Skip to main content

Search

My Visit
Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Maps and Brochures
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
      • Group Sales
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current
      • Upcoming
      • Past
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • - Art & Design
    • - History & Culture
    • - Science & Nature
    • Collections
      • Open Access
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Asian Art Museum Archives
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Podcasts
    • Stories
  • Learn
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
      • Art & Design Resources
      • Science & Nature Resources
      • Social Studies & Civics Resources
      • Professional Development
      • Events for Educators
      • Field Trips
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
  • Support Us
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Ambassador Program
      • Museum Information Desk
      • Docent Programs
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Participatory Science
  • About
    • Our Organization
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
        • Contact
      • Museums and Zoo
      • Research Centers
      • Cultural Centers
      • Education Centers
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Employee Benefits
        • How to Apply
        • Job Opportunities
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • EEO & Small Business
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Small Business Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Contracting Opportunities
          • Additional Resources
        • Special Emphasis Program
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Combating Trafficking in Persons
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Robert McChesney papers

Archives of American Art

Object Details

Creator
McChesney, Robert, 1913-2008
Names
McChesney, Mary Fuller
Occupation
Muralists -- California
Painters -- California
Topic
Abstract expressionism
Provenance
Robert McChesney loaned three scrapbooks to the Archives of American Art for microfilming in 1975. Mary Fuller McChesney, Robert McChesney's widow, donated the rest of the Robert McChesney papers in 2015.
Creator
McChesney, Robert, 1913-2008
See more items in
Robert McChesney papers
Summary
The papers of artist Robert Pearson McChesney measure 6 linear feet and date from 1913 to 2006. McChesney was an abstract expressionist painter and muralist based in Petaluma, California. The papers include biographical materials, correspondence, exhibition files, printed materials, scrapbooks, and photographic materials.
Biographical / Historical
Robert Pearson McChesney (1913-2008) was a California Abstract Expressionist painter and muralist. Robert McChesney was born on January 16, 1913 in Marshall, Missouri. His parents were Ruby Eversmann Pearson and Jack Wiley McChesney who ran a photography studio. McChesney attended Washington University School of Fine Arts in St. Louis, Missouri from 1933-1934 and Otis Arts Institute in Los Angeles, California from 1936-1937. In 1937, he married Frances, an artist figure model, and they later divorced. McChesney worked in the mural division of the depression-era Federal Works Project Administration on the Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) in San Francisco from 1938 to 1940. At the GGIE, McChesney and other artists worked on a mural series designed by Herman Volz. During World War II, he served in the U. S. Merchant Marine in the South Pacific. He painted a great deal while he was in the South Pacific and when he returned to San Francisco those paintings became the basis for his first solo exhibition in 1944 at the Richmond and Richmond Gallery. After the war, McChesney lived in a house in Point Richmond, California with several artists, including the sculptor Mary Fuller whom he married in 1949. Beginning in 1950, he taught at the California School of Fine Arts, California State University at Hayward, and the California Labor School. In 1952, he moved to Sonoma Mountain in Petaluma, California where he built in a house and studio. Over the course of his artistic career, McChesney had over 40 solo exhibitions and his artwork is included in the collections of many museums such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, Art Institute of Chicago, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Robert McChesney died on May 10, 2008 in Sonoma County, California.
Extent
6 Linear feet
Date
1913-2006
Archival Repository
Archives of American Art
Identifier
AAA.mcchrobe
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Awards
Christmas cards
Citation
Robert McChesney papers, 1913-2006. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged as 6 series. Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1931-1995 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1, OV 9) Series 2: Correspondence, 1936-2006 (1 linear feet; Boxes 1-2) Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1970-2006 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 2-3) Series 4: Printed Materials, 1945-2006 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 3-4, OV 9) Series 5: Scrapbooks, 1940-2002 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 6-8) Series 6: Photographic Materials, 1913-2002 (1.8 linear feet; Boxes 4-5, 7, OV 9)
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Rihoko Ueno in September 2015.
Rights
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Existence and Location of Copies
Material lent for microfilming is availalbe on 35mm microfilm reel 878 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Genre/Form
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Awards
Christmas cards
Scope and Contents
The papers of artist Robert Pearson McChesney measure 6 linear feet and date from 1913 to 2006. McChesney was an abstract expressionist painter and muralist based in Petaluma, California. The papers include biographical materials, correspondence, exhibition files, printed materials, scrapbooks, and photographic materials. Biographical materials consist of legal documents, estate papers, awards, genealogical information, a few notebooks and writings, and other assorted personal papers. The bulk of the correspondence is with galleries and museums about shows and art sales. There is very limited personal correspondence with friends and family. There are a few holiday cards designed by Mary Fuller and Robert McChesney. Exhibition files include announcements, catalogs, publicity, reviews, correspondence, exhibition lists, price lists, and other material. Printed materials consist of clippings, reviews, announcements, catalogs, books, and periodicals. There are 4 scrapbooks of printed material and photographs of Robert McChesney's shows and artwork. Photographic materials include photographs, slides, and negatives of Robert McChesney and his artwork along with photographs of travels, friends, and family.
Restrictions
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Related Materials
The Archives of American Art has an oral history interview with Robert McChesney conducted in 1964 by Lewis Ferbraché.
Separated Materials
The Archives of Art also holds materials lent for microfilming (reel 878) including three scrapbooks. Two of the scrapbooks were later donated and integrated with the collection. The remaining scrapbook is only available on microfilm and is not described in the collection container inventory.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1503512840160-1503512840166-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw92e05cd20-5931-41e0-aa99-4db4dff51053

In the Collection

Pages

  • « first
  • ‹ previous
  • 1
  • 2
  • San Francisco Theological Seminary

  • Photographic Material

  • "La Noche" Series

  • "Composition" Series

  • "Hair Suite" Series

  • Print Sales and Consignment Records Book

  • Miscellaneous Artwork

  • Muskegon Museum of Art

  • Thomas McCormick Gallery Show (2002)

  • Robert McChesney Exhibition Reviews

  • Nevada Museum of Art Show (1995)

  • Arleigh Gallery

  • Vietnam Protest Tower

  • ADI Gallery

  • Articles About Robert McChesney, W

  • Hayward State Gallery

  • Triangle Gallery

  • California State Gallery Show (1977)

  • News Clippings

  • Articles About Robert McChesney, M-P

  • Oversized "1980s-1990s" Scrapbook

  • "Estallido" Series

  • McChesney and Pearson Family Genealogy

  • McChesney, Jack E.

  • Disbound Binder with Slides of Paintings

  • Annex Galleries Show (1998)

  • Adlen Arts, Inc. Show (1986)

  • C.S.F.A. Silk Screen

  • Oversized "1999" Scrapbook

  • San Diego Department of Social Services

  • Orders for Mural Paint

  • Artists Equity Association Honorable Mention

  • Annotated Photographs of People

  • Center Gallery, The Trading Company Show (1975)

  • "Bone" Series

  • "New Guinea - O. K" Series

  • Both-Up Gallery

  • Legal Documents Related to Accident

  • "Slides Out in Circulation" Notebook

  • Oversized Artists Equity Association Honorable Mention from Box 1, Folder 8

  • Quicksilver Mine Co. Show (2005)

  • Santa Rosa Junior College

  • John Natsoulas Gallery

  • California Museum of Art Santa Rosa Show (1988)

  • Divorce Papers

  • Photographs of Unidentified People

  • Petriat, Paul

  • San Francisco Art Commission Merit Award

  • Kayak Press

  • Bon Marche Gallery

  • Scrapbooks

  • Laguna Art Museum Show (1996)

  • "Arena" Series

  • Choice Incorporated

  • Taos, New Mexico Trip

  • Sonoma State College Show (1970)

  • Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art

  • A Changing Season

  • Oversized "Stop the X-to Fence" Poster from Box 3, Folder 24

  • Photographs of Robert McChesney

  • Heller Gallery

  • Robert McChesney Exhibition Announcements

  • "Yermo Rojo" Series

  • Taos Gallery of Modern Art

  • Pat Wall Gallery

  • Oversized Photograph of Painting from Box 4, Folder 30

  • Richards, Steve

  • Mexico Trip

  • Syracuse University Manuscript Collections

  • Skylight Newsletter

  • Negatives and Transparencies

Pages

  • « first
  • ‹ previous
  • 1
  • 2
Plaques for S. S. Mastonia
View Slideshow
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.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer
View Finding aid

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Get Involved
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • EEO & Small Business
  • Shop Online
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Sign up for Smithsonian e-news

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Back to Top