TABLE OF CONTENTS
Collection Overview
Administrative Information
Historical Note
Scope and Content Note
Arrangement
Index Terms
Series Descriptions/Container Listing
Artist Files, circa 1958-1980
Dealers, Galleries and Museums, circa 1958-1980
Client Files, circa 1958-1980
Business Correspondence, 1959-1980
Financial Records, 1960-1981
Sales Catalogs, 1955-1979
Exhibition Catalogs, 1950-1978
Scrapbooks, 1958-1980
Posters, circa 1960s-1970s
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Associated American Artists
A Preliminary Finding Aid to the Associated American Artists Records, circa 1934-1981, in the Archives of American Art
by Barbara D. Aikens, Christina Lehman, and Emma Lincoln
June, 2005
Contact Information
- Reference Department
- Archives of American Art
- Smithsonian Institution
- Washington. D.C. 20560
- www.aaa.si.edu/askus
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Creator:
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Associated American Artists |
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Title:
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Associated American Artists records |
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Dates:
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circa 1934-1981 |
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Abstract:
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The records of the Associated American Artists measure 55 linear feet and date from circa 1934 through 1981. The organization was founded in 1934 to stimulate interest in prints throughout the United States by promoting the sale of prints through department stores and other venues. Later, other genres of works of art were added and the department store abandoned in favor of a New York headquarters. The records contain voluminous files on artists; dealers, galleries, and museums; and clients. Also found is business correspondence, financial records, sales and exhibition catalogs, thirteen dismantled scrapbooks, and posters. |
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Extent:
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55 linear feet |
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Language:
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The records are in English.
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Related Material
Related Associated American Artists' records loaned to the Archives and microfilmed on reels D254-D256 are available for interlibrary loan. Photocopies of correspondence between Grant Wood, Reeves Lewnthal, and Maurice Liederman of AAA were microfilmed on Reel 3176 and discarded.
Provenance
Records described in this finding aid were donated by the organization in the late 1970s through 1988. Related Associated American Artists' records were loaned to the Archives by Sylvan Cole and Adolf Dehn in 1965-1966 and microfilmed on reels D254-D256. Photocopies of correspondence between Grant Wood, Reeves Lewnthal, and Maurice Liederman of AAA were given to the Archives in 1974 by Mrs. Allan Kine and microfilmed on Reel 3176 and discarded.
Restrictions on Access
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C., facility.
Ownership and Literary Rights
The Associated American Artists records 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.
Preferred Citation
Associated American Artists records, circa 1934-1981. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Processing Information
The collection was processed by volunteers between 2003-2005.
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The Associated American Artists was created in 1934 with the mission of bridging the gap between artists and their audiences by making fine art affordable, accessible, and attractive for the general American public. The A.A.A. offered new editions of prints to collectors at very reasonable prices. This was accomplished by publishing limited-edition prints of etchings and lithographs by American artists that sold for as little as five dollars each. The organization commissioned original graphic art from many notable American artists, whose art often reflected or commented on the social ideas of the era. All lithographs and etchings were produced in editions ranging from 125 to 250 impressions. Between 1934 and 1945, the organization published more than 600 limited-edition prints. An early collaboration allowed the prints to be displayed and sold in fifty department stores nationwide. Later, the department stores were abandoned in favor of a headquarters in a gallery in New York City. By the 1950s, the organization began to design fabrics as well.
The organization was also notable for its innovative use of modern merchandising and advertising techniques to sell and introduce high-quality artwork to a broad audience. New products were introduced in newspaper articles and magazines that targeted both the public and professional trade audiences. Prints were also advertised on the back of periodicals, which introduced the art to an even wider audience across the country.
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The records of the Associated American Artists measure 55 linear feet and date from circa 1934 through 1981. They document the organization's work producing and selling limited-edition prints by American artists. The records contain voluminous files on artists; dealers, galleries, and museums; and clients. Also found is business correspondence, financial records, sales and exhibition catalogs, thirteen dismantled scrapbooks, and posters.
The dates of the records include the portion that was loaned to the Archives in 1965-1966 and microfilmed on reels D254-D256.
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This collection is indexed in the online catalog of the Archives of American Art under the following index terms. People, families and organizations are listed under "Names" when they are creators or contributors and under "Subjects" when they are the topic of collection contents.
Subjects-Topical:
- Art, American
- Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York
- Artists -- United States
- Art -- Marketing
Types of Materials:
Names:
- Lewenthal, Reeves, 1909-
- Liederman, Maurice J.
- Wood, Grant, 1891-1942
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The collection is arranged into 9 series:
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Series 1: Artist Files, circa 1958-1980 (Box 1-19; 18.5 linear feet)
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Series 2: Dealers, Galleries and Museums, circa 1958-1980 (Box 19-29; 10.5 linear feet)
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Series 3: Client Files, circa 1958-1980 (Box 29-48; 19 linear feet)
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Series 4: Business Correspondence, 1959-1980 (Box 48-49; 2 linear feet)
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Series 5: Financial Records, 1960-1981 (Box 50-51; 1 linear feet)
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Series 6: Sales Catalogs, 1955-1979 (Box 51-53; 2 linear feet)
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Series 7: Exhibition Catalogs, 1950-1978 (Box 54; 1 linear foot)
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Series 8: Scrapbooks, 1958-1980 (Box 55-57; 0.9 linear feet)
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Series 9: Posters, circa 1960s-1970s
Return to the Table of Contents
Series 1: Artist Files,
circa 1958-1980(Box 1-19; 18.5 linear feet)
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Alkara, Ovadia(2 folders) |
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Allen, Laura Jean(3 folders) |
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Altman, Harold(3 folders) |
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Altman, Herbert(5 folders) |
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Amsler, Mme. Despreaz Curley |
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Anderson, C.W.(2 folders) |
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Andrews, Benny(2 folders) |
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Antreasian, Garo (2 folders) |
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Anuskiewicz, Richard(2 folders) |
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Arms (Estate of), John Taylor(4 folders) |
Box
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| 3 |
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Bastin, Louis(2 folders) |
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Beecher, William Ward(3 folders) |
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Benson, Patricia(2 folders) |
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Binswanger - Soubes, Monique |
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Bradford, Howard(2 folders) |
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Breiger, Elaine(2 folders) |
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Breverman, Harvey(2 folders) |
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Bumbeck, David(2 folders) |
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Burkert, Robert(2 folders) |
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Calapai, Letterio(4 folders) |
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Camnitzer, Louis(2 folders) |
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Capraro, Vincent(2 folders) |
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Cariola, Robert(2 folders) |
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Christ-Janer, Albert(4 folders) |
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Clibanoff, Lynne(2 folders) |
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Colescott, Warrington(4 folders) |
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Consuegra, Hugo(2 folders) |
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Copeland, Lila(2 folders) |
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Copello, Francisco(2 folders) |
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Crawford, Marian G.(2 folders) |
Box
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Daskaloff, Georgi(2 folders) |
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De Diego, Julio(2 folders) |
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De Lamonica, Robert(2 folders) |
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De Quervain, Daniel(2 folders) |
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Deckard, John S.(2 folders) |
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Degroat, George(2 folders) |
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Delson, Elizabeth(2 Folders) |
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Demarais, Joseph(2 folders) |
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Dillemann, Danielle(2 folders) |
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Dobkin, Alexander(2 folders) |
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Donneson, Seena(2 folders) |
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Driesbach, David(3 folders) |
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Eagerton, Robert(2 folders) |
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Edmondson, Leonard(2 folders) |
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Farrell, Peggy Thurston(2 folders) |
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Feigen, Marsha(2 folders) |
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Feininger, Lyonel(3 folders) |
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Finkbeiner, David(2 folders) |
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(Fioravanti, Lionello Massa filed as Massa) |
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Fisher, Davira(2 folders) |
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Florsheim, Richard A.(1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of 8 folders) |
Box
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| 8 |
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Florsheim, Richard A.(6, 7, 8, of 8 folders) |
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Fukui, Nobumitso (2 folders) |
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Fumpston, Rodney (2 folders) |
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Gallagher, Michael and Katherine |
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Garchik, Morton(2 folders) |
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Gerardia, Helen(2 folders) |
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Gongora, Leonel(2 folders) |
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Goodman, Bertram(2 folders) |
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Gracia, Carmen(2 folders) |
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Grashow, James(2 folders) |
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Greenwood, Marion(4 folders) |
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Gross, Anthony(4 folders) |
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Hamaguchi, Yozo(2 folders) |
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Hasegawa, Shoichi(3 folders) |
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Heyman, Lawrence(2 folders) |
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Higa, Yoshiharu(2 folders) |
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Hildebrandt, June(2 folders) |
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Hobbie, Lucille (2 folders) |
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Issak, Nicholas(3 folders) |
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Jager, Bernard(2 folders) |
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Johnson, Margaret Kennard |
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Kaplan, Jerome(2 folders) |
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Kaplan, Stanley(2 folders) |
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Kawashima, Takeshi(2 folders) |
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Kent, Legacies (Rockwell Kent) |
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Kerslake, Kenneth A.(2 folders) |
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Kimball, Wilford W. Jr.(2 folders) |
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Kimura, Risaburo(2 folders) |
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Klabunde, Charles(2 folders) |
Box
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| 11 |
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Klein, Doris(3 folders) |
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Kleinholz, Frank(2 folders) |
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Kowalke, Ronald L.(2 folders) |
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Kuniyoshi, Utagawa(2 folders) |
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Kuniyoshi, Yasuo(2 folders) |
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Lacroix, Richard(2 folders) |
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Letendre, Rita(2 folders) |
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Lucioni, Luigi(4 folders) |
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Malone, Robert(2 folders) |
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Marsh, Reginald and Felicia (the estate of) |
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Martin, Stefan(2 folders) |
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Masarovsky, Gregory(2 folders) |
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Massa, Lionel Fioravanti(2 folders) |
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McCormick, Harry(2 folders) |
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McMillan, Stephen W.(2 folders) |
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Miller, Frances St. Clair |
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Miller, Michael(2 folders) |
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Moskowitz, Ira(2 folders) |
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Munakata, Shiko(3 folders) |
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Nelson, Robert A.(2 folders) |
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Niederstrasser, Katinka(2 folders) |
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O'Connell, Edward(2 folders) |
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O'Connor, Thom(2 folders) |
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Ochikubo, Tetsuo(2 folders) |
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Oeschger, Ramon E.(2 folders) |
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Osborne, Elizabeth (Marion Locks Gallery) |
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Perlmutter, Jack(2 folders) |
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Peters, Jurgen(2 folders) |
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Piza, Arthur Luiz(2 folders) |
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Poleskie, Steve(2 folders) |
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Potin, Jacques(2 folders) |
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Pozzatti, Rudy(2 folders) |
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Refregier, Anton(2 folders) |
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Reinhold, Nono(2 folders) |
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Righi, Federico(2 folders) |
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Romano, Umberto(2 folders) |
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Rosenthal, Seymour(2 folders) |
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Rothe, Gatja H.(2 folders) |
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Rubenstein, Lewis(2 folders) |
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Ruble, Ronald L.(2 folders) |
Box
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Misc. S(7 folders) |
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Saito, Kiyoshi(2 folders) |
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Schary, Emmanuel(2 folders) |
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Schreiber, Georges(2 folders) |
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Schwarz, Reiner(2 folders) |
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Sexauer, Donald(2 folders) |
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Sharp, William(3 folders) |
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Sheilds, Anne Kesler(2 folders) |
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Silverberg, David(2 folders) |
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Silverman, Mel(6 folders) |
Box
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Sinisca, Mario(2 folders) |
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Soyer, Raphael(3 folders) |
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Springer, Ferdinand(2 folders) |
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Stack, Frank H.(2 folders) |
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Stern, Rosalyn(2 folders) |
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Stone, Jeffrey Ingram(2 folders) |
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Suggs III, Eldridge(2 folders) |
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Sullivan, David(2 folders) |
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Szekessy, Karin(2 folders) |
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Taniguchi, Sigeru(2 folders) |
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Taplitz, Phyllis(2 folders) |
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Taubes, Frederic(3 folders) |
Box
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Thornton, Valerie(2 folders) |
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Toledo, Francisco(2 folders) |
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Tsurutani, Noboru(2 folders) |
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Tuteur, Jacqueline(2 folders) |
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Van Veen, Stuyvesant(2 folders) |
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Vieillard, Roger(2 folders) |
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Viesulas, Romas(2 folders) |
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Van Hoesen, Beth(2 folders) |
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Van Vliet, Claire(2 folders) |
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Von Wicht, John(3 folders) |
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Wales, Shirley(2 folders) |
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Walker, Kenneth H.(2 folders) |
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Winick, Lisa Mona Frances |
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Misc. Photos of Artists(2 folders) |
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Misc. Photographs and Slides of Works of Art |
Series 2: Dealers, Galleries and Museums,
circa 1958-1980(Box 19-29; 10.5 linear feet)
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