Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Gary Falk Papers, circa 1955-2013, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.falkgary
Creators:
Falk, Gary M., 1954-1986
Dates:
circa 1955-2013
Languages:
The collection is in English.
Physical Description:
2.5 Linear feet
0.005 Gigabytes
Repository:
The papers of painter and assemblage artist Gary Falk measure 2.5 linear feet and 0.005 GB and date from circa 1955-2013. The papers document his career as an artist in New York through biographical material, including project proposals, student records, and items from his memorial service; a small amount of personal correspondence; four notebooks; exhibition files; printed material; photographs of Falk, Falk with friends, artwork, and travel; digital photographs of artwork; and original artwork, including drawings, collages, and two sketchbooks.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of painter and assemblage artist Gary Falk measure 2.5 linear feet and 0.005 GB and date from circa 1955-2013. The papers document his career as an artist in New York through biographical material, including project proposals, student records, and items from his memorial service; a small amount of personal correspondence; four notebooks; exhibition files; printed material; photographs of Falk, Falk with friends, artwork, and travel; digital photographs of artwork; and original artwork, including drawings, collages, and two sketchbooks.

Arrangement

Arrangement
This collection is arranged as 7 series.
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1966-2013 (0.5 Linear feet; Box 1, 0.005 GB; ER01)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1973-1996 (4 Folders; Box 1)
  • Series 3: Notebooks, 1979-circa 2004 (4 Folders; Box 1)
  • Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1977-1988 (0.3 Linear feet; Box 1-2)
  • Series 5: Printed Material, 1962-1990 (0.2 Linear feet; Box 2, OV 5)
  • Series 6: Photographs, circa 1955-1990s (0.7 Linear feet; Boxes 2-4)
  • Series 7: Artwork, 1958-1980s (0.5 Linear feet; Box 3, OVs 5-7)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Gary Falk (1954-1986) was a painter and assemblage artist from New York, N.Y. Falk developed a personal sign system in his works of art, and often worked in enamel and acrylic on Plexiglas or aluminum.
Falk and his family moved to Bethesda, Maryland, in 1966. He attended the Corcoran School of Art and later graduated from Yale University with a degree in Fine Arts in 1975. After college he moved to New York City and worked as an artist. He had a one-man-show at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in 1983. During the 1980s, he participated in many other group exhibitions, most notably Narrative Forms (1984) at the Museo Rufino Tamayo and SIGNS (1985) at the New Museum. Falk died at the age of 32.

Administration

Author
Erin Kinhart
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated 2005, 2007, 2014, and 2016 by Lillian Falk, Gary Falk's mother.
Processing Information
The papers were processed and a finding aid prepared by Erin Kinhart in 2015. Additional papers were added to the collection in 2016. Born-digital materials were processed by Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner in 2019 with funding provided by Smithsonian Collection Care and Preservation Fund.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
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
Gary Falk papers, circa 1955-2013. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Related Materials
Also at the Archives of American Art is one sound recording of Ned Rifkin in conversation with Gary Falk, December 5, 1984.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art -- Study and teaching Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Assemblage artists -- New York (State) -- New York Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sketchbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Collages Genre Form 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