Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Balcomb Greene

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.greene72
Creators:
Greene, Balcomb, 1904-1990
Cummings, Paul
Dates:
1972 Mar. 13
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
2 Sound tape reels
Sound recording (3 hours 30 min.)
5 in.
56 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Balcomb Greene conducted 1972 Mar. 13, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art. Greene speaks of his background as the son of a minister and growing up in various parish towns in Iowa; attending Syracuse University as a psychology major; beginning to draw and write; teaching at Dartmouth College; going to Paris in 1930-1931; his involvement with the Federal Art Project; getting his Master's at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University; teaching at Carnegie Institute; the American Abstract Artists group; working with models and photographs; the development of his own painting; collages;
Scope and Contents
color theory; his change from abstract to representational painting; figure and landscape painting; working with a spray gun; his painting technique and his use of light; his dislike for acrylics; style and personalization in art; exhibitions at New Art Circle, Bertha Schaefer Gallery, the Saidenberg Gallery, the Forum Gallery and others; going to Paris in 1960; and the contemporary art scene. He recalls J.W. Swinden, J.B. Neumann and Bertha Schaefer.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Balcomb Greene (1904-1990) was a painter from New York, N.Y.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript: 35mm microfilm reel 4210 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Transcript: Patrons must use microfilm copy.

More Information

General

General
Sound quality is poor.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Sculptors -- United States -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- New York (State) -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Neumann, J. B. (Jsrael Ber) Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Schaefer, Bertha, 1895-1971 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Swinden, J. W. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
American Abstract Artists Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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