Marilyn Pearl Gallery records, 1925-2000, bulk 1976-1993

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A Finding Aid to the Marilyn Pearl Gallery Records, 1925-2000, bulk 1976-1993, in the Archives of American Art, by Catherine S. Gaines

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Table of Contents:

• Historical Note
• Overview of the Collection
• How to Use the Collection
• Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Historical Information

The Marilyn Pearl Gallery (est. 1976-circa 1993) was an art gallery in New York, N.Y. specializing American art from the 1920s-1950s.

Marilyn Pearl (Mrs. Alan Loesberg), the daughter and granddaughter of art collectors from Akron and Cleveland, Ohio, as a young child began developing an appreciation for and true love of art. After a stint as a history teacher, Ms. Pearl was determined to establish her own gallery. With help from family, her dream became a reality when the Marilyn Pearl Gallery opened at 29 West 57th Street, New York, in 1976. In 1982, the gallery relocated to 38 East 57th Street, and in 1987 moved to 420 West Broadway in SoHo. Although the gallery closed in the early 1990s, Ms. Pearl continued to operate as a private dealer and expanded her activities to international art fairs, among them the Basel Art Fair.

Among the artists represented by the gallery were: Bernard Chaet, Stephen Greene, Clinton Hill, Pat Lasch, Michael Loew, Winifred Lutz, Jim McShea, Jeanne Miles, Henry Pearson, Pedro Perez, Stephen Robin, Charmion von Wiegand, and Ellen Weiner.

Pearl's first sales were works by sculptor Winifred Lutz, known for site-specific installations. Ms. Lutz remained part of Marilyn Pearl Gallery's stable throughout its history. In addition to emerging artists, Marilyn Pearl also was interested in traditional art forms, and eventually specialized in exhibiting American art from the 1920s-1950s, with particular emphasis on geometric abstraction. In addition, Marilyn Pearl Gallery presented a number of exhibitions exploring WPA era murals, American Abstract Artists, and post-war figurative work. By the 1980s, the gallery's annual schedule usually featured summer shows of new talent; several artists first introduced in this manner developed long-term relationships with Marilyn Pearl Gallery.

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Overview of the Collection

Scope and Contents

The records of the Marilyn Pearl Gallery are dated 1925-2000, with the bulk of the ematerial from the period 1976-1993. The collection measures 7.4 linear feet and consists of artists' files, exhibition files, and business records documenting affiliated artists and gallery activities.

Artist files are found for: René Pierre Allain, Bernard Chaet, Stephen Greene, Clinton Hill, Pat Lasch, Michael Loew, Winifred Lutz, Jim McShea, Jeanne Miles, Henry Pearson, Pedro Perez, Stephen Robin, Charmion von Wiegand, and Ellen Weiner. They contain the following types of records in varying combinations: correspondence with the artist, collectors, galleries and museums; printed material including publicity, exhibition catalogs and announcements of Marilyn Pearl Gallery and other venues; photographs; financial records concerning sales and exhibition expenses. In general, items dated prior the gallery's existence and after its closing are printed material relating to the artist. A notable exception is the small number of the personal papers of Charmion von Wiegand that include letters from her husband, writer and editor Joseph Freeman.

Exhibition files are arranged chronologically by exhibition date, 1977, 1980-1992 and consist of correspondence, invoices, printed material, publicity, and photographs.

Business records document the routine affairs of the gallery. Included are client correspondence, inventory cards (work in stock, pieces returned to artists, and works sold), a nearly complete set of invoices for gallery sales for the period 1976-1986, consignment records, appraisals, mailing lists, guest books, and records regarding Basel Art Fairs of 1989-1993.

Arrangement and Series Description

The collection is arranged as 3 series:

• Series 1: Artists' Files, 1925-2000 (Boxes 1-4; 3.6 linear ft.)
• Series 2: Exhibition Files, 1973-1992 (Boxes 4-5; 1.15 linear ft.)
• Series 3: Business Records, 1976-2000 (Boxes 5-8; 2.65 linear ft.)

Subjects and Names

Provenance

Marilyn Pearl donated the records of her gallery to the Archives of American Art in 2002.

How the Collection was Processed

The collection was processed by Catherine S. Gaines in 2009.

How to Use the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Ownership & Literary Rights

The Marilyn Pearl Gallery 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.

How to Cite this Collection

Marilyn Pearl Gallery records, 1925-2000. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Series 1: Artists' Files, 1925-2000 (Boxes 1-4; 3.6 linear ft.)

Substantial artist files are found for the following artists, most of whom were represented by Marilyn Pearly Gallery for extended periods: René Pierre Allain, Bernard Chaet, Stephen Greene, Clinton Hill, Pat Lasch, Michael Loew, Winifred Lutz, Jim McShea, Jeanne Miles, Henry Pearson, Stephen Robin, Charmion Wiegand, and Ellen Weiner.

Artists' files consist, in varying combinations, of correspondence with the artist, collectors, galleries, and museums; printed materials about the artists including publicity, reviews, exhibition catalogs and announcements of Marilyn Pearl Gallery and other venues; photographs, slides, and transparencies of art work, and sometimes of artists or exhibition installations; and financial records concerning sales, exhibition expenses, etc. In general, the items pre- and post-dating the gallery consist of printed material relating to artists. A notable exception is Charmion von Wiegand whose files include personal papers, among them letters from her husband, the writer and editor Joseph Freeman (1897-1965); also found is other personal and professional correspondence, financial and miscellaneous items relating to her travels.

Series 2: Exhibition Files, 1973-1992 (Boxes 4-5; 1.15 linear ft.)

Exhibition files are arranged chronologically by exhibition date, 1977, 1980-1992. They may include: correspondence with artists, lenders, printers and designers; invoices, insurance policies, and other financial records; printed material including exhibition catalogs, announcements and invitations, publicity, and reviews; photographs, slides, and transparencies of art work, and occasionally of exhibition installations and openings. Materials dated long before or after the run of the exhibition are usually printed items. Group show participants are noted following the folder title.

Series 3: Business Records, 1976-2000 (Boxes 5-8; 2.65 linear ft.)

Business records are arranged alphabetically by folder title. They document the mostly routine affairs of the gallery. Included are: client correspondence, inventory cards (work in stock, pieces returned to artists, and works sold), a nearly complete set of invoices for gallery sales for the period 1976-1986, consignment records, appraisals, exhibition schedules, mailing lists, guest books, and calendars. Also included are records regarding Marilyn Pearl's participation in the Basel Art Fairs of 1989-1993, and small amounts of correspondence concerning her activities as a private dealer after she closed her gallery.

The folder titled "Gallery Publicity" contains articles about Marilyn Pearl and exterior photographs of West 57th Street, where Marilyn Pearl Gallery operated from 1976-1987.