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  2. David Herbert papers, circa 1909-1996, bulk 1945-1995
  3. Series 2: Correspondence , 1942-1996

David Herbert papers, circa 1909-1996, bulk 1945-1995

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Series 2: Correspondence , 1942-1996
1 Linear foot
Boxes 1-2

Correspondence provides scattered documentation related to many of Herbert's business ventures. This series also contains some personal correspondence, including two folders of letters Herbert wrote to his parents from St. Croix in the summer of 1950, and other correspondence, primarily with Sarah Schmerer.
Three folders of appointment requests consist of letters from artists, or their representatives, seeking to interest Herbert in their work, and Herbert's replies.
Friends and colleagues represented in this series include Lloyd and Joanne Cotsen, Robert Fraser, and Irving Blum and Walter Hopps of Ferus Gallery. Ferus Gallery correspondence relates to the gallery's founding and includes installation photographs from a 1958 exhibition and a photograph of the gallery's exterior. Also found is correspondence with Richard Feigen related to the contract established between Feigen and Herbert in 1953, and their subsequent business relationship. Correspondence with the California Palace of the Legion of Honor relates to the loan and sale of Herbert's Onchi Koshiro woodcut Among the Rocks.
Scattered correspondence with artists includes one illustrated letter each from Martin Blaszko and Paul Sorel; two letters from Martin Hoffman; a letter from Clyfford Still; and three letters from Alfonso Ossorio. There are several items of mail art, including two from Ray Johnson. Correspondence with Josephine Merck includes a 1989 letter in which Herbert offers his services as a dealer. He also laments how the onset of diabetes had slowed his career, and states that he feels he can nevertheless take credit for aiding "such artists as Ellsworth Kelly, Jack Youngerman, José Luis Cuevas, Louise Nevelson, Alice Neel, Reeve Schley among others early on in their careers," claiming an ability "to spot true intrinsic talent way before the artist realizes his full potential and also before wide public recognition." Additional scattered correspondence with artists can be found in Series 6: Artist Files.
Correspondence with Jaime Andrade is limited to two letters and a postcard from Andrade, but related material includes Andrade's resumes, and documentation relating to ownership of the Andrade family farm in Ecuador, and letters written by Herbert in support of Nelson Andrade and others coming to work in the United States.
Correspondence with Stanley N. Nagler relates to a lawsuit brought by Herbert against Aaron Berman regarding an Ellsworth Kelly drawing belonging to Herbert. Herbert claimed that he loaned the drawing to the Museum of Modern Art through the Aaron Berman Gallery when he was employed by Bernam, and that the drawing was never returned to him.
Following letters to and from Herbert's parents, folders are arranged in rough alphabetical order.
Description Container Select
Herbert's Letters to Parents, 1950
1
20-21
Herbert's Letters from Parents, 1944-circa 1979
1
22
A, General, 1947-1991
1
23
Andrade, Jaime and Family, 1963-circa 1993
1
24
Appointment Requests from Artists, 1950s-1960s
1
25-27
Blank Cards from Herbert, circa 1960s-circa 1995
1
28
B, General, 1958-1989
1
29
Benkman, Joan and Herb, circa 1962-1993
1
30
C, General, 1956-1992
1
31
California Palace of the Legion of Honor, 1964
1
32
Cotsen, Lloyd and Joanne, 1956-1992
1
33
D, General, 1942-1993
1
34
E, General, 1969, 1996
1
35
Employment Inquiries from Herbert, 1966
1
36
F, General, 1956-1989
2
1
Feigen and Herbert Gallery, 1963-1965
2
2-3
Ferus Gallery, 1958-1963
2
4
Fraser, Robert, 1959-1963
2
5
G, General, 1957-1989
2
6
H, General, 1950-1991
2
7
Hoffman, Martin, 1961
2
8
I-J, General, 1961-1994
2
9
K-L, General, 1957-1985
2
10
M, General, 1947-1994
2
11
Mail Art, 1970s-1980s
2
12
Merck, Josephine, 1988-1995
2
13
Museum of Modern Art, 1961-1963
2
14
N, General, 1964-1984
2
15
Nagler, Stanley N., Herbert vs. Berman, 1965-1981
2
16-17
O-P, General, 1957-1992
2
18
R, General, 1959-1986
2
19
S, General, 1948-1993
2
20
T-U, General, 1968-1991
2
21
V-Y, General, 1959-1991
2
22
First Names Only, A-C, 1957-1990
2
23
First Names Only, D-G, 1973-1988
2
24
First Names Only, H-M, 1950-1989
2
25
First Names Only, N-S, W, 1974-1990
2
26
Illegible and Unidentified, 1958-1992
2
27

Make a Request

  • To request an appointment to view materials, make your selections using the checkboxes and click the "Reading Room" button. Please note, you will receive the full box.
  • To request reproductions, make your selections using the checkboxes and click the "Reproduction" button.