Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Jean Cohen Papers, 1935-2012, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.cohejean
Creators:
Cohen, Jean
Dates:
1928-2012
Languages:
The collection is in English.
Physical Description:
0.8 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of painter and educator Jean Cohen measure 0.8 linear feet and date from 1928-2012. The collection consists of limited biographical material, a small amount of printed material, photographs of family and friends including Cohen's former husband, painter, Alex Katz, and a long correspondence with painter, Lois Dodd.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of painter and eduator Jean Cohen measure 0.8 linear feet and date from 1928-2012. The collection consists of limited biographical material, a small amount of printed material, photographs of family and friends including Cohen's former husband, painter, Alex Katz, and a long correspondence with painter, Lois Dodd.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 6 series.
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1961-2011 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1970-2011 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet)
  • Series 3: Writings, 1960s-1970s (Box 1; 1 folder)
  • Series 4: Subject Files, circa 1962-circa 1998 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)
  • Series 5: Printed Materials, circa 1962-2001 (Boxes 1-2; 0.2 linear feet)
  • Series 6: Photographs, 1935-2012 (Box 2; 0.2 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Jean Cohen (1927-2013), an abstract painter, studied and worked in the New York area and was involved with the 1950s avant garde art scene.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, she was educated at Pratt Institute, Cooper Union, and the Skowhegan School of Painting in Maine. During the 1950s and 1960s she lived on Tenth Street in Manhattan and was a member of the Tenth Street Artists Galleries, also showing at the Tanger Gallery.
From 1950 to 1956 Cohen was married to painter, Alex Katz. She lived with painter, John Grillo, from 1957 to 1962. She later married photographer, Bill Miller in the 1970s. Cohen taught art at many institutions, including the Philadelphia College of Art, and had paintings in public collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Later in life, she moved to eastern Long Island, New York, where she continued to teach and work.

Administration

Author
Harriet E. Shapiro
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in 2013 by Philip Douglas Heilman of Philip Douglas Fine Art, Cohen's dealer.
Processing Information
The collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared by Harriet E. Shapiro in 2013. The Archives of American Art has implemented minimal processing tactics when possible in order to increase information about and access to more of our collections. Minimal processing included arrangement to the series and folder levels. Generally, items within folders were simply verified with folder titles, but not arranged further. Folders within boxes were not numbered. The collection was housed in archival containers and folders, but not all staples and clips were removed.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Jean Cohen papers, 1928-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original materials requires an appointment.
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.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- New York (State) Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women educators Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Katz, Alex, 1927- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dodd, Lois, 1927- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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