Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Elizabeth Cornell Benton

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.benton76
Creators:
Benton, Elizabeth Cornell
Cummings, Paul
Dates:
1976 April 21
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
83 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Elizabeth Cornell Benton conducted 1976 April 21, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
Interview concerns her brother, Joseph Cornell. Benton speaks of Cornell's education; his relationship with his family, especially with his brother, Robert; his interests in astronomy, music, movies, surrealism, and other subjects; his business dealings; his variations on themes in his collages and boxes; his "zany" sense of humor and other aspects of his personality; his use of toxic materials in his art; his health; his places of employment; his sources of inspiration; his diary and other writings; his attraction to youth; and his assistants. Benton also describes art classes she took from Edward Hopper and her collages.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Elizabeth Cornell Benton (1905- ) was the sister of the artist Joseph Cornell.

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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview is part of the Archives' 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


Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
The transcript and recording are open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.

More Information

General

General
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 3 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 10 min.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Assemblage (Art) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cornell, Joseph Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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