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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the Richard Murray Research Material Regarding Mural Painting in the United States, 1896-2006, bulk 1970-2006 in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.murrrich
- Creators:
-
Murray, Richard N., 1942-2006
- Dates:
-
1896-2006bulk 1970-2006
- Languages:
-
The collection is in English.
- Physical Description:
-
20.5 Linear feet
- Repository:
The Richard Murray research material regarding mural painting in the United States measures 20.5 linear feet and dates from 1896 to 2006 with the bulk of the material dating from 1970 to 2006. The collection is comprised of Murray's extensive research files, scattered writings, and photographic materials for his life-long research on mural painting in the United States.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The Richard Murray research material regarding mural painting in the United States measures 20.5 linear feet and dates from 1896 to 2006 with the bulk of the material dating from 1970 to 2006. The collection is comprised of Murray's extensive research files, scattered writings, and photographic materials documenting his life-long research on mural painting in the United States.
Mural research files are organized by city, state, artist, and general mural research. The files contain photocopies of printed material, notes, photographs, and correspondence. Artists with extensive documentation include John White Alexander, Edwin Blashfield, Kenyon Cox, John LaFarge, Will H. Low, H. Siddons Mowbray, John Warner Norton, Violet Oakley, Maxfield Parrish, John Singer Sargent, Eduard Steichen, and N.C. Wyeth. Other files consist of bibliographies, a mural catalog and index, hand-drawn statistical graphs, and files on murals in Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Writings include drafts of articles "Painted Words: Murals in the Library of Congress" and "Progressive Era Murals in Chicago's Public Schools." There are also writings by others. Subject files consist of compiled notes, photographs, printed materials, and photocopies on general art related topics such as European art history and theory, art criticism, the life of an artist, the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, immigration, and decorative arts.
Photographic materials include photographs and negatives of the American Academy in Rome, the Hotel de Ville, and public and private murals throughout various cities. The series also includes two microfilm reels of the Kenyon Cox papers with an index, and a small amount of Murray's personal photographs.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 4 series.
- Series 1: Mural Research Files, 1896-2006 (15.2 linear feet; Boxes 1-16, OV 22)
- Series 2: Writings, circa 1990s-2006 (0.4 linear feet; Box 16)
- Series 3: Subject Files, 1967-2000 (1.0 linear feet; Boxes 16-17)
- Series 4: Photographic Materials, 1916-2006 (3.9 linear feet; Boxes 17-21)
Missing Title
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Richard Murray (1942-2006) was a curator, educator, and museum administrator in Washington, D.C.
Murray received a bachelor of arts from California State University in San Jose in 1968 and a M.A. in art history and theory from the University of Chicago in 1970. As a research fellow at the National Collection of Fine Arts (NCFA), now the Smithsonian American Art Museum, he began his dissertation research on mural paintings in the United States. Murray's research on American mural painting continued for decades. Although never officially published, the research project was titled "Hope and Memory: Mural Painting in the United States, 1876-1920." He authored numerous articles about mural painters and painting. Murray also conducted extensive research and organized exhibitions on painters Abbott Handerson Thayer and Elihu Vedder at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
In the 1970s, Murray worked as an assistant to the NCFA director and assisted in the preparation of the seminal bicentennial exhibition entitled America as Art. From 1979 to 1983, Murray was director of the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama. In 1983, he returned to Washington, D.C. and served as director of the Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Art until 1987, when he accepted the position of chief curator and assistant director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He remained in this position until his death in 2006.
Administration
Author
Sarah Mundy
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care and Preservation Fund
Separated Materials
Research files on Abbott Handerson Thayer found within this collection were separated and filed with the AAA collection, Richard Murray research materials on Abbott Handerson Thayer, 1948-2004, bulk 1994-2001.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2015 with funding from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund, using accelerated processing strategies recently implemented by the Archives to increase information about and access to more of our collections. For this collection, accelerated processing included arrangement to the series, subseries, and folder levels, adhering to the creator's original arrangement as much as possible. Generally, folder contents were simply verified with the original folder titles, but items within folders were not arranged further. All materials were rehoused in archival folders and boxes for long-term stability, but staples and other fasteners have not all been removed.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The bulk of the Richard Murray research material regarding mural painting in the United States was donated in 2006 by Murray's wife Marciela Murray. Additional files were transferred from the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 2009 and 2014 via Rachel Kase in the curatorial office.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Preferred Citation
Richard Murray research material regarding mural painting in the United States, 1896-2006, bulk 1970-2006. 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
Related Materials
Also available at the Archives of American Art is Richard Murray research material regarding Abbott Handerson Thayer, 1948-2004, bulk 1994-2001.
Keywords
Repository Contact
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions
