Publications
Archives of American Art Journal
Covering the history of art in America from the 18th century to the recent past, the Archives of American Art Journal offers fresh and uncommon perspectives on American cultural and social history.
Since 1960, the Journal has published articles, book reviews, documents, and excerpts from oral history interviews, with an emphasis on original materials in the collections of the Archives of American Art.
Books
by Liza Kirwin and Joan Lord
With love letters from Frida Kahlo sealed with her hot pink lipstick kisses, notes from Eero Saarinen enhanced by architectural drawings, Lee Krasner’s last note to Jackson Pollock written just before his untimely death, and a fan letter from Hedy Lamarr to Franz Kline, this collectible volume of rarely seen correspondence and personal photographs from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art will be treasured by art lovers and romantics alike. Published January 2008 by Collins Design.
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by Liza Kirwin and Joan Lord
Artists in Their Studios offers a unique glimpse at the lives and studio spaces of more than 75 important American artists from the late 19th century to the present. With rarely seen photographs and primary source materials—letters, lists of painting supplies, handwritten notes, exhibition announcements, and other personal effects—from the Archives, this beautiful book brings the reader into each studio space, providing an intimate perspective on each artist at work. Published May 2007 by Collins Design.
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by Liza Kirwin
Words can speak volumes, but, as every letter writer knows, there are times when they simply won’t do. And when the author happens to be a visual artist, the results can be both intimate and transcendent. This book is a testament to those occasions, a compilation of personal letters by some of America’s most revered artists, each one adorned with an illustration, writing to wives, lovers, friends, patrons, clients, and confidants. Published October 2005 by Princeton Architectural Press.
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Regional Guides to Archival Research Resources
Art-related Archival Materials in the Chicago Area, 1991 [PDF, 413 kb, 82 pages] identifies art-related archives and manuscript collections in Chicago-area institutions.
From 1985-1990, the Archives of American Art surveyed more than 80 Chicago-area research institutions, consulting public and private libraries, museums, historical societies, universities, art leagues, and community centers. In 1991, the results of this research were compiled and published as a print guide.
Philadelphia: A Guide to Art-Related Archival Materials, 1994 [PDF, 1750 kb, 153 pages] identifies art-related archives and manuscript collections in the Philadelphia area.
From 1984-1992, the Archives of American Art staff surveyed numerous Philadelphia-area research institutions, as well as collections lent for microfilming from private institutions or donated to the Archives of American Art. In 1990, the preliminary results of this research were published as a print guide, followed by the publication of the expanded version, reproduced here, in 1994.
Paris: A Guide to Archival Sources for American Art History, 1997 [PDF, 1610 kb, 94 pages] identifies American art-related archives and manuscript collections in and around Paris, France.
Beginning in 1986, art historian Susan Grant began compiling this reference resource to help scholars locate the many original documents on American artists to be found in Parisian archives. In 1991, aided by a grant to the Archives of American Art from the Florence Gould Foundation, work on this guide continued, until it was published by the Archives in 1997.