Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Maynard Walker Gallery Records, 1923-1975, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.maynwalk
Creators:
Maynard Walker Gallery
Dates:
1923-1975
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
6.3 Linear feet
Repository:
The records of New York City's Maynard Walker Gallery measure 6.3 linear feet and date from 1923 to 1975. The collection comprises personal and professional correspondence; artist's files for Thomas Hart Benton, John Chumley, John Steuart Curry, Lily Cushing, Madeline Hewes, Walt Kuhn, Wayne Williams, Grant Wood, and others; exhibition and gallery files consisting of printed materials, exhibition scrapbooks, a file on Spanish painting, and files for the exhibition Other Worlds (1945); financial and sales records containing files for artist accounts, non-artist accounts, bills of sale, and inventory; and photographic materials for exhibitions, works of art, and the writer Henry James.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The records of New York City's Maynard Walker Gallery measure 6.3 linear feet and date from 1923 to 1975. The collection comprises personal and professional correspondence; artist's files for Thomas Hart Benton, John Chumley, John Steuart Curry, Lily Cushing, Madeline Hewes, Walt Kuhn, Wayne Williams, Grant Wood, and others; exhibition and gallery files consisting of printed materials, exhibition scrapbooks, a file on Spanish painting, and files for the exhibition Other Worlds (1945); financial and sales records containing files for artist accounts, non-artist accounts, bills of sale, and inventory; and photographic materials for exhibitions, works of art, and the writer Henry James.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as five series.
  • Series 1: Correspondence, 1929-1975 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
  • Series 2: Artist's Files, 1927-1972 (2.8 linear feet; Boxes 2-5, 7)
  • Series 3: Exhibition and Gallery Files, 1928-1970 (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 5, 7)
  • Series 4: Financial and Sales Records, 1923-1967 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 5-6)
  • Series 5: Photographic Materials, circa 1950s-1960s (0.5 linear feet; Box 6)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
The Maynard Walker Gallery was an art gallery in New York, New York, founded by Maynard Walker in 1935. Walker previously worked for the Ferargil Gallery in New York where he began his professional relationship with the artists John Steuart Curry, Thomas Hart Benton, and Grant Wood. In 1938, Walker opened another gallery in Hollywood, California. Walker was a primary promoter of the Regionalists during the 1930s and 1940s. Walker retired in 1967 and died in 1985.

Administration

Author
Sarah Mundy
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Maynard Walker Gallery records were donated from 1974 to 1980 by Maynard Walker and in 1973 by the Frick Library on behalf of Maynard Walker. A portion of the collection was lent for microfilming and subsequently donated in 1976 by Maynard Walker.
Existence and Location of Copies
The collection is available on 35mm microfilm reels N697, 1603-1604, 2020-2025, 2159-2162, 2223, and 2424 at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2021.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing 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
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
Maynard Walker Gallery records, 1923-1975. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Regionalist (American Scene) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Benton, Thomas Hart, 1889-1975 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Curry, John Steuart, 1897-1946 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cushing, Lily Emmet, 1909-1969 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Henri, Robert, 1865-1929 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kuhn, Walt, 1877-1949 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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