Dehner, Dorothy, b. 1901 d. 1994
Painter, Printmaker, SculptorNew York, N.Y. (Show Bio)
Dorothy Dehner papers, 1920-1987 (bulk 1951-1987)
4.4 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 8 reels)
Reel(s): D298-D298A, 796, 829, 1269, 1372, 1472 and 3482
Papers include extensive correspondence, business and financial papers, writings, interviews, printed material, photographs, student papers, one item of art work, and scattered personal papers and material relating to her first husband sculptor David Smith.
Comprising a series of biographical material are interviews (mostly untranscribed), personal papers such as notes on Dehner's biography and career, list of things taken from Bolton Landing, recipes, and a wedding announcement for her stepdaughter, Abby Mann Thernstrom, and material relating to David Smith such as a copy of his last will and testament, a letter of introduction (dating from their trip to Europe in the mid-1930s), and a chronology of Smith's life.
Correspondence consists of numerous letters and enclosures concerning both professional and personal matters. Correspondents include artists, museums, galleries, art dealers, researchers, curators, friends, and relatives. Correspondence documents Dehner's various personal and professional relationships, the active role she played in promoting and exhibiting her art work, as well as the key role she played in fostering art historical research (on David Smith, herself, and other artists of her era), and her many other creative activities, including her various writing efforts.
Found amongst Dehner's business and financial papers are records relating to various galleries and/or exhibitions, including the Willard Gallery and exhibitions at the Philadelphia Art Alliance and Parsons-Dreyfuss Gallery, and to various projects, such as the Committee for the American Participation in the Triennale and the Great Southwest Industrial Park, as well as scattered records relating to personal business matters and finances, such as lists, tax records, authentication of art works, and sales agreements.
Dehner's writings include poems (including one dated from high school and drafts of ones published in Tracks), various pieces on John Graham (including versions of a memoir, which were published as a foreword to the re-issue of System and Dialectics of Art and as an article in Leonardo) and on David Smith (including articles on their first meeting and on Smith's 1940 work, "Medals for Dishonor"), lectures and speeches, and various pieces on art and other topics. Writings shed light on other aspects of Dehner's creativity and concern. Also included are writings of others, some of which shed light on Dehner's life and work.
Also found amongst Dehner's papers are printed material, including exhibition catalogs, announcements, and clippings (on herself and Smith, and to a limited extent, on other artists); photographs of Dehner, her second husband, Ferdinand Mann, John Graham, and various works of art, as well as an abstract photograph by David Smith, dating from circa 1934.
Two etchings. One, undated, is of portraits of artists done by one another on one etching plate. Artists include (left to right) top row: Lucille Corcos by Dehn
Location of Originals: Reels D298A, and 1472 and portions of reels D298 and 1269: Originals returned to Dorothy Dehner after microfilming.
Material on reels 796, 829, 1372, 3482, and unmicrofilmed material donated 1967-1987 by Dorothy Dehner. Material on reels D298-D298A, 1269 and 1372 were lent for microfilming 1967-1977 by Dehner. Most of the material on reel D298 was subsequently donated, except for photographs of Dehner and Smith, sketchbooks, and correspondence between Dehner and Smith. Most of the material on reel 1269 was also subsequently donated, except the sketchbooks, the inventory, and some printed material. All gift portions, microfilmed and unfilmed were processed and merged in 2005 under the Terra Foundation for American Art Digitization Grant.
How to Use this Collection
- Use requires an appointment.
- Microfilm reels D298-D298A, 796, 829, 1269, 1372, 1472 and 3482 available for use at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
- Please read the Finding Aid for more detailed information on this collection.
- For more information on using resources at the Archives of American Art, please visit our Ask Us page