Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Abraham Walkowitz

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.walkow58
Creators:
Walkowitz, Abraham, 1880-1965
Cowdrey, Mary Bartlett, 1910-1974
Lerner, Abram
Dates:
1958 December 8-22
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
66 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Abraham Walkowitz conducted by Abram Lerner and Mary Bartlett Cowdrey for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
Walkowitz discusses his childhood and schooling; travelling abroad; influence of Claude Monet exhibit; his book, "Artists of Walkowitz: 100 Portraits"; Paul Cezanne's death; meeting artists in Europe; his 1908 exhibition of modern art at the Julius Haas Gallery, New York; getting Max Weber a show at the Haas Gallery; Steiglitz and his "291" Gallery; the Armory Show, especially the roles of Arthur B. Davies, Walt Kuhn, and Walter Pach; reactions to Nude Descending a Staircase; the Society of Independent Artists; thoughts on criticism of his work; his relationship with the critic Peyton Boswell; the importance in his work of dancer Isadora Duncan; opinions on American art, modern art, art schools, students and patrons; good art versus bad art; and the role of critics. Among others he recalls are Lizzie Bliss, William Merritt Chase, Kenyon Cox, The Eight, Jacob Epstein, Childe Hassam, and Georgia O'Keeffe.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Abraham Walkowitz (1880-1965) was a painter in New York, New York.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript available on line at http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/oralhistories/transcripts/walker65.htm
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview is part of the Archives' 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 others.

Digital Content


Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

More Information

General

General
Sound has been lost on tape reels; reels discarded.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art, American Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art, Modern -- 20th century Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Eight (Group of American artists) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art critics Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bliss, Lizzie P. (Lizzie Plummer), 1864-1931 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Boswell, Peyton, 1904- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cézanne, Paul, 1839-1906 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chase, William Merritt, 1849-1916 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cox, Kenyon, 1856-1919 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Davies, Arthur B. (Arthur Bowen), 1862-1928 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Duncan, Isadora, 1877-1927 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Epstein, Jacob, Sir, 1880-1959 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hassam, Childe, 1859-1935 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kuhn, Walt, 1877-1949 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Monet, Claude, 1840-1926 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
O'Keeffe, Georgia, 1887-1986 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pach, Walter, 1883-1958 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Weber, Max, 1881-1961 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
"291" (Gallery) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Society of Independent Artists (New York, N.Y.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Armory Show (1913: New York, N.Y.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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