Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Mary-Anne Martin

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.martin09
Creators:
Martin, Mary-Anne
McElhinney, James Lancel, 1952-
Dates:
2009 July 8-22
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3 Items
wav files (3 hr., 51 min.)
digital
71 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Mary-Anne Martin conducted 2009 July 8 and 22, by James McElhinney, for the Archives of American Art, at Mary-Anne Martin/Fine Art, in New York, N.Y. Interview with Mary-Anne Martin, conducted by James McElhinney for the Archives of American Art, at her gallery located at East 73rd Street in Manhattan, New York on July 8th and 22nd, 2009. Martin speaks of switching her major from English to Art history; her time at Sotheby's; creating the first Latin American auctions and department at Sotheby's; the success of these auctions; the creation of her gallery in 1982; the creation of a more accessible and international market for Latin American art with her gallery and influence at Sotheby's; the evolution of Latin American art being recognized with their American or European contemporaries; the newfound celebrity and recognition of Frida Kahlo; the increasing market for forgeries of Latin American art, Martin references the FBI intervention of the Siquieros Chicago show and the Noyola publication Finding Frida Kahlo; the increasing protectionism of Mexican art by becoming labelled "national patrimony"; discovering her childhood neighbors were Spanish rebels and artists associated with Diego Rivera; the increasing marketability and competition for Latin American art; how art is more international; and the cyclical nature of art. Martin also recalls David Nash, Julius Held, Alfred Taubman, Daniel Wildenstein, Barbara Duncan, Edward Sullivan, Eleanore Saidenberg, Mary Boone, Bob Littman, Rachel Adler, Cecila Torres-Garcias, William Sheehy, Bill Lieberman, Jose "Pepe" Escuder, America "Skippy" Escuder, Ella Wolfe, Lucienne Bloch and others.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Mary-Anne Martin (1943- ) is founder of Mary-Anne Martin/Fine Art, a gallery specializing in Mexican and Latin American art, in New York, N.Y. James McElhinney (1952- ) is an artist, writer, and educator in New York, N.Y.

Administration

Sponsor
Funding for this interview was provided by the Widgeon Point Charitable Foundation. Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
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 on 2 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 3 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 51 min.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Gallery owners -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Latino and Latin American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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