Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Ralph Goings Papers, circa 1950-2008, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.goinralp2
Creators:
Goings, Ralph
Dates:
circa 1950-2008
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
4.1 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of California Photorealist painter Ralph Goings, measure 4.1 linear feet and date from circa 1950 to 2005. The collection is comprised of biographical material, professional correspondence with artists, dealers, museums, and other art organizations, project files, inventory and sales records dating from 1970 to 1975, and printed material featuring Goings and his artwork. There is a 1.7 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2020 that includes slides and photographs used for paintings (source material and subjects) and images and photographs of works of art; inventory of works of art; correspondence; and project and exhibition files. Materials date from circa 1957-2008. A portion of the addition is in electronic format.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of California Photorealist painter Ralph Goings, measure 4.1 linear feet and date from circa 1950 to 2005. The collection is comprised of biographical material, professional correspondence with artists, dealers, museums, and other art organizations, project files, inventory and sales records dating from 1970 to 1975, and printed material featuring Goings and his artwork. There is a 1.7 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2020 that includes slides and photographs used for paintings (source material and subjects) and images and photographs of works of art; inventory of works of art; correspondence; and project and exhibition files. Materials date from circa 1957-2008. A portion of the addition is in electronic format.
Biographical material includes interview transcripts, personal photographs, teaching records, notes on Realism, and other material. Photorealist artists and dealers represented in the correspondence include Richard McLean, Glennray Tutor, Davis Cone, Daniel Tennant, OK Harris Works of Art, and Ivan Karp. Project files include photographic material used as preparation for Goings's paintings, a work progress notebook, and photographs of finished work.

Arrangement

Arrangement
This collection is arranged into six series.
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1955-circa 1990s (Box 1; 0.4 linear feet)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1950-2005 (Box 1; 0.4 linear feet )
  • Series 3: Project Files, 1967-1978 (Boxes 1-3;1.2 linear feet )
  • Series 4: Inventory and Sales Records, 1970-1975 (Box 3; 0.2 linear feet)
  • Series 5: Printed Materials, circa 1970s-2005 (Box 3; 0.2 linear feet)
  • Series 6: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1957-2008 (Boxes 4-5; OV 6-7;1.7 linear feet )

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Ralph Goings (1928-2016) was a Photorealist painter active in Santa Cruz, California.
Goings attended Hartnell College before enrolling in the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California, where he studied alongside artists Richard McClean, Nathan Oliveira, and Robert Bechtle. Goings continued his studies at Sacramento State College where he received a Master of Fine Arts in 1965. He was known for the paintings of diners, trucks, and everyday scenes that established him as one of the originators of the Photorealist movement. His work has been exhibited and is in collections throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Goings died in 2016 in Sacramento, California.

Administration

Author
Sarah Mundy
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Ralph Goings papers were donated in 2009 by Ralph Goings and in 2020 by Shanna Goings, Ralph Goings' widow.
Processing Information
The collection received some preliminary processing in 2017. The papers were further processed and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2020.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Ralph Goings papers, circa 1950-2005. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
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.
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.

Related Materials
Also found at the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Ralph Goings, conducted on September 10-11, 2009, by Judith Olch Richards for the Archives of American Art.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photo-realism Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- California -- Santa Cruz Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
McLean, Richard Thorpe, 1934- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
O.K. Harris Gallery (New York, N.Y.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Karp, Ivan C., 1926-2012 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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