A Finding Aid to the Ad Reinhardt Papers, 1927-1968, in the Archives of American Art


Collection Overview
	Creator:	Ad Reinhardt
	Title:	Ad Reinhardt papers
	Dates:	1927-1968
	Abstract:	The papers of Ad Reinhardt measure 3.8 linear feet and date from circa 1927 to 1968. The collection documents Reinhardt's career as an abstract painter, cartoonist, and writer through biographical material, correspondence, writings, printed material, scrapbooks, and artwork.
	Extent:	3.8 linear feet

Administrative Information

Provenance

The collection was donated in 1969 by Rita Reinhardt, Ad Reinhardt's widow. The Archives microfilmed most of the collection on Reels N69-99 to N69-104 upon receipt. At the same time, Ms. Reinhardt loaned additional notes, writings, correspondence, photographs of art work, and travel logs for microfilming on the same reels.

Processing Information

The collection received some processing shortly after it was donated in 1969 and prior to microfilming on Reels N69-99 - N69-104. Previously microfilmed and unmicrofilmed portions were merged, arranged, and described in accordance with archival standards by Erin Corley in 2006 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Preferred Citation

Ad Reinhardt papers, 1927-1968. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Alternative Forms Available

Portions of the collection are available on 35 mm microfilm reels N69-99 - N69-104 at Archives of American Art offices, and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the collection as described in this finding aid may not reflect the order of the collection on microfilm. Material loaned for microfilming, including additional notes, writings, correspondence, photographs of art work, and travel logs, is also available on the microfilm reels mentioned above. Loaned materials are not described in this finding aid.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.

Ownership and Literary Rights

The Ad Reinhardt 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.

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Index Terms
	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 "Subjects" when they are the topic of collection contents and under "Names" when they are creators or contributors.
	Subjects:
		Brooklyn College--Faculty
		United States--Works Progress Administration
	Subjects-Topical:
		Art, Modern
		Authors--New York (State)--New York
		Cartoonists--New York (State)--New York
		Painters--New York (State)--New York
	Types of Materials:
		Scrapbooks
		Works of art

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Related Material

Related material found in the Archives includes Ad Reinhardt postcards (to Katherine Scrivener), Ad Reinhardt letters and artwork (loaned material, available on microfilm only), Abe Ajay correspondence with Ad Reinhardt, Marjorie Grimm printed material and letters received from Ad Reinhardt, one photograph of Ad Reinhardt and Colette Roberts by William R. Simmons, and a 1955 painting by Ad Reinhardt.

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Separated Material

Originals of loaned material, including notes and writings, Thomas Merton Correspondence, and trip logs, were returned to Rita Reinhardt after microfilming. Loaned material is available for viewing on microfilm reels N69-99 - N69-103, but is not described in this finding aid.

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Biographical Note

Ad Reinhardt was born Adolph Dietrich Friedrich Reinhardt in 1913 in Buffalo, New York. Shortly after he was born, his family moved to Queens, New York. As a child he copied "funnies" and made collages from newspapers and won many school and community prizes for his artwork. In the fall of 1931 he entered Columbia University and studied art history under Meyer Schapiro, who encouraged him to get involved in radical campus politics. Reinhardt became the editor and cover designer of Jester, a campus magazine. After graduating in 1935, he trained as a painter at the National Academy of Design under Karl Anderson, and at the American Artists School under Francis Criss and Carl Holty, until 1937. At this time he joined American Abstract Artists and became affiliated with American artistic-political groups and other artist organizations. From 1936 to 1941 he worked for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project, Easel Division, while simultaneously developing his mature style of linear, abstract painting.

When his work for the Federal Art Project ended, Reinhardt worked as a commercial and freelance writer and graphic artist for pamphlets and magazines. Most notably, he was a reporter and cartoonist for the newspaper PM from 1942 to 1947. After serving in the Navy from 1946 to 1947, he took a position as an art history professor at Brooklyn College where he taught for twenty years. During his career as a professor he was also a visiting lecturer at several universities, including Yale University from 1952 to 1953, and the California School of Fine Arts in 1950. Reinhardt had a keen interest in Asiatic art and would often lecture and write on this subject. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he traveled to Japan, India, Persia, Egypt, Turkey, Syria, and Jordan.

Reinhardt began exhibiting his paintings early in his career. In 1946 he joined the Betty Parsons Gallery, which also represented many other prominent Abstract Expressionists, including Mark Rothko, Barnet Newman, and Jackson Pollock. Reinhardt rejected the emotionalism found in Abstract Expressionism and sought to produce geometric, minimalist paintings. In developing his own aesthetic theory, he wrote extensively for art periodicals such as Art News and Art International. His artwork culminated in the 1960s with his series of black paintings, which drew much attention from the art community and the public. A major retrospective of his work was held at the Jewish Museum in New York, NY, in 1960. Reinhardt continued to write and work on his series of black paintings until his death in 1967.

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Scope and Content Note

The papers of Ad Reinhardt measure 3.8 linear feet and date from 1927 to 1968. The collection documents Reinhardt's career as an abstract painter, cartoonist, and writer through biographical material, correspondence, writings, printed material, scrapbooks, and artwork.

Biographical material includes personal and professional records, such as passports and membership cards as well as an artist's chronology, and material documenting Reinhardt's time at Brooklyn College and his work for the WPA. Correspondence is of a general nature, including letters from art galleries, museums, and art dealers about exhibitions and artwork, colleges and universities concerning lectures and workshops, and letters from friends, art critics, and fellow artists, including Lucy Lippard, Abe Ajay, and George Rickey. Also found are letters from magazines and various art and social organizations. Writings and notes include calendars, and a small amount of notes and draft writings by Reinhardt. Printed material comprises the largest series in the collection and contains exhibition materials, including invitations and catalogs, and a large number of magazine and news clippings, primarily about Reinhardt's career and modern art, but also covering other topics of interest to him, such as Asian art. Also found in this series are clippings of his published cartoons and artwork. Scrapbooks contain additional printed material documenting his high school and college days, as well as his career. as an artist. Also found within the papers is a small amount of artwork by Reinhardt, primarily small sketches.

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Arrangement
	The collection is arranged into 6 series. Although arrangement of the collection does not follow arrangement of the microfilm, microfilm reel numbers for the material in each series are noted in the series descriptions.

		Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1928-1967 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet)
		Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1930-1967 (Boxes 1-2; 1.1 linear feet)
		Series 3: Writings and Notes, circa 1953-1966 (Box 2; 7 folders)
		Series 4: Printed Material, circa 1927-1968 (Boxes 2-4; 1.7 linear feet)
		Series 5: Scrapbooks, circa 1928-1959 (Boxes 4-5; 0.5 linear feet)
		Series 6: Artwork, circa 1946, 1950, 1961 (Box 4; 4 folders)

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Series Descriptions/Container Listing


Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1928-1967 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet)
Biographical material documents Reinhardt's personal life, as well as his career and his participation in the art community. This series contains several drafts of an artist's chronology written by Reinhardt that places his life and career in the context of the larger modern art movement and illuminates many important moments in his life. Also included are numerous identification documents, such as his passports, membership cards to various art, political, and social organizations, and a fellowship application form containing an artist statement and other biographical information. Also found are materials documenting Reinhardt's service in the military, his work for the WPA, and his professorship at Brooklyn College. This series contains Reinhardt's high school yearbook, business cards and event ephemera collected by him, his address book and lists, as well as exhibition labels from exhibits at Betty Parsons Gallery and the Jewish Museum.
Biographical material is available on microfilm reel N69-99, frames 1-403, unless otherwise noted.
Folders are arranged alphabetically and items are arranged chronologically within each folder.
Box	Folder
1	1	Address Books and Lists, undated (Reel N69-99: 529-614)
	2	Artist's Chronology, circa 1965
	3	Blood Donor Registration Book, 1939, 1942
	4	Brooklyn College Faculty Forms, 1957, 1963
	5	Business Cards, undated
	6	Credit Cards, 1963-1967
	7	Event Ephemera, 1963, 1966, undated
	8	Exhibition Labels, circa 1956-1960, 1967
	9	Fellowship Application Form, 1958
	10	Identification Cards, 1940, circa 1952-1953, undated
	11	Material on Frank and Olga Reinhardt, 1957
	12	Membership Cards, 1936-1966, undated
	13	Newton High School Yearbook, 1931
	14	New York University Bursar's Receipts, 1946-1951
	15	Passports, 1952, 1958, 1961, 1966
	16	Selective Service Documentation, 1941-1945
	17	United States Navy Records, 1940-1945
	18	Veterans Administration Documentation, 1945-1952
	19	Works Progress Administration Documentation, 1940-1941
	20	Miscellaneous Biographical Material, 1928-1966, undated


Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1930-1967 (Boxes 1-2; 1.1 linear feet)
This series contains correspondence documenting Reinhardt's career as an artist and art professor, with the bulk of the material dating from 1946 to 1966. Most of the letters are incoming, and there are only a few draft copies of outgoing letters written by Reinhardt. Found in this series are several letters from artists, including Abe Ajay, cartoonist Dave Crockett Johnson, Helen Frankenthaler, George Rickey, and May Wilson, as well as letters from art critics and writers, including Lucy Lippard, and Ned O'Gorman. Reinhardt also received a large number of letters from art galleries and art dealers, including Betty Parsons Gallery, Iris Clert, Dwan Gallery, and Jock Truman, and art museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, Jewish Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, regarding the exhibition, loan, or sale of his artwork. Numerous letters in this series concern his participation as a guest lecturer, visiting artist, or symposium participant at colleges and universities throughout the country, as well as his professorship at Brooklyn College.
Reinhardt was a member of many art, political, and social organizations and his involvement is documented here in letters from groups such as the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, and the Foundation for the Arts, Religion, and Culture. Also included are letters from magazines and other publications to which he contributed articles and artwork, including PM newspaper and Artforum. There is also a large amount of fan mail sent to PM and to Reinhardt in praise of his series of drawings of the history of modern art for that newspaper. Miscellaneous folders include letters of the same type mentioned above which only consist of one or two letters from a correspondent. Notable correspondents within the miscellaneous folders include Josef Albers, John Ashbery, John Cage, Columbia Pictures Corporation, Mathias Goeritz, Peggy Guggenheim, Jasper Johns, Donald Judd, Ray Johnson, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Kennedy, Robert Motherwell, Claes Oldenburg, Barbara Rose, Meyer Schapiro, and Russel Wright.
Correspondence is also available on microfilm reels N69-100 and N69-101, though the order may be different from that described below.
Letters are arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
Box	Folder
1	21	A, Miscellaneous, 1946-1966, undated
	22	Ajay, Abe, 1963-1964
	23	American Federation of Arts, 1957-1964
	24	American Institute of Architects, 1962
	25	Architectural League of New York, 1956-1964
	26	Art Association of Indianapolis, 1965-1966
	27	Artforum, 1966
	28	Art Institute of Chicago, 1963
	29	Arts Fraud Investigation, 1966
	30	B, Miscellaneous, 1943-1966, undated
	31	Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, 1963-1965
	32	Betty Parsons Gallery, 1961-1964
	33	Brooklyn College, 1946-1966
	34	Bucknell University, 1965-1966
	35	C, Miscellaneous: Ca-Ch, 1946-1966
	36	C, Miscellaneous: Ci-Cu, 1930-1967, undated
	37	Carpenter, Charles, 1963
	38	Clert, Iris, 1960-1966
	39	Cleveland Museum of Art, 1964-1966
	40	Columbia University Teachers College, 1934, 1944-1962
	41	Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), 1963-1965
	42	Cooper Union, 1955-1966
	43	Crockett Johnson, Dave, 1961-1966
	44	D-E, Miscellaneous, 1946-1966
	45	Dayton Art Institute, 1959-1966
	46	Dissent Magazine, 1963-1966, undated
	47	Dlugoszewski, Lucia, 1963-1965, undated
	48	Dwan Gallery, 1962-1966
	49	F, Miscellaneous, 1935-1966
	50-53	Fan Mail, 1946-1948, undated (4 folders)
	54	Finlay, Ian Hamilton, 1963-1966
	55	Fitzsimmons, James, 1962-1966
	56	Foundation for the Arts, Religion, and Culture, 1962-1966
	57	Frankenthaler, Helen, 1966-1967
	58	G, Miscellaneous, 1944-1966
	59	George Braziller, Inc., 1962-1966
	60	Graham Modern Painting and Sculpture, 1964-1965
	61	Guggenheim Museum, 1961-1963
	62	H, Miscellaneous, 1940-1967
	63	Hess, Thomas, 1954-circa 1966
	64	Hewitt, Frank, 1966
	65	Hunter, Sam (Rose Art Museum), 1963, undated
	66	I-J, Miscellaneous, 1945-1967
	67	Institute of Contemporary Arts, 1964-1966
	68	Jewish Museum, 1962-1966
	69	K, Miscellaneous, 1946-1965
	70	L, Miscellaneous, 1943-1966
	71	Lippard, Lucy, 1966-1967
	72	Longview Foundation, Inc., 1963-1964
	73	Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1965-1966
	74	M, Miscellaneous: Ma-Me, 1947-1956, undated
	75	M, Miscellaneous: Mi-Mu, 1948-1966, undated
	76	Maryland Institute College of Art, 1964-1966
	77	Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, 1966
	78	Museum of Modern Art, 1952-1966
	79	N, Miscellaneous, 1940-1966
Box	Folder
2	1	National Council of Women of the United States, Inc., 1965
	2	New Jersey Water Color Society, 1960-1961
	3	O-P, Miscellaneous, 1943-1966, undated
	4	O'Gorman, Ned, circa 1964-1967
	5	Ohio State University, 1959-1966
	6	PM Newspaper, 1946-1948
	7	Powers, Marcella, 1946-1947
	8	Q-R, Miscellaneous, 1957-1966, undated
	9	Rickey, George, 1963-1965, undated
	10	S, Miscellaneous, 1943-1967
	11	School Art League of New York City, 1948-1966
	12	Southern Illinois University, 1961-1963
	13	Syracuse University, 1957, 1966
	14	T, Miscellaneous, 1942-1965, undated
	15	Truman, Jock, 1964-1965, undated
	16	U, Miscellaneous, 1939-1966
	17	University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1956-1965
	18	University of Oregon, 1963
	19	V, Miscellaneous, 1956-1966
	20	Village Art Center, 1949-1963
	21	W, Miscellaneous, 1938-1966, undated
	22	Wadsworth Atheneum, 1963-1965
	23	Waggaman, John F., circa 1966
	24	Washington Gallery of Modern Art, 1965-1966
	25	Whitney Museum of American Art, 1953-1962
	26	Wilson, May, 1961-1963
	27	Y-Z, Miscellaneous, 1943-1947, 1963
	28	Yale University, 1952-1966
	29-30	Unidentified letters, 1944-1967, undated (2 folders)


Series 3: Writings and Notes, circa 1953-1966 (Box 2; 7 folders)
Scattered writings include annotated calendars compiled by Reinhardt, drafts of published writings, such as the essay "Who is Responsible for Ugliness," drafts of letters, and other notes and lists on topics including modern art, aesthetics, and his career as an artist. Also found are lists of Chinese words and phrases written by Reinhardt during his study of Chinese art, a small number of photocopies from microfilm of other writings on art, and select pages from Reinhardt's notebooks. The only item in this series that wasn't written by Reinhardt is a progress report submitted to Reinhardt by a student in one of his classes.
Writings were partially microfilmed and are also available on microfilm reels as noted in the container list below. Researchers should note that many of Reinhardt's notebooks and other extensive writings were loaned for microfilming and returned to the donor and are only available on reels N69-99 and N69-103. These writings are not listed in this finding aid.
Items are arranged by type of material and chronologically within each folder.
Box	Folder
2	31-32	Calendars, 1958-1963, 1965 (2 folders; Reel N69-99: 615-676)
	33	Chinese Words and Phrases, undated (Reel N69-104: 562-585)
	34	Draft Writings and Notes, 1953, 1966, undated
	35	Pages from Notebooks (Photocopies), undated
	36	Progress Report from Student, 1961
	37	Writings about Art (Photocopies), undated


Series 4: Printed Material, circa 1927-1968 (Boxes 2-4; 1.7 linear feet)
This series contains published material that Reinhardt collected to document his career as an artist and his research on various topics. Included are numerous newspaper and magazine clippings of articles about his artwork and modern art in general, including articles written by Reinhardt. Also found are clippings that Reinhardt collected on other topics such as Asian art, architecture, Christian art, and aesthetics, and book reviews on many of these topics. Many of these clippings are annotated by Reinhardt with handwritten comments and underlined segments. Also in this series are announcements, invitations, catalogs, and posters for exhibitions of Reinhardt's art and the artwork of others, as well as other event announcements, calendars, and press releases for lectures, workshops, and benefits. Other items found here are brochures, conference programs, journals and newsletters from organizations, publications from his time as a student, and examples of his published artwork, including covers of Listen magazine and clippings of his numerous published cartoons.
Printed material was partially microfilmed and is available on reels N69-103 and N69-104, though the order may be different from that described below.
Items are arranged by type of material and chronologically within each folder.
Box	Folder
2	38	Book Reviews, 1962, undated
	39	Brochures, 1940, 1959, 1966, undated
	40-61	Clippings, Ad Reinhardt and Modern Art, 1931-1967, undated (22 folders)
	62	Clippings, African and Pre-Columbian Art, undated
	63	Clippings, Architecture, undated
	64	Clippings, Art History and Aesthetics, 1935, 1965-1967, undated
Box	Folder
3	1	Clippings, Artwork by Others, undated
	2-4	Clippings, Chinese and Japanese Art, undated (3 folders)
	5	Clippings, Christian Art, undated
	6-7	Clippings, Indian Art, undated (2 folders)
	8-9	Clippings, Persian Art, undated (2 folders)
	10	Clippings, Various Topics, 1952, 1963-1966, undated
	11	Columbia Review, 1935, 1938
	12	Conference Programs, 1953-1966
	13	Event Announcements, 1946-1966, undated
	14	Event Calendars, 1956-1957, 1960-1966
	15-19	Exhibition Announcements and Invitations, 1946-1967, undated (5 folders)
	20-24	Exhibition Catalogs, 1940-1968, undated (5 folders)
	25	Exhibition Posters, 1944-1966, undated
	26-27	Journals and Newsletters, 1945-1949, 1956-1966, undated (2 folders)
	28	Listen Magazine Covers, 1940-1941, 1944
	29	Movie Posters (photo-reproductions), circa 1930
	30	Navy Booklets, 1943-1945
Box	Folder
4 (hol)	1	Press Releases, 1946, 1964-1966, undated
	2-6	Published Cartoons by Reinhardt, 1936-1960, undated (5 folders)
	7	Red and Black of Public School 88, 1927
	8	Miscellaneous Printed Material, 1938-1966, undated


Series 5: Scrapbooks, circa 1928-1959 (Boxes 4-5; 0.5 linear feet)
Scrapbooks compiled by Reinhardt document his high school and college days, as well as his early career as a professional artist. Included in his scrapbook from Newtown High school and his scrapbook from his time at Columbia University are clippings of his published comic strips, covers of magazines and other school publications that he designed, as well as clippings of articles about his role in school events and awards that he won. Also found here are loose scrapbook pages spanning twenty years of his career as an artist which contain newspaper and magazine articles about Reinhardt, published cartoons, pages from exhibition catalogs, and reproductions of his artwork.
Scrapbooks were partially microfilmed and are available on microfilm reels as noted in the container list below.
Items are arranged chronologically.
Box	Folder
4 (hol)	13	High School Scrapbook, circa 1928-1932 (Reel N69-99: 677-729)
Box	Folder
5 (hol)	1	Columbia Scrapbook, 1932-1935 (Reel N69-99: 730-763; reel N69-100: 1-89)
	2-8	Scrapbook Pages, 1939-1959, undated (7 folders)


Series 6: Artwork, circa 1946, 1950, 1961 (Box 4; 4 folders)
This series contains artwork by Reinhardt including homemade Christmas cards, drawings of international architectural styles, primarily churches and temples, a sketch of a leaflet for an artist strike, and various other small sketches.
Artwork was partially microfilmed and is available on reel N69-104, frames 539-561.
Box	Folder
4 (hol)	9	Christmas Cards, undated
	10	Drawings of Architectural Styles, undated
	11	Sketches, 1950, undated
	12	Sketch for Fine Artist Strike Leaflet, 1961

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Ad Reinhardt