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Archives of American Art
Oral history interview with Donald Windham
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.windha07
- Creators:
-
Windham, DonaldKorhauser, Elizabeth
- Dates:
-
2007 March 12
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
37 PagesTranscript
- Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
An interview of Donald Windham conducted 2007 March 12, by Elizabeth Kornhauser, for the Archives of American Art, at Windham's home, in New York, N.Y.
Scope and Contents
Windham speaks of his long-time friendship with Joseph Cornell; first meeting Cornell in 1944 while working with him at Dance Index; Cornell's interest in dancers and actresses including Gwen Van Dam, Dorothy and Lillian Gish, Lauren Bacall, Fanny Cerrito, and Tanaquil LeClercq; Cornell's film work with Rudy Burckhardt; Cornell's limited gallery representation by Charles Egan Gallery and Julien Levy Gallery; Cornell showing boxes in Ernst Beadle's photography studio; Cornell's friendship with Marcel Duchamp; Cornell's retiring personality; Cornell's disinterestedness in participating in the art business world and subsequently being labeled a recluse; Cornell's appreciation of Albrecht Dürer's self-portraits; Cornell's joy in giving and sharing his boxes and collages with people who truly enjoy them; the boxes Pink Palace and Keepsake Parakeet in his personal collection; Cornell's advice on caring for his boxes; and attending Cornell's funeral. Windham also recalls Lincoln Kirstein, Tennessee Williams, Peggy Guggenheim, Richard Ader, Sandy Campbell, Lois Smith, Robert Cornell, Elizabeth Cornell Benton, Helen Cornell Jagger, Fritz and Jeanne Bultman, Ed Hewitt, and Jeff Peabody.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Donald Windham is a novelist from New York, N.Y. Elizabeth Kornhauser is a curator at the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut.
Administration
Sponsor
Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's website.
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
More Information
General
General
Originally recorded on 2 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 50 min.
Keywords
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Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions