New York art historian, museum director, art consultant, educator, writer, and curator, Alan R. Solomon (1920-1970), organized over two hundred exhibitions in the course of his career. He was known for his skill in exhibition design, and for bringing the perception and understanding of an art historian to the field of contemporary art.
Solomon was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, and educated at Harvard College and Harvard Graduate School. In 1953, during his 1952-1962 tenure with the Cornell University department of art history, he established the Andrew Dickson White Museum of art. Solomon served as the museum's first director until 1961, whilst simultaneously pursuing his doctorate, which he received from Harvard University in 1962.
In 1962 Solomon was hired by the Jewish Museum in New York, New York, and immediately began to take the institution in a more contemporary direction, mounting Robert Rauschenberg's first retrospective in 1963, and a major Jasper Johns retrospective in 1964. Also, in 1963, Solomon was appointed the United States Commissioner for the 1964 Venice Biennale. He was determined to show "the major new indigenous tendencies, the peculiarly America spirt of the art" in works by two consecutive generations of artists, including Jasper Johns, Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, and Robert Rauschenberg. With this in mind, and given the inadequacy of the existing space to house the installation he envisaged, Solomon secured a verbal agreement from Biennale officials to approve additional space for the American exhibition in an annex at the former American Consulate. The agreement was never formalized, however, and a series of administrative problems and controversies over the eligibility of the American submissions threatened to undermine Solomon's efforts. Nevertheless, Robert Rauschenberg became the first American to take the Grand Prize for foreign artist, and the attention garnered by the American exhibition monopolized press coverage of the Biennale. In response, Solomon stated publicly that "it is acknowledged on every hand that New York has replaced Paris as the world art capital."
Solomon subsequently left the Jewish Museum, having engendered resistance to leading the museum in a more experimental direction, away from the traditional Jewish educational aspects of its mission. In the mid-sixties he worked as a consultant and writer for a National Educational Television series entitled "U. S. A. Artists," which drew on artist interviews, many conducted by Solomon. He also wrote the text for Ugo Mulas's classic photographic study,
In 1966 Solomon was hired by the United States Information Agency to organize the United States contribution to the Canadian World Exhibition in Montreal, known as Expo '67. His stunning
Other important exhibitions organized by Solomon included
Solomon was also interested in contemporary theater and organized the First New York Theater Rally with Steve Paxton in 1965, a series of performances which combined new dance and a revival of the Happenings of the early 1960s, in which Claes Oldenburg, Jim Dine and others were involved.
Following a six-week appointment as a senior lecturer at the University of California, Irvine, in spring 1968, Solomon became chairman of the University's art department and director of the art gallery. His last exhibition,
The 1974 donation of papers was minimally processed before microfilming on reels 3921-3928. This portion, and the 2007 addition, were merged and fully processed, arranged, and described in 2016 by Stephanie Ashley. The collection was digitized in 2016-2017 with funding provided by the Lichtenstein Foundation.
Alan R. Solomon papers, 1907-1970, bulk 1944-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The Leo Castelli Gallery served as executor of Solomon's estate, and donated his papers to the Archives of American Art in 1974 and 2007.
The bulk of this collection was digitized in 2017 and is available via the Archives of American Art's website.
Materials which have not been scanned include duplicates; routine tax and financial records; blank pages in bound volumes; blank versos of photographs; and the full text of published material such as exhibition catalogs. In most cases, exhibition catalogs and other publications have had their covers, title pages, and relevant pages scanned.
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.
The papers of New York art historian, museum director, curator, writer, and educator, Alan R. Solomon, measure 9.9 linear feet and date from 1907-1970, with the bulk of the material dating from 1944-1970. Through biographical material, correspondence, interview transcripts, writings and notes, teaching and study files, subject files, exhibition files, business records, printed material, and photographs, the collection documents Solomon's education, his early teaching appointments at Cornell University, and his subsequent direction of many diverse curatorial and research projects relating to contemporary American art, particularly the transition from Abstract Expressionism to later modern movements, and the thriving New York City art scene.
Biographical material includes résumés, an engagement book, and a monthly planning book from 1965, identification cards, and educational transcripts.
Correspondence documents Solomon's education at Harvard College and Harvard University, and his teaching appointments at Cornell University. Correspondence also provides some documentation of his involvement with museums and arts organizations, including the Jewish Museum, Stedlijk Museum, the San Francisco Art Institute, the University of California, and Centro de Artes Visuales; his submission of writings for publications including
One series comprises transcripts of interviews with many of the artists who were central to the transition from Abstract Expressionism to later modern movements that occurred in the 1950s and 1960s, such as Neo-Dada and Pop art. Artists represented in the interviews include Jim Dine, Helen Frankenthaler, Jasper Johns, Barnett Newman, Kenneth Noland, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, and Andy Warhol.
Solomon's writings include many of his essays for exhibition catalogs, magazines, and journals, and are in a combination of annotated manuscript and published formats. There are writings on Jim Dine, Barnett Newman, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jasper Johns, and on the new movements in theater and performance art of the 1960s. His writings also document the art history education which informed all of his later work, with the inclusion of papers written as a student and teacher, his honors thesis on Odilon Redon, and his dissertation on Pablo Picasso. This material is supplemented by notes, and teaching and study files, documenting courses taken and taught at Harvard and Cornell universities. Also found is the manuscript of the text for
Solomon's subject files augment several of the other series, comprising material on various art related subjects and individual painters and sculptors, arranged alphabetically. Material found here includes printed matter documenting exhibitions and other events, scattered letters from artists, related writings, and photographs.
One series documents Solomon's involvement with the First New York Theater Rally, which he co-produced with Steve Paxton in 1965. This material includes a drawing each by Jim Dine and Alex Hay, pieces of a combine by Robert Rauschenberg, and photographs of the group including Dine, Hay, and Rauschenberg, as well as Lucinda Childs, Judith Dunn, Deborah Hay, Robert Morris, Claes Oldenburg, the Once Group, Steve Paxton, Yvonne Rainier, Alan Solomon, and Robert Whitman. The series includes multiple contact sheets of photos of First New York Theater Rally events, by Peter Moore, Elizabeth Novick, and Terry Schute.
Exhibition files document Solomon's role as an organizer and curator for some of his most well-known exhibitions, including
Solomon's business records include lists, notes, contracts, expense forms, vouchers, purchase orders, and receipts. They provide scattered documentation of exhibition-related expenses and purchases of artwork, as well as Solomon's income from teaching appointments, lectures, honorariums, and writings. Amongst Solomon's general business records is an American Federation of Musicians agreement between the Institute of Contemporary Art and "Louis Reed," with booking agent Andy Warhol, for a performance by the Velvet Underground and Nico, performing as The Exploding Plastic Inevitable on October 29, 1966. This seemingly mundane item documents an event that accompanied Solomon's landmark Warhol exhibition of nearly forty iconic works, and the accompanying show by The Exploding Plastic Inevitable was hailed by the
Printed material includes announcements, catalogs, and posters for exhibitions and art related events, including two Jasper Johns lithographs for a 1960 exhibition at Galerie Rive Droite, and a 1963 exhibition at Leo Castelli Gallery. Also found are news clippings, press releases, and other publications.
Photographs are of Solomon, artists, friends and colleagues, exhibitions and other events, and artwork. They include snapshots of Solomon, and a series of photographs of him at various events and parties, many taken by Ugo Mulas, as well as a photo taken by Robert Rauschenberg of Ugo Mulas, Michele Provinciali, and Solomon. Additional photos by Ugo Mulas include some which were probably taken for
The collection is arranged as eleven series.
Finding aid for material on microfilm reels 3921-3928 is available in all AAA offices.
Series is scanned in entirety.
Series comprises résumés; an engagement book and a monthly planning book from 1965, annotated with appointments and other information; and miscellaneous material including Solomon's high school diploma and report cards, his 1944 army honorable discharge papers, his 1947 Harvard College transcripts, two identity cards from Expo '67, and an astrological chart created for Solomon in 1967.
Engagement Book
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Monthly Planning Book
Résumés
Correspondence documents Solomon's education, teaching appointments, and his relationships with various artists, publishers, museums and other art institutions, and colleagues.
Correspondence with Centro de Artes Visuales, including with Jorge Romero Brest and Alfredo Rodriguez Arias, relates to proposals for New York performances by the organization, and the possibility of circulating Solomon's
Correspondence with Cornell University relates primarily to Solomon's appointments to various teaching positions at Cornell in the 1950s, and his promotion to Associate Professor of Fine Arts in 1962. Documentation relating to the Andrew Dickson White Museum of Art, which Solomon established in 1953, is limited to correspondence regarding a dispute over who should replace Solomon as director of the museum in 1961.
Correspondence with Harvard relates to Solomon's studies at Harvard College and later Harvard University, including the completion of his doctorate and his thesis on Picasso, and his teaching appointments at Harvard. It also documents Solomon's gifts to the Harvard College Fund. Records relating to specific courses taken and taught by Solomon can be found in Series 5: Teaching and Study Files.
Correspondence with the Jewish Museum relates primarily to the details of negotiations and terms under which Solomon was hired as the museum's director in 1962, but provides only cursory documentation of Solomon's Rauschenberg and Johns exhibitions in 1963 and 1964 respectively. Additional documentation on Solomon's work at the museum can be found in the Jewish Museum subject file in Series 6.
Publishers and publications represented here include James Fitzsimmons, of the publication
Correspondence with Frank Lloyd of Marlborough-Gerson Gallery, Inc., includes details of a proposed project to establish an International Art Center in Rome.
Three folders of correspondence with Eugene Schwartz document Solomon's interest in the market for non-original works of art, or works about American art. Solomon worked with Schwartz's Mass Originals, Inc. corporation, on an enterprise to create fifty-minute taped lectures, with slides, for sales to universities, museums, and libraries. The correspondence includes letters from Schwartz outlining his proposals to create a market for the lectures, letters to artists asking for their participation in the project, and the responses of some of the artists.
Correspondence with the University of California relates to arrangements for speaking engagements, and also references Solomon's appointment to the University of California, Irvine, in 1968, and arrangements for the exhibition,
There is one folder of correspondence with Connie Trimble, who provided secretarial services for Solomon in the 1960s. This correspondence provides details of arrangements for various projects in which Solomon was involved, including Expo '67.
Individual items of note include a postcard and Christmas card from Christo and Jeanne-Claude; a letter from Ray Johnson; two postcards from Claes Oldenburg; a postcard from Robert Rauschenberg with a photo of Rauschenberg and others, including Christo and Jean-Claude; and a 1966 greeting card from Galeria Bonino, New York, which includes a limited edition signed and numbered print by Luis Felipe Noé.
The bulk of the correspondence documenting Solomon's work as an exhibition organizer and curator can generally be found in Series 8: Exhibition Files. Additional records documenting his relationships with artists and art organizations can be found in Series 6: Subject Files.
Series is scanned in entirety.
Records are arranged alphabetically by correspondent or subject, and chronologically thereafter.
Alfieri, Bruno
Amherst College
A, General
B, General
Centro de Artes Visuales
Cornell University
Cornell University
C, General
Dine, Jim
D, General
E. P. Dutton & Co, Inc.
E, General
Fitzsimmons, James (
F, General
G, General
Harvard College/Harvard University
H-I, General
Jewish Museum
J, General
Kron, Joan
K, General
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Contemporary Arts Council
L, General
Marlborough-Gerson Gallery, Inc. (Frank Lloyd)
M, General
National Educational Television
New York University
N-O, General
Pasadena Art Museum
Pritchard, Aline
P-Q, General
R, General
Sabol, Audrey
San Francisco Art Institute
Schools, Robert Solomon
Schwartz, Eugene
Schwartz, Eugene
Schwartz, Eugene
Sisler Duchamp Collection
Sisler Duchamp Collection, Condition Reports
Society for Contemporary American Art, Art Institute of Chicago
Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art
Sonnabend, Ileana
Stedelijk Museum
Studio Museum in Harlem
S, General
Temple University, Tyler School of Contemporary Art
Trimble, Connie
T, General
University of California
U, General
Veterans Administration
V, General
Washington Gallery of Modern Art
W, General
Y-Z, General
First Names Only
Illegible/Unidentified
Series is scanned in entirety, with the exception of duplicates with no annotations.
Series comprises the transcripts of twenty interviews, many of which were conducted by Solomon in or around 1966, in his capacity as writer and consultant for the National Educational Television series "U. S. A. Artists." Some of the transcripts may also be from interviews conducted by Solomon for his project with Mass Originals, Inc., to offer taped lectures of artists, with slides, to universities, museums, and libraries.
Interviews are with artists, with the exception of interviews with Leo Castelli and Clement Greenberg. Transcripts are generally typescript drafts with annotations.
Bell, Larry
Brenner, Marsala
Castelli, Leo
Dine, Jim
Fahlström, Öyvind
Frankenthaler, Helen
Greenberg, Clement
Irwin, Robert
Johns, Jasper
Kauffman, Craig
Lichtenstein, Roy
Newman, Barnett
Noland, Kenneth
Oldenburg, Claes
Poons, Larry
Rauschenberg, Robert
Samaras, Lucas
Stella, Frank
Turrell, James
Warhol, Andy and Edie Sedgwick
Series is organized by type of writing in the following order: articles and essays, including those ultimately published, books, lectures, university writings, and notes. Folders are arranged alphabetically by title within those groupings.
Series includes many of Solomon's writings on art and artists, such as essays ultimately published in exhibition catalogs, and/or magazines and journals, as well as notes used in the course of his writing, which date back to his time as a student and teaching assistant.
At the beginning of the series is a bibliography of Solomon's writings with a set of related notes on index cards, compiled circa 1969. Articles and essays include writings on individual artists such as Jim Dine, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol, and on the changing American art scene, including "New York: The Second Breakthrough," and "The New American Art," many of which were ultimately published in exhibition catalogs. Published catalogs are housed with the corresponding manuscript drafts where such records exist.
The series also includes drafts of Solomon's text for the book
Also found are three bound volumes containing what appear to be related typescripts and notes, possibly representing a book Solomon was working on, with the title "Romanzo."
Typescripts of five lectures from the 1950s are followed by university writings, including Solomon's honors thesis on Odilon Redon, and his dissertation on Pablo Picasso. Published catalogs and other writings include published articles or catalogs with introductions written by Solomon, such as those for two exhibitions at the Andrew Dickson White Museum of Art,
Notes include what appear to be seven sets of index cards, four on various artists and other subjects, arranged alphabetically, and three on the individual subjects of Picasso, Van Gogh, and Vuillard. Also found are notes on American architecture, Chinese art, and other miscellaneous subjects, and a notebook which includes drafts of letters concerning day-to-day business and work on exhibitions, including
The bulk of this series has been scanned with the exception of: duplicates; the full text of some catalogs and other printed material for which only the covers and/or pages relevant to Solomon's writing, have been scanned; and portions of the "Romanzo" typescripts a non-art-related manuscript of which only a sample has been scanned.
Bibliography, Solomon's Writings
"A Note on Abstraction in the Paintings of Ingres"
"Again: Is There a Jewish Art?"
"American Art Between Two Biennales"
"Andy Warhol"
"Artists and Dancers: Is There a New Theater"
"California: Will They Bury Us?"
"Fashion Notes from the Art World"
"Arte Italiana Oggi" ("Italian Art Today")
"Jasper Johns"
"Jim Dine and the Psychology of the New Art"
"Jim Dine: Hot Artist in a Cool Time"
"Mecenate non Varca L'Oceano" for
"New Man"
"New York: The Second Breakthrough, 1959-1964"
"Proposal for Six Programs on the New York Art Scene"
"Robert Rauschenberg"
"Robert Rauschenberg: Oracle"
"Romanticism and Fantastic Art"
"Some Observations About New York Painting"
"That Devil Castelli"
"The New Art"
"The New American Art"
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 1
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 1
"Romanzo: First Sequential Integrated"
"Notes: Rome and All That"
"ABC of Collecting"
"Modern Art for AAUW, Athens"
"Origins of Modern Tendencies for Ithaca Art Association"
"Problems in Oriental Art: Ma Yuan"
"The Revolution in XXC Aesthetics"
Published Catalogs and Other Published Writings
"Agrarian Reforms in Soviet Russia"
Bibliographies on Various Subjects
Dissertation, "Pablo Picasso: Symbolism in the Synthetic Cubist Still Life, A Study of His Iconography, 1911-1927"
Dissertation, "Pablo Picasso: Symbolism in the Synthetic Cubist Still Life, A Study of His Iconography, 1911-1927"
Dissertation on Picasso, Previous Version?
Dissertation on Picasso, Previous Version?
Dissertation on Picasso, Previous Version?
Dissertation on Picasso, Previous Version?
"Great Monuments of Oriental Art"
Honors Thesis, "Odilon Redon: Pegasus or Chimera? His Personality and His Lithographs"
"Influence of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries of the Formal Design of Eugene Delacroix: The Large Compositions"
"Joan Miro"
"P. S. F. S." (Philadelphia Savings Fund Society)
"The Development of Chinese Landscape Painting"
"The Landscape Drawings of Claude Lorrain"
"Which Florentine Sculptor of the XVth Century Best Solves the Problem of the Tomb"
Miscellaneous Manuscripts
Note Cards, Alphabetical
Note Cards, Alphabetical
Note Cards, Alphabetical
Note Cards, Alphabetical
Note Cards, Alphabetical
Note Cards, Alphabetical
Note Cards, Alphabetical (not complete)
Note Cards, Picasso and Psychoanalysis in Art
Note Cards, Picasso and Psychoanalysis in Art
Note Cards, Van Gogh
Note Cards, Van Gogh
Note Cards, Vuillard Bibliography
Notebook, Draft of Letters
Notebook Pages
Notes
Notes
Notes
Notes on American Architecture
Notes on Chinese/Oriental Art
Series has been scanned in entirety with the exception of duplicates.
Series documents courses taken, or taught, by Solomon at Harvard University, where he was a student, a teaching fellow, a course assistant, and a tutor, and at Cornell University where he was an instructor, and an assistant professor, before serving as Director of Cornell's Andrew Dickson White Museum of Art from 1953-1961.
Material includes course outlines, information on instructors, descriptions of slide shows, lecture and seminar notes, and other notes.
Essays written by Solomon as a student can be found in Series 3: Writings and Notes.
American Art Course
European History Course
Fine Arts Course 554
Fine Arts Course 554
Fine Arts Course: Anti-Rational Tendencies in XX Century Art
Fine Arts Seminar in Art History
Fine Arts Seminar in Art History
Fine Arts Theory Course
Humanities Course
Humanities Course
Master Drawings Course
Northern Renaissance Masters
Picasso Seminar
Survey Course Outlines
Records are arranged alphabetically by folder title. Folder titles for the group of files relating to painters and sculptors indicate a range of artists, not all of whom will be mentioned in the folder title.
This series has been partially scanned. For most of the catalogs and other publications, scanning may be restricted to covers, title pages, and other selected pages.
Subject files consist primarily of printed material, such as announcements and catalogs, news clippings, and posters, collected by Solomon on a variety of art related subjects. Subject file headings are taken directly from the original files where possible. The largest subset of files documents painters and sculptors, arranged alphabetically by name. These files occasionally include artist biographies and résumés, scattered correspondence, and scattered photographs of artists and artwork. They include letters from Jim and Nancy Dine, Öyvind Fahlström, Robert Indiana, Barnett Newman, Claes Oldenburg, Charles Oster, and Ray Parker.
Subjects that reflect Solomon's wide-ranging interests in new and experimental art forms, include dance companies and programs, such as the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and Happenings, which documents events held by a group of artists, including Jim Dine, Alan Kaprow, and Claes Oldenburg, who presented their work in "evening exhibitions of art in a new dimension," particularly at the Reuben Gallery in New York City in the early 1960s. The Happenings were a forerunner to projects such as the First New York Theater Rally of the mid-1960s. Happenings material includes announcements for events, and a piece of paper with the word "Help" repeatedly painted on it used in Jim Dine's "Car Crash," circa 1960.
Material on the Jewish Museum includes press releases relating to the museum's mission from 1963, in regard to undertaking a general art program "emphasizing the work of younger or otherwise unrecognized artists who contribute to what is vital and influential in the contemporary art world," and the dedication of the Albert A. List building. Also found are reviews of 1963-1964 exhibitions at the museum, and an invitation to the preview of
Armory Show
Includes catalog and supplement to the catalog of the International Exhibition of Modern Art, or the Armory Show, 1913
Art and Technology
Avant-Garde
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 2
Bauhaus
College Art Association
Cubism
Dada
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Dance Companies/Programs
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 2
Dance Companies/Programs
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 2
Dance Companies/Programs, Photographs
Design, Automobiles
Design, Books/Paul Rand
Downtown Gallery, "Young Painters Group"
Etruscan Art
Expressionism
Fauvism
Festival of Contemporary Art
Film, Charlie Chaplin
Film, Jean Cocteau
Film, Miscellaneous
Furniture
Furniture
Genital Art
Happenings
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 2
Impressionism and Post-Impressionism
Institute of Contemporary Arts Catalog
Japanese Architecture
Jewish Museum
Jewish Museum
Lever House
Modern Architects
Modern Sculpture
Museum History and Administration
Museum History and Administration
Museum History and Administration
Museum History and Administration
New York Biennial at the Coliseum
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 2
Now Festival, Washington D.C.
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Adami, Valerio
Afro--Antonakos
Anwzkiewicz--Avedisian
Balthus--Baziotes
Beckman--Blake
Bonnard--Braque
Breer--Butler
Cage--Cezanne
Chamberlain--Courtin
D'Arcangelo--Degas
Di Giovanni, Benvenuto
Di Giovanni, Benvenuto
Di Spirito, Henry
Dine, Jim
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Dine, Jim
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Duchamp--Dzubas
Ensor--Ernst
Fahlström--Frankenthaler
Gaugin--Gonzalez
Goodnough--Gros
Hare--Hultberg
Indiana--Ingres
Jacoby--Johns
Kandinsky--Kirchner
Klee, Paul
Kline--Kupka
Lanskoy--Louis
Manet--Marini
Marisol--Matta
Minujin--Morandi
Moreau--Music
Nakian--Noland
Oldenburg--Ostlihn
Parker--Picabia
Picasso, Pablo
Picasso, Pablo
Picasso, Pablo
Picasso, Pablo
Picasso, Pablo
Picasso, Pablo
Picasso, Pablo
Picasso, Pablo
Pollock--Pozzatti
Rauschenberg, Robert
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Rauschenberg, Robert
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Rauschenberg, Robert
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 2
Reder--Redon
Reinhardt--Richier
Riley--Rothko
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Roualt--Rubens
Santomaso--Segal
Seligmann--Seurat
Shahn, Ben
Smith--Soulages
Stankiewicz--Stella
Tamayo--Tobey
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Toulouse-Lautrec--Trova
Turner--Twombly
Van Gogh, Vincent
Villon--Vuillard
Warhol, Andy
Warhol, Andy
Wesselmann, Tom
"Young Italians"
"Young Italians"
"Young Italians"
"Young Italians"
Yunkers--Zox
Pop
Pre-Raphaelites
Primitive Art
Primitive Art
Printing on Announcements and Invitation
Printing on Announcements and Invitation
Russian Art
Surrealism
Synagogues
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 2
The New Art
Theater
"Twist, Morality, Art, Eisenhower, Jones"
Whitney Museum of American Art
Series is scanned in entirety.
Series documents Solomon's involvement in the First New York Theater Rally, which he co-produced with Steve Paxton. The event was a month-long festival of dance Happenings, and other performance events that took place at three venues in New York City: the Judson Church, a television studio at 81st Street and Broadway, and Al Roon's Health Club.
Records include artist statements by Lucinda Childs, Jim Dine, Judith Dunn, Alex Hay, Deborah Hay, Robert Morris, Claes Oldenburg, the Once Group, Steve Paxton, Yvonne Rainer, Robert Rauschenberg, and Robert Whitman. Statements by Jim Dine and Alex Hay include one drawing by each artist. Also found are what appear to be pieces of a combine by Robert Rauschenberg, which probably represented part of his artist statement.
Photographs include five group polaroid photos of artists involved in the project, two of which include Solomon; two group photographs of the participants; three photos of performances; and contact sheets of numerous photos taken by Peter Moore, Elizabeth Novick, and Terry Schute, of performances, preparations for performances, individuals involved in the project, and related events.
Printed material consists of descriptions of the program, a newspaper announcement, and a group of tickets.
Artist Statements
Artist Statements
Artwork
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 3
Essay Draft by Solomon "First New York Theater Rally"
Photographs of Artists
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 3
Photographs of Performances
Photographs, Contact Sheets of Photos by Peter Moore
Photographs, Contact Sheets of Photos by Peter Moore
Photographs, Contact Sheets of Photos by Peter Moore
Photographs, Contact Sheets of Photos by Elizabeth Novick
Photographs, Contact Sheets, Photos by Terry Schute
Printed Material
Records are arranged alphabetically by exhibition title, and by record type thereafter.
Series documents Solomon's role as an exhibition director, primarily for six of his most well-known exhibitions, including the American exhibition at the 1964 Venice Biennale and
Records for each exhibition typically include correspondence, including scattered letters from artists, loan and shipping arrangements and agreements, budget related material, lists and notes, printed material including catalogs and press coverage, and photographs of installations, exhibition related events, and artwork.
Also found are damage reports for damage to artwork incurred during exhibitions and subsequent insurance claims, particularly during
Records relating to the 1964 Venice Biennale provide extensive documentation of Solomon's role as United States Commissioner, his vision for the exhibition, the problems that arose in regard to housing it in the confines of the space officially allowed, and the plan for an annex location. Records include plans of the American Pavilion, purchased by the Museum of Modern Art in 1954; correspondence with Marietta Stern, assistant to the Unites States pavilion, and Ileana Sonnabend, European representative for many of the artists in the exhibition; documentation of arrangements with the United States Information Agency and the Department of State; budgetary records; extensive press coverage; Solomon's final report on the Biennale; and records related to problems that arose due to damage to artwork, and subsequent insurance settlements, including letters from Leo Castelli, Andre Emmerich, Giordano Falzoni, Kenneth Noland and Giuseppe Panza. Also of note are photographs of Biennale events, artists, and other individuals, taken by Ugo Mulas and others. Subjects include artwork arriving by plane and canal in Venice; artists, including Claes Oldenburg, and Robert Rauschenberg accepting the Grand Prize; various Biennale officials; Leo Castelli and Alan Solomon; the installation process; and people attending the exhibition and related events.
Other exhibitions documented here include
Series is scanned in entirety with the exception of duplicates, the full text of some exhibition catalogs, and photographic negatives for which copy prints exist.
Condition Reports
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Essay Draft by Solomon, "The Americans at Expo '67"
Financial Records
Lists
Loan Agreements
Loan Agreements
Photographs
Photographs
Photographs, Color
Photographs, Contact Sheets and Negatives
Printed Material, Catalog and Press Releases
Printed Material, Clippings
Correspondence
Expenses
Lists and Notes
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Lists and Notes
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Lists and Notes
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Loan Forms
Printed Material and Photograph
Budget and Expenses
Budget and Expenses
Budget and Expenses
Budget and Expenses
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Floor Plans of U. S. Pavilion
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Guest Book from U. S. Pavilion
Photographs of Artwork
Photographs of Artwork
Photographs of Artwork Arriving
Photographs of Biennale Events
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 4
Photographs of Biennale Events, Contact Sheets and Negatives
Photographs of Installation
Photographs of Solomon
Printed Material
Printed Material
Printed Material
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 4
Printed Material
Printed Material
Printed Material
Printed Material, Announcements and Catalogs
Printed Material, Press Release and Translated Press Articles
Solomon's "Report on the American Participation in the XXXVII Venice Biennale"
Artist Statements and Biographies
Artist Statements and Biographies
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Correspondence
Essay Drafts by Solomon (?)
Loan Agreements
Photographs of Artists
Photographs of Artwork and Installation
Photographs of Artwork and Installation
Photographs of Artwork and Installation
Printed Material
General Exhibition Material, Lists and Notes
General Exhibition Material, Lists and Notes
General Exhibition Material, Lists and Notes
General Exhibition Material, Miscellaneous
Solomon's business records offer scattered insight into his financial situation. His general business records include lists, notes, contracts, expense forms and vouchers, and purchase orders for Solomon's work in various capacities. Of note is an American Federation of Musicians agreement between the Institute of Contemporary Art and "Louis Reed," with booking agent Andy Warhol, for the Velvet Underground and Nico to perform as the Exploding Plastic Inevitable on October 29, 1966 for a fee of $2500. This show accompanied Solomon's
One folder of notebook pages lists payments for artwork purchased and paid for by someone identified as "RJF." Also found are index cards indicating prices of some works of art.
Receipts and expenses include paid invoices, records of payment for teaching appointments, lectures, honorariums, and articles written, and scattered receipts for purchases of artwork and exhibition expenses.
The bulk of this series has been scanned. Material documenting routine financial transactions has not been scanned.
General
General
General
List of Payments for Artwork
Receipts and Expenses
Receipts and Expenses
Receipts and Expenses
Receipts and Expenses
Receipts and Expenses
Receipts and Expenses
Receipts and Expenses
Receipts and Expenses
Tax Records
Tax Records
Tax Records
This series is partially scanned. For many exhibition catalogs and other publications, only the covers, title pages or other relevant pages have been scanned.
Series includes announcements and catalogs, including posters, news clippings, and other publications relating to events of interest to Solomon. Catalogs for which Solomon wrote introductions or other essays can be found in Series 3: Writings and Notes.
Included in the posters found here are two Jasper Johns lithographs for
Announcements and Catalogs
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 5
Announcements and Catalogs
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Announcements and Catalogs
Announcements and Catalogs
Announcements and Catalogs
Announcements and Catalogs
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 5
Announcements and Catalogs
Announcements and Catalogs
Announcements and Catalogs
Announcements and Catalogs
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Announcements and Catalogs
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Announcements and Catalogs
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Announcements and Catalogs
Announcements and Catalogs
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 5
Announcements and Catalogs
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Exhibition Posters, Jasper Johns
Oversized material housed in OV 12
Miscellaneous
News Clippings
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 6
News Clippings
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 6
News Clippings
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 6
News Clippings
News Clippings
News Clippings
News Clippings
News Clippings
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 6
Other Publications
Other Publications
Other Publications
Other Publications
Press Releases
State Department Foreign Language Material
Series is scanned in entirety, with the exception of duplicates, blank versos of photographs, and negatives for which copy prints exist.
Photographs are arranged by subject. Dates assigned to photos of artwork are for the years in which the pictured artwork was produced, where known.
Photographs are of Solomon, artists and others, exhibitions and events, and artwork, by photographers including Robert R. McElroy, Ugo Mulas, and Hans Namuth.
Photos of Solomon include snapshots, photo booth snapshots, portraits, photos taken at various events and with others, and a series of photos taken at a party by Ugo Mulas. Also found is one photograph taken by Robert Rauschenberg of Mulas, Solomon, and designer and illustrator, Michele Provinciali.
There are photographs of circa eighteen artists, including many studio shots, some of which were probably taken by Ugo Mulas for the book
Photos of Jim Dine include a series taken of a Happenings performance entitled "Car Crash" at Reuben gallery, circa 1960. Also found is a series of mounted photographs of Dine's artwork, some of which are signed by the artist.
Photos of Laura Grisi picture the artist with others, including Barnett Newman, Larry Poons, and Frank Stella.
Photographs of Robert Rauschenberg include many taken at the Venice Biennale by Ugo Mulas, and picture Rauschenberg at the ceremony, seated next to Alan Solomon, during which he received the Grand Prize. Also found are photographs of Rauschenberg beside his artwork, and at Biennale parties. Some photos show Rauschenberg's artwork arriving by canal in Venice and being transported to the Biennale exhibition space.
Two photos of Andy Warhol were taken by Nat Finkelstein at The Factory, circa 1964.
Photographs of others include Leo Castelli, and Robert and Ethel Scull in their home, surrounded by their art collection.
Also found here are photographs of the exhibition
A group of negatives, originally housed in a cigar box with no identifying information, can be found at the end of the series. Subjects appear to be a combination of family and friends, travel, buildings, artwork, and exhibitions.
Of Solomon, Alan
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 7
Of Solomon, Alan
Bontecou, Lee
Chamberlain, John
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 8
Dine, Jim
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 8
Duchamp, Marcel
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 8
Fahlström, Öyvind
Grisi, Laura
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 8
Johns, Jasper
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 9
Lichtenstein, Roy
Louis, Morris
Newman, Barnett
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 10
Noland, Kenneth
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 10
Oldenburg, Claes and Patty
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 10
Poons, Larry
Rauschenberg, Robert
Oversized material housed in Box 11, Folder 11-12
Rosenquist, James
Oversized material housed in OV 13
Segal, George and Dick Bellamy
Oversized material housed in OV 13
Stella, Frank
Oversized material housed in OV 13
Warhol, Andy and The Factory
Of Others, Castelli, Leo
Oversized material housed in OV 13
Of Others, Greenberg, Clement and Jeanine
Of Others, Scull, Ethel and Robert
Oversized material housed in OV 13
Of Others, Miscellaneous/Unidentified
Bell, Larry--Bengston, Billy Al
Brach, Paul
Chamberlain, John
Dine, Jim
Dine, Jim
Dine, Jim
Dine, Jim
Dine, Jim, Mounted Photos
Dine, Jim, Mounted Photos
Dine, Jim, Mounted Photos
Fahlström, Öyvind
Grisi, Laura
Hafif, Marcia
Johns, Jasper
Johns, Jasper
Johns, Jasper
Johns, Jasper
Johns, Jasper
Johns, Jasper
Johns, Jasper
Johns, Jasper
Johns, Jasper
Johns, Jasper
Kelly, Ellsworth
Lichtenstein, Roy
Louis, Morris
Louis, Morris
Noland, Kenneth
Noland, Kenneth
Oldenburg, Claes
Ortman, George
Pepper, Beverly
Pousette-Dart, Richard
Rauschenberg, Robert
Rauschenberg, Robert
Rauschenberg, Robert
Rauschenberg, Robert
Rauschenberg, Robert
Rauschenberg, Robert
Rauschenberg, Robert
Rosenquist, James
Samaras, Lucas
Schapiro, Miriam
Smith, David
Stella, Frank
Warhol, Andy
Wesselmann, Tom
Miscellaneous/Unidentified
Oversized material housed in OV 13
Of Events
Of Events, by Hans Namuth
Of Exhibition,
Of Performance, Unidentified
Of Venice, Snapshots