Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Alfred Victor Frankenstein

Summary

(Sound Recording)

Oral history interview with Alfred Victor Frankenstein, 1965 Nov. 9, Digital Sound Recording (Excerpt)
Collection ID:
AAA.franke65
Creators:
Frankenstein, Alfred V. (Alfred Victor), 1906-1981
McChesney, Mary Fuller
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project
Dates:
1965 Nov. 9
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1 Sound tape reel
Sound recording
5 in.
21 Pages
Transcript
Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
An interview of Alfred Victor Frankenstein conducted 1965 Nov. 9, by Mary McChesney, for the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project.
Scope and Contents
Frankenstein speaks of the WPA mural project and its value; problems with the project; Hans Hofmann's influence; the influence of surrealism; the Coit Tower murals and the controversy surrounding them; the easel painting project and its value; political problems with the Federal Art Project; the project's relevance to current problems; art in architecture; the Index of American Design. He recalls Beniamino Bufano.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Alfred Victor Frankenstein (1906-1981) was an art historian from San Francisco, 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: 35mm microfilm reel 3949 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's website.
Digital Content

(Sound Recording)

Oral history interview with Alfred Victor Frankenstein, 1965 Nov. 9, Digital Sound Recording (Excerpt)

(Electronic Resource)

Oral history interview with Alfred Victor Frankenstein, 1965 November 9, Transcript
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Keywords
Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art and state Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Coit Memorial Tower (San Francisco, Calif.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art historians -- California -- Interviews Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Federal aid to the arts Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mural painting and decoration Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bufano, Beniamino, 1898-1970 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Index of American Design Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Federal Art Project (Calif.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Repository Contact
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions