Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Elizabeth Hertz letters from artists, 1943-2006, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.hertgrac
Creators:
Hertz, Grace Elizabeth, 1920-
Dates:
1943-2006
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.21 Linear feet
Repository:
Elizabeth Hertz letters from artists measure 0.21 linear feet and date from 1943-2006. Thirty-five letters and cards, mainly from William and Marguerite Zorach, document daily activities, visits, and reference art exhibitions and lectures. Also included are a few cards and letters from Tessim and Peggy Zorach and Dahlov Ipcar, and one letter from the Dayton Art Institute where Zorach lectured in 1951, for which the visit was facilitated by Elizabeth Hertz. There is a 12 item unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2023 that includes twelve letters from Stanton Macdonald-Wright to Elizabeth Hertz. Materials date from 1967-1969.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Elizabeth Hertz letters from artists measure 0.21 linear feet and date from 1943-2006. Thirty-five letters and cards, mainly from William and Marguerite Zorach, document daily activities, visits, and reference art exhibitions and lectures. Also included are a few cards and letters from Tessim and Peggy Zorach and Dahlov Ipcar, and one letter from the Dayton Art Institute where Zorach lectured in 1951, for which the visit was facilitated by Elizabeth Hertz.
There is a 12 item unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2023 that includes twelve letters from Stanton Macdonald-Wright to Elizabeth Hertz. Materials date from 1967-1969.

Arrangement

Arrangement
  • Series 1: Elizabeth Hertz letters from William and Marguerite Zorach, 1943-2006 (Box 1; 0.2 linear ft.)
  • Series 2: Unprocessed Addition, 1967-1969 (Folder 2; 12 items)
This collection is arranged as two series.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
(Grace) Elizabeth "Beth" Hertz (1920- ) is an artist and was a student of William Zorach's at the Art Students League in New York. Hertz maintained a relationship with William and Marguerite, as well as with their children Tessim and Dahlov. Following her time as Zorach's student, Hertz visited their summer home at Robinhood Farm in Georgetown, Maine, where she assisted in daily chores while receiving critiques on her artwork. Into the 1950s, visits were more infrequent but Hertz still looked to Zorach for advice on her art career and frequently exchanged news about their families and careers. In 1951 Elizabeth Hertz facilitated William Zorach's guest lecture at the Dayton Art Institute Commencement Dinner.
Hertz also studied the work of Stanton Macdonald-Wright and wrote her MFA thesis "The Continuing Role of Stanton-MacDonald Wright and Synchronism in Modern Painting, "Ohio University, 1968.

Administration

Author
Ryan Evans
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Elizabeth Hertz letters from artists, 1943-2006, was donated by Leah Hertz, daughter-in-law of Elizabeth Hertz, in 2017 and 2023.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Ryan Evans in 2018.

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.
Preferred Citation
Elizabeth Hertz letters from artists, 1943-2006. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Terms of 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.

Related Materials
Also found at the Archives of American Art are the Zorach Family papers, 1900-1987 and the Stanton Macdonald-Wright papers, 1890-2008.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Painters -- Ohio Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ipcar, Dahlov, 1917-2017 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Zorach, Marguerite, 1887-1968 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Zorach, William, 1887-1966 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Zorach, Tessim Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Zorach, Peggy Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art Students League (New York, N.Y.) -- Faculty Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art Students League (New York, N.Y.) -- Students Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dayton Art Institute Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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