Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the David Parrish Papers, 1940-2009,bulk 1964-1998, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.parrdavi
Creators:
Parrish, David, 1939-
Dates:
1940-2009
bulk 1964-1998
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3.1 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of Alabama photorealist painter David Parrish measure 3.1 linear feet and date from 1940 to 2009, with the bulk of the material from 1964 to 1998. Parrish's career is documented through scattered biographical material; correspondence with galleries, publishers, art organizations, and friends; photographs of Parrish, his studio, and artwork; original artwork by Parrish and others; and printed material.

Scope and Content Note

Scope and Content Note
The papers of Alabama photorealist painter David Parrish measure 3.1 linear feet and date from 1940 to 2009, with the bulk of the material from 1964 to 1998. Parrish's career is documented through scattered biographical material; correspondence with galleries, publishers, art organizations, and friends; photographs of Parrish, his studio, and artwork; original artwork by Parrish and others; and printed material.
Biographical material consists of resumes, one folder of financial records, brief artist statements written by David Parrish, and two essays about Parrish's works written by others. Also included is a VHS video recording of an interview with Parrish conducted by Bob Williams in 1997 in conjunction with an exhibition.
Correspondence is primarily of a professional nature and pertains to Parrish's relationships with various galleries, publishers, and arts organizations. Of note is correspondence with galleries that represented Parrish's work including French & Company, Sidney Janis, Nancy Hoffman, and Louis K. Meisel, and correspondence with fellow artist Don Eddy. Also included is a small amount of personal correspondence with friends and family.
Photographs of David Parrish include one baby photo, official portraits, photographs of him in his studio, with family and friends, and at exhibition openings. Also found are photographs and slides of his artwork, including gallery installations and early photographs of the interior of Nancy Hoffman Gallery.
Artwork includes a sketchbook kept by Parrish while a student at the University of Alabama, several ink drawings produced during his employment as a technical illustrator at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and a few sketches by others. Printed material includes exhibition catalogs, announcements, and posters, newspaper clippings, press packets, and other gallery publications documenting Parrish's career as an artist.
Much of the material in the collection includes recent annotations by Parrish describing his involvement with the projects and exhibitions, and identifying friends and colleagues.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 5 series:
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1970-2000 (Box 1; 8 folders)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1964-2008 (Box 1, 5; 0.9 linear feet)
  • Series 3: Photographs, 1940, 1960s-2009 (Boxes 1-2, 5; 0.4 linear feet)
  • Series 4: Artwork, circa 1961-2002 (Boxes 2, 5; 5 folders)
  • Series 5: Printed Material, 1962-2009 (Boxes 2-4; 1.5 linear feet)

Biographical Note

Biographical Note
David Parrish (1939-) is a Photorealist painter living in Huntsville, Alabama.
Parrish was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and received his B.F.A. from the University of Alabama in 1961. He briefly moved to New York with plans to become a magazine illustrator, but was unable to find a permanent job. He moved to Huntsville, Alabama in 1962 and became a technical illustrator for Hayes International Corporation. Parrish continued painting at his home studio, moving away from the painting style he learned in school, and instead working on paintings derived from photographs. He left his job as a technical illustrator in 1971 and became a full-time painter. That same year he joined French & Company in New York as a gallery artist and had his first one-man show at Brooks Memorial Art Gallery in Memphis, Tennessee.
During the 1970s Parrish saw success as a first generation photorealist. He was represented from 1973 to 1976 by Sidney Janis Gallery, and then moved to Nancy Hoffman Gallery. In 1987 he joined Louis K. Meisel Gallery, and is still represented by them today. Parrish's motorcycle paintings became his early trademark, and during the late 1980s into the 1990s he painted complex, intricate porcelain still lifes of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, and other pop culture icons. Parrish has shown his work in numerous group and solo shows, including many international shows, and is in the permanent collection of many museums.

Administration

Author
Erin Kinhart
Provenance
The collection was donated by David Parrish in 2009.
Processing Information
The collection was processed to an intermediate level by Erin Kinhart in 2011.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
David Parrish papers, 1940-2009, bulk 1964-1998. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Restrictions on Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of video recording requires advance notice.
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.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Artists' studios -- Photographs Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Resumes Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Essays Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sketchbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- Alabama Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photo-realism Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Video recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center -- Officials and employees Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hoffman, Nancy Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Janis, Sidney, 1896-1989 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
University of Alabama -- Students Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Eddy, Don, 1944- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
French & Company (New York, N.Y.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nancy Hoffman Gallery Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Meisel, Louis K. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Williams, Bob Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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