Archives of American Art

Arthur L. and Joyce Lyon Dahl papers

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.dahlarth
Creators:
Dahl, Arthur L., 1942-
Dahl, Joyce Lyon
Dates:
1926-1988
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3.6 Linear feet
(microfilmed on 7 reels)
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Letters; photographs; writings; sketches; financial records; a scrapbook; a phonograph album; exhibition announcements and clippings mainly relating to Mark Tobey.
Scope and Contents
REEL 3829: Six letters to Dahl from Mark Tobey; a letter from Jermayne MacAgy requesting Tobey's painting "Autobiography" for an exhibit and Dahl's response; a letter from the Whitney Museum of Art regarding a Tobey painting; and a letter from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahai's of the U.S. regarding a Tobey exhibit. Also included is a phonograph album, 1959, of a Tobey musical composition "Suite for Flute," performed by John Wummer, inscribed on the jacket "To Mark Tobey, composer - Marion - 12/59."
Scope and Contents
REELS 1785-1788: Correspondence; writings on Tobey; three sketches by Tobey; financial records relating to the sale of art works; organizational records of the Pacific Northwest Arts Center; exhibition announcements and catalogs; clippings; a scrapbook; and 13 photographs. Among the correspondents are Tobey, Pehr Hallsten, art dealers Otto D. Seligman, Dan Rhodes Johnson, and Marian Willard Johnson, museum curator William C. Seitz, and Tobey's attorney Arthur Barnett.
Scope and Contents
REEL 1819: Photographs of two retrospective exhibitions of Mark Tobey's paintings at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Louvre, Paris, 1961, and at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1962. Included are installation shots and photographs of Tobey, Pehr Hallsten, William C. Seitz, Joyce Lyon Dahl, Andre Malraux, Georges Mathieu, Otto Seligman, Darthea Speyer, Arthur Barnett, Marian Willard Johnson, and Jacques Guerin.
Scope and Contents
REEL 4909(fr. 972-980): Two letters 1971 & 1975, from Arthur Barnett to Arthur Dahl regarding Tobey; a black and white photograph taken by Arthur Dahl of Mark Tobey having tea with friends, including Joyce Dahl, on the occassion of his retrospective at the Louvre, 1961; and a snapshot of Dahl, his wife, Tobey, Pehr, and others taken at the home of George and Lucile Herbert.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Art collectors; Pebble Beach and San Francisco, California. The Dahls became close friends with Mark Tobey (1892-1976) through their involvement in the Baha'i World Faith and corresponded regularly with him.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
35mm microfilm reels 1785-1788, 3829, 1819 & 4909 available for use at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated 1977-1986 by Arthur and Joyce Lyon Dahl.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The second movement of Mark Tobey's composition, "Suite for Flute," was used on the sound track of "Mark Tobey," a 20-minute experimental film made in Seattle in 1952 by Robert Gardner. In 1959, Marian Willard Johnson, on the occasion of Tobey's birthday, engaged John Wummer to record this work privately. The record contained within this set of papers is the one she gave to Mark Tobey. Tobey gave the record to Dahl sometime before moving to Switzerland in 1960.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Abstract expressionism Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art -- Collectors and collecting Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artists and patrons -- France -- Paris Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- France -- Paris Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Willard, Marian, 1904- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Wummer, John Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Barnett, Arthur Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Guérin, Jacques Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hallsten, Pehr, d. 1965 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Johnson, Dan Rhodes Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Malraux, André, 1901-1976 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mathieu, Georges, 1921- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Seitz, William C. (William Chapin) Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Seligman, Otto D., 1890-1966 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Speyer, Darthea Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tobey, Mark Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions