Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Marion Greenstone Papers, 1929-2014, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.greemario
Creators:
Greenstone, Marion
Dates:
1929-2014
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
4.6 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of painter and educator Marion Greenstone measure 4.6 linear feet, and date from 1929-2014. The collection documents Greenstone's career through biographical materials, mixed professional and personal correspondence, writings and notebooks, exhibition and gallery files, teaching files, personal business records, printed material, sketches and sketchbooks, and photographs. The papers also include three motion picture films comprised of homemade footage created by Greenstone.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of painter and educator Marion Greenstone measure 4.6 linear feet, and date from 1929-2014. The collection documents Greenstone's career through biographical materials, mixed professional and personal correspondence, writings and notebooks, exhibition and gallery files, teaching files, personal business records, printed material, sketches and sketchbooks, and photographs. The papers also include three motion picture films comprised of homemade footage created by Greenstone.
Biographical materials include records from Greenstone's education, a birth certificate, organization membership papers, an interview transcript, and a transcript from a talk she gave in Bari, Italy, circa 1955. This grouping also includes three motion picture films. Correspondence is comprised of mixed professional and personal letters with friends, other artists, museums, and galleries. Of particular note is her communications with several fellow Cooper Union art department graduates including Ronnie (R. B.) Kitaj, Joseph Raffael, and Paul Thek. Writings and notebooks include artist statements, drafts of articles and reviews by Greenstone, course notebooks from her studies, daily notebooks, and travel diaries. Exhibition and gallery files consist of correspondence, loan agreements, shipping documents, as well as some price lists, photographs, and publicity material. Teaching files primarily pertain to her tenure at the Pratt Institute, consisting of lecture and classroom notes, student correspondence, administrative papers, and identification cards. Personal business records contain sales records, inventories, communications with art services and consultants, papers pertaining to grant and fellowship applications, and some commission files. Printed materials consist of exhibition material, press releases, some of Greenstone's reference material, articles and clippings both about Greenstone and written by the artist, and newsletters. Artwork includes several sketchbooks and loose sketches; some small paintings are included as well. Photographs are primarily snapshots and slides of the artist, friends, family, travel, and artwork.

Arrangement

Arrangement
This collection is arranged as 9 series.
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, 1931-2006 (Box 1, FC 7; 0.5 linear feet)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1954-2000 (Box 1; 10 folders)
  • Series 3: Writings and Notebooks, 1947-2003 (Box 1-2; 0.8 linear feet)
  • Series 4: Exhibition and Gallery Files, 1959-1992 (Box 2; 0.4 linear feet)
  • Series 5: Teaching Files, 1969-1992 (Box 2-3; 12 folders)
  • Series 6: Personal Business Records, 1951-1999 (Box 3; 12 folders)
  • Series 7: Printed Material, 1929-2014 (Box 3-4; 1 linear foot)
  • Series 8: Artwork, 1945-1992 (Box 4, OV 6; 0.5 linear feet)
  • Series 9: Photographs, 1954-1990s (Box 5; 0.4 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Marion Isaacson Greenstone (1925-2005) was a painter and educator in New York, New York.
Greenstone received her B.A. from Brooklyn College, completed an M.A. at Columbia University, and earned a diploma from Cooper Union. In addition to living in New York, Greenstone also took residences in Italy and Canada, exhibiting frequently in both countries well into the 2000s. Her initial time in Italy was under a Fulbright grant in 1954. While there, Greenstone studied painting and lectured on art. By the end of the decade she had moved with her husband to London, Ontario and gained noteriety there for her artwork. By the late 1960s Greenstone was back in New York working as a teacher for the Pratt Institute. Her activities were then divided between teaching, creating art, and exhibiting her work. During her career, Greenstone's work was included in museum and gallery group shows in the United States, Canada, and Italy, including ones held at the Schneider Gallery in Rome, Brooklyn Museum, and Royal Canadian Academy. She held solo exhibitions in Canada at the Park Gallery, Dorothy Cameron Gallery, and University of Western Ontario; and in the United States at the Bridge Gallery, Sixth Estate Gallery, and Long Island University. Her work can be found in various private and public collections including the Ontario Gallery of Art, Continental Telephone Crop., and the Art Gallery of London. After retiring in 1992 she traveled extensively throughout Europe with her husband, Myron, and others, and continued exhibiting and creating artwork until her death in 2005.

Administration

Author
Christopher DeMairo
Sponsor
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated in 2007 by Cora Hahn, Marion Greenstone's sister.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Christopher DeMairo in 2021.

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. Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Preferred Citation
Marion Greenstone Papers, 1929-2014. 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.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Abstract expressionism Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sketchbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Motion pictures Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Johnson, Ray, 1927-1995 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Raffael, Joseph, 1933- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pratt Institute -- Faculty Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kitaj, R. B. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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