Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Wallace Berman Papers, 1907-1979 (bulk 1955-1979), in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.bermwall
Creators:
Berman, Wallace, 1926-1976
Dates:
1907-1979
bulk 1955-1979
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
5 Linear feet
Repository:
The Wallace Berman papers date from 1907 to 1979 (bulk 1955-1979). The collection measures 5 linear feet and presents a cursory overview of Berman's career as an assemblage artist and poet. The collection contains business correspondence, letters from other artists and writers of the Beat movement, writings by others, scattered artwork by Berman, photographs by Robert F. Heinecken, and sound recordings of poetry readings.

Scope and Content Note

Scope and Content Note
The Wallace Berman papers, 1907-1979 (bulk 1955-1979), measure 5 linear feet and present a cursory overview of Berman's career as an assemblage artist and poet. The collection is valuable not only for its documentation of the work of Wallace Berman, but for its documentation of the California beat movement of the late 1950s through the early 1970s.
Found are numerous letters, writings, poems, and other published material which portray the thoughts, attitudes, and trends popular in a prominent underground culture which eventually led to radical changes in America and American art. The collection contains business correspondence, letters from other artists and writers of the beat movement, writings by others, scattered artwork by Berman, and photographs by Robert F. Heinecken. In addition, the collection contains files for Berman's mail art publications Semina and S.M.S. Also of note is the large volume of printed material (2.7 feet), much of it in the form of books and other published material. Sound recordings include poets Michael McClure, Kenneth Patchen, David Melzer, and another unidentified writer performing their work.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into nine series which generally reflect material type.
With the exception of the letters in Series 1, each series is arranged chronologically. The original arrangement of the letters has been maintained, with a chronological arrangement of miscellaneous business letters and an alphabetical arrangement of the letters from Berman's more prominent colleagues.
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Letters, 1957-1979, undated (box 1, 0.5 linear feet)
  • Series 2: Notes from Interview, 1967 (box 1, 1 folder)
  • Series 3: Writings by Others, 1972, undated (box 1, 6 folders)
  • Series 4: Artwork, 1956-1976 (box 1, 4 folders)
  • Series 5: Semina, 1955-1967 (boxes 1-2, 26 folders)
  • Series 6: S. M. S., 1968 (box 2, 1 folders)
  • Series 7: Printed Material, 1907-1976 (boxes 2-5, 2.7 linear feet)
  • Series 8: Photographs, 1956-1976 (box 5, 6 folders)
  • Series 9: Sound Recordings, 1962-1965 (box 5, 6 folders)

Biographical Note

Biographical Note
Wallace Berman was born in 1926 in Staten Island, New York. In the 1930s, his family moved to the Jewish district in Los Angeles. After being expelled from high school for gambling in the early 1940s, Berman immersed himself in the growing West Coast jazz scene. During this period, he briefly attended the Jepson Art School and Chouinard Art School, but departed when he found the training too academic for his needs.
In 1949, while working in a factory finishing antique furniture, he began to make sculptures from unused scraps and reject materials. By the early 1950s, Berman had become a full-time artist and an active figure in the beat community in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Many art historians consider him to be the "father" of the California assemblage movement. Moving between the two cities, Berman devoted himself to his mail art publication Semina, which contained a sampling of beat poetry and images selected by Berman.
In 1963, permanently settled in Topanga Canyon in the Los Angeles area, Berman began work on verifax collages (printed images, often from magazines and newspapers, mounted in collage fashion onto a flat surface, sometimes with solid bright areas of acrylic paint). He continued creating these works, as well as rock assemblages, until his death in 1976.

Administration

Author
Jean Fitzgerald
Provenance
The Wallace Berman papers were donated by Tosh Berman, Wallace Berman's son, in 1992.
Alternative Forms Available
This collection is available on 35 mm microfilm reels 5282-5284 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.
Most of the sound recordings have been digitized for research access and are available at the Archives of American Art offices.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and the finding aid written by Jean Fitzgerald in 1998. The finding aid was modified during conversion to EAD by Stephanie Ashley in 2001.

Using the Collection

Restrictions on Access
The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy. Use of 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.
Preferred Citation
Wallace Berman papers, 1907-1979 (bulk 1955-1979). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Works of art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Poets Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Collage Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Assemblage (Art) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Assemblage artists Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Beat generation Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photography, Artistic Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Heinecken, Robert, 1931- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hirschman, Jack, 1933- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
DeFeo, Jay, 1929-1989 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Herms, George, 1935- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Jess, 1923- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hopper, Dennis, 1936- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Jordan, Patricia M., 1937-1989 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Johnson, Ray, 1927- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bengston, Billy Al Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Di Prima, Diane Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fonda, Peter, 1940- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Duncan, Robert Edward, 1919- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-1997 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Wieners, John, 1934- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
McClure, Michael Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lamantia, Philip, 1927- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Miller, Henry, 1891- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Meltzer, David Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Perkoff, Stuart Z. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Patchen, Kenneth, 1911-1972 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sherman, Donald Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ruscha, Edward Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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