Gallery founder Marilyn C. Fischbach and director A. Aladar Marberger donated the majority of the Fischbach Gallery records in 1978. Additional records were donated in 2001 by Maureen Dawley on behalf of the Carnegie Mellon University and in 2015 and in 2019 by John Fischbach, Marilyn C. Fischbach's son.
The records donated in 1978 were minimally arranged shortly after receipt. In 2009, the two accessions were merged and fully processed by Jayna Hanson with funds provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. The 2015 addition of 14 linear feet was minimally processed and the finding aid updated by Hilary Price in 2015. The 2019 addition of 0.2 linear feet was minimally processed and the finding aid updated by Ryan Evans in 2020.
The Fischbach Gallery records, 1937-2015, bulk 1963-1977. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Written permission from the donor is also required to view the series of financial records and the 2015 addition of card indexes. Contact the Reference Services Department for more information.
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
The Fischbach Gallery was founded in 1960 by Marilyn Cole Fischbach at 799 Madison Avenue in New York City. The gallery was noted for its stable of minimalist young artists in the 1960s, and the work of the painterly realists in the 1970s. The gallery remains open today.
During its early years, the gallery was among the first to focus on 1960s avant-garde and minimalist artists. Marilyn possessed a talent for discovering young artists and for helping them advance their careers. Many of these young artists became well-known, including Ronald Bladen, Eva Hesse, and Alex Katz. Other artists represented by the gallery include Allan D'Arcangelo, Les Levine, Robert Mangold, Robert Ryman, George Sugarman, and Robert Swain.
The gallery also had an active exhibition schedule and organized and hosted group exhibitions of modern art, including "According to the Letter" (1963), "Hard Center" (1963), and "Direct Representation" (1969). Additionally, the Fishbach Gallery hosted "Eccentric Abstraction" in 1966, an exhibition organized by Lucy Lippard.
Later, the gallery moved to W. 57th Street in Manhattan. Fischbach hired A. Aladar Marberger as director of the gallery. Under his direction, the Fischbach Gallery shifted from the avant-garde to contemporary American realism and minimalist sculpture. In the 1980s, Marilyn Fischbach brought three investors into the gallery. She remined a co-owner, but lived in Paris, France for many years prior to her death at the age of seventy-two. The Fischbach Gallery remains open at 210 West 11th Street at 25th Street in New York City.
The records of New York City Fischbach Gallery measure 39.5 linear feet and date from 1937 to 2015, with the bulk of materials dating from 1963 to 1977. The majority of the collection consists of artists files containing a wide variety of materials documenting the gallery's relationship with its stable of modern and avant garde artists, as well as gallery exhibitions. Files include biographical materials, correspondence, printed materials, and photographs. Gallery records also include general business correspondence, access-restricted financial records; and additional printed materials.
Artists and Exhibition Files contain information on over one hundred Fischbach Gallery artists and measure 18 linear feet. The contents of each file varies, but typically may include biographical information; correspondence between the artist, museums, and other galleries; scattered consignment information; printed materials including articles, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and press releases; photographs of the artist, installations, constructions, and works of art; and negatives, slides, and transparencies. Substantial files are found for John Altoon, Stephen Antonakos, Ronald Bladen, Wynn Chamberlain, Allan D'Arcangelo, Gene Davis, Anne Dunn, Piero Gilardi, Eva Hesse, Alex Katz, Nicholas Krushenick, Les Levine, Robert Mangold, Doug Ohlson, Anne Ryan, Robert Ryman, Arlene Slavin, Tony Smith, George Sugarman, and Robert Swain, among others. Also included are files pertaining to group exhibitions including "According to the Letter" (1963), "Hard Center" (1963), "Six Women" (1965), "Game Without Rules" (1966), "Direct Representation" (1969), and "Eccentric Abstraction" (1966) which was organized by Lucy Lippard.
General gallery correspondence is business correspondence between the gallery and companies, individuals, museums, galleries, dealers, new or non-Fischbach artists, and institutions. Additional business records consist of an address book, lists of Fischbach artists, gallery plans, a notebook, as well as guest lists, mailing lists, and press lists.
Financial records are access restricted and require written permission from the donor's representative for use. The files document financial transactions for many of the artists represented in the artists files and includes sales records, invoices, artists' payments, and correspondence about sales and possible sales. The alphabetical financial files document routine gallery business, such as framing, shipping, insurance, messenger, publicity, etc. and are organized by name of business. General financial files consist of accounting ledgers, banking documents, insurance claims, and travel accounts.
Printed materials consist of various business cards, clippings concerning the Fischbach Gallery, and a pamphlet by Ron Williams as a guide to New York galleries. The bulk of printed materials are found in the Artists and Exhibition Files.
A small series of photographs include those from the Thiabaut Gallery, and unidentified photos of landscapes. It is likely that Fischbach Gallery occupied the space previously used by the Thiabaut Gallery and some materials were included in the collection for that reason. The bulk of photographic materials are found in the Artists and Exhibition Files.
In 2015, 14 feet of records were added to the collection. The addition consists of inventory and client sales records in the form of card indexes. The addition is access-restricted until 2065.
A 2019 addition of 0.2 linear feet, consisting of material related to Marilyn Fischbach's art collection, was processed in 2020.
The collection is arranged as 9 series.
Artists and exhibitions files are found for over one hundred artists either represented by the gallery or exhibiting with the gallery. Files contain a wide variety of materials, and the extent and type vary for each artist. Typically files contain biographical information; correspondence between the artist, museums, and other galleries; scattered consignment and loan information; printed materials including articles, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and press releases; photographs of the artist, installations, constructions, and works of art; and negatives, slides, and transparencies. Substantial artist files are found for John Altoon, Anne Arnold, Ronald Bladen, George Brecht, Wynn Chamberlain, Allan D'Arcangelo, Gene Davis, Robert Grosvenor, Ira Joel Haber, Eva Hesse, Yvonne Jacquette, Alex Katz, Les Levine, Robert Mangold, Doug Ohlson, Ray Parker, Anne Ryan, Robert Ryman, Tony Smith, and George Sugarman. Of special note are photos of portraits by Alex Katz depicting his friends including Richard Bellamy, Edwin Denby, Al Held, Elaine de Kooning, and Neil Welliver.
Also included are files pertaining to group exhibitions either organized or hosted by the gallery, including "According to the Letter" (1963), "Hard Center" (1963), "Six Women" (1965), "Game Without Rules" (1966), "Direct Representation" (1969), and "Eccentric Abstraction" (1966) which was organized by Lucy Lippard.
Artists Files are arranged alphabetically by artist and further divided by types of materials. Correspondence is in rough chronological order due to previous arrangements made by the Fischbach Gallery.
Materials relating to financial transactions including sales and payment are found in Series 4: Financial Records, which are access restrited.
Photos of the Artist and Works of Art
Biographical Information
General Correspondence
General Correspondence
General Correspondence
Museum and Gallery Correspondence
Museum and Gallery Correspondence
Consignment and Loan Information
Articles and Clippings
Articles and Clippings
Articles and Clippings
Biographical Information
General Correspondence
Museum and Gallery Correspondence
Consignment and Loan Information
Articles and Clippings
Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs
Photos of Works of Art
Photos of the Artist
Photos of Works of Art
(Oversized material housed in Box 28)
Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs
Photos of Works of Art
Articles and Clippings
Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs
Press Releases
Photos of Installation at Yale
Photos of Installation at Yale
Photos of Works of Art
General Correspondence
Museum and Gallery Correspondence
Consignment and Loan Information
Articles and Clippings
Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs
Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs
Photos of Works of Art
Negatives of Works of Art
Biographical Information
Artist's Copy of Correspondence
General Correspondence
Guggenheim Correspondence
Museum and Gallery Correspondence
Outside Exhibition Correspondence
Consignment and Loan Information
Articles and Clippings
Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs
Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs
Photos of Works of Art and Installations
Photos of Works of Art
Photos of Works of Art
Negatives and Transparencies of Works of Art
Negatives and Transparencies of Works of Art, Installations, Robert Ryman
Negatives and Transparencies of Works of Art
Printed Materials
Photos of Installations
Printed Materials
Printed Materials
General Gallery Correspondence consists of correspondence between Fischbach and other galleries, museums, and clients. Generally, the correspondence concerns client development, loans, consignments, exhibitions, framing, transportation, and a variety of topics. The many museums and galleries with which Fischbach Gallery corresponded includes the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the New Gallery, San Francisco Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum, along with many colleges and university art galleries and museums. Correspondence is in alphabetical order by name business, company, museum, organization, or person.
Business records consist of an address book, materials regarding the production of art posters, gallery floor plans, schedules of exhibitions shown at the Fischbach Gallery, guest lists, mailing lists, and a roster of Fischbach artists among other scattered records.
Address Book
Mailing Lists
Financial records document sales, payments, and loans between the Gallery, buyers, and artists. Many of the artists are also represented in the Artists and Exhibition Files series. Additional financial records document framing, transportation and delivery, publicity, insurance, and other routine gallery business. General financial records which include bank statements, ledgers, insurance, and travel accounts.
This series is arranged as 3 subseries
Financial records (Boxes 20-25) and inventory cards (Boxes 29-42) are access restricted; written permission required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
This small series consists of miscellaneous business cards, clippings, non-Fischbach exhibition announcements, and a guide to New York art galleries by Ron Williams dated 1972.
Photographs include several photos from the Thiabaut Gallery and unidentified photographs of landscapes.
Inventory card indexes date from circa 1960s-2015 and contain index cards used to keep track of the inventory and sales of works of art. Organized by artist, index cards include fields for title, dimension, medium, date, price, place of signature, provenance, owner, and purchaser of the work. Not all fields are complete for each index card. In some instances, a representation of the work as either a print-out or photograph is stapled to the back of the card. Supplemental notes are also attached in some instances, and include additional client information, correspondence, shipping and consignment receipts, business cards, and additional provenance information.
The series is arranged as two subseries to reflect two distinct sets of alphabetical A-Z card indexes maintained by the gallery.
Financial records (Boxes 20-25) and inventory cards (Boxes 29-42) are access restricted; written permission required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The client sales card index dates from circa 1970s-2000s and includes index cards containing the date, title, and price of works sold, organized by client name.
Marilyn Fischbach collection records include materials relating to the distribution of funds generated from the sale of artwork in the collections of Marilyn Fischbach and A. Aladar Marberger, the gallery director, which ended in dispute. Also included are general correspondence related to the collection, materials related to works by Eva Hesse and Robert Ryman specifically, as well as artwork snapshots, and notes and addresses.
Robert Ryman