Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Crain, E. Gene, 1934-
| title | Oral history interview with Gene Crain , 1999 Mar. 7-May 22. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | An interview of Gene Crain (E. Gene Crain (Ernst)), conducted by Susan Anderson, Mar. 7, 20, 21 and May 22, 1999, for the Archives of American Art, in the law offices of Gene Crain, Newport Beach, Calif.. Crain describes the focus of his collection of some 1000 works of art, and how it grew out of his longstanding relationships with artists Millard Sheets, Phil Dike, Rex Brandt, and others. He recalls his relationships with Sheets, Dike, and Brandt at some length, including their feelings for the land as well as their personalities and work. He discusses urban growth, disappearance of the locale and nostalgia in the context of art collecting, and his collection as an important record of a certain time and place. He discusses convenience, climate and topography as contributing factors to the emergence of the watercolor school as well as other important influences: Pacific rim culture and Far Eastern Art and philosophy; Mexican art and culture; the film industry, especially the Disney Studios; and the federal art projects as a catalyst and support system. Crain discusses the impact of social and economic factors in Southern California during the Depression, contrasting them with harsher conditions in other parts of the country; the development of his eye an aesthetic taste and his patronage of the artists beginning in the early 1960s; the artists' critical standing in the post-World War II period and the "crowding out" of the school by other movements such as Abstract Expressionism and Pop; and the viability of the school in the post-war period, its legacy, and comments on the present markent value of the art. |
| extent | Sound recordings: 8 sound cassettes (5 1/2 hrs.) : analog. Transcript: 107 p. |
| formats | Sound Recording Transcript Online Transcript |
| access | Contact repository for restrictions and policies. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.bocoleon.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-gene-crain-11603 |
| acquisition information | Part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958. Funded by the Orange County Museum of Art Historical Collections Council. |
| updated | 06/20/2023 14:43:10 |
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