One of the more fun activities one can engage in while doing art history is to dig through the incredible treasure trove that is the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art. From Aline and Eero Saarinen to Lucy R. Lippard, many of the most distinguished and engaging figures from the history of American modern and contemporary art have deposited their collective ephemera on the Smithonsian’s steps.
2011 brings a coup. Now you can browse the letters, tapes, photos, and doodles of post-war American art’s most illustrious figures – Leo Castelli. There are untold gems; letters between him and his ex-wife/best friend/rival gallerist Ileana Sonnabend; photos of the always-dapper dealer and his stable of artists; detailed artist’s files that document Castelli’s unparalled ability as tastemaker (from Johns and Rauschenberg to Warhol, Serra, Flavin, and beyond); and, of course, the wonderful oral histoires the AAA is known for. Castelli’s gallery defined modern art after Abstract Expressionism; anyone intersted in how Pop, Minimalism, Conceptualism, and all their descendants (antagonistic or not) came to be will be well-served by these records.
The only catch: you can only really dig into the records on-site. While there are some letters and photos to be seen online, the real meat is tucked away in the AAA’s Washington, D.C. research center. That being said, a field-trip there does sound a lot more fun than plodding through Annie Cohen-Solal’s sensationalist and sloppy Leo and his Circle.
Photography by Bob Colocello. Part of the Leo Castelli Gallery records, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
