Fred Martin, Frank Lobdell, Margaret Peterson, Irving Blum, Michael McClure, Eleanor Sinton, Wallace and Shirley Berman, Deborah Remington, and Ruth Terrill, 1963-1974; writings by Fred Martin and Wallace Berman; sheet music from Wally Hedrick's Studio 13 Jazz Band; original works of art, including a piece of DeFeo's painting, THE ROSE; photos of DeFeo, Wally Hedrick, Joan Brown, Manuel Neri and others; exhibition catalogs and announcements; and clippings.

REEL 2673: Associate of Arts Degree from the University of California, 1948; correspondence with Wallace and Shirley Berman, Fred Thomas Martin, Dorothy Miller, Eleanor Sinton, the Ferus Gallery, the Pasadena Art Gallery and the San Francisco Art Institute; writings including an essay by Walter Hopps and 2 by Fred Martin; 2 paper collages; financial data; 2 exhibition posters, one by Fred Martin; and 2 photographs.

REEL 3957: 18 notes, original birthday and Christmas greeting cards, and postcards, most with photo collage, sent to DeFeo from Berman and 2 postcards, also with photo collage from Dean Stockwell to DeFeo; 36 poems by various authors published in SEMINA; 10 photographs by Berman and possibly others; an announcement for a Berman exhibition and one for works by Arthur Richer; and miscellany.

Bio / His Notes:
Painter, photographer; San Francisco, Calif. Prominent in Bay Area art scene as painter and "hostess" of numerous parties from mid 1950's to 1960's.
extent1.4 linear ft. (on 4 microfilm reels) reels 1645, 908, 2673 and 3957
formatsMicrofilm Correspondence Business Papers Photographs Writings
accessPatrons must use microfilm copy.
record linkhttp://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/jay-defeo-papers-7417
record sourcehttp://www.siris.si.edu/
acquisition informationDonated 1975-1981 by Jay DeFeo.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:00
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titleJohn Coplans interview, 1975 Apr. 4 - 1977 Aug. 4
repositoryArchives of American Art
descriptionAn interview of John Coplans conducted by Paul Cummings for the Archives of American Art 1975 Apr. 4 - 1977 Aug. 4, in New York City.

Coplans speaks of his educational background; the founding and development of ARTFORUM magazine; ARTFORUM staff writers including Lawrence Alloway, Michael Fried, Philip Leider, and Barbara E. Rose; and the influence of Irving Blum and Walter Hopps on California artists and collectors.

Coplans also discusses the art market in New York and in California, and talks about his career as a teacher, editor, gallery director, critic and museum curator.

Bio / His Notes:
Art administrator, editor, educator; New York, N.Y.; b. 1920, London, England; d. Aug. 21, 2003, Manhattan, N.Y.
extentSound recording: 4 sound tape reels ; 5 in. Transcript 133 p.
formatsSound Recording Interview Online Transcript Transcript
accesstranscript is available on the repository's website.
record sourcehttp://www.siris.si.edu/
acquisition informationThese interviews are part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:00
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titleOral history interview with Betty M. Asher, 1980 June 30 and 1980 July 7
repositoryArchives of American Art
descriptionAn interview of Betty M. Asher conducted 1980 June 30 and 1980 July 7, by Thomas H. Garver, for the Archives of American Art.

Asher speaks of her family; education; her marriage to Dr. Leonard Asher; buying her first prints and painting from the Associated American Artists Gallery; and early purchases at the Little, Bowinkle, and Green Galleries in Los Angeles. She discusses her interest in abstract expressionism; buying art in Mexico and New York; dealers including Irving Blum, Virginia Dwan, Paul Kantor, Felix Landau, Ernest Raboff, Esther Robles, and Ileana Sonnabend; activities and members of the Modern and Contemporary Art Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; her work for Maurice Tuchman; Walter Hopps and the Pasadena Art Museum; and exhibitions and funding of the Asher/Faure Gallery.

Biographical/Historical Note:
Betty M. Asher (1914-1994) was an art collector and art dealer of Beverly Hills, Calif.

extent4 sound cassettes; Transcript: 59 p.
formatsSound Recording Transcript Online Transcript
accessOnline Transcript
record linkhttp://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-betty-m-asher-12547
record sourcehttp://www.siris.si.edu/
acquisition informationPart of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:00
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titleAt the Ferus Gallery oral history transcript / Irving Blum ; interviewed by Joann Phillips, [1976 and 1978], and Lawrence Weschler, [1979].
repositoryUniversity of California, Los Angeles
descriptionTranscript of a 6.5-hour interview completed under the auspices of the UCLA Oral History Program.

Blum recalls his early life, his entry into the world of art and art dealers, and the development of the Ferus Gallery.

Biogtraphical Note
Art dealer.

Forms part of:
Oral History collection, Dept. of Special Collections, University Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Location:
YRL Special Collections Stacks

Call Number:
300/ 214
extentxv, 296 leaves, bound : port. ; 28 cm.
formatsTranscript
accessNo quotation, publication or reproduction without written permission of interviewee. Audiotape recording also may be accessed in the UCLA Dept. of Special Collections by special arrangement.
record sourcehttp://catalog.library.ucla.edu/
finding aidVolume includes index.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:07
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titleBetty Asher papers, 1860-1999.
repositoryThe Getty Research Institute
descriptionThe Betty Asher papers, including letters, photographs, posters, press clippings, collection records, and tea cup postcards, give a vivid sense of the Michael and Asher families, Betty Asher as collector, and the Los Angeles art world of the postwar years.

Series I contains over 700 photographs, including formal studio portraits, color snapshots, baby albums and twenty photographs of the Asher family residence taken by Julius Shulman. Documenting Asher’s collecting interests are approximately 200 photographs of her art collection, part of which has now been donated to local museums, and part of which was sold at auction. Her ceramics and cup collection is also photo-documented. Many of these photographs depict pieces as they were originally installed in different areas of the various Asher homes.

Several black and white and color photographs document the exhibition Limited Works by Important Artists (known as the "Multiples show") held at the Egg and the Eye Gallery in 1966. The exhibition featured Pop art prints, books, sculpture, ceramics and games by Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha, and Robert Watts, among others.

More than 200 photographs of Los Angeles gallery openings and art parties at Asher’s home in Los Angeles from the 1960s to the 1990s highlight her presence in the Southern California art scene, along with other pivotal figures such as Irving Blum, Stephanie Barron, Stanley and Elise Grinstein, and Patricia Faure.

Series II includes family letters and professional correspondence not cataloged in individual artist files, as well as official documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, and business contracts. Asher’s favorite recipes are also preserved in this series.

Business files in Series III include loan forms and invoices, chronicling the amassing of Asher’s collections of art and teacups. Also included is Asher’s collection of more than 1200 cup postcards in Series IV. Series V pertains to exhibitions of Asher’s cup collection.

The Artist Files in Series VI include a wealth of material that traces Asher’s strong relationships with artists, which developed in tandem with her collecting activities. Asher’s artist files contain letters, postcards and gifts from artists such as George Herms, Dan Flavin, Joe Goode, Emerson Woelffer, William Copley, and Bruce Conner.

A significant portion of the archive includes gallery announcements and over 300 posters, many of them signed by artists such as Billy Al Bengston and Edward Kienholz. Eighty of these posters are original announcements from the Ferus Gallery and Irving Blum gallery. Printed matter, such as clippings and announcements, when not included in the above series, may be found in Series VII.

Biographical or Historical Notes:
Betty Asher, trained as a nurse, became an important Los Angeles art collector and dealer, known for her contemporary art and cup collections.
extent69.6 linear ft.
formatsBusiness Papers Personal Papers Photographs Artist Files Printed Materials
accessOpen for use by qualified researchers.
record linkhttp://archives2.getty.edu:8082/xtf/view?docId=ead/2009.M.30/2009.M.30.xml;query=;brand=default
record sourcehttp://primo.getty.edu/primo_library/libweb/action/dlDisplay.do?vid=GRI&afterPDS=true&institution=01GRI&docId=GETTY_ALMA21127955270001551
finding aidPreliminary inventory available in the repository; folder level control.
acquisition informationGift of Michael Asher.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:16
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titleModern art in Los Angeles [multimedia]: the sixties, 2004 December 9-10.
repositoryThe Getty Research Institute
descriptionThe collection is comprised of audio visual materials made during the program Modern art in Los Angeles: the sixties, held on December 9-10, 2004 at the Getty Research Institute.

The program consisted of two group oral history interviews and a public panel discussion. Participants included: gallerists Irving Blum, Everett Ellin, and Patricia Faure; art patron and Gemini G.E.L. co-founder Stanley Grinstein; curator Henry Hopkins; and Thomas Crow, Andrew Perchuk, and Rani Singh of the Getty Research Institute

Location: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS - CONTACT REFERENCE
Call Number: 2005.M.13
Holdings at This Location: Video use copies

Location: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS - CONTACT REFERENCE
Call Number: 2005.M.13
Holdings at This Location: Box 1

extent12 videocassettes of 12 (DV) : sd., col. original. 5 sound cassettes of 12 : analog, mon. original.
formatsSound Recording Video recording
accessOpen for use by qualified researchers. Audio visual materials unavailable until reformatting is complete.
record linkhttp://hdl.handle.net/10020/cat672323
record sourcehttp://library.getty.edu/vwebv/searchBasic
acquisition informationThis Interview if part of the Getty Research Institute
updated11/12/2014 11:30:16
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titleIrving Blum Gallery and Ferus Gallery announcements, 1961-1973.
repositoryArchives of American Art
descriptionThe Irving Blum Gallery and Ferus Gallery announcements consist of 32 announcements for exhibitions at the Los Angeles Ferus Gallery (1957-1966) and its successor the Irving Blum Gallery (1966-circa 1972).

Exhibition announcements are for many exhibitions of southern California contemporary and pop artists, as well as New York artists. Artists represented by announcements include John Altoon, Don Bachardy, Larry Bell, Billy Al Bengston, Robert Irwin, Jasper Johns, Donald Judd, Craig Kauffman, Roy Lichtenstein, Edward Moses, Kenneth Noland, Ad Reinhardt, Ed Ruscha, Frank Stella, and Andy Warhol, among others.


Although these announcements are scattered, they provide insight to and documentation of the southern California LA art scene and the Beat era. The exhibition announcements themselves are quite unique.

Bio / His Notes:
The Ferus Gallery, later renamed the Irving Blum Gallery was an art gallery in Los Angeles, Calif. Originally founded by Walter Hopps and Ed Kienholz in 1957 as Ferus Gallery, Kienholz sold his share to Irving Blum one year later. Ferus Gallery closed in 1966 and Irving Blum maintained sole ownership and changed the gallery's name to Irving Blum Gallery. It was the first gallery in the Los Angeles area to show contemporary American art, and, under Blum's direction, soon focused heavily on contemporary Southern California artists, such as John Altoon, Larry Bell, Billy Al Bengston, Wallace Berman, Robert Irwin, Craig Kauffman, Ed Kienholz, Ed Moses, Richard Ruben, among many others.

The gallery also exhibited contemporary American artists from New York, including Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, Richard Diebenkorn, Andy Warhol, and others.

Organization:
The collection is arranged as 2 series: Series 1: Ferus Gallery Announcements, 1961-1965 (Box 1; 20 folders) Series 2: Irving Blum Gallery Announcements, 1969-1972 (Box 1; 12 folders)

Cite as:
Irving Blum Gallery and Ferus Gallery and announcements, 1961-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

extent32 items
formatsEphemera
accessPatrons must use microfilm copy. Use of original papers requires an appointment.
record linkhttp://sirismm.si.edu/siris/ViewCollection.gif
record sourcehttp://www.siris.si.edu/
finding aidonline and in repository.
acquisition informationDonated 1979 by Mrs. Rochella Orchard. Loc. of Assoc. Material: The Archives of American Art holds an oral history interview with Irving Blum conducted from May 31-June 23, 1977 by Paul Cummings.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:16
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titleDavid Herbert papers, 1950-1995.
repositoryArchives of American Art
descriptionArt 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.
extent7.0 linear ft.
formatsCorrespondence Photographs Catalogs Electronic Resource Clippings
accessUnmicrofilmed; use requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. office.
record sourcehttp://www.siris.si.edu/
acquisition informationDonated 1999 by Jaime Andradre, Herbert's companion.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:16
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