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Ed Clark papers

Archives of American Art

Object Details

Creator
Clark, Edward, 1926-2019
Names
Cinque Gallery
Gentry, Herbert, 1919-2003
Hutson, Bill, 1936-
Joans, Ted
Occupation
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
Painters -- France -- Paris
Topic
African American artists
Abstract expressionism
Painting, Abstract
Shaped canvas
Provenance
The Ed Clark papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Melanca Clark, Ed Clark's daughter.
Creator
Clark, Edward, 1926-2019
See more items in
Ed Clark papers
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.
Summary
The papers of African American abstract expressionist painter Ed Clark measure 8.9 linear feet and date from 1923 to 2017. The collection documents Clark's work as a professional artist through biographical material; correspondence with family, galleries, and friends, most notably Cinque Gallery, Herbert Gentry, Bill Hutson, and Ted Joans; writings, including documentation for the book Edward Clark: For the Sake of the Search; personal business records, including consignment and sales records; and material related to professional activities, including files on significant exhibitions and projects, gallery files, and teaching records. Also in the collection are exhibition announcements, catalogs, news clippings, and other printed material documenting Clark's work; photographic material depicting Ed Clark, his artwork, and other individuals; and a small amount of original artwork by Clark and others.
Biographical / Historical
Ed Clark (1926- ) is an abstract expressionist painter who worked in Paris, France and New York. Clark was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1926. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1946 to 1951 and enrolled at the Académie de la Grande Chaumièré in Paris after his arrival there in 1952. After his return to the United States, Clark became a charter member of the Brata Gallery. In 1957 he premiered his shaped canvas at the Brata Gallery Christmas group show. This shaped canvas is generally considered to be the first of its kind. In 1958, he began using a push broom to apply broad strokes of color to canvases on his studio floor. Ed Clark has received multiple awards and honors including the National Endowment for the Arts' Master Award (1972), the United States Congressional Achievement Award (1994), and the Art Institute of Chicago's Legends and Legacy Award (2013). He has exhibited widely and his work is held in many collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, the California Afro-American Museum, the Centro de Arté Moderno in Guadalajara, Mexico, the Detroit Institute of the Arts, Louisiana State University, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the New York Public Library Schomburg Center.
Extent
8.9 Linear feet
Date
1923-2017
Archival Repository
Archives of American Art
Identifier
AAA.clarked
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Citation
Ed Clark papers, 1923-2017. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as eight series. Series 1: Biographical Material, 1943-2016 (Boxes 1, 10; 0.5 linear feet) Series 2: Correspondence, 1926, circa 1943-2016 (Boxes 1-3; 2.1 linear feet) Series 3: Writings, 1955, 1980-2006, 2015, undated (Boxes 3-4, 10; 0.7 linear feet) Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1953, 1966-2015 (Boxes 4, 10; 0.9 linear feet) Series 5: Professional Activities, circa 1954-2016 (Boxes 4-5, 10; 0.7 linear feet) Series 6: Printed Material, 1923-1926, 1950-2017, undated (Boxes 5-8, 10, OV 11-14; 3.3 linear feet) Series 7: Photographic Material, 1928, 1952-2014, undated (Boxes 8-9, 10; 0.6 linear feet) Series 8: Artwork, 1977-1997, undated (Boxes 9-10, OV 14; 0.1 linear feet)
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Rayna Andrews in 2018 with funding from the Henry Luce Foundation.
Scope and Contents
The papers of African American abstract expressionist painter Ed Clark measure 8.9 linear feet and date from 1923 to 2017. The collection documents Clark's work as a professional artist through biographical material; correspondence with family, galleries, and friends, most notably Cinque Gallery, Herbert Gentry, Bill Hutson, and Ted Joans; writings, including documentation for the book Edward Clark: For the Sake of the Search; personal business records, including consignment and sales records; and material related to professional activities, including files on significant exhibitions and projects, gallery files, and teaching records. Also in the collection are exhibition announcements, catalogs, news clippings, and other printed material documenting Clark's work; photographic material depicting Ed Clark, his artwork, and other individuals; and a small amount of original artwork by Clark and others.
Restrictions
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings and born-digital records with no duplicate copies requires advance notice.
Related Materials
A 30-minute documentary recording, Ed Clark: a brush with success (2007) produced by Mark Hammond and Charles Martin is available at the Anacostia Community Museum Library.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1552057217048-1552057217296-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9591c8e79-7501-4649-aca7-b2703a3f44ce

In the Collection

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  • Projects and Exhibitions

  • Professional Activities

  • Writings

  • Biographical Material

  • Edward Clark: For the Sake of the Search

  • Consignment, Sales, and Deeds of Gift

  • Ed Clark Compiled Printed Material and Press Coverage

  • Exhibition and Event Announcements, Invitations, Etc. Related to Ed Clark

  • Explorations in the City of Light: African-American Artists in Paris, 1945-1965 (1996-1997) Touring Exhibition and Symposium

  • Ed Clark and the Abstract Shaped Canvas: A Memoir by Anita Feldman

  • Exhibition and Event Catalogs Related to Ed Clark

  • Clippings (Undated)

  • Photographs, Snapshots, and Transparencies of Works of Art by Ed Clark and Others

  • Photograph Albums, Works of Art, Studio, Events, and Travel Snapshots

  • Digital Prints

  • Creuze, Raymond

  • Exhibition and Event Announcements, Invitations, Etc. Related to Ed Clark

  • Edward Clark: A Complex Identity (1980) Exhibition at the Studio Museum in Harlem

  • Photographs of Ed Clark with Works of Art

  • Joans, Ted

  • Biographies, Resumes, and Chronologies

  • Photograph Album, Event Related to Edward Clark: For the Sake of the Search Book

  • Oversize Map of China, Including Marks and Notations

  • Clippings

  • Photographs of Exhibitions and Events

  • Edward Clark: The Fulfillment of a 'Grand' Talent by Corinne Robins

  • Material Related to Ed Clark Interviews

  • Edwards, Mel

  • Writings by Others

  • Whitney Museum of Art

  • Agreements, Contracts, Releases, and Exhibition Planning, Labels, and Statements

  • Photographs of Ed Clark, Other Individuals, and Animals

  • Notes and Notebook

  • Kingsley, April

  • Ed Clark Writings and Statements

  • Certificates and Awards

  • Transcript, Ed Clark Interview

  • Consignment, Sales, and Deeds of Gift

  • Ba-Be

  • Bi-Bu

  • Lewis, Reginald, Loida, and Family

  • Photographic Material

  • Explorations in the City of Light: African-American Artists in Paris, 1945-1965 (1996-1997) Touring Exhibition and Symposium - Correspondence

  • Kebede, Alitash and Alitash Kebede Gallery

  • Photograph of Ed Clark with Works of Art

  • Ed Clark Passports

  • Photograph Album Pages, Paris

  • Clippings

  • Lists, Including Price and Slide Lists

  • Printed Material

  • Correspondence

  • Personal Business Records

  • da Silva, Angelica Maria

  • O

  • P-Q

  • Oversize Clippings

  • Horton, David

  • Material Related to Divorces

  • M

  • Exhibition at Contemporary Arts Center (1980), New Orleans, LA

  • Gallery Files, Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Deaccession of Pink Top (1972)

  • Gentry, Herbert

  • Certification Questions Submitted for Degree of Doctor of Education by Brenda Delany John

  • A

  • First Names

  • Declaration of American Artists Form

  • School of the Art Institute of Chicago

  • Feldman, Anita

  • Business Cards

  • Louisiana State University

  • D

  • Material Related to Dorothy Rivers Estate, Ed Clark's Aunt

  • Beatty, Arthur

  • Art in Embassies Program

  • Remembering Joan Mitchell Symposium, The Joan Mitchell Foundation

  • Franklin & Marshall

  • Oversize Clippings

  • Oversize Teaching Files

  • Robichaux, Jolyn H.

  • F

  • Kumabe, Shigeko

  • Lewis, Reginald, Loida, and Family

  • Cinque Gallery

  • Answering Machine Recording

  • Cité Internationale des Arts

  • Clark, Melanca

  • Gallery Files, Shifflet Gallery

  • Montalgo, Robert H.

  • Calendar

  • Material Related to Loft Lease and Property

  • Guest Book, 1st Annual Ruby G. Allen Reading Awards

  • Louisiana Roots: Ed Clark Returns Home (2012) Exhibition Agreement with Stella Jones Gallery

  • Hanks, Roze (Married Name Pye)

  • L

  • Romano, Sal and Connie Robins

  • Jack and Jill Foundation of America Donation

  • Contact Information and Business Cards

  • Invoices, Receipts, and Lists of Expenses Related to Paris Trip

  • H-I

  • Notebooks with Lists of Expenses

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Ed Clark Passports
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There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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View Finding aid

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