The André Emmerich Gallery: A Documentary Portrait at the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution

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Case 1
In 1954, when André Emmerich opened his gallery at 18 East 77th Street, the art of the Americas before Columbus was a field incompletely known and thus of much excitement to the young dealer. His investigation of the aesthetic and historical significance of the Mezcala culture of Mexico put the gallery on the map, and he went on to write two well-received books on Pre-Columbian subjects. Extending his interest to classical antiquities, Emmerich was a founding member of the National Association of Dealers in Ancient, Oriental, and Primitive Art
Pre-Columbian exhibition, 1969 Objects from Ancient Peruvian Wood Sculpture exhibition, 1966 Pre-Columbian and American Indian exhibition, 1971 André Emmerich Art Before Columbus: The Art of Ancient Mexico - From the Archaic Villages of the Second Millennium B.C. to the Splendor of the Aztecs New York: Simon and Schuster, 1963 Courtesy André Emmerich André Emmerich Sweat of the Sun and Tears of the Moon: Gold and Silver in Pre-Columbian Art New York: Hacker Art books, 1977 [reprint of 1965 edition] Courtesy André Emmerich Elizabeth Kennedy Easby Pre-Columbian Jade from Costa Rica New York: André Emmerich Gallery, 1968 Courtesy André Emmerich Cycladic sculpture from Early Art in Greece exhibition, 1965 Photograph by André Emmerich Emmerich gallery bill of sale of two wooden figurines from Peru to the artist Arman, June 30, 1966 André Emmerich (right) in the Zurich branch of his gallery Photograph by Jack Metzger
Case 2
André Emmerich alternated shows of ancient objects with those of New York School painters like Adolph Gottlieb, Robert Motherwell, and Theodoros Stamos. In 1956 he moved his gallery to 17 East 64th Street to accommodate bigger works of art. However, the break that established the gallery's identity came in 1961, when Emmerich learned that French and Company, a gallery advised by the critic Clement Greenberg, was closing its department of contemporary art. Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, and Jules Olitski were left without New York representation. Emmerich invited Louis and Noland to join him immediately, and Olitski in 1966. With these artists, plus Helen Frankenthaler, who first exhibited with him in 1959, Emmerich became the principal commercial gallery promoting Color-Field painting.
Helen Frankenthaler in her studio, Stamford, Connecticut, 1987Photograph by Robert Grobengieser
	Helen Frankenthaler in her studio, New York City. André Emmerich, photographer, 1961. Photograph, b&w. 18 x 12 cm. André Emmerich Gallery records, [ca. 1954]-1998. Archives of American Art. Frankenthaler (born 1928) amplified the breadth of American painting in the early 1950s, when her alertness to aspects of Jackson Pollock's method - painting on the floor and letting pigment steep into unprimed canvas - led her to develop her own soak-stain technique. Frankenthaler's bold use of the raw canvas, her means of applying paint, and the atmospheric layers of color she obtained influenced Louis and Noland when they first saw her work in April 1953.
Helen Frankenthaler, letter to Morris Louis, November 19, 1953 Morris Louis Papers, Archives of American Art Frankenthaler tells Louis how much his comments mean to her. A section of Frankenthaler's retrospective at the Jewish Museum, New York City, 1960 Photograph by Rudolph Burckhardt Helen Frankenthaler, postcard to Morris and Marcella Louis, August 3, 1956 Morris Louis Papers, Archives of American Art André Emmerich (far right) escorts Helen Frankenthaler at the opening of Frankenthaler's retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art, May 31, 1989 Photograph by Star Black Kenneth Noland (born 1924) in his studio, Bennington, Vermont, 1977 Photograph by Renate Ponsold Noland's exhibition at the Kunsthalle, Basel, Switzerland, 1965 Kenneth Noland exhibition, André Emmerich Gallery, 1961 Noland's radiant circle paintings are now recognized as classics of color abstraction, but says André Emmerich, "the reception was sometimes hostile. When I first showed Noland's circles, people said, 'Oh, is this a shooting gallery?,' which they thought was the height of witticism." Photographs by André Emmerich
	Kenneth Noland in his studio in Shaftsburry, Vermont. André Emmerich, photographer, 1965. Photograph, b&w. 25 x 21 cm. André Emmerich Gallery records, [ca. 1954]-1998. Archives of American Art. Kenneth Noland exhibition, André Emmerich Gallery, 1961 Noland's radiant circle paintings are now recognized as classics of color abstraction, but says André Emmerich, "the reception was sometimes hostile. When I first showed Noland's circles, people said, 'Oh, is this a shooting gallery?,' which they thought was the height of witticism." Photographs by André Emmerich.
Case 3
André Emmerich, letter to Morris Louis, October 5, 1961 Morris Louis Papers, Archives of American Art Emmerich writes to assure Louis (1912-62) that the response to his exhibition was splendid. Guestbook pages, Morris Louis exhibition, October 16 - November 10, 1961 Morris Louis Papers, Archives of American Art Among those who came to see Louis's paintings were artists Adja Yunkers, Frank Stella, Albert Kotin, Friedel Dzubas, and Yayoi Kusama; writers Michael Fried, Francis du Plessix Gray, and Jack Kroll; and William Rubin, director of the department of painting and sculpture at The Museum of Modern Art. André Emmerich, postcard to Clement Greenberg, June 1972 Clement Greenberg Papers, Archives of American Art Emmerich describes how Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, and Jules Olitski were presented at Documenta, the avant-garde art show held in Kassel, Germany. André Emmerich, letter to Morris Louis, October 21, 1961 Morris Louis Papers, Archives of American Art Emmerich buys Louis's Pillar of Risk (1961) for his personal collection. Morris Louis, letter to André Emmerich, July 18, 1962 Morris Louis Papers, Archives of American Art Louis breaks the news of the lung cancer that would kill him in September. The projected October 1962 show of his work opened one month later as a memorial. In the autumn of 1964, when the gallery moved to its flagship space in 41 East 57th Street, the inaugural exhibition consisted of canvases from Louis's "Unfurled" series. Louis was the first major artist whose estate the gallery went on to handle. Later on, Emmerich would represent the estates of Josef Albers, Burgoyne Diller, Hans Hofmann, John McLaughlin, and Jack Tworkov.
Case 4
In the 1960s and 1970s, André Emmerich established his stable of American and European artists and attended to them closely. His warm relations with artists are attested to in the intimate works of art in this exhibition, many of which were presented to the dealer as affectionate tokens marking birthdays, holidays, and friendly visits. The gallery grew in response to shifts in the art world. Emmerich opened a branch in Zurich and in 1971 took space in 420 West Broadway, along with Leo Castelli, Virginia Dwan, and Ileana Sonnabend. The latter expansion helped speed the emergence of SoHo as a cultural destination. From 1972-74 and 1991-94, Emmerich was president of the Art Dealers Association of America.
Sam Francis (1923-94), 1992 Photograph by André Emmerich Sam Francis's studio with paintings in progress, Santa Monica, California, 1994 Photograph by Brian Forrest Alexander Liberman, 1986 Photograph by André Emmerich Alexander Liberman (1912-99) and his sculpture outside of his studio, Connecticut, 1986 Photographs by André Emmerich André Emmerich, postcard to Clement Greenberg, July 1972 Clement Greenberg Papers, Archives of American Art Reporting on the Documenta exhibition in Kassel, Germany, Emmerich singles out Alfred Jensen, Nancy Graves, Alan Shields, Richard Serra, and Ed Moses as standouts in an otherwise unimpressive group. André Emmerich, postcard to Clement Greenberg, [received] June 30, 1968 Clement Greenberg Papers, Archives of American Art Piero Dorazio (born 1927) in his studio, 1976 Photograph by André Emmerich André Emmerich dancing with Beverly Pepper at his 50th birthday party, 1974 Pepper (born 1924) had her first solo show at the gallery a year later. Nancy Graves (1940-95) at Tallix Foundry, Peekskill, New York, 1977
Case 5
André Emmerich has consistently represented a number of significant British-born artists, from Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth to Anthony Caro, David Hockney, and Howard Hodgkin. Through meeting Clement Greenberg, David Smith, Kenneth Noland, and Helen Frankenthaler in 1959, Caro (born 1924) spent a substantial amount of time teaching and working in the United States; Hockney (born 1937) has made Los Angeles his permanent residence since 1979.
Anthony Caro, letter to Clement Greenberg, June 21, 1963 Clement Greenberg Papers, Archives of American Art Caro thanks Greenberg and Noland for an invitation to teach at Bennington College. He believes that Emmerich, who has just seen his work, likes it. Caro received his first show with Emmerich in 1964. David Hockney (left) and André Emmerich in Los Angeles, which the artist started visiting in the mid-1960s, 1990s Hockney's first show at the gallery took place in 1968. David Hockney, known for his paintings of swimming pools, painting André Emmerich's actual pool at Emmerich's country estate, Top Gallant Farm, 1986 Photographs by André Emmerich Anthony Caro, letter to Clement Greenberg, January 12, 1965 Clement Greenberg Papers, Archives of American Art Caro solicits Greenberg's advice about the timing of his next shows at André Emmerich Gallery. David Hockney and his studio, Santa Monica, California, 1992 Photographs by André Emmerich
Case 6
André Emmerich has consistently taken care to publish attractive and thorough catalogs and announcements documenting his gallery's exhibitions. Here is a selection from the hundreds he issued over the years.
Roberto Caracciolo: New Work, 1991 Helen Frankenthaler Sam Francis: Monotypes & Prints, 1992 David Hockey's Pools, 1994 Alexander Liberman: New Works on Paper, 1995 Jules Olitski, 1980 Al Held: Time Past - Time Future, 1995 Morris Louis: A Selection of Paintings 1958-1961, 1997 Ben Nicholson, 1994 In Search of Nirvana: Sculpture from India and Southeast Asia, 1994 Stephen Westfall: New Paintings, 1995 John McLaughlin: Paintings 1945-1975, 1993-94 David Hockney: Some Even Newer Paintings (being gouache on paper), 1994 Keith Haring: Works on Paper 1989, 1995 Classical Antiquities, 1988-89 David Hockney: Some Very New Paintings, 1993 Anthony Caro: The Greek Series, 1988 Helen Frankenthaler: New Paintings, 1979 Pierre Alechinsky: Paper, Copper and Stone, A Survey of Graphic Work 1976 to 1993, 1994 Al Held: New Paintings, 1978 Hans Hofmann: Major Paintings 1954-1965, no date Judy Pfaff: An Installation, 1997 Ancient Vases from Magna Graecia, 1986 On Photography by David Hockney, 1983 Kenneth Noland: New Paintings, 1975 Jean Dubuffet: The Early 80's, 1995 Judy Pfaff: New Works on Paper, 1994 Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery Library Helen Frankenthaler: New Paintings, 1975 (Elberta, 1975) Anthony Caro: New Sculpture, 1989 Al Held (born 1928) Untitled (Birthday Present to André), 1969 Pencil on paper, 13 1/2" x 11" Collection André and Susanne Emmerich
Case 7
André and Susanne Emmerich with Kitty Carlisle Hart (right), 1994 Photograph by Lee Elman Ken and Marabeth Tyler, letter to André Emmerich [1992] Photograph by Ken Tyler Susanne and André Emmerich (to Bernar Venet's left) visiting the sculptor in France, 1993 A selection of André Emmerich's personal collection at the Century Club, New York City,1986 Photograph by Kevin Ryan André Emmerich (left) with Clement Greenberg, 1994 André Emmerich (left) at his 70th birthday party in the gallery, with Lucy and Irving Sandler, 1994
In 1984, André Emmerich began turning Top Gallant Farm, his 140-acre country estate near Pawling, New York, into a private sculpture park. Evaluating how sculpture changes against the background of each season, Emmerich thought winter the best time to view outdoor works, writing, "Sculpture . . . blossoms the year round and often comes into its own most fully during the months when fields are brown and trees stand barren." Random Combination of Undetermined Lines, by Bernar Venet (born 1941), at Top Gallant Farm Photograph by André Emmerich Jack Lenor Larsen, letter to André Emmerich, January 22, 1992 André Emmerich (right) supervising the placement of a sculpture at Top Gallant Farm View through the grape arbor at Top Gallant Farm. Left to right: Grey Apron (1972) by Anthony Caro, Bethlehem Temple (1984) by Daniel Sellers, Entwined III (1987) by Alexander Liberman, Primavera (1967-68) by Raffael Benazzi, Flats (1964) by Caro, Round Midnight (1961-65) by Tim Scott, and Untitled (1969) by Beverly Pepper Photograph by André Emmerich in Sculpture Out of Doors (New York: André Emmerich Gallery, undated) Alain Kirili, letter to André Emmerich, March 11, 1991
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		Created on Oct. 16, 2002