Claire Falkenstein papers, circa 1914-1997, bulk 1940-1990

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A Finding Aid to the Claire Falkenstein Papers, circa 1914-1997, bulk 1940-1990, in the Archives of American Art, by Diana Shenk

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Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Getty Foundation.

Table of Contents:

• Biographical Information
• Overview of the Collection
• How to Use the Collection
• Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Biographical Information

Claire Falkenstein (1908-1997) spent the majority of her life working as an artist, sculptor, jewelry designer, teacher, and writer in California.

Claire Falkenstein was born in 1908 and grew up in Coos Bay, Oregon. In 1920, Falkenstein and her family moved to Berkeley, California, where she attended high school and then college at the University of California at Berkeley, studying philosophy, anthropology, and art. She graduated in 1930. Falkenstein had her first solo show at the East-West Gallery in San Francisco in 1930, the only member of her class to have an exhibition before graduation.

During the early 1930s, Falkenstein studied at Mills College with modernist sculptor Alexander Archipenko. There she also met Bauhaus artists Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Gyorgy Kepes. Falkenstein married her high school sweetheart, Richard McCarthy in 1936.

In 1944, Falkenstein had her first New York exhibition at the Bonestall Gallery. At that time, Falkenstein's primary mediums were stone and wood. However, she became increasingly experimental with new materials that included sheet aluminum, Cor-Ten steel, glass, plastics, and welded wire rods while maintaining a connection to organic and natural forms. Her work in jewelry design was an outlet for exploring these new materials, forms, and techniques on a small scale. As her work grew physically larger, so did her recognition and it was her work in sculpture that won her a faculty appointment at the California School of Fine Arts from 1947-1949. It was here that she met Patricia and Clyfford Still, Hassel Smith, and Richard Diebenkorn.

In 1948, Falkenstein was invited to exhibit at the Salon des Realites Nouvelle in Paris, her first European show. She eventually moved to Europe in 1950 and had studios in Paris, Venice, and Rome. While in Europe, Falkenstein executed a number of large scale commissions, including the stair screen for Galerie Stadler (1955), grotto gates for Princess Pignatelli's villa in Rome (1957), and the bronze, steel, and the glass gate at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice (1961). While in Paris, she became acquainted with noted art critic Michel Tapie, with whom she maintained a life-long friendship.

During the 1940s and 1950s Falkenstein was a regular contributor to Arts and Architecture magazine, most often writing the "Art Comments from San Francisco" section. While in Paris, she also wrote a column on art news for the New York Herald Tribune.

Falkenstein returned to the United States in 1962, eventually renovating a studio space in Venice, California. It was here that she conceived her largest commissions. In 1965, Falkenstein received a commission from the California Savings and Loan to create a sculpture for a large fountain at the front of the bank in downtown Los Angeles. The copper tube fountain, entitled "Structure and Flow #2," was the first of many large scale public art commissions that Falkenstein completed during her years in California. Her most important commission in the United States, completed in 1969, was for the doors, rectory gates and grills and stained-glass windows for St. Basil's Church on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. The eight doors and fifteen rectory screens, including 80 foot high windows in the nave, were an expansion of the "never ending screen" concept that Falkenstein executed with the Pignatelli commission in Rome. She continued to use this motif in her work throughout her career.

Claire Falkenstein worked as an arts instructor, visiting artist, and guest lecturer at many colleges, workshops, and schools in California. Her first position was at Mills College from 1946-1947. Shortly thereafter, she was appointed to the faculty at the California School of Fine Arts and later taught in the Extension Divisions of the University of California, Berkeley. She taught classes at California State Polytechnic University, California State University at Davis, and the Anna Head School. Falkenstein also taught art at the Pond Farm Workshops in California, and lectured at numerous colleges and museums. She served on many juried art shows in Southern California.

Falkenstein was acquainted with many artists, writers, instructors, collectors, gallery owners, and critics. Close friends included Esther and Bob Robles, Clyfford and Patricia Still, Michel Tapie, Allan Temko, Mark Tobey, Frans Wildenhain, and other notable figures in the art world.

Falkenstein continued to complete large scale private and public commissioned sculptures during the 1960s through the 1980s, including work for the University of Southern California, Hyland Biological Laboratory, California State University at Dominquez Hills and the California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Throughout her career, Falkenstein's work was featured in numerous exhibitions across the country. Her sculpture and other artwork can be found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Coos Art Museum, Harvard University Art Museum, University of Southern California Fisher Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Tate Gallery.

Falkenstein died in 1997 at the age of 89.

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Overview of the Collection

Scope and Contents

The papers of sculptor, painter, jewelry designer, and teacher Claire Falkenstein measure 42.8 linear feet and date from 1917 to her death in 1997. There is extensive correspondence with fellow artists, collectors, critics, friends, museums, and galleries. The collection also contains biographical materials, much of it collected and organized by Falkenstein, personal and business records, writings, diaries, exhibition files, commission files, teaching files, photographs, original artwork, scrapbooks, and printed materials. There is a short motion picture film of an interview with Falkenstein featuring the windows she designed for St. Basil's Church in Los Angeles.

Biographical material includes appointment calendars, awards and honorary degrees, interview transcripts, passports, resumes, wills, and scrapbooks. Scrapbooks were compiled by Falkenstein and focus primarily on her exhibitions at the Galerie Stadler and Gallery Meyer in 1959 and 1960. Also of interest are the "biography files" created and arranged by Falkenstein. These files contain material that she personally felt was the most important in documenting her activities each year. They include correspondence, exhibition catalogs, printed material, and invitations.

Measuring nine linear feet, correspondence is extensive and comprehensively documents Falkenstein's work, social life, relationships, and other business and personal activities. Correspondence dates from 1941 to 1997 and includes business letters and correspondence with friends and family. Her communications with friends, family, clients, gallery owners, collectors, museums, publishers, foundations, and grant agencies reveal many of her ideas and techniques. Individual correspondents include Ray Green, Peggy Guggenheim, Katherine Kuh, May O'Donnell, Ken Sawyer, Clyfford and Pat Still, Michel Tapie, Allan Temko, Mark Tobey, and Frans Wildenhain. Gallery and museum correspondence is with the San Francisco Museum of Art, Coos Art Museum, Los Angeles Museum of Art, Galerie Stadler (Paris), Gallery Mayer (Paris), Malvina Miller (New York), Martha Jackson Gallery (New York), Jack Rutberg Fine Arts (Los Angeles), Galerie Anderson-Mayer (Paris), and Bolles Gallery. Correspondence is also found in the Commission Files and Exhibition Files.

Personal and business records contain a wide variety of material documenting Falkenstein's business, financial, legal, professional, and personal transactions. Files are found for sales and prices, art inventories, smaller jewelry commissions, her work as a juror, her business with galleries, legal affairs and contracts, expenses, records of arts organizations to which she belonged, conferences, grants and fellowships, studio and house renovations, her Paris studio and Paris expenses, travel, donations, loans and consignments, conservation, art shipping, insurance, and taxes. Oversized visitor's logs contain comments from visitors to Falkenstein's studio in Venice, California.

Falkenstein maintained comprehensive documentation of her exhibitions from her first exhibition in the 1930s to the last one at the Merging One Gallery in 1996. Files include both a chronological record and individual record for nearly all of her exhibitions. Found with the files are correspondence, photographs, loan and shipping records, catalogs, announcements, clippings, articles, and other records. Most of the photographs related to exhibitions are found in the Photographs Series. The files for exhibitions at the Fresno Art Museum, Martha Jackson Gallery and Jack Rutberg Fine Art Gallery are particularly rich.

Commission files document nearly all of Falkenstein's public and private large-scale projects and often contain a visual record of the work, as well as correspondence, design notes, contracts, and expense reports. There is documentation of the St. Basils Church windows in Los Angeles; the Peggy Guggenheim gate in Venice, Italy; and the fountain at the California Savings and Loan, in Los Angeles; and many others. There is also a chronological record of her commissions. The bulk of the photographs of commissions are found in the Photograph series. Also, most of Falkenstein's jewelry design commissions are found in the Personal and Business Records series.

Falkenstein's work as a prolific writer, particularly in the 1940s and 1950s, is well-documented here through her numerous published articles in Arts and Architecture magazine, and the New York Herald-Tribune. Her work for Arts and Architecture was primarily written for the "Art Comments from San Francisco" section. She was living in Paris when she contributed an art news column to the New York Herald-Tribune. Also found here are five diaries and one journal dating from circa 1929-1978. The entries are inconsistent and concern mostly travel. The diaries from 1929 and 1934 are more personal. Falkenstein also maintained extensive notes and notebooks about artwork ideas, observations about art, research, and even drafts of letters. There are also many notes about various topics, including art and class notes. Additional writings are eclectic and cover a wide range of topics, including music, poetry, the script for Falkestein's film entitled Touching the Quick, and drafts of her unpublished book on murals. A handful of writings by others are found, most with annotations by Falkenstein.

Teaching files include Falkenstein's numerous lectures given while teaching at Mills College, Pond Farm Workshops, and California School of Fine Arts, and various symposiums and conferences. Also found are lesson plans, contracts, scattered correspondence, and notes. The files on her tenure at the Pond Farm Workshops are particularly interesting, with notes about her fellow teacher Frans Wildenhain and correspondence with workshop owners, Jane and Gordon Herr.

There are extensive photographs of Falkenstein, her family and friends, colleagues, commissions, exhibitions, and works of art. Included are many images of Falkenstein, of Falkenstien with her art, of Falkentstien working, and of Falkenstein's studio. There are numerous photographs of Falkenstein with friends, family, and colleagues in social or work settings. Also found are photographs of exhibition openings, installation views, and works of art exhibited. Additional photographs document Falkenstein's commissions, including images of her at work. Additional images of commissions may also be found in the Commission Series, but the bulk are filed here. There are numerous photographs of Falkenstein's works of art, including drawings, sculpture, jewelry, murals, lamps, and ceramics.

Falkenstein's papers include a large amount of sketches, sketchbooks, and drawings. Many of the sketches and drawings relate to her ideas about commissions and large sculpture, jewelry designs, and general sketches. Sketches are also found in the Commission Files. Also included are drawings by Mark Tobey and Michel Tapie, and others.

Finally, printed materials include general exhibition catalogs, newspapers clippings, and clippings of articles by and about Falkenstein. Also included are books that have been inscribed and signed by the author.

Arrangement and Series Description

The collection is arranged into 9 series:

• Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1934-1997 (Box 1-4, 41; 4.3 linear feet)
• Series 2: Correspondence, 1931-1997 (Box 5-13; 9 linear feet)
• Series 3: Personal and Business Records, 1936-1997 (Box 14-17, 41, 46-49; 4.2 linear feet)
• Series 4: Exhibitions, 1930-1996 (Box 18-21, 42, OV 50; 3.3 linear feet)
• Series 5. Commissions, 1930-1992 (Box 21-22, OV 50-54 ; 2.0 linear feet)
• Series 6: Writings, circa 1929-1993 (Box 22-26, 42, 55; 4.6 linear feet)
• Series 7: Teaching Files, 1929-1995 (Box 26; .8 linear feet)
• Series 8: Photographs, circa 1917-1997 (Box 27-35, 43, 55-56; 9.5 linear feet)
• Series 9: Artwork, circa 1937-1995 (Box 36-37, 44, 57; 2.0 linear feet)
• Series 10: Printed Materials, circa 1914-1990 (Box 37-40, 45, 58; 3.9 linear feet)

Subjects and Names

Provenance

The Claire Falkenstein papers were donated in 1997 by Steffan Wacholtz and Nancy Kendall, trustees for the Claire Falkenstein Trust.

Separated and Related Materials

The Archives of American Art also holds two oral history interviews with Claire Falkenstein. The interview on April 13, 1965 was conducted by Betty Hoag and the one on March 2 and 21, 1995 was conducted by Paul Karlstrom.

How the Collection was Processed

The collection was processed by Diana Shenk in 2009 with funding provided by The Getty Foundation.

How to Use the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Ownership & Literary Rights

The Claire Falkenstein papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

How to Cite this Collection

Claire Falkenstein papers, circa 1914-1997, bulk 1940-1990. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1934-1997 (Box 1-4, 41; 4.3 linear ft.)

Biographical files include resumes, interviews, address books, awards, calendars, legal and travel documents, scrapbooks, and additional "biography files" compiled by Falkenstein. While other series provide specific information about Falkenstein's life and career, material in this series offers users a good overview of the highlights of her career as an artist and teacher.

Biographical Materials are arranged into three subseries:

• 1.1: General Biographical Files, 1934-1997
• 1.2: Scrapbooks, 1943-1982
• 1.3: "Biography Files," 1943-1982

1.1: General Biographical Files, 1934-1997

This subseries contains awards, honorary degrees, interviews, passports, resumes, appointment calendars, and address books. The appointment calendars, resumes, and interviews document Falkenstein's busy schedule and focus on making her art accessible to the public. The short interview on motion picture film is particularly interesting as she talks about her ideas for the window design at St. Basil's Church.

The files are arranged alphabetically by type of material and then chronologically by date.

1.2: Scrapbooks, 1950-1989

Falkenstein compiled scrapbooks covering a wide range of her activities, including career highlights, specific exhibitions, writings, ideas and inspirations, and travel. They contain exhibition catalogs, reviews, articles, photographs, invitations, and congratulatory letters. The exhibition scrapbooks are particularly complete and the Galerie Stadler and Gallery Meyer scrapbooks include numerous photographs of the exhibition openings. The scrapbook on artwork ideas contains photographs, short descriptions, clippings, and rough sketches for future projects.

Scrapbooks are arranged in chronological order; oversized scrapbooks are housed separately.

1.3: Biography Files, 1943-1982

This subseries consists of "biography files" created and arranged by Falkenstein. The files document activities and projects that she felt best reflected her career accomplishments. They highlight exhibitions, commissions, teaching and lectures, writings for art journals, and grant awards. Of particular interest are the press reviews for Falkenstein's public commissions and exhibitions.

These files are arranged in chronological order.

Series 2: Correspondence, 1931-1997 (Box 5-13; 9 linear feet)

There is extensive correspondence with friends, family, galleries, clients, museums, collectors, and writers. The files contain original incoming correspondence and duplicate copies of outgoing correspondence, some with several drafts. Correspondence concerns many family, personal, and art-related topics and work, including upcoming exhibitions, commissions, art news, and her life and work in Paris. Correspondence with family members includes her husband Richard McCarthy and sister Helen Bickle. Correspondence with her husband offers details about her life in Paris from 1951 to 1960. Correspondence with her friend Myrtle Wolf is particularly extensive. Some letters contain enclosures, such as photographs, clippings, and nnouncements. Correspondence with clients, for both public and private commissions, may also include contracts, invoices, and expense reports, and should be consulted with the commission files which also contain correspondence. Additional correspondence is also found in the personal and business records series and the exhibitions series.

Additional named correspondents include Carla Accardi, Jean Arp, Anne Baxter, Jae Carmichael, Olive Cowell, Zoe Dusanne, Garrett Eckbo, Sam Francis, Ray Green, Peggy Guggenheim, Katherine Kuh, Frank Lobdell, Sybil Moholy-Nagy, Grace Morley, Berto Morucchio, May O'Donnell, Joanna and Gifford Philips, Ken Sawyer, Gertrude Shurr, Darthea Spayer, Clyfford and Pat Still, Michel Tapie, Antonio Tapies, Allan Temko, Mark Tobey, June Wayne, Wilhelm Wessel, Frans Wildenhain, among many others.

Gallery and museum correspondence is with Anderson Gallery, Bolles Gallery, Coos Art Museum, Galerie Anderson-Mayer (Paris), Galerie Stadler (Paris), Gallery Mayer (Paris), Jack Rutberg Fine Arts (Los Angeles), Los Angeles Museum of Art, Malvina Miller (New York), Martha Jackson Gallery (New York), Otto Seligman Gallery, Polly Friedlander Gallery, and the San Francisco Museum of Art, among many others. This series also contains postcards and Christmas cards.

Outgoing letters are arranged first in chronological order, followed by incoming letters arranged alphabetically by name correspondent. Miscellaneous files for each letter of the alphabet contain single letters from each correspondent. Christmas cards and postcards are arranged at the end of the series.

Series 3: Personal and Business Records, 1936-1997 (Box 14-17, 41, 46-49; 4.2 linear feet)

Personal and business records contain a wide variety of material documenting Falkenstein's business, financial, legal, professional, and personal transactions. Files are found for sales and prices of artwork, artwork inventories, smaller jewelry commissions, speaking engagements, her extensive work as a juror, her business with galleries, legal affairs and contracts, expenses, records of arts organizations to which she belonged, conferences, grants and fellowships, studio and house renovations, her Paris studio and Paris expenses, travel, donations, loans and consignments, conservation, art shipping, insurance, and taxes. The records provide detailed information on her business relationships with several galleries. The renovation files document Falkenstein's conversion of her house into a living space with working studio. Oversized visitor's logs contain comments from visitors to Falkenstein's studio in Venice, California.

The files are arranged alphabetically by subject and folder contents are arranged chronologically.

Series 4: Exhibitions, 1930-1996 (Box 18-21, 42, OV 50; 3.3 linear feet)

Falkenstein maintained comprehensive documentation of her exhibitions from her first exhibition in the 1930s to the last one at the Merging One Gallery in 1996. Files include both a chronological record and individual record for nearly all of her exhibitions. Found with the files are correspondence, photographs, loan and shipping records, catalogs, announcements, clippings, articles, and other records.

The files for exhibitions at the Fresno Art Museum, Martha Jackson Gallery and Jack Rutberg Fine Art Gallery are particularly rich and often personal. Correspondence within the files is particularly interesting as it often provides her own and sometimes her friends' reviews.

The files are arranged first by general exhibitions in chronological order and then alphabetically by individual exhibition. There is some duplication between the two groups of files. Within each folder, contents are arranged chronologically by date. Most of the photographs related to exhibitions are found in the Photographs Series.

Series 5: Commissions, 1930-1992 (Box 21-22, OV 50-54; 2 linear feet)

Commission files document nearly all of Falkenstein's public and private large-scale projects and often contain a visual record of the work, as well as correspondence, design notes, contracts, and expense reports. The files are arranged by general commission files, followed by individual projects, both public and private. The general commission files contain documentation on requests for commission work that was not completed, commission submissions that were not accepted, and publicity material.

Individual commission project files provide rich documentation on Falkenstein's many commissioned art works, with particular emphasis on the World War II murals; Peggy Guggenheim gates in Venice; the screens, windows and doors at St. Basils Church in Los Angeles; the fountain at California Federal Savings and Loan; and sculptures at California State University, University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California. These detailed files include correspondence, contracts, expense estimates and reports, invoices, designs, sketches, and photographs.

The bulk of the photographs of commissions are found in the Photograph series. Also, most of Falkenstein's jewelry design commissions are found in the Personal and Business Records series. Additional correspondence and other materials related to commissions are found in the Correspondence series and Personal and Business Records.

The files are arranged first by general commissions in chronological order and then alphabetically by individual commissions. Within each folder, contents are arranged chronologically by date.

Series 6: Writings, circa 1929-1993 (Box 22-26, 42, 55; 4.6 linear feet)

Falkenstein's work as a prolific writer, particularly in the 1940s and 1950s, is well-documented here through her numerous published articles in Arts and Architecture magazine, and the New York Herald-Tribune. Her work for Arts and Architecture was primarily written for the "Art Comments from San Francisco" section. She was living in Paris when she contributed an art news column to the New York Herald-Tribune.

Also found here are five diaries and one journal dating from circa 1929-1978. The entries are inconsistent and concern mostly travel. The diaries from 1929 and 1934 are more personal. Falkenstein also maintained extensive notes and notebooks about artwork ideas, observations about art, research, and even drafts of letters. There are also many notes about various topics, including art and class notes. Additional writings are eclectic and cover a wide range of topics of interest to Falkenstein, including music, poetry, the script for Falkestein's film entitled Touching the Quick and drafts of her unpublished book on murals. A handful of writings by others are found, most with annotations by Falkenstein.

Writings are arranged into 5 subseries:

• 6.1: Published Articles, 1948-1958
• 6.2: Diaries and Journals, 1929-1978
• 6.3: Notes and Notebooks, circa 1930-1989
• 6.4: Other Writings By Falkenstein, circa 1929-1993
• 6.5: Writings By Others, circa 1938-1972

6.1: Published Articles, 1948-1958

This subseries contains published articles, the majority of which were written for the "Art Comments from San Francisco" section of Arts and Architecture magazine. The files contain drafts and notes for the articles, copies of the published material, and correspondence with editors. When Falkenstein moved to Paris in the early 1950s, she supplemented her income by writing a column on art news for the New York Herald Tribune. These articles are also found here.

Files are arranged alphabetically by publication and then chronologically by date. File contents are arranged chronologically.

6.2: Diaries and Journals, 1929-1978

Diaries are not complete and are limited. Most of the volumes focus on travel, with observations about art and architecture, visits with friends, and her efforts to work on her art while traveling. The diaries from 1929 and 1934 contain more personal entries about love and relationships.

6.3: Notes and Notebooks, circa 1930-1989

Throughout her life, Falkenstein maintained files containing notes about events in her life, including ideas and plans for her artwork; observations about meetings, exhibitions, commissions, and lectures; lists of art supply purchases; research notes; and reminders about upcoming activites. Some files contain drafts of letters.

6.4: Other Writings by Falkenstein, circa 1929-1993

Eclectic writings by Falkenstein are mostly unpublished, beginning with her writings as an undergraduate at UC, Berkeley and ending with her observations about her artwork in the 1990s. Travel notes are not diary entries but more formal writings about tours Falkenstein organized in France and Italy. Of particular interest are the poetry and music files which document Falkenstein's wide range of artistic endeavors. This subseries also contains notes and the script for Falkestein's film entitled Touching the Quick and drafts of her unpublished book on murals. The observations on her artwork contain notes and more formal writings on specific pieces of sculpture.

The files are arranged by type of material. File contents are arranged chronologically.

6.5: Writings by Others, circa 1938-1972

This subseries contains writings by other authors, most of which contain annotations by Falkenstein. Of particular interest is a signed handwritten document in French by Francis Picabia.

The files are arranged chronologically by date.

Series 7: Teaching, 1929-1995 (Box 26; .8 linear feet)

This series documents Falkenstein's long career as a teacher and lecturer with correspondence, contracts, and notes on her many lecture engagements at schools, galleries, museums, and art associations. The remaining files document Falkenstein's teaching positions, including her first position at Mills College in California from 1946-1947. These files include lesson plans and notes, contracts, and correspondence. The files on her tenure at the Pond Farm Workshops are particularly interesting, with notes about her fellow teacher Frans Wildenhain and correspondence with workshop owners, Jane and Gordon Herr.

Series 8: Photographs, circa 1890-1997 (Box 27-35, 43, 55-56; 9.5 linear feet)

There are extensive photographs of Falkenstein, her family and friends, colleagues, commissions, exhibitions, and works of art. These images provide an exhaustive visual inventory of her art from her first wood sculptures to her last commission at California State University, Dominiquez Hills in 1986. Included are many images of Falkenstein, of Falkenstien with her art, of Falkentstien working, and of Falkenstein's studio. There are numerous photographs of Falkenstein with friends, family, and colleagues in social or work settings. Also found are photographs of exhibition openings, installation views, and works of art exhibited. Additional photographs document Falkenstein's commissions, including images of her at work. Other images of commissions may also be found in the Commissions series, but the bulk are filed here. There are numerous photographs of Falkenstein's individual works of art, including drawings, sculpture, jewelry, murals, lamps, and ceramics.

Photographs are arranged into 8 subseries:

• 8.1: Falkenstein, circa 1920-1997
• 8.2: Falkenstein with Family and Friends, 1933-1997
• 8.3: Family and Friends,circa 1890-1997
• 8.4: Travel, 1935-1978
• 8.5. Commissions, 1944-1995
• 8.6: Exhibitions, 1941-1995
• 8.7: Works of Art, circa 1935-1995
• 8.8: Miscellaneous, 1933-1995

8.1: Falkenstein, 1974-1991

Photographs of Falkenstein are arranged into 3 subsubseries:

• 8.1.1: Single Images, circa 1920-1997
• 8.1.2: Working, circa 1946-1997
• 8.1.3: Studio and House, 1965-1997

8.1.1: Single Images, circa 1920-1997

These files contain single images of Falkenstein, including several photographs taken a few months before her death in 1997. The self-portraits are photographs of drawings Falkenstein made of herself using an old photograph as a guide.

8.1.2: Working, circa 1946-1997

These files contain photographs of Falkenstein with her works of art, both posed shots with artwork as well as more informal shots of her working in her California and Paris studios.

8.1.3: Studios and House, 1965-1997

Throughout much of her career, Falkenstein maintained studios in California and Paris. These files capture both spaces. In the early 1960s, Falkenstein purchased waterfront property in Venice, California and created living quarters with an attached studio large enough to work on her sculptures. She renovated the space again in the late 1980s. Photographs here capture this space.

8.2: Falkenstein with Family and Friends, 1933-1997

This subseries contains images of Falkestein with her family, friends, and colleagues. They include both identified and unidentified individuals posing with Falkenstein. Many images are group shots taken at dinners, parties, or outings. Of particular interest are the images of Falkenstein with her friend, Michel Tapie. The files also contain early images of Falkenstein with her husband, Richard McCarthy

8.3: Family and Friends, circa 1890-1997

This subseries contains images of Falkenstein's family, friends, and colleagues. She is not present in the majority of these photographs. Several images from the 1890s to the 1920s are included in this subseries but they are largely unidentified. Of particular interest are the images of Falkenstein's good friend, May O'Donnell, a dancer and choreographer who studied with Martha Graham. There are also images of Mark Tobey and Michel Tapie.

8.4: Travel, 1935-1978

The majority of these files document Falkenstein's many trips to Europe. The general travel files contain unidentified snapshots, probably of Falkenstein's trip to Mexico with her husband in the 1930s.

8.5: Commissions, 1944-1995

The photographs in this subseries are a visual complement to the textual records in the commission series. They include images of project construction, as well as photographs of the completed commissions. Photographs of one of Falkenstein's first public fountain commissions, "Structure and Flow #2" at California Federal Savings and Loan, are particularly extensive and include installation photographs. In 1995, the fountain was dismantled and the copper parts were stolen. Images of the deteriorating fountain are also included in these files. In addition, the subseries contains photographs of the gates that Falkenstein designed and built for Peggy Guggenheim's villa in Venice.

St. Basil Church, the largest commission of Falkenstein's career is also documented in this subseries.

The files are arranged alphabetically by commission.

8.6: Exhibitions, 1941-1995

Photographs of exhibitions include openings, installations, artwork, and exhibition sites. Of particular interest are the photographs from Falkenstein's many exhibitions at the San Francisco Museum of Art from 1941 to 1958. These files document Falkenstein's first exhibitions and contain many images of her early sculptures.

8.7: Works of Art, circa 1935-1995

This subseries reflects Falkenstein's extensive visual documentation of her artwork. The files include photographs of the majority of her pieces, including sculpture, drawings, paintings, murals, jewelry, lamps, wallpaper. For the most part, these are images of the artwork only.

Photographs of identified single art pieces are filed at the beginning of the subseries, followed by media specific files in alphabetically order. The general files, both identified and unidentified works of art, are filed at the end of the subseries.

8.8: Miscellaneous, 1933-1995

This subseries contains an eclectic mix of images, including reference photographs for future art projects, photographs of students and their artwork, and miscellaneous images of glass blowing and casting.

Series 9: Artwork, circa 1937-1995 (Box 36-37, 44, 57; 2.0 linear feet)

The majority of artwork consists of Falkenstein's sketchbooks, especially from the 1970s and 1980s when she returned to drawing. Also found here are preliminary sketches of specific projects, i including the Princess Pignatelli Gates and the Predator sculpture series. Artwork by other artists includes sketches by Mark Tobey.

The sketchbooks are first arranged chronologically, followed by specific media. Works of art by others are found at the end of the series.

Series 10: Printed Materials, circa 1914-1990 (Box 37-40, 45, 58; 3.9 linear feet)

This series contains a fairly complete set of catalogs, announcements, and newspaper clippings, all documenting Falkenstein exhibitions and other activities. Also included are several copies of View, an American art and literary magazine published from 1940 to 1947. The books in this series are either inscribed by the author or signed and dated by Falkenstein.