ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART

Anatomy of a horse, according to Ray Johnson. Ray Johnson mail...

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:01:06 -0400

Anatomy of a horse, according to Ray Johnson.

Ray Johnson mail art to David Bourdon, not before 1962. David Bourdon papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

One of several beautiful studies of Native American artifacts by...

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:01:19 -0400

One of several beautiful studies of Native American artifacts by painter and illustrator Allen Tupper True. According to the note at the top of the page, this one depicts Crow war shields.

Sketches of Native American artifacts, 194-?. Allen Tupper True and True family papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

I guess if you are going to sit on top of the mural you are...

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:07:24 -0400

I guess if you are going to sit on top of the mural you are working on, it is best to take your shoes off.

Antonio Sotomayor at work on mural for Peruvian Pavilion, Treasure Island Exposition, 1938 / unidentified photographer. Antonio Sotomayor papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

"The subjects of his work are simple visual symbols: targets, numbers from 1 to 9, or letters from A..."

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:01:07 -0400

“The subjects of his work are simple visual symbols: targets, numbers from 1 to 9, or letters from A to Z, the American flag…Johns restores to these mass-produced and much abused symbols their original impact.”

- Press release by Leo Castelli for Jasper Johns’ first one-man show. It is Johns’ 83rd birthday today.

Press release for Jasper Johns — Paintings exhibit, 1958. Leo Castelli Gallery records, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

The mustaches of the Armory Show. From top to bottom: Walter...

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:08:00 -0400

The mustaches of the Armory Show.

From top to bottom:

Walter Pach, circa 1910 / Pach Brothers, photographer. Walter Pach papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Portraits of Walt Kuhn, 1903 / unidentified photographer. Walt Kuhn, Kuhn family papers, and Armory Show records, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Arthur B. Davies, circa 1908 / Gertrude Käsebier, photographer. Macbeth Gallery records, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

For more on these three mustachio’d gents and the Armory Show in general, visit our dedicated site, armoryshow.si.edu.

How did the design for the Armory Show floorplan go from a...

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:00:57 -0400

How did the design for the Armory Show floorplan go from a traditional layout of rectangular rooms to the honeycomb format seen above? Leading Armory Show scholar Laurette E. McCarthy is on the case.

Blueprint of Armory Show floorplan, between 1912 and 1913. Walt Kuhn, Kuhn family papers, and Armory Show records, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

For more on the Armory Show, visit our dedicated site: armoryshow.si.edu

Happy Mother’s Day! Jessie Olssen (Tanner) and Jesse...

Sun, 12 May 2013 10:01:09 -0400

Happy Mother’s Day!

Jessie Olssen (Tanner) and Jesse Ossawa Tanner posing for Christ learning to read by Henry O. Tanner, ca. 1910 / unidentified photographer. Henry Ossawa Tanner papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

A simple but expressive portrait of Richard Diebenkorn by his...

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:01:24 -0400

A simple but expressive portrait of Richard Diebenkorn by his friend and fellow Bay Area painter Elmer Bischoff.

Richard Diebenkorn, between 1956 and 1959. Elmer Bischoff papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

A dramatically lit portrait of William Wyman at the...

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:01:11 -0400

A dramatically lit portrait of William Wyman at the potter’s wheel.

William Wyman, circa 1950 / unidentified photographer. William Wyman papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Yum. Joseph Lindon Smith letter to his parents, 1894 Sept. 8....

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:01:11 -0400

Yum.

Joseph Lindon Smith letter to his parents, 1894 Sept. 8. Joseph Lindon Smith papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

I bet someone could make a really cool animation out of...

Tue, 07 May 2013 10:01:23 -0400

I bet someone could make a really cool animation out of this.

Page of photographs of various works by Hiram Powers and two images of the artist, 186-? / L. Powers, photographer. Hiram Powers papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

On our blog today, our former intern Crystal Sanchez is...

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:01:08 -0400

On our blog today, our former intern Crystal Sanchez is highlighting the video art of Robert and Ingrid Wiegand. The video above is Face-off (not to be confused with the John Travolta/Nicolas Cage vehicle Face/Off) in which Robert and Ingrid discuss aspect ratio, the camera as viewer, and the philosophy of René Descartes, all from separate television sets.

Face-off, 1979 / Robert Wiegand and Ingrid Wiegand. U-matic : 1 videocassette (U-Matic) : sd., col. ; 3/4 in. Robert Wiegand papers and video art, 1953-1994. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Horses can be artists’ models too. Happy Derby Day! p.s. I...

Sat, 04 May 2013 10:01:07 -0400

Horses can be artists’ models too. Happy Derby Day!

p.s. I don’t think the guy on the far right understood the assignment.

Art students making sculptures of a horse, circa 1910 / unidentified photographer. Albert Laessle papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Did you know today is D.C.’s 211th Birthday? Adolph...

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:55:10 -0400

Did you know today is D.C.’s 211th Birthday?

Adolph Gottlieb postcard to Paul Bodin, 1937 Oct. 27. Paul Bodin papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Come for the adorable chameleon, stay for the fascinating story...

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:54:00 -0400

Come for the adorable chameleon, stay for the fascinating story of matchbook conservation in our Leo Castelli Gallery records, in this blog post by Smithsonian conservator Nora Lockshin.

Image of a juvenile Brookesia micra standing on the head of a match. Creative Commons License courtesy Wikimedia Commons, Frank Glaw, Jörn Köhler, Ted M. Townsend, Miguel Vences.

Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you....

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:40:00 -0400

Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you. Even if you are a hare!

Frederick Stuart Church letter to Michael Gavin, 1905 Dec. 27. Frederick Stuart Church collection, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Just like at museums today, postcards from the Armory Show were...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:59:49 -0400

Just like at museums today, postcards from the Armory Show were popular souvenirs and helped disseminate the “new spirit” across the country. The organizers of the Armory Show found they were in high demand and received requests for reprints from individuals and libraries so they could include these images in their collections. This postcard, featuring Wassily Kandinsky’s painting Improvisation, was printed for the Armory Show stop in Boston, at Copley Hall from April 28^th to May 19^th, 1913.

Want to know more about what was happening 100 years ago in Boston? Check out our timeline at armoryshow.si.edu.

Armory Show postcard with reproduction of Wassily Kandinsky’s painting Improvisation, 1913. Walt Kuhn, Kuhn family papers, and Armory Show records, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

National Poetry Month is almost over! Get your fill before...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:01:20 -0400

National Poetry Month is almost over! Get your fill before it’s gone on our blog. Sidebar: if you want to see this particular poem in the flesh, it’s currently on display at the RISD Museum in our Lists exhibit.

A few of those things we never do, 19—. Charles Green Shaw papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

This Day in Armory Show History: April 28, 1913. The show opened...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 10:01:09 -0400

This Day in Armory Show History: April 28, 1913. The show opened in Boston, the last city to fly the flag with the uprooted pine tree symbolizing a revolution in the art world.

Exhibit catalog for the International Exhibition of Modern Art at the Copley Society of Boston, 1913. Walt Kuhn, Kuhn family papers, and Armory Show records, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

For more on the Armory Show, visit our dedicated site: armoryshow.si.edu

Modern art, at its most delicious in this inventive exhibition...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:01:14 -0400

Modern art, at its most delicious in this inventive exhibition announcement.

Detail of Dwan Gallery exhibition announcement for Arena of love, not after 1965. Dwan Gallery (Los Angeles, Calif. and New York, N.Y.) records, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.