Louise Nevelson papers, circa 1903-1988

Subseries consists of photographs of the Berliawsky family, including what seems to be a portrait of Nevelson's grandparents and their sons presumably dating from the late 1800s, a portrait of her father, Isaac Berliawsky circa 1903-1904, a portrait of the Berliawsky family after their arrival in America (including Nevelson and her siblings) circa 1907, and a portrait of Nevelson's sister, Anita Berliawsky, as a young woman; Nevelson's class and team photographs, including class photographs from 1913 and 1918 (the year in which she graduated) and a photograph of Nevelson on the basketball team; portraits of Nevelson as a young girl; photographs of the Nevelson family, including a portrait of her husband, Charles, a photograph of Nevelson with her husband and his brothers, and photographs of Nevelson with her husband and son; photographs of her son, Mike, as a baby and young man; and photographs of Nevelson in New York circa 1922, in Munich circa 1931, on board a ship to Paris in 1932, and sometime during the 1930s, before she became known as an artist.

Most files contain copy prints and negatives of the photographs made by AAA. Files are arranged in chronological order.

Subseries consists of photographs of Nevelson once she had become known, and began to be honored, as an artist. The majority are either portraits of the artist or photographs of the artist at work, at home, and in different settings taken by various individuals. Most notable among these are the portraits of Nevelson and photographs of her house and studio on Thirtieth Street taken by Jeremiah Russell and the photographs of Nevelson at home and in her studio, at work with her assistant Diana Mackown, and with her art work taken by Ugo Mulas, the Italian photographer known for documenting the life and work of artists. Others, including the portraits taken by Renate Ponsold and Jack Mitchell, may have been used in various art works and/or exhibitions; still others, such as the photographs taken by Basil Langton, may have been intended for publication. Also found are photographs of Nevelson at various exhibitions and openings (including the opening of her show at Studio Marconi in Milan, Italy), at various social gatherings (including a reception at her brother's hotel, the Thorndike Hotel, where she was photographed with Andrew Wyeth), and receiving various awards and honors (including honorary degrees from Columbia University and Smith College, and the first Women's Caucus for Art Award). Also included are photographs from the artist, Robert Indiana, featuring himself in front of his and Nevelson's sculptures, and at gatherings with Nevelson, and some photographs that were featured in Look magazine.

Subseries consists of photographs of Nevelson's art work in various exhibitions and on display in various locations. Included are photographs of an exhibition at the Martha Jackson Gallery (October-November, 1959) and of a retrospective at the Whitney Museum in 1979, as well as of a Nevelson work on display at the Tate Gallery; and a photograph album of her one-man show at the Minami Gallery, Tokyo, Japan in 1975. Other photographs include ones of Nevelson's work displayed in the Thorndike Hotel (owned by her brother) and the Queens College library; and ones of Nevelson's outdoor (metal) sculptures installed at Wichita State University, Yale University, and in Italy, as well as ones of a Nevelson wood sculpture in an outdoor setting (not necessarily an outdoor sculpture).

Files are arranged in chronological order.

Subseries consists of photographs of Nevelson's art work (primarily works in terra cotta, tattistone, and wood, as well as some drawings and paintings). Also included are scattered photographs of paintings by Louis Eilshemius (amongst the ones taken by John Schiff and Jeremiah Russell) and Ralph Rosenborg that Nevelson owned. At least some of the photographs by Schiff seem to have been created for the Nierendorf Gallery; photographs by Russell were likely created for Nevelson; photographs by Buckley Semley, Oliver Baker, and Rudy Burckhardt seem to have been created for the Martha Jackson Gallery (some of these, especially the ones by Semley, may have been used in the inventory of Nevelson's art work carried out by her assistants and gallery staff). Photographs of Nevelson's art work are typically undated, most lack any identifying information, and many are duplicates. Numbers on the verso of some seem to correspond to the art work pictured, however there is no further information about what exactly the number is meant to reference or signify.

Photographs are arranged in files according to photographer. Photographs of various works, art work by Ralph Rosenborg, and unidentified art work are arranged in separate files at the end of the series. Even though most photographs are undated, dates provided represent the decade in which the photographs were most likely created. Files are arranged in rough chronological order.

Subseries consists of glass slides and transparencies of Nevelson and her art work. The photographs on these slides typically do not duplicate those found amongst the artist and art work photographs above. Included are glass slides of photographs taken by Dorothy Dehner, primarily documenting the works of art in the rooms, studio, and garden of Nevelson's house on Thirtieth Street. Dehner's photographs also feature Nevelson at work and posed in front of certain works, outside views of the house, and the Eilshemius paintings and pre-Columbian sculptures owned by Nevelson. Dehner took the photographs on successive trips to Nevelson's house. The slides appear to be numbered in various sequences, perhaps corresponding to each trip. However, at this point, all the slides have been mixed together and it is difficult to reconstruct any meaningful order from the numbers.

Also included are various slides of Nevelson and her art work dating from the 1950s; slides of art work dating from circa 1961, three of which seem to have been used by Tom Kendall in a lecture; slides of Nevelson and her assistant in front of her house, and ones of Nevelson alone in her house and studio dating from the mid-1960s; slides featuring Nevelson posing in front of her art work, at home and in her studio, in her neighborhood, and at a foundry, and slides featuring different views of various outdoor installations of her metal sculptures, all of which date from the 1970s; and glass slides of Nevelson art work, along with some negatives.

Slides are undated; however the dates provided represent the decade in which they were most likely created. Slides are arranged according to type and photographer or subject of photograph.