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Irving Petlin papers

Archives of American Art

Object Details

Creator
Petlin, Irving, 1934-2018
Names
Golub, Leon, 1922-2004
Kitaj, R. B.
Selz, Peter Howard, 1919-2019
Occupation
Painters -- France -- Paris
Painters -- Massachusettes -- Martha's Vineyard
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
Topic
Art and war
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Protest Movements -- United States
Provenance
The collection was donated in 2019 by Sarah Petlin.
Creator
Petlin, Irving, 1934-2018
See more items in
Irving Petlin papers
Summary
The papers of painter Irving Petlin measure 3.0 linear feet and date from 1952-2014. Materials include correspondence with other artists and collaborators, galleries, friends, and family; notes by Petlin related to his artistic process; exhibition and project files regarding the war in Vietnam and other projects; exhibition catalogs, announcements, and clippings related to Petlin's work and group and solo museum and gallery shows; periodicals related to the art world; books featuring Petlin as an illustrator or inscribed by author or editor friends of Petlin's; sketches by Petlin; an Italian contemporary art award; a piece of the Peace Tower collaboration with Mark di Suvero and other artists; and photographs of Petlin's works, installations, and Petlin in a studio.
Biographical / Historical
Irving Petlin (1934-2018) was a painter in Paris, France; New York, New York; and Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Petlin was born in Chicago to Polish Jewish immigrants, attended the Art Institute of Chicago, and earned a MFA from Yale University. Petlin specialized in the medium of pastel, first gaining recognition in Paris after his service in the United States army. From there he went to Los Angeles, where he was principal organizer of the "Artists Protest Movement Against the War in Vietnam," and the 1966 "Peace Tower," with Mark di Suvero and other artists. Petlin and his wife, Sarah, a poet, moved to New York City for 28 years before returning to Paris. Petlin was heavily influenced by the political landscape around him and was an active member of the Art Workers' Coalition. He used allegory, mythology, and symbolism to illustrate politics and the human condition. He often collaborated on projects with other artists and was inspired by writers and poets. In the last decades of his life, Petlin split his time between his studio in Paris and his family's 18th century farmhouse in Martha's Vineyard continuing his work as an artist and activist.
Extent
3 Linear feet
Date
1952-2014
bulk 1970-1990
Archival Repository
Archives of American Art
Identifier
AAA.peltirvi
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Sketchbooks
Citation
Irving Petlin papers, 1952-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 7 series. Series 1: Correspondence, 1968-2002 (0.25 linear feet, Box 1) Series 2: Writings, 1952-1984 (0.18 linear feet) Box 1) Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1974-1988 (0.20 linear feet, Box 1) Series 4: Project Files, 1980-1984, 2007 (0.17 linear feet, Box 1) Series 5: Printed Material, 1962-2014 (2.09 linear feet Box 1, 2, 3) Series 6: Artwork, circa 1966-1974 (0.07 linear feet, box 3, 4) Series 7: Photographic Material, circa 1970s-1978 (0.04 linear feet, Box 4)
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Jennifer E. Neal and Lewis Tio in 2021.
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.
Genre/Form
Drawings
Sketchbooks
Scope and Contents
The papers of painter Irving Petlin measure 3.0 linear feet and date from 1952-2014. Materials include correspondence with other artists and collaborators, galleries, friends, and family; notes by Petlin related to his artistic process; exhibition and project files regarding the war in Vietnam and other projects; exhibition catalogs, announcements, and clippings related to Petlin's work and group and solo museum and gallery shows; periodicals related to the art world; books featuring Petlin as an illustrator or inscribed by author or editor friends of Petlin's; sketches by Petlin; an Italian contemporary art award; a piece of the Peace Tower collaboration with Mark di Suvero and other artists; and photographs of Petlin's works, installations, and Petlin in a studio.
Restrictions
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Related Materials
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Irving Petlin conducted by James McElhinney September 13 and 15, 2016.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1596288652923-1596288652925-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9096058f3-4b7d-4759-ba0d-e212757f6c50

In the Collection

Pages

  • « first
  • ‹ previous
  • 1
  • 2
  • Lists of Paintings and Professional Activities

  • Books, "Hades in Manganese"

  • Exhibition Catalogs, Group Exhibitions

  • W

  • Notebook, "Notes for the Double Life"

  • Exhibition Catalogs, Solo Exhibitions

  • Installation Photographs, Neuberger Museum

  • The Cooper Union, It's Possible: 24 Israeli and Palestinian Artists Unite for Peace (10/12/1988 - 11/20/1998)

  • Books, "The Aranea Constellation"

Pages

  • « first
  • ‹ previous
  • 1
  • 2
Snapshot of Petlin in a Studio
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

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