Scope and Contents
The Henry Geldzahler papers consist of correspondence, writings, photographs, audiotapes, video recordings, motion picture film, computer disks, printed material, and other papers that relate to the personal and professional life of the American photographer Henry Geldzahler. Other papers include notes and writings on Andy Warhol and others, working illustrations and notes for his unfinsished monograph, "Modern Art in America", and footage used in Peter Rosen's 2005 documentary about Geldzahler, Who Gets To Call It Art?. The material documents Geldzahler's career as a curator of contemporary art, his relationships with artists, and his involvement in the art world of the 1960s and 1970s.
Dates
- circa 1945-2006
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Boxes 21-25, 44-50, and 66 (audiocassettes, videocassettes, CDs, and DVDs): Use of originals is restricted. Reference copies may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.
Box 51 (computer disks): Restricted fragile material. Reference copies of electronic files may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.
Reels 52-65 (motion picture film): Restricted fragile material. Reference copies may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.
Conditions Governing Use
The Henry Geldzahler Papers is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Jonathan Geldzahler and Annette Banton, 1999; Jonathan Geldzahler, 2007; Peter Rosen, 2008; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2009.
Arrangement
Organized into four groupings: I. December 1999 Acquisition, circa 1945-1996. II. November 2007 Acquisition, circa 1994-2004. III. June 2008 Acquisition, 2005-2006. IV. October 2009 Acquisition, 1994.
Material within this collection has been organized by acquisition reflecting the fact that the collection has been acquired in increments over time.
Researchers should note that material within each acquisition overlaps with and/or relates to material found in other acquisitions. In order to locate all relevant material within this collection, researchers will need to consult each acquisition described in the Collection Contents section.
Researchers should also note that similar material can be arranged differently in each acquisition, depending on how the material was organized when it was received by the library.
Extent
43.75 Linear Feet ((52 boxes) + 14 cold storage)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
The Henry Geldzahler papers consist of correspondence, writings, photographs, audiotapes, video recordings, motion picture film, printed material, and other papers that relate to the personal and professional life of the American photographer Henry Geldzahler. Other papers include notes and writings on Andy Warhol and others, working illustrations and notes for his unfinsished monograph, "Modern Art in America", and footage used in Peter Rosen's 2005 documentary about Geldzahler, Who Gets To Call It Art?. The material documents Geldzahler's career as a curator of contemporary art, his relationships with artists, and his involvement in the art world of the 1960s and 1970s.
Henry Geldzahler (1935-1994)
Henry Geldzahler was born in Antwerp, Belgium in 1935, and emigrated with his family to the United States in 1940. He graduated from Yale University in 1957 and joined the staff of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1960, becoming the first curator of contemporary art. In 1966, Geldzahler served as United States Commissioner of Art at the Venice Biennale, as well as the first director of the Visual Arts program for the National Endowment for the Arts. From 1977 to 1982, he held the position of Cultural Affairs Commissioner for the City of New York. After leaving that job, he worked as a private curator. Geldzahler died of cancer in 1994.
Processing Information
Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, and competing priorities. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections, and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.
This collection received a basic level of processing, including rehousing and minimal organization. Various acquisitions associated with the collection have not been merged and organized as a whole. Each acquisition is described separately in the contents list below, titled according to month and year of acquisition.
Information included in the Description of Papers note and Collection Contents section is drawn from information supplied with the collection and from an initial survey of the contents. Folder titles appearing in the contents list below are often based on those provided by the creator or previous custodian. Titles have not been verified against the contents of the folders in all cases. Otherwise, folder titles are supplied by staff during initial processing.
Formerly classed as: Uncat MSS 30, Uncat MSS 1008, Uncat MSS 1027, Uncat MSS 1228.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
- Art museum curators -- United States
- Art museum curators -- United States -- 20th Century
- Art, American -- 20th Century
- Art, Modern -- 20th Century
- Audiotapes
- Audiovisual materials
- Born digital
- Geldzahler, Henry, 1935-1994
- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)
- Motion pictures (visual works)
- Painting, American -- 20th Century
- Photographs
- Sculpture, American -- 20th Century
- Videotapes
- Warhol, Andy, 1928-1987
- Title
- Guide to the Henry Geldzahler Papers
- Author
- Beinecke staff
- Date
- 2013
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.