Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Jock Truman Papers, 1852-2011, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.trumjock
Creators:
Truman, Jock, 1920-2011
Dates:
1852-2011
Languages:
Collection is in English.
Physical Description:
4 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of gallery director and art collector Jock Truman measure 4.0 linear feet and date from 1852 to 2011. Found within the collection are biographical material; correspondence with friends, family, artists, and others; records of the short-lived Truman Gallery; a few writings by Truman; printed material; artwork by Truman and others; and photographs of Truman, his partner Eric Green, friends, family, and the Truman-Green collection of artwork. A small amount of material documents his work at the Betty Parsons Gallery.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of gallery director and art collector Jock Truman measure 4.0 linear feet and date from 1852 to 2011. Found within the collection are biographical material; correspondence with friends, family, artists, and others; records of the short-lived Truman Gallery; a few writings by Truman; printed material; artwork by Truman and others; and photographs of Truman, his partner Eric Green, friends, family, and the Truman-Green collection of artwork. A small amount of material documents his work at the Betty Parsons Gallery.

Arrangement

Arrangement
This collection is arranged as 7 series.
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1914-2006 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1929-2011 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 3: Truman Gallery Records, 1975-1979 (9 folders; Boxes 2, 6)
  • Series 4: Writings, circa 1970s-2005 (1 folder; Box 2)
  • Series 5: Printed Material, 1852, 1940s-2010 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 2, 6, OV 7)
  • Series 6: Artwork, 1860-1995 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 2, 6, OV 7)
  • Series 7: Photographs, circa 1860s-2009 (1.9 linear feet; Boxes 2-6, OV 7)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Jock Truman (1920-2011) was an art collector, dealer, and gallery owner in New York, New York. Truman was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Curtis Truman and Athelyn Amundsen Truman. He attended the University of Cincinnati from 1938 to 1941 and served in the U.S. Armed Forces in Brazil from 1942 to 1946. From 1946 to 1950 he attended the Harvard Graduate School of Design where he studied with Josef Albers, Gyorgy Kepes, and Hyman Bloom. During the 1950s he owned Thirty-Five River St. Inc., a Boston firm specializing in architectural and interior design.
Truman worked at Robert Isaacson Gallery for four years before moving to Betty Parsons Gallery, where he worked from 1961 to 1974. There he gained specialist knowledge regarding the work of Ad Reinhardt and assisted Reinhardt's widow in the evaluation of artworks after the artist's death. In 1974 he served as director of Parsons Gallery and he and Betty Parsons opened the Parsons-Truman Gallery, which operated as a joint venture from 1975 to 1976. In 1976 he opened Truman Gallery at 38 East 57th St. The gallery closed in 1979.
In 1989 Truman and his companion of over 30 years, Eric Green, moved to Miami. Truman and Green had a large collection of art which they donated to various museums including the Bass Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami.

Administration

Author
Erin Kinhart
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated in 1982 and 2005-2006 by Jock Truman and 2011 by Truman via Eric Kane, Executor.
Processing Information
The collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared by Erin Kinhart in 2014. The collection has been minimally rearranged and retains the existing/original folder titles when possible. All materials have been rehoused in archival folders and boxes for long-term stability, but often staples and other fasteners have not been removed. Materials within folders have not been rearranged.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to Archives' Washington D.C. center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.
Preferred Citation
Jock Truman papers, 1852-2011. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gallery directors -- New York (State) -- New York Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- New York (State) -- New York Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Green, Eric Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Truman Gallery Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Betty Parsons Gallery Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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