Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Amy Goldin Papers, 1945-1978, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.goldamy
Creators:
Goldin, Amy
Dates:
1945-1978
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3.5 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of author, art critic, and educator Amy Goldin measure 3.5 linear feet and date from 1945 to 1978. The collection comprises biographical materials that include identification documents, a sketchbook from 1946, student records, and other material; personal and professional correspondence with Goldin's sister Ruth Huston, Oleg Grabar, Robert Duncan, and others; Goldin's writing and research projects and a few writings by others; printed materials mainly featuring Goldin's published writings; and photographic materials consisting of photographs of Goldin, friends and family, and works of art by Goldin and others.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of author, art critic, and educator Amy Goldin measure 3.5 linear feet and date from 1945 to 1978. The collection comprises biographical materials that include identification documents, a sketchbook from 1946, student records, and other material; personal and professional correspondence with Goldin's sister Ruth Huston, Oleg Grabar, Robert Duncan, and others; Goldin's writing and research projects and a few writings by others; printed materials mainly featuring Goldin's published writings; and photographic materials consisting of photographs of Goldin, friends and family, and works of art by Goldin and others.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as five series.
  • Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1945-1978 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1959-1978 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 3: Research and Writing Projects, 1950-1977 (2.0 linear feet; Boxes 1-3, OV 4)
  • Series 4: Printed Materials, circa 1960-1978 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 3-4, OV 5)
  • Series 5: Photographic Materials, circa 1950-circa 1975 (0.1 linear feet; Box 4)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Amy Goldin (1926-1978) was an art critic, author, and educator in New York, New York.
Goldin started her career in art as a painter in her birthplace of Detroit, Michigan. She attended Wayne University from 1944 to 1946 before attending the University of Chicago from 1946 to 1948. She continued her training in painting after receiving the Art Students' League scholarship for 1948 to 1949 and a scholarship to train under Hans Hofmann from 1950 to 1952. She eventually settled in New York City.
Goldin was a prolific writer over the course of her short career as an art critic. She was contributing editor for the publications Arts, Arts News and Art in America. In 1972 she received a National Endowment Critic's Grant to study with Dr. Oleg Grabar, a leading scholar on Islamic art, at Harvard University and traveled to Iran to study the country's architecture. Goldin devoted much of her career to covering topics such as Islamic art, decoration and pattern, and examining folk art from an original viewpoint. In 1976 the College Art Association awarded her the Frank Jewett Mather award for distinguished art criticism.
Goldin was also a visiting lecturer and educator at the University of California in San Diego, Northwestern University, and Queens College. Goldin and Dr. Michael Brown of Queens College collaborated on the book Collective Behavior (1974) that explored style and collective behavior.
Goldin died of cancer in 1978 in New York, N.Y.

Administration

Author
Sarah Mundy
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Amy Goldin papers were donated by Mrs. Ruth M. Huston, the sister of Amy Genevieve Goldin, in 1978.
Existence and Location of Copies
The collection is available on 35mm microfilm reels 1401 through 1405 for use at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2020.

Using the Collection

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.
Preferred Citation
Amy Goldin papers, 1945-1978. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing 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 the Herb Bronstein correspondence with Amy Goldin, circa 1952-1976.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Sketchbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art critics -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women authors Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women art critics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Authors -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Grabar, Oleg Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Duncan, Robert Edward, 1919- Personal Name 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