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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the Grand Central Art Galleries records, 1931-1968, bulk circa 1952-circa 1965, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.grancent
- Creators:
-
Grand Central Art Galleries
- Dates:
-
1931-1968bulk circa 1952-circa 1965
- Languages:
-
The collection is in English.
- Physical Description:
-
1.3 Linear feet
- Repository:
The records of New York City's Grand Central Art Galleries measure 1.3 linear feet and date from 1931 to 1968, with the bulk of the material from circa 1952 to circa 1965. The majority of the records are related the Grand Central Moderns, the modern art division of Grand Central Art Galleries. The collection includes group exhibition files, artists' files, printed material and photographs.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The records of New York City's Grand Central Art Galleries measure 1.3 linear feet and date from 1931 to 1968, with the bulk of the material from circa 1952 to circa 1965. The majority of the records are related the Grand Central Moderns, the modern art division of Grand Central Art Galleries. The collection includes group exhibition files, artists' files, printed material and photographs.
Group exhibition files consist of catalogs, announcements, clippings, artist biographies, correspondence and photographs. The art exchange exhibition between Grand Central Moderns and Galerie Jeanne Bucher is especially noteworthy.
Artists' files include exhibition catalogs, announcements, resumes, clippings, photographs and limited correspondence. The bulk of the material is on artists who had exhibitions at Grand Central Moderns. Notable artists include Elise Asher, Byron Browne, Victor Candell, Joseph De Martini, Xavier Gonzalez, Jacob Kainen, Jennett Lam, Seong Moy, Arthur Osver, Herman Rowan, Lucia Salemme, and Robert Watts, among others.
Printed material mostly consists of exhibition catalogs and announcements of other galleries. There are a few clippings on Grand Central Art Galleries.
There are a few photographs of artwork.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 4 series.
- Series 1: Group Exhibition Files, 1952-1957 (Box 1, OV 3; 0.3 linear feet)
- Series 2: Artists' Files, 1940-1968 (Box 1, 0.7 linear feet)
- Series 3: Printed Material, 1951-1965 (Boxes 1-2; 0.3 linear feet)
- Series 4: Photographs, 1931, circa 1960-circa 1965 (Box 2; 2 folders)
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Grand Central Art Galleries (1923-1994) was a large New York-based art gallery, which also had a modern art division called Grand Central Moderns (1947-circa 1967).
The Grand Central Art Galleries was founded in 1923 and operated as the exhibition space of the Painters and Sculptors Gallery Association in New York City. Grand Central Art Galleries was located at Grand Central Terminal for nearly 30 years before moving on to the Biltmore Hotel at 40 Vanderbilt Avenue, then relocating to 24 West 57th Street. The Galleries regularly exhibited the works of its members and sometimes boasted as many as thirty to forty exhibitions annually.
From its establishment in 1923, Edwin S. Barrie was the director of Grand Central Art Galleries and he founded Grand Central Moderns in 1947, which he also managed until the early 1950s. The gallery moved from one address to another before ultimately relocating to 130 East 56th Street. Colette Roberts was the curator and she took over as director in 1952 until roughly 1965, about two years before Grand Central Moderns closed. Byron Browne, Kenneth Campbell, Lamar Dodd, Xavier Gonzalez, George Morrison and Louise Nevelson were a few of the artists represented by the gallery.
Erwin S. Barrie retired from his position as director of Grand Central Art Galleries in 1975. The gallery closed in 1994.
Administration
Author
Rihoko Ueno
Existence and Location of Copies
Material lent for microfilming is available on microfilm reels NGCAG1-NGCAG2 at Archives of American Art offices, and for interlibrary loan.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Grand Central Art Galleries loaned materials for microfilming in 1966. Addition records were donated to the Archives of American Art by Grand Central Art Galleries in 1966 and 1967.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Rihoko Ueno in 2018.
Separated Materials
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reels NGCAG1-NGCAG2) including 23 yearbooks, 1928-1945, and exhibition catalogs, 1923-1929. The originals were returned to Grand Central Art Galleries after microfilming and are not described in the the container listing of this finding aid.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Preferred Citation
Grand Central Art Galleries, 1931-1938, bulk circa 1952-circa 1965. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Keywords
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
