Collection Information

Size: 4.2 linear ft.

Painter's Primer: 1 v. (101 p.)

Summary: Letters, journals, diaries, calendars, address books, photographs, clippings, exhibition catalogs, as well as manuscripts and translations of Hans Hofmann's "Painter's Primer"; Hofmann's lectures at Berkeley, 1931 and notebooks of his critiques, 1945-1947 (transcribed by Tina Dickey); and an interview of Huck conducted by Tina Dickey, Mar. 23, 1991 (3 cassettes and transcript). Among the correspondents are painter Fritz Bultman and the Andre Emmerich Gallery (regarding Hofmann). Also found are teaching certificates, photographs of Huck, materials related to Huck family history and Ellis Island, a book of poetry, works of art on paper and two framed paintings.

Biographical/Historical Note

Huck, a scholar, assisted Hans Hofmann, the "dean" of American Abstract Expressionism, in the translation of his "Painter's Primer." She died in 1996 at the age of 80. She was also a painter, and served as a studio monitor for Hofmann in NYC and Provincetown for 15 years. Huck was born in Jersey City, N.J., and received a B.A. from Vassar in 1937, an M.A. from Yale in 1938, and a Ph.D. in Germanic language and literature from Boston College in 1972. Most of her career was as a teacher at private and secondary schools in New York and Boston.

Provenance

Typescript of Painter's Primer lent for microfilming 1971 by Georgina Huck. 4.2 feet of papers were donated in 1998 by Keith Bradley, executor of her estate.

Alternative Forms Available

Painter's Primer (101 p. typescript): microfilm reel 106 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.

Restrictions on Access

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.

How to Cite This Collection

Peggy (Georgina Margaret) Huck papers, 1931-1996. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.