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Archives of American Art
Oral history interview with Charles Henry Alston
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.alston68
- Creators:
-
Alston, Charles Henry, 1907-1977Murray, Albert
- Dates:
-
1968 October 19
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
25 PagesTranscript
- Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
An interview of Charles Henry Alston conducted 1968 October 19, by Al Murray, for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
Alston speaks of his family background, early interest in art, and education at Columbia University; the social and cultural scene in Harlem in the late 1920s, and the street life there; coming into contact with some of the most important figures of the Harlem Renaissance; the differing problems faced by black and white artists; teaching; commercial art; figurative and abstract art. He recalls Romare Bearden and Robert Blackburn.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Charles Henry Alston (1907-1977) was a painter and educator from New York, New York.
Administration
Sponsor
Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript available on-line.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others. Funding for this interview provided by the New York State Council on the Arts.
Digital Content
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
More Information
General
General
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 7 minutes.
Keywords
Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
---|---|---|---|
Sound recordings | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Interviews | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
African American artists | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
African American painters | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
African American art -- African influences | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
African American educators | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Bearden, Romare, 1911-1988 | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Blackburn, Robert Hamilton, 1920- | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions