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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the Elise Asher Papers, 1923-1994, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.asheelis
- Creators:
-
Asher, Elise, 1914-
- Dates:
-
1923-1994
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
1.6 Linear feet
- Repository:
The Elise Asher papers measure 1.6 linear feet and date from 1923 to 1994. The collection includes biographical material, letters, writings, works of art, business records, printed material, and photographs reflecting Asher's career as a poet, painter, and sculptor, and her friendships with many prominent artists of the mid-twentieth century.
Scope and Content Note
Scope and Content Note
The Elise Asher papers, 1923-1994, measure 1.6 linear feet and reflect Asher's career as a poet, painter, and sculptor, and her friendships with many of the more prominent artists of the mid-twentieth century. The collection contains biographical material, letters, writings, works of art, business records, printed material, and photographs.
Notable correspondents found in the collection include Fritz Bultman, Helen Frankenthaler, Philip Guston, Hans Hofmann, Norman Mailer, Robert Motherwell, Louise Nevelson, Mark Rothko, Theodoros Stamos, Jack Tworkov, and Kurt Vonnegut.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into seven series according to material type. The contents of each folder have been arranged chronologically.
- Series 1: Biographical Material, 1923-1976 (box 1, 1 folder)
- Series 2: Letters, 1941-1988, undated (box 1, 2 folders)
- Series 3: Business Records, 1955-1988, undated (box 1, 43 folders)
- Series 4: Writings, 1973-1979, undated (box 1, 4 folders)
- Series 5: Artwork, undated (box 1, 2 folders)
- Series 6: Printed Material, 1929-1994, undated (boxes 1-3, 30 folders)
- Series 7: Photographs, 1951-1973, undated (box 2, 5 folders)
Missing Title
Biographical Note
Biographical Note
Born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1914, Elise Asher studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, Bradford Junior College, Boston College, and at Simmons College.
She began her career as a poet, culminating in a volume of her poetry entitled The Meandering Absolute. Upon her 1947 arrival in New York City, her attention turned to painting and sculpture. The Tanager Gallery mounted her first solo exhibition in 1953.
Asher was married to painter Nanno de Groot from 1949 to 1957. A year later she married poet Stanley Kunitz, whose work she often illustrated.
Administration
Author
Jean Fitzgerald
Provenance
The Elise Asher papers were donated in 1975, 1976, 1989, 1990 and 1995 by the artist.
Alternative Forms Available
Portions of this collection are available on 35 mm microfilm reels 4938-4939 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Processing Information
The bulk of the collection was processed by Jean Fitzgerald in 1994. The 1995 donation (in box 3) was integrated into the collection during conversion to in 2002. Partial microfilming of the Elise Asher papers was completed with funds provided by the Helena Rubinstein Foundation.
Using the Collection
Restrictions on Access
The collection is open for research. Microfilmed portion must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unmicrofilmed material requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington D.C. research facility.
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.
Preferred Citation
The Elise Asher papers, 1923-1994. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Keywords
Repository Contact
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions
