Douglas Cramer (1931- ) is an art collector and television producer in New York, New York and Miami, Florida. A producer of noted television series including
The collection is arranged as five series
The papers of New York art collector Douglas Cramer measure 1.41 linear feet and date from circa 1970-2014. Papers include letters from artists, four guest books signed by visitors to Cramer's art collection and attendees of his parties, printed material documenting Cramer's career in television as well as his prominence as an art collector, and photographs of people and artists who attended his parties including Ellsworth Kelly, Ed Ruscha, Mary Boone, Leo Castelli, and others.
There is an unprocessed addition to this collection of nine items donated in 2022 that include correspondence and works of art to Douglas Cramer consisting of handmade Christmas cards by Bryan Hunt, David Hockney, and Harland Miller; a sketch by Ellsworth Kelly; a postcard from Sol Lewitt; a sketch in oil on cardstock by Eric Fischl; and a collage by Richard Meier. Materials date from circa 1986-1994 and undated.
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Donated to the Archives of American Art in 2016 by Douglas S. Cramer. 9 additional documents were donated by the Douglas S. Cramer Jr. Revocable Trust in 2022 via Herbert Bush III, Cramer's spouse and trustee.
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Douglas Cramer conducted by Avis Berman in 2013.
Douglas Cramer papers, circa 1970-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared by Hilary Price in 2017.
Letters date from 1972-2014 and are predominantly from artists thanking Cramer for his support. Artists include Tony Berlant, Jim Dine, Eric Fischl, April Gornik, Donald Sultan, Peter Halley, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, Ellen Phelan, Susan Rothenberg, David Salle, Sean Scully, and others.
The four guest books found here date from 1990-1997 and contain names, signatures, and notes from visitors to Cramer's art collection and attendees at his parties, including the Barn Dance party.
Printed material dates from circa 1972-2012 and includes auction catalogs from Sotheby's sales of Cramer's collection, a biographical statement, exhibition catalogs featuring works in his collection, and clippings documenting his successful career in television and his art collection. There are also three folders with copies of pages from publicity books that Cramer had made to collect articles written about him in publications such as
One photograph depicts Cramer in circa 1970 and the others are party snapshots dating from circa 1985. Snapshots are of artists and Hollywood stars including Kirk Douglas, Danielle Steel, Ellsworth Kelly, Ed Ruscha, Mary Boone, Leo Castelli, and others.