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Archives of American Art
Oral history interview with Paul H. Nitze
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.nitze96
- Creators:
-
Nitze, Paul H.Kirwin, LizaWattenmaker, Richard J.
- Dates:
-
1996 Apr. 30
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
1 Itemsound cassette (60 min.)analog.62 PagesTranscript
- Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
An interview with Paul H. Nitze conducted 1996 Apr. 30, by Liza Kirwin and Richard Wattenmaker, for the Archives of American Art's Oral History Program, at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of The Johns Hopkins University, in Washington, D.C.
Scope and Contents
Nitze mainly recalls his acquaintance with Alexander Calder and Isamu Noguchi. He discusses meeting Calder in Berlin, Germany at the opening of a Calder exhibition in 1929; how Calder moved to Nitze's Berlin pension and they "became pals" that first day; their plans to bicycle to Russia with other friends; sharing an apartment with Calder in New York City; a performance of the Circus there and how "everybody loved him"; and Calder's courtship and marriage to Louisa James. Nitze talks about meeting Noguchi through Sidney Spivak and how Noguchi made a bronze head of Nitze as re-payment for his support; and Noguchi's "instinct for making things acceptable to the modern art world." He also discusses his early desire to be an art dealer and pursuing that career in Paris until he realized that "the whole profession was a bunch of crooks"; his own art collection and how, at age 15, he bought two paintings by Austrian Hans GrĂ¼ss, and later acquired works by Degas, Van Gogh, and Monet.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Paul H. Nitze (1907-2004) is a statesman, author, art patron, and collector from Washington, D.C.
Administration
Sponsor
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 audio recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
More Information
General
General
Originally recorded on 1 sound cassette. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav file. Duration is 44 min.
Keywords
Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
---|---|---|---|
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Interviews | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Art patrons -- Interviews | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Sound recordings | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Interviews | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976 | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Noguchi, Isamu, 1904-1988 | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions