Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Herbert Aach Papers, 1942-1988, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.aachherb
Creators:
Aach, Herbert, 1923-1985
Dates:
1942-1988
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
2.4 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of New York painter, art instructor and writer Herbert Aach (1923-1985) measure 2.4 linear feet and date from 1942 to 1988. Papers include biographical materials, correspondence, scattered financial and legal records, notes and writings, subject files, a scrapbook, printed materials, photographs, and one videocassette.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of New York painter, art instructor and writer Herbert Aach (1923-1985) measure 2.4 linear feet and date from 1942 to 1988. Papers include biographical materials, correspondence, scattered financial and legal records, notes and writings, subject files, a scrapbook, printed materials, photographs, and one videocassette.
Legal records include materials relating to a lawsuit against Larry Rivers for a lease termination. Letters are from colleagues including Emily Genauer and Edwin W. Zoller regarding exhibitions and other art-related matters and brief letters from Elaine DeKooning, John Ferren, Adolph Gottlieb, and Rufino Tamayo. Subject files are found for many organizations of which Aach was a member, including the American Society for Testing and Materials, the Artists Technical Research Institute, and the Inter-Society Color Council. Printed materials include one scrapbook, clippings, and exhibition catalogs. There is documentation of Aach's work translating and editing Goethe's Color Theory, one 55 minute videocassette entitled Herbert Aach by Albright Knox Gallery, and photographs of Aach and his artwork.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 8 series. Records are generally arranged by material type and chronologically thereafter.
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1985 (Box 1; 1 folder)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1949-1988 (Box 1; 0.6 linear feet)
  • Series 3: Financial Material, 1964-1981 (Box 1; 1 folder)
  • Series 4: Legal Records, 1951-1986 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)
  • Series 5: Notes, 1961-1984 (Box 1; 6 folders)
  • Series 6: Writings, 1950-1985(Boxes 1-2; 0.2 linear feet)
  • Series 7: Subject Files, 1942-1984 (Box 2; 0.6 linear feet)
  • Series 8: Photographs, 1952-1960 (Box 2; 3 folders)
  • Series 9: Scrapbook, 1951-1958 (Box 2; 1 folder)
  • Series 8: Printed Material, 1948-1988 (Boxes 2-3; 0.2 linear feet)
  • Series 8: Videocassette, 25 April 1975 (Box 3; 1 folder)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Painter, art instructor and writer Herbert Aach (1923-1985) worked primarily in New York City. Born in Cologne, Germany, Aach came to the United States in 1939. He taught at the Brooklyn Museum School (1947-1951), Pratt Institute (1966-1969), and at Queens College (1966-1985). In 1971 he was editor and translator of Goethe's Color Theory. Aach was president of the Artists Technical Research Institute, which was founded in 1959 by Bena Frank and Ralph Mayer to conduct scientific and educational research of materials and methods used in the visual arts.

Administration

Author
Jean Fitzgerald and Eden Orelove
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Herbert and Doris Aach donated the papers to the Archives of American Art in 1984 and 1989.
Processing Information
The collection was arranged and cataloged by Jean Fitzgerald in 1991. The finding aid was created by Eden Orelove in 2011.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Herbert Aach papers, 1942-1988. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Terms of Use
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art teachers -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artists' materials Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Video recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Inter-Society Color Council Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Genauer, Emily, 1910-2002 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tamayo, Rufino, 1899-1991 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rivers, Larry, 1925-2002 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artist's Technical Research Institute Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Zoller, Edwin W., 1900-1967 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
American Society for Testing and Materials Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ferren, John, 1905-1970 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
De Kooning, Elaine Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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