Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Ted Halkin

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.halkin15
Creators:
Halkin, Theodore, 1924-
Silverman, Lanny
Dates:
2015 July 29- August 17
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3 Items
sound files (3 hr., 36 min.)
digital, wav
114 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview with Ted Halkin conducted 2015 July 29- August 17, by Lanny Silverman, for the Archives of American Art's Chicago Art and Artists: Oral History Project, at Halkin's home in Evanston, Illinois.
Scope and Contents
Halkin speaks of growing up during the Depression; his family members' emigration from Russia to Canada and Argentina, and eventually the U.S.; his childhood interests in art-making; serving in World War II, including at Iwo Jima; being dyslexic; attending the Art Institute of Chicago on the GI Bill; working at the Field Museum; Halkin's attitude towards cultural appropriation; early exhibitions, including in the Chicago show; painting on the Chicago Midway with George Cohen and Leon Golub; influences on his work, including Cubism, Romanesque cathedrals, and certain Renaissance art; teaching art history at the Art Institute; the impact of the internet on art and the art business; visiting the cave paintings of Lascaux; the use of the grotesque in his work; incorporating sculptural elements into his art; and the impact of the death of his wife on his painting style. Halkin also recalls Edith Altman, Leon Golub, Ray Yoshida, Cosmo Campoli, Franz Schulze, Jim Nutt, Whitney Halstead, Evelyn Statsinger, George Cohen, Phyllis Kind, and others.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Interviewee Ted Halkin (1924- ) is a multimedia artist working in Evanston, Illinois. Interviewer Lanny Silverman (1947- ) is a curator at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Administration

Sponsor
Funding for this interview was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
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
This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.

More Information

General

General
Originally recorded as 3 sound files. Duration is 3 hr., 36 min.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Artists -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mixed media (Art) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chicago Art and Artists: Oral History Project Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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