While ALEXANDER BROOK (1898-1980) may have retreated from the art world with the rise of Abstract Expressionism,* the sketchbook that he kept from 1949 to 1951 reveals an active engagement in painting. It served as a repository for his ideas, an address book, notebook, and travel diary. Of special interest are his notes on watercolor technique. There are also tips for using new painting tools such as knives, sponges, and razor blades. Most of the sketches are of Florida landscapes and augment his written account of his travels in this same book.
* Raphael Soyer preface to Alexander Brook (1898-1980): A Retrospective, New York: Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, Inc., 1980, n.p.
Alexander Brook Sketchbook, 1949-1951, 5 x 7 3/4: in., Left: Landscape study (possibly St. Petersburg, Florida), c. 1951, felt-tip pen, pastel and watercolor wash on paper. Alexander Brook Papers, Archives of American Art.
Description of Alexander Brooks' Papers |
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|---|---|
| CREATOR: | Brook, Alexander, 1898-1980. |
| TITLE: | Alexander Brook papers, 1907-1982. |
| PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: | 4.2 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 2 reels) reels 2435 and 3928 |
| BIO/HISTORICAL NOTE: | Painter; Sag Harbor and New York City, New York. |
| SUMMARY: | Biographical documents, correspondence, writings, notebooks, sketchbooks, art works, financial and legal records, a scrapbook, photographs, and printed material. |
| REEL 2435: | A scrapbook, 1939-1976, containing clippings, reproductions, magazine articles, catalogs, awards, letters, and photographs of Brook, Gina Knee Brook, and Brook in his studio, including several by photographers by Peter A. Juley & Son, Hans Namuth and Peter Stackpole. |
| REEL 3928: | An unpublished typescript, "Myself and Others," by Brook. |
| UNMICROFILMED: | Two passports for Brook, 1931 and 1952; a fingerprint sheet; award certificates for Brook and his wife, Gina Knee Brook, 1907-1979; correspondence, undated and 1936-1981, with Peggy Bacon, Niles Spencer, Eloise Spaeth, George Biddle, family members, and various art organizations; interview transcripts, 1946-1979; 3 notebooks and miscellaneous notes; writings by Brook, undated and 1971, including "Triumph," and writings by unknown authors; 75 drawings, 10 sketchbooks, 2 etchings, and 2 etching plates by Brook and Gina Knee Brook, including a caricature of Brook by Miguel Covarrubius and a caricature of Yasuo Kuniyoshi; receipts, income tax returns, lists of paintings lent and sold, and bank statements, 1931-1974; miscellaneous legal documents, 1922-1949; photographs of Brook, including 3 of Brook in his studio taken by Peter Stackpole, 1943, photos of Gina Knee Brook, their family, studio, models, exhibition installations, and of Peggy Bacon, Louis Bouche, Jackson Pollock, Katharine Hepburn, and others, undated and 1910-1980. |
| RESTRICTIONS: | Microfilmed portion must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unfilmed material requires an appointment and is limited to Washington, D.C. storage facilty. |
| PROVENANCE: | Unmicrofilmed material donated 1981-1982 by Brook's widow, Gina Knee Brook; a few photographs and a note were received via Patricia Coughlan, who received them from Gina Knee Brook. The scrapbook on reel 2435 was lent for microfilming in 1982 by Gina Brook, and subsequently donated by Brook's son, Sandy Brook in 1994. The photocopy of the typescript on reel 3928 was donated 1985 by the Whitney Museum of American Art, and was discarded after microfilming. |
| ADDITIONAL FORMS: | 35mm microfilm reels 2435 and 3928 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. |
| REPRODUCTION: | Typescript, reel 3928: is a photocopy. |
