Oral history interview with Ben Heller
name: label: Interviewee
content: Heller, Ben, 1925-
label: Interviewer
content: Cummings, Paul
topic: label: Topic
content: Art -- Collectors and collecting -- New York (State) -- Interviews
label: Topic
content: Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews
label: Topic
content: Art patrons -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
creator: label: Interviewee
content: Heller, Ben, 1925-
label: Interviewer
content: Cummings, Paul
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Ben Heller (1925-) is an art collector, patron, and dealer from New York, N.Y.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Sound tape reel (Sound recording, 5 in.)
label: Extent
content: 54 Pages (Transcript)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1973 Jan. 8
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.heller73
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Sound tape reels
label: Type
content: Pages
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: An interview of Ben Heller conducted 1973 Jan. 8, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art. Heller speaks of his youth and education in New York; his early interest in music and literature; starting his painting and sculpture collection; the relationship between artists and collectors; art movements and the impact of collectors on them; art as a financial investment; the changes in his collecting interests; becoming a dealer, and some of the problems involved; the lack of financial support for art institutions; and traveling exhibitions of his collection.