Smithsonian's Archives of American Art

07/07/2021

Interested in a late 18th century 📸 of part of the US art world?

👀 Check out the H. Wunderlich & Company and Kennedy & Company stock books, fully digitized online! ➡️ s.si.edu/wundlich

H. Wunderlich & Company was a print gallery in New York, N.Y., founded in 1874 by Hermann Wunderlich. After his death in 1892, his partner Edward Kennedy took over, and in 1912 the name changed to Kennedy & Company. The gallery mostly handled fashionable prints, Old Master prints, and prints for a few contemporary painters, including James McNeil Whistler, David Cameron, and Francis Seymour Hayden. The collection at the Archives of American Art includes 22 stock inventory books and a print consignment book dating from 1879–1911, and one Kennedy & Company stock book from 1915.

📸: Sales Book, 1879–1880, H. Wunderlich & Company.
#FromtheArchives #ArtArchives

Interested in a late 18th century 📸 of part of the US art world?

👀 Check out the H. Wunderlich & Company and Kennedy & Company stock books, fully digitized online! ➡️ s.si.edu/wundlich

H. Wunderlich & Company was a print gallery in New York, N.Y., founded in 1874 by Hermann Wunderlich. After his death in 1892, his partner Edward Kennedy took over, and in 1912 the name changed to Kennedy & Company. The gallery mostly handled fashionable prints, Old Master prints, and prints for a few contemporary painters, including James McNeil Whistler, David Cameron, and Francis Seymour Hayden. The collection at the Archives of American Art includes 22 stock inventory books and a print consignment book dating from 1879–1911, and one Kennedy & Company stock book from 1915.

📸: Sales Book, 1879–1880, H. Wunderlich & Company.
#FromtheArchives #ArtArchives

07/06/2021

"I feel like I—it seems like a lot of other artists that I'm talking—that I talk to are also dealing with the same, kind of, challenges where we're not as creative—we're not as productive as we first thought we were going to be. We're not getting as much done as we wanted to or thought we were, but I think eventually a lot will come of this time, and I think that's going to be really important to look back on. There's just so much happening, and artists and creatives in general have always been the ones that, kind of, help us understand the thoughts and feelings, I think." —Erica Lord

Erica Lord was interviewed from her home in Santa Fe, NM, on September 9, 2020, by Lara Evans for the Archives’ Pandemic Oral History Project. Erica reflects on loneliness, teaching her classes over Zoom, the importance of slowing down, and purposefully connecting with her friends over the phone. She describes incorporating COVID-19 into her project of beading burden straps featuring diseases that most impact Native American people.

The Pandemic Oral History Project gives voice to the arts community during one of the most turbulent periods in modern history and creates a permanent record of this extraordinary moment. This series of 85 interviews of American artists and art world figures living and working through the events of 2020 is now available on the Archives’ website and YouTube channel. To watch the full interview with Erica Lord today, visit: s.si.edu/Lord_POH

#AmericanArtInPandemic #ArchivesPandemicOHProject #OralHistory #EricaLord

07/06/2021

Today we celebrate the birth of Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo, with a portrait by Florence Arquin depicting Kahlo sitting outside holding flowers on the patio of the Blue House, her home in Coyoacán, Mexico. To view additional materials regarding Kahlo, visit: s.si.edu/KahloattheArchives #BornThisDay #FridaKahlo #FlorenceArquin #ArchivesAmericanArt

📸Florence Arquin papers, 1923–1985

Today we celebrate the birth of Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo, with a portrait by Florence Arquin depicting Kahlo sitting outside holding flowers on the patio of the Blue House, her home in Coyoacán, Mexico. To view additional materials regarding Kahlo, visit: s.si.edu/KahloattheArchives #BornThisDay #FridaKahlo #FlorenceArquin #ArchivesAmericanArt

📸Florence Arquin papers, 1923–1985

07/02/2021

Leading scholars and artists grapple with the intersection of archives, art, social justice, and the pandemic in the latest issue of the Archives of American Art Journal, discussing themes of privilege, intentionality, healing, visibility, counter discourses, mobility, departure, and translation.

To check out the issue’s “In Conversation” feature and read more of what they have to say, visit: s.si.edu/AAAJournalS2021

📷: Protest signs outside the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, 1969. Gelatin silver print, 10 x 8 in. Photographer unknown. Romare Bearden papers, 1937–1982

#ArtistActivist #AmericanArtInPandemic #ChicagoJournals

Leading scholars and artists grapple with the intersection of archives, art, social justice, and the pandemic in the latest issue of the Archives of American Art Journal, discussing themes of privilege, intentionality, healing, visibility, counter discourses, mobility, departure, and translation.

To check out the issue’s “In Conversation” feature and read more of what they have to say, visit: s.si.edu/AAAJournalS2021

📷: Protest signs outside the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, 1969. Gelatin silver print, 10 x 8 in. Photographer unknown. Romare Bearden papers, 1937–1982

#ArtistActivist #AmericanArtInPandemic #ChicagoJournals

07/01/2021

Billy Al Bengston peers into the head of...Billy Al Bengston!

Billy Al Bengston was interviewed from his home in Venice, California on July 29, 2020 by Matthew Simms for the Archives' Pandemic Oral History Project. Finding moments of levity during a difficult year, Bengston used the occasion to revisit a wax version of his own head from a 1968 exhibition.

The Pandemic Oral History Project gives voice to the arts community during one of the most turbulent periods in modern history and creates a permanent record of this extraordinary moment. This series of 85 interviews of American artists and art world figures living and working through the events of 2020 is now available on the Archives' website and YouTube channel:

s.si.edu/BengstonPOHP

#BillyAlBengston #AmericanArtInPandemic #ArchivesPandemicOHProject #OralHistory

06/30/2021

What better way to close out pride month than to take it on a road trip? This map shows the journey partners art critic Elizabeth McCausland and photographer Berenice Abbott took in 1935, leaving from New York City to explore Pennsylvania, the Midwest, and the South over three weeks. They made a special stop in Springfield, Ohio, where Abbott was born, which McCausland noted in her log as “baby’s birthplace.” More than three thousand miles later, they returned to the West Village apartment they would share for decades to come. Come explore Elizabeth McCausland’s papers and the rich LGBTQ+ history documented in the Archives!

s.si.edu/emccaus

#SmithsonianPride #EveryMonthisPrideMonth #LGBTQPrideMonth #PrideMonth #RoadTrips #Sapphoandherfriend

What better way to close out pride month than to take it on a road trip? This map shows the journey partners art critic Elizabeth McCausland and photographer Berenice Abbott took in 1935, leaving from New York City to explore Pennsylvania, the Midwest, and the South over three weeks. They made a special stop in Springfield, Ohio, where Abbott was born, which McCausland noted in her log as “baby’s birthplace.” More than three thousand miles later, they returned to the West Village apartment they would share for decades to come. Come explore Elizabeth McCausland’s papers and the rich LGBTQ+ history documented in the Archives!

s.si.edu/emccaus

#SmithsonianPride #EveryMonthisPrideMonth #LGBTQPrideMonth #PrideMonth #RoadTrips #Sapphoandherfriend

06/29/2021

"And now, personally, I kind of really miss the physical space that we had." --Juan Capistran

Juan Capistran was interviewed from his home in Los Angeles, CA, on August 20, 2020 by Josh T Franco for the Archives' Pandemic Oral History Project. Juan reflects on how the pandemic caused him and artist Hazel Mandujano to reconsider plans they had for a virtual version of their space Mandujano/Cell.

The Pandemic Oral History Project gives voice to the arts community during one of the most turbulent periods in modern history and creates a permanent record of this extraordinary moment. This series of 85 newly conducted interviews of American artists and art world figures living and working through the events of 2020 is now available on the Archives’ website and YouTube channel.

#JuanCapistran #HazelMandujano #MandujanoCell #AmericanArtInPandemic #ArchivesPandemicOHProject #OralHistory

06/25/2021

Lyle Ashton Harris is a multi-disciplinary artist known for his photography, installations, and performance art. He is also an educator at NYU. Ashton was interviewed by Alex Fialho for the Archives of American Art in 2017. Read the full oral history transcript here: s.si.edu/LAHarrisOHT

In 2015, the Archives received support from the Keith Haring Foundation to produce a series of in-depth oral history interviews with key witnesses of the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the visual arts community. This project is the first to secure comprehensive life histories of artists and colleagues who lived through the height of the epidemic and subjects are primarily New York City-based. To explore the full transcripts of the forty interviews, visit: s.si.edu/VisualArtsAIDSEpidemicProject

#SmithsonianPride #EveryMonthIsPrideMonth #LGBTQPrideMonth #LGBTQIA #PrideMonth
Keith Haring Foundation

Lyle Ashton Harris is a multi-disciplinary artist known for his photography, installations, and performance art. He is also an educator at NYU. Ashton was interviewed by Alex Fialho for the Archives of American Art in 2017. Read the full oral history transcript here: s.si.edu/LAHarrisOHT

In 2015, the Archives received support from the Keith Haring Foundation to produce a series of in-depth oral history interviews with key witnesses of the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the visual arts community. This project is the first to secure comprehensive life histories of artists and colleagues who lived through the height of the epidemic and subjects are primarily New York City-based. To explore the full transcripts of the forty interviews, visit: s.si.edu/VisualArtsAIDSEpidemicProject

#SmithsonianPride #EveryMonthIsPrideMonth #LGBTQPrideMonth #LGBTQIA #PrideMonth
Keith Haring Foundation

06/24/2021

Looking forward to getting out there again…☀️🎉

In August of last year, experimental filmmaker and painter Morgan Fisher spoke with Jacob Proctor as part of our Pandemic Oral History Project.

The Pandemic Oral History Project gives voice to the arts community during one of the most turbulent periods in modern history and creates a permanent record of this extraordinary moment. This series of 85 newly conducted interviews of American artists and art world figures living and working through the events of 2020 is now available on the Archives’ website and YouTube channel. To watch the full interview with Fisher, visit: http://s.si.edu/Fisher_POH

#MorganFisher #AmericanArtInPandemic #ArchivesPandemicOHProject #OralHistory

06/23/2021

“You are always in my thoughts and I send my deepest to you and your dear friends there. Keep up the great work and soon you will hear from me again. Love, Beauford.”

For more than 20 years, Lawrence Calcagno and Beauford Delaney forged a close artistic and personal friendship. The two painters had much in common and corresponded regularly for many years. Delaney wrote Calcagno letters of thanks and love in which he discreetly referred to their shared experience of being gay and feeling marginalized.

To explore more of Delaney’s letters in the Lawrence Calcagno papers, visit: s.si.edu/Calcagno.

📸 Photograph of Beauford Delaney and Lawrence Calcagno, undated. Photographer unknown. Lawrence Calcagno papers, 1934–1980.

📝 Letter from Beauford Delaney to Lawrence Calcagno, 1963. Lawrence Calcagno papers, 1934–1980.

#SmithsonianPride #PrideMonth #LGBTQPrideMonth #AbstractExpressionism

06/23/2021

Historic Austin, Texas arts nonprofit Women & Their Work Gallery holds a special place in National Collector Josh Franco’s Texan heart ♥️🌵♥️ Explore the WATW records and hear Josh talk about the organization he’s known since his undergrad during Friday’s Unboxed Lunch. Register here: s.si.edu/unboxedWATW

Historic Austin, Texas arts nonprofit Women & Their Work Gallery holds a special place in National Collector Josh Franco’s Texan heart ♥️🌵♥️ Explore the WATW records and hear Josh talk about the organization he’s known since his undergrad during Friday’s Unboxed Lunch. Register here: s.si.edu/unboxedWATW

06/22/2021

“And then, the protoplanets, you know that’s again part of that, we’re all part of the cosmos, so it’ll, when you talk to Lee then, you know, she ‘ll—I’m sure, you know, will’, you know, have all those—I don’t usually talk about those things, but they do come into this since we’re thinking about this, and, you know, this kind of a—between death and isolation and illness and horrible things happening. Um, you know, flowers are life, growth, birth, death, you know, all those things. So there’s that symbolism in the work. So it’ll shift when things shift, but I still have a need to do this right now, and, you know, I’ll understand it better, you know, a year from now." —Astrid Preston

Astrid Preston was interviewed from her studio in Santa Monica, California on July 27, 2020 by Matthew Simms for the Archives' Pandemic Oral History Project. She speaks of the effect of the pandemic on her work.

The Pandemic Oral History Project gives voice to the arts community during one of the most turbulent periods in modern history and creates a permanent record of this extraordinary moment. This series of 85 interviews of American artists and art world figures living and working through the events of 2020 is now available on the Archives’ website and YouTube channel. To watch the full interview with Astrid Preston today, visit: s.si.edu/Preston_POH

#AmericanArtInPandemic #ArchivesPandemicOHProject #OralHistory

06/21/2021

June’s Unboxed Lunch is here! 🕵️‍♀️📦🥪 Sign up now: s.si.edu/unboxedWATW Women & Their Work Gallery

June’s Unboxed Lunch is here! 🕵️‍♀️📦🥪 Sign up now: s.si.edu/unboxedWATW Women & Their Work Gallery

06/18/2021

Portraitist Cecilia Beaux often sketched and painted her lifelong partner, Dorothea Gilder. Explore their letters in the fully digitized Dorothea Gilder papers regarding Cecilia Beaux: s.si.edu/DGilder

#SmithsonianPride #LGBTQIA #PRIDE #ArchivesOfAmericanArt #👭

Portraitist Cecilia Beaux often sketched and painted her lifelong partner, Dorothea Gilder. Explore their letters in the fully digitized Dorothea Gilder papers regarding Cecilia Beaux: s.si.edu/DGilder

#SmithsonianPride #LGBTQIA #PRIDE #ArchivesOfAmericanArt #👭

06/17/2021

Artist Tom Wudl on creativity and discovery.

In July of 2020, Wudl spoke with Matthew Simms as part of our Pandemic Oral History Project, covering the interruption of his exhibition, his recent work, and his commitment to meditation and Buddhism.

The Pandemic Oral History Project gives voice to the arts community during one of the most turbulent periods in modern history and creates a permanent record of this extraordinary moment. This series of 85 interviews of American artists and art world figures living and working through the events of 2020 is available on the Archives’ website and YouTube channel. To watch the full interview with Wudl, visit: s.si.edu/Wudl_POH

#TomWudl #AmericanArtInPandemic #ArchivesPandemicOHProject #OralHistory

06/16/2021

Today is our 67th birthday! 🎂🎉🎈 Since our founding in Detroit in 1954, the Archives of American Art has been collecting, preserving, and making available the papers and primary records of the visual arts in the United States. Help us celebrate by becoming an Exceptional Friend and making a birthday gift toward our Sustainability Fund: aaa.si.edu/support/friends

We’ve always believed that the public needs free and open access to the most valuable research materials. Our collection of more than 30 million items and more than 2,400 oral history interviews with artists, collectors, art historians, and gallerists are available to anyone remotely through our website and reference team ([email protected]). We look forward to welcoming researchers to view original documents in person at our two research centers in the near future. Your support will allow us to serve curious minds around the world for another 67 years and beyond. Thank you! 🎁

📸 Helen Treadwell presenting Julien Levy with a birthday cake, circa 1970. Helen Treadwell papers, 1952–1968.

Today is our 67th birthday! 🎂🎉🎈 Since our founding in Detroit in 1954, the Archives of American Art has been collecting, preserving, and making available the papers and primary records of the visual arts in the United States. Help us celebrate by becoming an Exceptional Friend and making a birthday gift toward our Sustainability Fund: aaa.si.edu/support/friends

We’ve always believed that the public needs free and open access to the most valuable research materials. Our collection of more than 30 million items and more than 2,400 oral history interviews with artists, collectors, art historians, and gallerists are available to anyone remotely through our website and reference team ([email protected]). We look forward to welcoming researchers to view original documents in person at our two research centers in the near future. Your support will allow us to serve curious minds around the world for another 67 years and beyond. Thank you! 🎁

📸 Helen Treadwell presenting Julien Levy with a birthday cake, circa 1970. Helen Treadwell papers, 1952–1968.