Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Raymond and Margaret Horowitz Papers, 1903-2007, bulk 1960-2007, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.hororaym
Creators:
Horowitz, Raymond J., 1916-2005
Dates:
1903-2007
bulk 1960-2007
Languages:
Collection is in English.
Physical Description:
5.4 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of collectors Raymond and Margaret Horowitz measure 5.4 linear feet and date from 1903-2007, with the bulk of the material dating from 1960- 2007. The collection documents the Horowitzes' activities as collectors through art collection files, including appraisals, sales information, printed material, and photographs of artwork; files of artwork sold or donated; accession records, including inventory lists of paintings and prints; and catalog information.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of collectors Raymond and Margaret Horowitz measure 5.4 linear feet and date from 1903-2007, with the bulk of the material dating from 1960- 2007. The collection documents the Horowitzes' activities as collectors through art collection files, including appraisals, sales information, printed material, and photographs of artwork; files of artwork sold or donated; accession records, including inventory lists of paintings and prints; and catalog information.
The records document the acquisitions that formed the foundation for the Raymond and Margaret Horowitz collection. Materials reflect Raymond Horowitz's long-standing relationships with dealers, galleries, and museums, including Adelson Galleries, Babcock Galleries, Daniel Fraad, Hirschl & Adler, Paul Magriel, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Victor Spark, and others.

Arrangement

Arrangement
This collection is arranged as 4 series.
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Art Collection Files, 1943-2007 (Boxes 1-3; 2.5 linear feet)
  • Series 2: Artwork, Sold or Donated, 1903, 1950-2003 (Boxes 3-5; 2.0 linear feet)
  • Series 3: Accession Records, 1959-circa 1994 (Box 5; 0.4 linear feet)
  • Series 4: Catalog Information, circa 1960-1967 (Box 5; 3 Folders)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Raymond Horowitz (1916-2005), a lifelong resident of New York City, was a founding partner in the firm Graubard Miller, where he practiced corporate law for over fifty years. Horowitz's interest in art history and art developed as an undergraduate student at Columbia College (1932-1936) where he attended lectures by the art historian, Meyer Schapiro. In 1939, Horowitz earned his jurisprudence degree from Columbia University. Shortly thereafter, he found a position as assistant Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, where he remained until 1943 when he went into private practice. In 1940, Raymond married Margaret Goldenberg.
Raymond and Margaret shared an interest in art and began collecting in the 1940s. Initially, the Horowitzes acquired drawings and pastels on a modest, informal basis. In 1961, with the purchase of a painting by Robert Henri, Raymond and Margaret began to collect early twentieth century American artists, whose work they thought had been overshadowed by the French Impressionists and the Abstract Expressionists. Raymond and Margaret Horowitz were credited as pioneers in the rediscovery and revaluation of the work of Frank Benson, William Merritt Chase, Childe Hassam, Maurice Prendergast, Theodore Robinson, John H. Twachtman, J. Alden Weir and other notable American Impressionist artists. Raymond Horowitz also acquired the works of Social Realist artists, such as Thomas Anshutz, George Bellows, William Glackens, and John Sloan. Many of the pieces from the Horowitzes' collection have been exhibited in museums and galleries in the United States and abroad. Raymond and Margaret Horowitz donated works of art to the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Newark Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art; in early 2000s, they made a major gift of 49 paintings, drawings, and watercolors to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
In September, 2005, at the age of 90 years, Raymond Horowitz died in New York.
Born in New York City in 1915, Margaret Horowitz (1915-2005) received a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University. Encouraged by her parents to equip herself to earn a living, Margaret went on to receive a Master's Degree from Teacher's College at Fordham University in literature. Raymond Horowitz referred to Margaret as an equal partner in their collecting endeavors. At the time of her death in March, 2005, Margaret and Raymond had been married for sixty-five years.

Administration

Author
Joy Goodwin
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers of Raymond and Margaret Horowitz were donated in 2015 by Stephen L. Ingerman, the executor of the estate of Raymond and Margaret Horowitz.
Processing Information
This collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared in 2015 by Joy Goodwin.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Raymond and Margaret Horowitz papers, 1903-2007, bulk 1960-2007. 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.
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original material requires an appointment.

Related Materials
Also found in the Archives of American Art are two oral history interviews with Raymond Horowitz, conducted 1973 January 17 by Paul Cummings and conducted 2004 October 20-November 5 by Avis Berman.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Impressionism (Art) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- New York (State) -- New York Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hirschl & Adler Galleries Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Babcock Galleries Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Gallery of Art (U.S.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Horowitz, Margaret, 1915-2005 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fraad, Daniel Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Magriel, Paul David, 1906- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Spark, Victor D. (Victor David), 1898-1991 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Adelson Galleries Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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