Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Raquel Rabinovich

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.rabino12
Creators:
Rabinovich, Raquel, 1929-
McElhinney, James Lancel, 1952-
Dates:
2012 September 25 and October 9
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
4 Items
Sound recording: 4 sound files (3 hr., 6 min.)
digital, wav
64 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Raquel Rabinovich conducted 2012 September 25 and October 9, by James McElhinney, for the Archives of American Art, at Rabinovich's home, in Rhinebeck, New York.
Scope and Contents
Rabinovich speaks of growing up in Argentina; becoming aware of art; reproductions and books; European art; her Jewish heritage; her parents moving to Argentina before World War I; Jewish persecution; her parents' background; living in Cordoba; speaking Spanish and Yiddish growing up; quiet reflections; church; art exposure; traveling and moving to Paris; the influence of Ernesto Farina; Peron's dictatorship and rebellion; attending medical school and the call of art; political activities and spending time in jail; meeting Jose and moving to Scotland; Paris and exposure to artwork; teachings of Andre Lhote; her early works; abstraction; painting; the Mona Lisa; darkness and light; "The Dark is Light Enough"; exposure to literature and poetry; living in Copenhagen; meeting Jorge Luis Borges; the Book of Sand; her siblings; her children and her relationship to them; staying up to date with current events; libraries and a lack of books growing up; meditation; texture and the monochromatic works; interest in Jasper Johns' work; meeting Jasper Johns; living in New York; trip to Machu Picchu and spending the night outdoors; "Cloister, Crossing, Passageway 1.32"; glassworks and transparency; exhibiting artwork; her divorce; Rodolfo Mondolfo; environment and exposure; quiet contemplation; spending time with artwork; commissioned work near High Falls; "River Library"; libraries as places of knowledge; minimalism; the 1980s; her daughter's wedding and her relationship with Jose; stones; traveling to Nepal, Thailand, India, and Egypt; temples; Buddhism; "Chhodrtens"; garbhagrihas; NEA fellowship and residency in Paris; "Thrones for the Gods"; INTAR Gallery; "Gateless Gates"; artifacts; Pabhavikas sculpture; Charles Stein; Linda Weintraub; George Quasha; Station Hill Press; "Enfolded Darkness" and "Light Unworn". Rabinovich also recalls Baron Hughes, Beethoven, Lenin, Diego Velazquez, Andre Lhote, Mondrian, Picasso, Braque, David Levi Straus, Robert Kelly, Cezanne, Philip Pavia, Agnes Martin, Dorothea Rockburne, Barry Schwabsky, Bill Zimmer, Agnes Denes, Louisa Valenzuela, Julia Herzberg, and Marco Maggi.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Raquel Rabinovich (1929- ) is a painter and sculptor in Rhinebeck, New York. James McElhinney (1952- ) is a painter and educator from New York, New York.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript available online.
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
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Buddhism Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Minimal art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Argentina -- Description and Travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Denmark -- Copenhagen -- Description and Travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Egypt -- description and travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
France -- Paris -- Description and Travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
India -- description and travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Machu Picchu Site (Peru) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nepal -- Description and Travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
New York (N.Y.) -- Description and Travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Thailand -- description and travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Political activists Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women sculptors Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Borges, Jorge Luis, 1899-1986 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Braque, Georges, 1882-1963 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cézanne, Paul, 1839-1906 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Del Giocondo, Lisa, 1479- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Denes, Agnes Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Farina, Ernesto, 1912- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Herzberg, Julia P. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Johns, Jasper, 1930- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kelly, Robert, 1956- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lenin, Vladimir Ilʹich, 1870-1924 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lhote, André, 1885-1962 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Maggi, Marco, 1957- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Martin, Agnes, 1912-2004 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mondolfo, Rodolfo, 1877-1976 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mondrian, Piet, 1872-1944 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pavia, Philip, 1915-2005 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Perón, Juan Domingo, 1895-1974 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Quasha, George Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rockburne, Dorothea Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Schwabsky, Barry Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Stein, Charles, 1944- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Strauss, David Levi Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Velázquez, Diego, 1599-1660 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Weintraub, Linda Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Zimmer, William, 1946-2007 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hispanic American Arts Center (New York, N.Y.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Station Hill Press Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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