Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the E.C. (Eugene) Goossen Papers, circa 1935-2004, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.goose
Creators:
Goossen, E. C.
Dates:
circa 1935-2004
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
10.8 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of art historian and educator E.C. (Eugene) Goossen measure 10.8 linear feet and date from circa 1935 to 2004. The collection documents Goossen's career through biographical material, correspondence, artist files, writing project files and notes, exhibition files, other professional files and subject files, teaching files, and printed material.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The collection documents Goossen's career through biographical material, correspondence, artist files, writing project files and notes, exhibition files, other professional files and subject files, teaching files, and printed material.
Biographical materials include an address book, three appointment books, records regarding Goossen's retirement and death, artwork donations records, files for Goossen's wife Patricia Johanson, and other personal records. Correspondence is with Irene Alexander, the Guggenheim Foundation, Linda Nochlin, Ad Reinhardt, students, and other colleagues and friends. Artist files for Joseph Cornell, Stuart Davis, Alexander Dorner, Paul Feeley, Herbert Ferber, Helen Frankenthaler, Tony Smith, and others include drafts, notes, research material, and five sound recordings of interviews with Robert Morris and Ellsworth Kelly. Writing projects files and notes are for book contributions, essays, lectures, and reviews. Exhibition files for 8 Young Artists (1964), 8 Young Artists Then and Now (1991), Art of the Real (1968), and a few other exhibitions are also included. Professional files document Goossen's activities outside of teaching and a small set of subject files include the topics of landscape sculpture, Mayan and Coptic art, and other art related subjects. Teaching files document Goossen's tenures at Bennington College, Hunter College, and the City University of New York's Graduate Center. Printed materials include clippings featuring Goossen's writings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, press releases, and other published material.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as nine series.
  • Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1945-2004 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1, OV 15)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1930s-1990s (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
  • Series 3: Artist Files, circa 1947-1997 (4.5 linear feet; Boxes 2-6, 12-14)
  • Series 4: Writing Projects and Notes, circa 1940-circa 1994 (1.7 linear feet; Boxes 6-8)
  • Series 5: Exhibition Files, 1958-1991 (1.0 linear feet; Box 8, OV 15)
  • Series 6: Professional Files, 1948-circa 1997 (0.5 linear feet; Box9, OV 15)
  • Series 7: Subject Files, 1956-1991 (0.2 linear feet; Box 9, OV 15)
  • Series 8: Teaching Files, circa 1950-1997 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 9-10)
  • Series 9: Printed Materials, 1964-1997 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 10-11, OV 15)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
E.C. (Eugene) Goossen (1920-1997) was an art historian, critic, and educator in New York, N.Y.
Goossen attended Hamilton College, the Corcoran School of Fine Arts, and The New School in New York City where he received his bachelor of arts degree in 1950. He also received a certificate from the Sorbonne in Paris in 1948. He was Director of Exhibitions at Bennington College from 1958 to 1961, a professor at Hunter College from 1961 to 1991, and a student advisor at the City University of New York Graduate Center. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship Award in 1971 and a Critics' Award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1975.
Goossen curated several major exhibitions including The Art of the Real (1968) at the Museum of Modern Art, Art in Space (1972) in Detroit, Helen Frankenthaler (1969) at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Ellsworth Kelly (1972) at the Museum of Modern Art, as well as Paul Feeley (1970), 8 Young Artists (1964), and Doug Ohlson exhibitions (1962-1982) at Bennington College. He produced numerous articles, essays, and books on Georgia O'Keeffe, Ellsworth Kelly, Herbert Ferber, Tony Smith, and other prominent artists.
Goossen was married to artist Patricia Johanson. He died in 1997 in Bennington, Vermont.

Administration

Author
Sarah Mundy
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The E.C. (Eugene) Goossen papers were donated by Goossen's widow, Patricia Johanson, in 1997, 1998, and 2006.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2020.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
E.C. (Eugene) Goossen papers, circa 1935-2004. 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. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
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.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art critics -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kelly, Ellsworth, 1923- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Frankenthaler, Helen, 1928-2011 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hunter College Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bennington College Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ohlson, Douglas Dean, 1936- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Johanson, Patricia, 1940- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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