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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the Elaine Galen papers, circa 1950-2022, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.galeelai
- Creators:
-
Galen, Elaine
- Dates:
-
circa 1950-2022
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
2 Linear feet8.02 Gigabytes
- Repository:
The papers of abstract expressionist painter, sculptor and poet Elaine Galen date from circa 1950-2022. The collection measures 2.0 linear feet and 8.02 gigabytes. The collection documents Galen's work as a teacher and published writer, as well as her relationships with national museums, through biographical material, correspondence, writings and poetry, personal business records, exhibition files, photographic material, and artwork. A portion of this material is in electronic format.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The papers of abstract expressionist painter, sculptor and poet Elaine Galen date from circa 1950-2022. The collection measures 2.0 linear feet and 8.02 gigabytes. The collection documents Galen's work as a teacher and published writer, as well as her relationships with national museums, through biographical material, correspondence, writings and poetry, personal business records, exhibition files, photographic material, and artwork. A portion of this material is in electronic format.
The biographical material series includes a short biography, several CVs, honors and awards, and a couple of interviews, one captured in a digital video recording. The correspondence series includes recommendation letters from colleagues and residency offers. The writings series includes several artist statements, unpublished poetry, lecture notes, letters to editors, and scholarly reviews of Galen's artwork. The exhibition and gallery files series includes Galen's participation in the U.S. Department of State's Art in Embassies program as well as several other notable exhibitions, and her work with various museums. The personal business records series includes materials related to Galen's artwork donations, loans, sales and copyright. The printed material series includes clippings, exhibition advertising and organizational outreach. The photographic material series includes photographs (some in digital format), including snapshots of Galen at work in her studio, as well as images of her and students and artwork. The artwork series includes a limited edition book series, loose sketches and a sketchbook.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 8 series.
- Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1962-2020 (0.1 linear feet: Box 1; 1.914 gigabytes: ER001-ER003)
- Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1961-2016 (0.1 linear feet: Box 1)
- Series 3: Writings, circa 1961-2020 (0.3 linear feet: Box 1)
- Series 4: Exhibition and Gallery Files, circa 1973-2018 (0.1 linear feet: Box 1; 6.09 gigabytes: ER004-ER005)
- Series 5: Personal Business Records, circa 1963-2022 (0.3 linear feet: Box 1)
- Series 6: Printed Material, circa 1958-2019 (0.4 linear feet: Boxes 1-2)
- Series 7: Photographic Material, circa 1950-2016 (0.3 linear feet: Box 2; 0.02 gigabytes: ER006)
- Series 8: Artwork, circa 1962-2015 (0.4 linear feet: Box 2)
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Abstract expressionist painter and sculptor Elaine Galen (1928- ) is known for her mystical interpretation of the natural landscape, the human form, and the moments when the two intersect. After attending the University of Pennsylvania as an undergraduate, Galen earned an M.A. from New York University and studied at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere in 1962. She began to exhibit her artwork across the state of New York in the 1960s, during which time she became a Fulbright Finalist and received the Emily and Joe Lowe Award for Painting. She served as an Associate Professor of design and studio courses at the State University of New York (SUNY) from 1981-1997. In the early 2000s, Galen published a limited edition book series telling the stories surrounding biblical women, for which she paired her artwork with her poetry and short prose. Galen's artwork can now be found in the Whitney Museum of American art, the Israel Museum in Jersualem, and in the special collections of Ivy League universities.
Administration
Author
Emma Eubank
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated by Elaine Galen in several accessions, in 2007, 2013, 2020 and 2021.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Emma Eubank in 2023. Born-digital components for the collection were processed by Ryan Evans and Emma Eubank in 2023.
Using the Collection
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.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Preferred Citation
Elaine Galen papers, circa 1950-2022. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Related Materials
Related Materials
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the papers of artist Ed Colker, husband of Elaine Galen.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Painters -- New York (State) | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Sculptors -- New York (State) | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Educators -- New York (State) | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Multimedia (Art) | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Women artists | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Women painters | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Women sculptors | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Women educators | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Video recordings | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Sketchbooks | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Interviews | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Archives of American Art
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Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-7950
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions
