Usage conditions may apply for digital images, video, and sound recordings linked within SOVA collections. While digital content may be restricted, SOVA collection descriptions and catalog records are available CC0 for re-use. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the David S. Rubin Papers, 1960-2017, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.rubidavi
- Creators:
-
Rubin, David S., 1949-
- Dates:
-
1960-2017
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
23 Linear feet57.68 Gigabytes
- Repository:
The papers of curator and art critic David S. Rubin measure 23 linear feet and 57.68 gigabytes and date from 1960 to 2017. The papers are comprised of biographical materials, interviews, correspondence, writing projects and notes, artists' files, exhibition files, professional files, subject and research files, printed materials, and photographic materials documenting Rubin's work in California, Arizona, and other locations throughout the United States.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The papers of curator and art critic David S. Rubin measure 23 linear feet and 57.68 gigabytes and date from 1960 to 2017. The papers are comprised of biographical materials, interviews, correspondence, writing projects and notes, artists' files, exhibition files, professional files, subject and research files, printed materials, and photographic materials documenting Rubin's work in California, Arizona, and other locations throughout the United States.
Biographical materials include 16 appointment books, 2 guest books, identification cards, curriculum vitae, and student records from UCLA. Interviews are with Rubin regarding William Baziotes, Rubin with Gary Lloyd and Wayne Thiebaud, and an interview about the exhibition Chelsea Rising. Mixed personal and professional correspondence is with curators, colleagues, and friends regarding exhibitions, symposiums and panels, and Rubin's job searches.
Writing projects and notes consist of student work including Rubin's unfinished Ph.D. dissertation, class notes, and student papers; articles and essays; a book project; lists; and lectures. Artist files contain printed materials relating to the artists' careers, and notes regarding exhibitions and artist biographical information. Files for exhibitions contain records for It's Only Rock and Roll: Rock and Roll Currents in Contemporary Art (1995) and other major exhibitions curated by Rubin. Professional files consist of records for employment, committees, consulting, and other professional activities. Subject and research files contain research material and notes on topics of interest and exhibition themes.
Printed materials include clippings, flyers, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and other material relating to Rubin and exhibitions. Photographic materials consist of photographs and slides of Rubin by Martha Alf, Arnold Mesches, and Bruce Houston; photographs by Rubin of Alf and other artists; events; friends; and works of art.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 10 series.
- Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1969-2011 (Box 1; 0.7 linear feet)
- Series 2: Interviews, 1982-circa 2001 (Boxes 1-2; 0.4 linear feet)
- Series 3: Correspondence, 1971-2017 (Boxes 2-5, OV 28; 3.0 linear feet)
- Series 4: Writing Projects and Notes, 1970-2010 (Boxes 5-6, 27; 1.0 linear feet)
- Series 5: Artist Files, 1960-2015 (Boxes 6-20, 27, OV 28; 15.0 linear feet)
- Series 6: Exhibition Files, 1980-2008 (Boxes 21-23, 27; 2.5 linear feet)
- Series 7: Professional Files, 1976-2009 (Boxes 23-24; 1.0 linear feet)
- Series 8: Subject and Research Files, 1980-2002 (Boxes 24-25; 0.8 linear feet)
- Series 9: Printed Materials, circa 1975-circa 2008 (Boxes 25, 27; 0.4 linear feet)
- Series 10: Photographic Materials, 1979-2010 (Boxes 25-26; 1.0 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
David S. Rubin (1949- ) is a curator and art critic in Los Angeles, California. Rubin has curated exhibitions throughout the United States, primarily in Southern California, New Orleans, Louisiana, Cleveland, Ohio, and San Antonio, Texas.
Rubin received his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 1972 from the University of California in Los Angeles. He went on to earn a Master of Arts in art history from Harvard University. He began researching automatism in New York for a doctorate degree at Harvard but did not complete his dissertation. Rubin also attended the Museum Management Institute in 1989. He has been a curator at the San Francisco Art Institute, Albright College's Freedman Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland, Phoenix Art Museum, Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, and the San Antonio Museum of Art. He has curated exhibitions, including It's Only Rock and Roll: Rock and Roll Currents in Contemporary Art (1995) and the controversial Old Glory: The American Flag in Contemporary Art (1994), throughout the United States, primarily in California. Rubin is also a prolific essayist on contemporary art.
Administration
Author
Sarah Mundy
Sponsor
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers were donated by David S. Rubin in 2016 and 2017.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2019. Born-digital materials were processed by Jess Purkis and Antonia Charlemagne-Marshall in 2019.
Using the Collection
Preferred Citation
David S. Rubin papers, 1960-2017. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings and born-digital records with no duplicate copies 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
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Art museum curators -- California | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Art critics -- California | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Interviews | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Sound recordings | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Video recordings | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Alf, Martha, 1930- | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Mesches, Arnold, 1923- | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Baziotes, William, 1912-1963 | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Thiebaud, Wayne | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Lloyd, Gary, 1943- | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
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
