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Archives of American Art
Oral history interview with Joel-Peter Witkin
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.witkin99
- Creators:
-
Witkin, Joel-Peter, 1939-Karlstrom, Paul J.
- Dates:
-
1999 October 18 and 2001 August 14
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
3 Itemssound cassettes (165 min.)analog.
- Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
An interview of Joel Peter Witkin conducted 1999 October 18 and 2001 August 14, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, in Witkin's home, in Albuquerque, N.M.
Scope and Contents
Witkin discusses his childhood in Brooklyn; his Italian and Russian Jewish heritage; his parent's religious differences and their interest in art and music; his father's desertion when he and his twin brother were three; his early use of a Kodak camera in hopes to "see God," and finding an image and accepting it as an epiphany; a 1966 trip to Europe, especially time spent in Paris; his attraction to risk taking and pushing limits which he attributes to his father's gambling and his belief that such risks are necessary to discover life and self; photographing sideshow freaks, in which he discovered a sense of family; seeking the supernatural in photography; and spiritual redemption through his chosen medium.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Joel-Peter Witkin (1939- ) is a photographer from Albuquerque, N.M.
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 available at Archives of American Art offices with an appointment and through interlibrary loan.
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. Funding for the transcription of this interview is provided by the Pasadena Art Alliance.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Funding source: Pasadena Art Alliance
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Use
Authorization to quote or reproduce for the purposes of publication requires written permission from Joel-Peter Witkin. Contact Reference Services for more information.
More Information
General
General
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 44 min.
Keywords
Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
---|---|---|---|
Photographers -- New Mexico -- Albuquerque -- Interviews | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Sound recordings | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Interviews | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
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