Whitney B. Halstead papers, 1920-1982
Halstead, Whitney,
b. 1926
d. 1979
Sculptor, Assemblage artist
Iowa; Ill.
Collection size: 7.1 linear ft.
Collection Summary: Found within the papers are scattered biographical material; a diary and travel journals; writings and notes (almost one-half of the collection); scattered correspondence; miscellaneous records and printed materials documenting Halstead's tenure at the Art Institute of Chicago; audio-cassette recordings of African and native music; artists files for Jim Nutt and Joseph E. Yoakum; exhibition files; art work by Halstead and others; and photographs of Halstead, friends and colleagues, and art projects. Also found are numerous photographs, slides, and negatives of primitive art, including American Indian art by Southwest tribes.
Biographical/Historical Note: Teacher, critic, scholar, artist; b. 1926; d. 1979. Halstead received his B.F.A and M.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He taught art history at several Chicago-area schools, including the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he developed a series of courses on primitive art. Halstead wrote critical reviews for Artforum and the Chicago Daily News, as well as numerous articles about local and primitive art; curated several exhibitions, including Made in Chicago, and as an artist, worked in a variety of media.
Donated in 1986 by the estate of Whitney Halstead via Theodore Halkin, executor.
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