Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Mimi Haas

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.haas18
Creators:
Haas, Mimi, 1946-
Riedel, Mija, 1958-
Dates:
2018 Oct. 26
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
2 Items
sound files (1 hr., 43 min.) Audio
digital, wav
33 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An oral history interview with Mimi Haas conducted 2018 October 26, by Mija Riedel, for the Archives of American Art and the Center for the History of Collecting in America at the Frick Art Reference Library of The Frick Collection, at Haas' home in San Francisco, California.
Scope and Contents
Haas describes growing up in the Washington, D.C. area; her early interests in both politics and art, as well as the beginnings of her focus on philanthropy; her involvement with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, first as a docent and later as a board member and chair of various committees; her marriage to Peter Haas and the establishment of the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund; her work on the expansions of SFMOMA as well as the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Haas discusses the focus of the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund on providing support for early childhood education for children at risk; her sons Ari and Daniel Lurie; her work on the boards of SFMOMA and MoMA; the importance of having relationships with artists and the importance for modern art museums to collect contemporary work; the legacy plans for the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund. Haas also recalls Elise Haas; Gary Garrels; Robert Ryman; Brice Marden; Sigmar Polke; Neal Benezra, as well as Matilda Kunin; Phyllis Wattis; Becca Prowda; Richard Serra; John Caldwell; and Jack Lane, among others.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Interviewee Mimi Haas (1946- ) is a community volunteer and art collector in San Francisco, California. Interviewer Mija Riedel (1958- ) is an independent scholar in San Francisco, California.

Administration

Sponsor
Funding for this interview was provided by Barbara Fleischman.
Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's website.
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 administrators.

Digital Content


Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
The transcript and recording are open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women art collectors Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art -- Collectors and collecting Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Philanthropists Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art Collectors: A Project in Partnership with the Center for the History of Collecting in America at The Frick Collection Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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