Robert Richenburg papers, circa 1910s-2008, bulk, 1950-2006

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A Finding Aid to the Robert Richenburg Papers, circa 1910s-2008, bulk 1950-2006, in the Archives of American Art, by Catherine S. Gaines

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Table of Contents:

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

Biographical Information

Robert Bartlett Richenburg (1917-2006) was a painter and educator in New York City, Ithaca, New York, and East Hampton, New York.

At age 13, Bob Richenburg's artistic talent earned him a place in a daily class for Boston Public School students at the Museum of Fine Arts. Most classes focused on copying; of far greater benefit to the young art student was the opportunity to wander through the museum and look at art nearly every day of his high school career.

Richenburg's father was an architect who also ran a stained glass lampshade business; neither endeavor was profitable, so the family endured very hard times during the Depression. To help support the family, after school and on weekends, Bob delivered ice and coal with an older brother, a job he continued while attending night school courses in liberal arts at Boston University. He studied at George Washington University in Washington, DC, 1937-1939, often working as many as four part-time jobs to cover tuition and living expenses; during summers and school vacations, he returned to Boston to work with his brother. Due to his difficult financial situation, Richenburg's college career ended before he earned a degree.

After learning that the Corcoran School of Art charged no tuition, Richenburg returned to Washington in 1940 to study painting and sculpture. Although uninformed about the art world, he realized that New York was a better place for an aspiring artist. In 1941, he began studying with George Grosz and Reginald Marsh at the Art Students League. On his own, he studied materials and techniques and copied paintings at the Metropolitan Museum Art.

With war looming and the near certainty of being drafted, Robert Richenburg and Libby Chic Peltyn (always called Chic) married in November 1942; two weeks later, he entered the army. Richenburg spent three years in England and France as a combat engineer, transporting explosives and instructing troops in the demolition of mines and booby traps. In England, he managed a photo lab and taught drawing in the fine arts section of Shrivenham American University, a school run by the U. S. Army.

Once discharged, Richenburg returned to New York and took advantage of the G.I. Bill to continue studying painting (and for the subsistence allowance that provided modest support for his family - son Ronald was born in 1947). Richenburg studied at the Ozenfant School, 1947-1949, where he developed a life-long friendship with fellow student Ibram Lassaw.

He continued his art education with Hans Hofmann in New York and Provincetown, 1949-1951. During this period, Richenburg taught drawing, painting, and art history classes sponsored by the Extension Division of City College of New York and held at venues such as Brooklyn's Central YMCA, and branches of the New York Public Library. Richenburg quickly discovered that he liked teaching and enjoyed the students.

In 1951, Richenburg joined the Pratt Institute faculty and taught studio courses at night; soon, he was teaching full time during the day. Richenburg began to achieve recognition as the youngest of the Abstract Expressionists and by the early 1960s his career was well established. Tibor De Nagy Gallery in New York and Dwan Gallery in California represented Richenburg, and a number of paintings were sold to museums and private collectors. As Richenburg experimented with new ideas and materials, his work began changing. He was a popular instructor at Pratt with several promising students who also began experimenting. In 1964, when the unorthodox work of one student in particular caught the attention of Pratt administrators, Richenburg was asked to change his approach to teaching. This roused student protests, and press coverage focused on the specific situation and academic freedom in general. He chose to resign rather than alter his teaching philosophy.

Richenburg secured a position at Cornell University. The confluence of his absence from New York City and the ascendance of Pop Art were damaging, and his career was derailed when De Nagy and Dwan dropped him from their rosters a few years later. After it was clear that he would not secure tenure at Cornell, Richenburg returned to New York in 1967 and began teaching at Hunter College. Daily life in New York was harder than he remembered and, for him, the City had lost its allure.

When offered the chairmanship of the Ithaca College art department, the Richenburgs were delighted to return to tranquil Ithaca, New York. Chic died in 1977, and Bob remained at Ithaca College until retiring in 1983. In addition full-time teaching and handling administrative activities as department chairman, Richenburg made time to work in his studio practically every day. He created a large body of work in a wide variety of media and styles, moving on to new ideas and experiments after exhausting his possibilities or interest.

Beginning in 1949 with a loan exhibition organized by The Museum of Non-Objective Art, Richenburg participated in a wide range of group shows. His first solo exhibition was held in 1953 at the Hendler Gallery, Philadelphia. Over the years, he enjoyed other solo exhibitions at venues such as: David Findlay Jr. Fine Art, Dwan Gallery, Hansa Gallery, Ithaca College Museum of Art, McCormick Gallery, Rose Art Museum (Brandeis University), Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Sidney Mishkin Gallery (Baruch College), and Tibor De Nagy Gallery. In the 1960s and 1970s, Richenburg's work was seldom shown, but from the mid-1980s onward there has been renewed interest.

Richenburg's work is represented in the permanent collections of many museums including Hirshhorn Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art. In addition, his work was acquired by many highly regarded private collectors including Larry Aldrich, Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., Joseph H. Hirshhorn, J. Patrick Lannon, and James A. Michener.

Robert Richenburg and Margaret (Marggy) Kerr, a painter and sculptor living in Ithaca, were married in 1980. Ms. Kerr is known for "brick rugs" made from cut bricks forming designs for site specific sculpture and garden walks. Richenburg became close to his stepfamily of three children, Marggy's grandchildren and her mother. After he retired from Ithaca College, Bob and Marggy moved to Springs in East Hampton, New York.

Although Richenburg suffered from Parkinson's disease during the last six years of his life, he continued to work in his home studio until physically unable to produce art. He died on October 10, 2006.

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Overview of the Collection

Scope and Contents

The Robert Richenburg papers, circa 1910s-2008, measure 5.3 linear feet. Biographical material, correspondence, subject files, writings, audio/visual recordings, printed material, and photographs document the professional career and personal life of the educator and New York School painter and sculptor best known for his Abstract Expressionist paintings.

Biographical material includes educational records from high school through his studies at the Ozenfant School of Fine Arts using G.I. benefits. Birth, marriage,and death certificates are also found, along with Richenburg family memorabilia.

Correspondence consists mostly of family letters, including some illustrated letters and many handmade cards featuring original artwork. Condolence letters addressed to Marggy Kerr are from friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbors, and acquaintances.

Subject files contain various combinations of correspondence, printed material, photographs, writings and notes relating to Richenburg's professional career and personal life. They document exhibitions, gallery representation, gifts of art work to museums and individuals, memberships, teaching activities, former students, friendships, and other aspects of his life. Files of significant interest are: The Club, Tina Dicky and Madeline Amgott, Former Students (particularly Raphael Montanez Ortiz), Bonnie L. Grad and Lynne Moulton, Hans Hofmann, Ibram Lassaw, Philip Pavia, Pratt Institute, Hilla Rebay and the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, Tibor De Nagy Gallery, and Veterans Administration.

Writings by Richenburg consist of notes, reviews, artist's statements, and the text of a speech. Also included are quotations compiled over the years by Marggy Kerr of Richenburg's comments on art and life. Among the writings by others are student papers, reviews, and poems.

Sound and visual recordings include interviews with Robert Richenburg, often conducted as research for exhibitions. Videocassettes document events such as panel discussions, and artist gatherings; a few were produced in conjunction with museum exhibitions. Also found are videotapes by video artist Raphael Montanez Ortiz, Richenburg's friend and former student; Ortiz also appears on the DVD of Richenburg's memorial service.

Printed material includes items that are specifically about Robert Richenburg as well as items that incidentally mention him. The majority consist of exhibition catalogs and announcements.

Photographs show art work by Richenburg, exhibition openings and other events, and a variety of people and places. Among the events recorded is the "Artists Roundtable on Art of the '50s." Moderated by Dore Ashton, the panel included Herman Cherry, Sidney Geist, Ibram Lassaw, Mercedes Matter, and David Slivka. There are photographs of Richenburg's boyhood home in Roslindale, MA, and his house in Ithaca, NY. He is pictured with others including family members, dealers, and curators. Of particular interest are photographs of Richenburg in Provincetown, MA, 1952-1953, with friends, including: Giorgio Cavallon, Franz Kline, Ibram and Ernestine Lassaw, and Philip and Marcia Pavia. World War II photographs consist of images of art work (not by Richenburg), Richenburg and other individuals taken in France and England; a number include views of Shrivenham American University.

Arrangement and Series Description

The collection is arranged as 7 series:

• Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1910s-2006 (Box 1; 0.1 linear ft.)
• Series 2: Correspondence, 1940-2007 (Box 1; 0.4 linear ft.)
• Series 3: Subject Files, 1942-2008 (Boxes 1-3, OV 7; 2.25 linear ft.)
• Series 4: Writings, circa 1950-2006 (Box 3; 0.1 linear ft.)
• Series 5: Sound and Video Recordings, 1996-2006 (Boxes 3-4; 0.75 linear ft.)
• Series 6: Printed Material, 1947-2008 (Boxes 4-5; 1.25 linear ft.)
• Series 7: Photographs, circa 1923-2006 (Boxes 5-6; 0.45 linear ft.)

Subjects and Names

Provenance

Donated in 2008 by Margaret Kerr, widow of Robert Richenburg, on behalf of herself and his son Ronald Richenburg.

Separated and Related Materials

An oral history interview of Robert Richenburg was conducted by Dorothy Seckler for the Archives of American Art, circa 1968.

How the Collection was Processed

The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Catherine S. Gaines in 2009.

How to Use the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Use of original material requires an appointment. Use of audiovisual material with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.

Ownership & Literary Rights

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

How to Cite this Collection

Robert Richenburg papers, circa 1910s-2008. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1910s-2006 (Box 1; 0.1 linear ft.)

Awards for athletic events consist of a certificate earned for performance in a track and field meet sponsored by the Boston City Schools, 1930, and three ribbons won at camp, 1934. Military service records are certificates of recognition from the White House and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Documents relating to his memorial service consist of notes and texts of remarks by Margaret Kerr, Ronald Richenburg, Blake Kerr, Alexandra Richenburg, dealer Thomas McCormick, and former student and friend Raphael Montanez Ortiz. The remarks of Ronald Richenburg summarize the artist's life from a personal perspective. Richenburg family memorabilia consists of a receipt from the Boston Art Glass Shade Co. run by his father, advertisements for the coal and ice delivery business and small grocery store run by brothers Fred and Bob Richenburg.

Subject files (series 3) - specifically, those titled "Ozenfant School of Fine Arts," "U.S. Army, " and "Veterans Administration" - contain additional records concerning Richenburg's education and military service.

Series 2: Correspondence, 1940-2007 (Box 1; 0.4 linear ft.)

Some letters exchanged by Richenburg and his wife Marggy Kerr are illustrated. All of their cards are handmade and feature original art work - painted covers housing paper constructions by Bob, and drawings and collages by Marggy.

Richenburg family correspondence consists of a letter from Robert to his father, one from his mother, and a birthday card from son Ronald. Kerr family correspondence, comprised of letters and cards to Richenburg from his stepchildren - Blake Kerr, Garry Kerr, Meg Kerr Paulsen - and their families. Also included are letters from Marggy's mother, Mrs. John C. Doorty, as well as some illustrated letters and handmade cards. Condolence letters from friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbors, and acquaintances are addressed to Marggy and family.

The majority of Robert Richenburg's professional and personal correspondence is scattered throughout the subject files (series 3).

Series 3: Subject Files, 1942-2008 (Boxes 1-3, OV 7; 2.25 linear ft.)

File for The Club (The Artists' Club) includes two postcards announcing panel discussions (Robert Richenburg on the panel), 1951 and 1957, along with correspondence and e-mail regarding a documentary film about the Club. The Tina Dickey and Madeline Amgott file concerns their interview and videotape of Robert Richenburg, one of many former Hans Hofmann students contacted when the Metropolitan Museum of Art was organizing a Hans Hofmann exhibition; a transcript of their interview with Richenburg is included. Bonnie L. Grad and Lynne Moulton's research was conducted for the exhibition "Robert Richenburg: Abstract Expressionist" at Brandeis University's Rose Art Museum. Records preserved in this file include the transcript of a detailed interview with Richenburg about his early life, art training, and career; the transcript of a "slide discussion" in which the artist provided background information about each of the works being considered for inclusion in the exhibition. The file titled Former Students includes letters and printed material about the early career and personal life of Raphael Montanez Ortiz ("Bob's favorite student," according to Marggy). Hans Hoffman's file consists of letters of recommendation, brief letters and notes addressed to Bob and Chick (sic) from Miz and Hans Hofmann, a short statement by Richenburg about Hofmann as a teacher, and miscellaneous printed material. The subject file titled Ibram Lassaw contains "Artists of the New York School and Friends Celebrate the Eighty-first Birthday of Ibram Lassaw at an Informal Gathering and Discussion," a souvenir booklet of images by Cynthia Dantzic, 1994; also included are pages composed by Richenburg and Kerr for Lassaw's memorial book. Philip Pavia's file concerns the founding of It Is magazine. The Pratt Institute file includes correspondence and printed documentation concerning Richenburg's 1964 resignation from the faculty sparked by a dispute over his teaching methods. Hilla Rebay and the Museum of Non-Objective Painting file contains letters inviting Richenburg to participate in three exhibitions with an installation photograph showing Richenburg's three entries in the 1949 exhibition; other letters offer career advice, critiques, and modest grants for the purchase of art supplies. The Tibor De Nagy Gallery file includes a letter of advice from John Bernard Myers regarding "rhetoric surrounding the question of pricing," observations on how the size of a painting may affect its desirability and price, and the inadvisability of artists creating myths about themselves. The Veterans Administration subject file documents Richenburg's subsistence allowance and training benefits under the G.I. Bill, and a contract for Richenburg to study at the Ozenfant School, 1948-1949.

Subject files for individuals are alphabetized by last name, all others are alphabetized by title.

Series 4: Writings, circa 1950-2006 (Box 3; 0.1 linear ft.)

Writings by Richenburg consist of notes, reviews, artist's statements, and the text of a speech. Also included are quotations compiled over the years by Marggy Kerr of Richenburg's comments on art and life. Writings by others are student papers and reviews. Also found are John Day's reminiscences of a painting class taught by Richenburg at Cornell University. Among the poems are one by Lee van Duft about Richenburg's painting Ecco Homo.

Additional writings and notes are included with the subject files (series 3). Reports, proposals, notes and other writings by Richenburg composed as part of his faculty responsibilities are found in subject files bearing the names of schools where he taught.

Series 5: Sound and Video Recordings, 1996-2006 (Boxes 3-4; 0.75 linear ft.)

The sound recording of Robert Richenburg interviewed by Madeline Amgott was produced in the course of the research for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's 1999 Hans Hofmann exhibition. Among the audiovisual recordings are: two episodes of the "Art Beat" television show, a series of panel discussions, four years of "Artists' Party: An Afternoon with the New York School Artists," and a DVD of Richenburg's memorial service. Also found are recordings by video artist Raphael Montanez Ortiz, a former student and friend of Richenburg.

Series 6: Printed Material, 1947-2008 (Boxes 4-5; 1.25 linear ft.)

Among the books is A History of Shrivenham American University; the university was run by the U.S. Army where Richenbrg taught drawing while stationed in England during World War II. Family history consists of two volumes by Richenburg's sister, Mildred Richenburg True: The Genealogical History of the Direct Ancestors of the Bartlett - Richenburg Families and Their Descendants to the Present Generation and Supplement to the Books: The Riese - Richenburg Families in America and The Bartlett - Richenburg Families.

Additional printed material is found among the subject files (series 3)

Series 7: Photographs, circa 1923-2006 (Boxes 5-6; 0.45 linear ft.)

In addition to paintings and sculpture by Richenburg, images of art work include a rock garden that he construccted on his swimming pool deck. Exhbitions documented are retrospectives held at Colgate University and Guild Hall Musuem. In addition to Robert Richenburg and his family, photographs of people include friends, dealers, curators, his assistant, and other artists; among the artists are those represented by David Findlay Jr. Gallery. Views of places are Richenburg's boyhood home in Roslindale, MA and his house in Ithaca, NY.

Many World War II photographs taken in France and England are very small snapshots. They contain images of artwork, people, places, and miscellaneous subjects. Artwork is not by Richenburg. Images of people include Richenburg, several group shots, and other individuals, both identified and unidentified. Also found are many views of Shrivenham American University.

Additional photographs are scattered throughout the subject files (series 3), and a small number appear as enclosures with correspondence (series 2).