Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Will Barnet

Summary

(Sound Recording)

Oral history interview with Will Barnet, 1968 January 15, Digital Sound Recording (Excerpt)
Collection ID:
AAA.barnet68
Creators:
Barnet, Will, 1911-2012
Cummings, Paul
Dates:
1968 January 15
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
78 Pages
Transcript
Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
An interview of Will Barnet conducted 1968 January 15, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
Barnet speaks of his youth and early interest in art, studying at the Boston Museum School and the Art Students League of New York, where he later taught, artists who influenced him early in his career, moving to New York City, and building his reputation as a graphic artist. He comments on American politics in the 1930s and 1940s and their effect on art, changes in the art scene in the 1940s and the influence of the Surrealists, teaching at the Cooper Union School, dealers and galleries he has been affiliated with and his involvement with the American Abstract Artists group. He discusses the influence of pre-Columbian art on his work, his exhibitions, and his philosophies of teaching and painting.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Will Barnet (1911-) is a painter and graphic artist in New York, New York.
Administration
Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript: 35mm microfilm reel 3196 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
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.
Digital Content

(Sound Recording)

Oral history interview with Will Barnet, 1968 January 15, Digital Sound Recording (Excerpt)
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
Transcript: Patrons must use microfilm copy.
More Information
General
General
Originally recorded 3 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 12 digital wav files. Duration is 6 hr., 26 min.
Keywords
Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Abstract expressionism Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Politics in art -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Surrealism Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art teachers -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
American Abstract Artists Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art Students League (New York, N.Y.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cooper Union Museum for the Arts of Decoration Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
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