Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Sylvia Sleigh Papers, 1961-1983, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.sleisylv
Creators:
Sleigh, Sylvia
Dates:
1961-1983
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.6 Linear feet
Repository:
The scattered papers of painter Sylvia Sleigh measure 0.7 linear feet and date from 1961 to 1983. The papers comment on Sleigh's involvement in feminist arts organizations such as A.I.R Gallery, Soho-20 Gallery, and the Women in the Arts Foundation. Found are scattered letters, administrative information, photographs of works of art, and printed material.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The scattered papers of painter Sylvia Sleigh measure 0.7 linear feet and date from 1961 to 1983. The papers comment on Sleigh's involvement in feminist arts organizations such as A.I.R. Gallery, Soho-20 Gallery, and the Women in the Arts Foundation. Found are scattered letters, administrative information, photographs of works of art, and printed material.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Sylvia Sleigh (1916-2010) was a Welsh-born painter, and educator in New York City, New York, who was known for reversing traditional gender roles in her portrait and figure paintings, often using conventional female poses for male nudes from historical paintings by male artists.
Sleigh was active in many feminist arts organizations. She was a co-founder of Soho-20 Gallery and a member of A.I.R. Gallery. She taught at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1978 and at the New School for Social Research from 1974 to 1980. Sleigh was married to art critic and curator Lawrence Alloway.

Administration

Author
Jayna M. Josefson
Sponsor
Processing of this collection received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated 1979-1983 by Sylvia Sleigh.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2023 with support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing 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.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Preferred Citation
Sylvia Sleigh papers, 1961-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Related Materials
The Getty Research Institute also holds the Sylvia Sleigh papers, 1803-2013, undated (bulk 1940-2000).

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women in the Arts Foundation, Inc Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Soho 20 (Gallery) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
A.I.R. Gallery (New York, N.Y.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-7950
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions