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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the Challis Galleries Records, 1950-1994, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.chalgall
- Creators:
-
Challis Galleries (Laguna Beach, Calif.)
- Dates:
-
1950-1994
- Languages:
-
The collection is in English.
- Physical Description:
-
2.2 Linear feet
- Repository:
The records of Challis Galleries located in Laguna Beach, California, measure 2.2 linear feet and date from 1950 to 1994. The bulk of the records consist of artists' files and sales ledgers. Also included are a few administrative files and business correspondence.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The records of Challis Galleries located in Laguna Beach, California, measure 2.2 linear feet and date from 1950 to 1994. The bulk of the records consist of artists' files and sales ledgers. Also included are a few administrative files and business correspondence.
Administrative files include Challis Galleries brochures, materials related to exhibitions and events; one folder on Adele Bednarz Galleries, which Richard Challis ran for two years; and one folder of miscellaneous printed material.
Business correspondence is from art world colleague Paul Farron, accountant Lacy Marlette, Laguna Beach City Council, and Laguna Beach Museum of Art on matters relating to operating Challis Galleries.
Artists' files include a range of materials on artists represented by Challis Galleries such as biographical outlines, photographs, printed material and price lists. Notable artists include Bennett Bradbury, Sergei Bongart, Rex Brandt, Virginia Dan, Paul Di Bert, Phil Dike, Leon Franks, Roger Kuntz, Eliot O'Hara, Polia Pillin and Burt Proctor, among others.
There are 16 ledgers that record the sales of artwork at Challis Galleries.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as four series.
- Series 1: Administrative Files, 1965-1989 (Box 1; 6 folders)
- Series 2: Business Correspondence, 1951-1983 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)
- Series 3: Artists' Files, 1950-1994 (Boxes 1-2; 1.3 linear feet)
- Series 4: Sales Ledgers, 1958-1984 (Boxes 2-3; 0.6 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Challis Galleries (1950-1984) was an art gallery in Laguna Beach, California, that featured the work of local and regional artists.
Richard Challis was born in London, England in 1920 and moved to Laguna Beach, California in 1946. Roughly three years after arriving in California, he purchased a building at 1390 South Coast Highway which became Laguna Studio Gallery, later renamed as Challis Galleries in 1966. The gallery officially opened its doors in 1950.
Challis Galleries showcased the work of California watercolorists and regional artists. Among the artists represented are Bennett Bradbury, Sergei Bongart, Rex Brandt, Virginia Dan, Paul Di Bert, Phil Dike, Leon Franks, Roger Kuntz, Eliot O'Hara, Polia Pillin, Burt Proctor, and many others. The gallery held regular exhibitions with Richard Challis as its director until his retirement in 1984. Shortly thereafter the gallery was sold to Esther Wells and became known as the Esther Wells Collection.
Administration
Author
Rihoko Ueno
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Challis Galleries records were donated to the Archives of American Art by gallery owner Richard Challis in 1994.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Rihoko Ueno in 2018.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Preferred Citation
Challis Galleries records, 1950-1994. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Keywords
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions