Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Belisario Contreras Papers, 1943-1984, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.contbeli
Creators:
Contreras, Belisario R., 1916-
Dates:
1943-1984
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.5 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of art historian Belisario Contreras measure 0.5 linear feet and date from 1943 to 1984. The papers document his research on New Deal Art Projects, including correspondence and copies of correspondence with William C. Agee, George Biddle (including 16 photographs of murals in Mexico City and Washington, D.C. and a clipping), Mrs. Edward Bruce, Olin Dows, Maria Ealand, Arlene Jacobowitz, Masha Zakheim Jewett (including an exhibition catalog and clippings on Bernard Baruch Zakheim), Horace Kallen, Rockwell Kent, Chet LaMore, Merwin C. Phelps, David W. Scott, Harold Weston, and others. Also found are National Endowment for the Humanities grant proposals "NDA Projects in Pennsylvania," 1975, and "Images of the Heartland," 1980, and notes from Contreras' interviews with Maria Ealand, John Gernand, Jacob Kainen, Dorothy Miller, and Selma Rein.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of art historian Belisario Contreras measure 0.5 linear feet and date from 1943 to 1984. The papers contain his research on New Deal Art Projects, including correspondence and copies of correspondence with William C. Agee, George Biddle (including 16 photographs of murals in Mexico City and Washington, D.C. and a clipping), Mrs. Edward Bruce, Olin Dows, Maria Ealand, Arlene Jacobowitz, Masha Zakheim Jewett (including an exhibition catalog and clippings on Bernard Baruch Zakheim), Horace Kallen, Rockwell Kent, Chet LaMore, Merwin C. Phelps, David W. Scott, Harold Weston, and others; National Endowment for the Humanities grant proposals "NDA Projects in Pennsylvania," 1975, and "Images of the Heartland," 1980, and notes from Contreras' interviews with Maria Ealand, John Gernand, Jacob Kainen, Dorothy Miller, and Selma Rein.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Belisario Contreras was an Argentinian born art historian who lived and worked in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1983 he published the book "Tradition and Innovation in New Deal Art."

Administration

Author
Ricky Gomez
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated 1985 by Belisario Contreras.
Existence and Location of Copies
Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reel 3591 and 41 at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Ricky Gomez in 2022.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing 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.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Preferred Citation
Belisario Contreras papers, 1943-1984. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Related Materials
Papers of Belisario R. Contreras, 1860-1976, are also located at The University of New Mexico's Center for Southwest Research.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Latino and Latin American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art historians -- New Mexico -- Albuquerque Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Zakheim, Bernard Baruch, 1898-1985 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bruce, Margaret T. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dows, Olin, 1904-1981 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ealand, Maria Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gernand, John, 1913-1990 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Jacobowitz, Arlene Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Jewett, Masha Zakheim, 1931- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kainen, Jacob Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kallen, Horace Meyer, 1882-1974 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
La More, Chet Harmon, 1908-1980 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Miller, Dorothy Canning, 1904-2003 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Phelps, Merwin C. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rein, Selma Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scott, David W., 1916- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Weston, Harold, 1894-1972 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Agee, William C. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Biddle, George, 1885-1973 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Federal Art Project Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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