One of the earliest modern art galleries in New York, Tibor de Nagy Gallery was founded in 1950 by Tibor de Nagy and John Bernard Myers. Initially the gallery featured the work of second generation Abstract Expressionists and continues to operate today with a focus on the Post War second generation New York School.
John B. Myers served as the gallery's first director and De Nagy was the business manager while continuing to work in the banking business. Early on, the gallery introduced and promoted second generation Abstract Expressionists such as Grace Hartigan and Alfred Leslie. The gallery quickly earned a reputation for promoting the work of emerging artists, including Carl Andre, Helen Frankenthaler, Jane Freilicher, Red Grooms, Fairfield Porter, and Larry Rivers, among others, giving many of them their first solo shows.
Later the gallery gained a reputation as a space for collaborative artistic ventures and organized exhibitions that combined visual imagery and poetry by several New York School poets. The gallery also published books by poets John Ashbery, Frank O'Hara, and James Schuyler, as well as a poetry newsletter entitled
In 1973 de Nagy teamed with Marvin Watson to open the Watson/deNagy Gallery in Houston, which closed in 1983. Tibor de Nagy retired from banking in 1970 and continued running the gallery until he died in 1993. The Tibor de Nagy gallery continues operating today at 724 Fifth Avenue under the direction of Andrew Arnot and Eric Brown. It also works with a number of estates, including those of Joe Brainard, Rudy Burckhardt, Donald Evans, and Jess.
The records were donated by Tibor de Nagy Gallery in multiple accessions between 1993-1996 and in 2018. Additional material about the exhibition,
Tibor de Nagy Gallery records, 1941-1993. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection was processed and a finding aid created by Kelly Nolte and Barbara Aikens with funding provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care and Preservation Fund. The Archives of American Art has implemented accelerated processing tactics when possible in order to increase information about and access to more of our collections. Processing included arrangement to the series, subseries and folder levels. Generally, items within folders were simply verified with folder titles, but not arranged further. The collection was rehoused in archival containers and folders, but all staples and clips may not have been removed. An addition was processed and merged into the collection in 2018. The 2020 addition was processed by Ryan Evans in 2020. The born-digital materials were processed by George Apodaca in 2022.
The records of the New York Tibor de Nagy Gallery measure 43.9 linear feet and date from 1941-2016. The records document the activities of the gallery through business records and correspondence, exhibition files, artist files, financial and legal records, inventory records, a small amount of records of the Houston Branch, and exhibition announcements.
Business records include correspondence and administrative files. Business correspondence is with clients, curators, galleries, museums, colleges and universities, organizations, and publications, such as the Museum of Modern Art, Art Dealers Association, National Institute of Arts and Letters, United States Information Agency, The Hirshhorn Museum,
Exhibition files document many exhibitions held at the Gallery and include clippings and research materials, exhibition catalogs, exhibit and gallery plans, correspondence, and photographs, some in digital form. Some loan agreements and shipping receipts are also included.
Artist files document business affairs with individual artists and also contain collected information on artists. Typically, there are several files on each artist which may include printed materials, biographies, consignments, loans documentation, sales documentation, correspondence, photographic material, publicity, and reviews. Artists well represented among these files include Rosemarie Castoro, Ray Ciarrocchi, Robert Goodnough, Harold Gregor, Red Grooms (including a transcript of "A Conversation with Marison and Red Grooms"), Joyce Kozloff, Peter Reginato, Tony Robbin, Leatrice Rose, and Nancy Witteman-Widrig.
Financial records include incomplete runs of billing statements, expenses and cash disbursements, paid and unpaid invoices, and sales and shipping receipts. Inventory records consist primarily of index cards and/or sheets that document stock, consignments, loans, sales, and shipping.
A relatively small amount of Houston branch records include announcements, clippings, correspondence, financial information including consignments, income, invoices, and statements, photographs, publicity materials and a research file on Houston art museums.
Exhibition announcements promote the gallery's exhibitions for artists including Joe Brainard, Shirley Jaffe, Fairfield Porter, Rosemarie Castoro, Alfred Leslie, and many others.
The Tibor de Nagy Gallery records are arranged into seven series.
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 Washington, D.C. research facility. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Among the holdings of the Archives of American Art are an oral history interview with Tibor de Nagy, March 29, 1976 conducted by Paul Cummings; the John Bernard Myers papers (which do not contain documentation of his work at the gallery); and the Watson/de Nagy Houston gallery records available only on microfilm, a small portion of which may also be duplicated in the original records described in this finding aid.
This series includes business records, some financial records, and correspondence with business partners of the gallery including clients, colleagues, other galleries and museums, institutions, corporations, and publications. These materials reflect the ongoing business of the gallery from its foundation until Tibor de Nagy's death in 1993.
Arranged as 5 subseries:
Business correspondence with other art galleries, museums, university galleries and museums, corporations, and historical organizations. Enclosures document the transfer of artworks, either through purchase or loan, including invoices, contracts, agreements, photographs and shipping receipts. Correspondents include the Museum of Modern Art, Art Dealers Association, The National Institute of Arts and Letters, United States Information Agency, The Hirshhorn Museum, and foreign galleries.
Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College
Correspondence between the gallery and various customers and clients interested in specific artworks or artists as well as curators and other gallery owners. Documents include purchase invoices, inquiries, shipping receipts, and photographs. Correspondents include Pauli Hirsch, Jacqueline Kennedy, Charles Penney, Nelson Rockefeller, as well as Tricia Collins and Richard Milazzo.
Merrill, James
Correspondence and records regarding publication advertisements and publicity for the gallery. Enclosures include price lists and mock-ups of ads, as well as mailing lists and clippings. Some articles and brief essays about the gallery and upcoming exhibitions are also included. Publications and periodicals include the New York Times, Art International, Harper's Bazaar, and radio station WNCN 104.3.
Records and correspondence reflecting the day-to-day operations of the gallery and business procedures. Included are leases and construction documents for the various premises occupied by the gallery such as floor plans, maintenance, transfers, renovations and restoration. Other documents include employment records and resumes, an incorporation memo, insurance documentation and appraisals, security systems, a visitors book, and orders for framing artworks.
Oversized material housed in OV 46.
Artists' Contracts, Sample Forms
Incorporation Memo
Various correspondence about day to day operations and inquiries, as well as miscellaneous correspondence and mailing lists.
Arranged chronologically, then by general alphabetical order, followed by mailing lists. Mailing lists are physically arranged as the cartons and folders best fit within the box.
This series documents various exhibitions held at the Gallery as group shows, individual artist exhibitions, and retrospectives. Exhibition materials include clippings and research materials, exhibition catalogs, exhibit and gallery plans, correspondence, and photographs, including some in digital format. Some loan agreements and shipping receipts are also included.
Arranged chronologically by date of exhibition.
"Homage to Antonio Machado" (1966)
"Homage to Antonio Machado" (1966)
"Homage to Antonio Machado" (1966)
Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts, Benefit Show of Drawings (1965-1966)
Group Show (1968)
"Abstract / Issues" (1985)
"Abstract / Issues" (1985)
These files comprise both daily business materials and collected information on artists. Typically, there are several files on each artist which may include announcements, biographies, business (including consignment, loans, and sales), catalogs, correspondence, photographic material, publicity, and reviews. Among the material on Walter Darby Bannard are three metal printing plates. Some of the more extensively covered artists include Rosemarie Castoro, Ray Ciarrocchi, Robert Goodnough, Harold Gregor, Red Grooms (including a transcript of "A Conversation with Marison and Red Grooms"), Joyce Kozloff, Peter Reginato, Tony Robbin, Leatrice Rose, and Nancy Witteman-Widrig.
Arranged alphabetically by artists' name.
Blaine, Nell
Castoro, Rosemarie - General, Invoices
Castoro, Rosemarie - Announcements and Catalogs
Castoro, Rosemarie - Announcements and Catalogs
Castoro, Rosemarie - Correspondence
Castoro, Rosemarie - Correspondence
Castoro, Rosemarie - Slides
Oversized material housed in OV 46.
De Kooning, Elaine
Freilicher, Jane
Goodnough, Robert - Articles By and About
Oversized material housed in OV 46.
Goodnough, Robert - Bio, General
Goodnough, Robert - Business
Goodnough, Robert - Correspondence
Oversized material housed in OV 46.
Hartigan, Grace
Hughto, Darryl, Biographical Information
Hughto, Darryl, Correspondence
Hughto, Darryl, Correspondence
Hughto, Darryl, Exhibition Announcements and Clippings
Hughto, Darryl, Photographs and Negatives
Hughto, Darryl, Slides of Artwork
Oversized material housed in OV 46.
Motherwell, Robert
Pollock, Jackson
Porter, Fairfield
Oversized material housed in OV 46
Rivers, Larry - Information, Invoices, Billing, Business Correspondence
Rivers, Larry - Business Correspondence and Larry Rivers Correspondence
Rivers, Larry - Legal Proceedings, Marlborough, De Nagy, and Rivers, Correspondence
Rivers, Larry - Photocopied Correspondence with Larry Rivers
Rivers, Larry - Clippings and Publicity
Rivers, Larry - Announcements, Catalogs, and Photographic Material
Materials include mostly incomplete runs of billing procedures and statements, expenses and cash disbursements, paid and unpaid invoices, and sales and shipping receipts. There are also files on accountants used by the gallery, as well as legal actions including a lawsuit involving its landlord and other tenants, as well as a discrepancy of the gallery's name similar to another gallery.
Inventory records consist primarily of index cards and/or sheets that document stock, consignments, loans, sales, and shipping. Information on the inventory cards often includes artwork titles and description; inventory numbers; dates received, loaned, returned to artist, and sold; purchaser's names; some exhibition dates; prices; and notes of expressions of interest by clients. The most heavily represented artists include Rosemarie Castoro, Ray Ciarrocchi, Jane Freilicher, Robert Goodnough, Grace Hartigan, Joyce Kozloff, Rafael Mahdavi, Ann Purcell, Archie Rand, Peter Reginato, Larry Rivers, Richard Tum Suden, and Jane Wilson. Additionally, there is some material on the Houston branch gallery; additional Houston branch records are arranged in series 6.
Arranged into 4 subseries based on subject groupings:
Artist cards documenting artworks held by the gallery by artist. Information on cards include title, price, date, size, media, exhibition dates, loans, and occasionally the names of clients.
1950s Artists, Hartigan
Castoro, Rosemarie; Chiriani, Richard
Hughto, Darryl
Park, Darragh
Utterback, Robin
These cards document artworks that were returned to the artist and no longer in the gallery's possession. Information on cards may include title, date, size, media, date received and date returned.
These cards document artworks that were sold by the gallery. Information on the cards may include title, date, media, date purchased, customer/buyer name, price sold, and date shipped.
Gross, Holland, Hudson, Hughto, Hunter
Utterback, Wisseman-Widrig
Records and cards documenting clients, collectors, consignments, and loans. Materials may include information such as client or collector name, their artistic interests, exhibition information, as well as loan agreements and shipping receipts. Also included are general inventory logs.
Houston branch records include announcements, clippings, correspondence, financial information including consignments, income, invoices, and statements, photographs, publicity materials and a research file on Houston art museums.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Exhibition announcements promote the gallery's exhibitions for artists including Joe Brainard, Shirley Jaffe, Fairfield Porter, Rosemarie Castoro, Alfred Leslie, and many others.