Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Rackstraw Downes Research Material Concerning Fairfield Porter, 1962-2000, bulk 1970-1979, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.downrack
Creators:
Downes, Rackstraw
Dates:
1962-2000
bulk 1970-1979
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1 Linear foot
Repository:
TThe Rackstraw Downes research material concerning Fairfield Porter measure 1.0 linear foot and date from 1962 to 2000, with the bulk of the material dating from 1970-1979. Downes used the material to compile, edit and write the introduction to Fairfield Porter: Art In Its Own Terms - Selected Criticism 1935-1975 published in 1979. Research materials include articles about Porter, exhibition catalogs, photocopies of letters and some original correspondence, theses and manuscripts. Also included are project files for the publication of Art In Its Own Terms.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The Rackstraw Downes research material concerning Fairfield Porter measure 1.0 linear foot and date from 1962 to 2000, with the bulk of the material dating from 1970-1979. Downes used the material to compile, edit and write the introduction to Fairfield Porter: Art In Its Own Terms - Selected Criticism 1935-1975 published in 1979. Research materials include articles about Porter, exhibition catalogs, photocopies of letters and some original correspondence, theses and manuscripts. Also included are project files for the publication of Art In Its Own Terms.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into two series:
  • Series 1: Research Material, 1962-2000 (0.7 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 2: Files on Fairfield Porter: Art In Its Own Terms, Selected Criticism 1935-1975, 1973-1992 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Rackstraw Downes (1939-), a landscape painter and author in New York City, edited and wrote the introduction to Fairfield Porter: Art In It's Own Terms: Selected Criticism 1935-1975. Born in Kent, England, Downes received a B.A. in English literature from Cambridge University in 1961 and earned an M.F.A. from the Yale School of Arts in 1961. Downes was personally acquainted with Porter.
Fairfield Porter (1907-1975), a painter, art critic and poet, resided in Southampton, New York. Porter was a strong advocate for figure painting. He wrote for ArtNews and The Nation, and eventually became art editor for The Nation.

Administration

Author
Rachel Salzmann
Processing Information
This collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared in 2013 by Rachel Salzmann. 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 level. Generally, items within folders were simply verified with folder titles, but not arranged further. Folders within boxes were not numbered. The collection was rehoused in archival containers and folders, but not all staples and clips were removed.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Rackstraw Downes in 2012.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers 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.
Preferred Citation
The Rackstraw Downes research material concerning Fairfield Porter, 1962-2000, bulk 1970-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art critics -- New York (State) -- Southampton Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Porter, Fairfield Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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