Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Claire Falkenstein

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.falken95
Creators:
Falkenstein, Claire, 1908-1997
Karlstrom, Paul J.
Women in the Arts in Southern California Oral History Project
Dates:
1995 Mar. 2-21
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3 Sound cassettes
Sound recording (60 min. each)
analog
51 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Claire Falkenstein conducted 1995 Mar.2-21, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, Women in the Arts in Southern California Oral History Project, in Falkenstein's studio, Venice, Calif.
Scope and Contents
Falkenstein discusses the evolution of her work; the benefit of being alone to her personal and artistic growth; her "vocabulary of art" which she created while at the University of California at Berkeley; her largest commission at St. Basil's Cathedral in Los Angeles and her views on religion and art; the influence on her of George Lusk, a visiting artist and philosopher from Paris; studying the nude figure and how it taught her personal expression; her family background and introduction to art; teaching in the Bay Area at the California School of Fine Arts; her friendships with other artists there such as Clyfford Still; her reasons for leaving the Bay Area to go to Paris; and meeting Michel Tapie and the Stadler Gallery group. She recalls Karl Appel, Martha Jackson, Clyfford Still, Sam Francis, and others.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Claire Falkenstein (1908-1997) was a sculptor of Venice, Calif.

Administration

Sponsor
Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript available online.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for this interview was provided by the Margery and Harry Kahn Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Communal Fund of New York.

Digital Content


Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Sculptors -- California Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- California Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Jewelers -- California Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- California Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Authors -- California Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women sculptors Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women designers Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women educators Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women authors Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Appel, Karel, 1921- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Francis, Sam, 1923-1994 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Jackson, Martha Kellogg Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lusk, George, 1902- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Still, Clyfford, 1904-1980 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tapie, Michel Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Galerie Stadler Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women in the Arts in Southern California Oral History Project Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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