Howard Kanovitz papers
name: label: Creator
content: Kanovitz, Howard
label: Names
content: Friedman, B. H. (Bernard Harper), 1926-2011
label: Names
content: O'Hara, Frank, 1926-1966
label: Names
content: Rivers, Larry, 1925-2002
topic: label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- Southampton
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Photo-realism
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated in 2021 by Carolyn Oldenbusch, Kanovitz's widow and Director of the Howard  Kanovitz Foundation.
creator: label: Creator
content: Kanovitz, Howard
setName: label: See more items in
content: Howard Kanovitz papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of painter Howard Kanovitz measure 8.0 linear feet and 1 GB and date from 1953-2017. The collection documents Kanovitz's work as a professional artist through biographical material; personal and professional correspondence; writings; interviews; personal business records; gallery, exhibition and project files; photographic and printed material; sound and video recordings; and preliminary drawings and studies for artworks.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Howard Kanovitz (1929-2009) was a painter based in New York City and Southampton, NY. After an early career as a jazz trombonist, Kanovitz began painting in 1949 and studied at The Rhode Island School of Design and The Art Students League in Woodstock with Yasuo Kuniyoshi. He moved to New York City and apprenticed with Franz Kline. Although he began his painting career as an abstract expressionist, Kanovitz became one of the early practitioners of photorealism in the 1960s. He also taught at the Salzburger Summer Art School and the School of Visual Arts and took on set design projects in both America and Germany. Kanovitz had more than fifty one-person gallery shows, with his last in 2008, one year before he died.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 8 Linear Feet
label: Extent
content: 1 Gigabyte
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1953-2017
label: Date
content: bulk 1963-1999
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.kanohowa
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Gigabytes
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Interviews
label: Type
content: Sketchbooks
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Video recordings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 11 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1971-2007 (0.35 linear feet; Box 4-5, 8)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1953-2007 (0.50 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1954-2007 (0.60 linear feet; Box 1-2)

Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1965-2008 (0.40 linear feet; Box 2)

Series 5: Gallery Files, 1969-2007 (0.70 linear feet; Box 2, 3)

Series 6: Project Files, 1974-2008 (0.40 linear feet, Box 3)

Series 7: Personal Business Records, 1936-2000 (0.30 linear feet; Box 3) 

Series 8: Printed Material, 1960-2017 (1.95 linear feet; Box 4-5, 8; OV 14)

Series 9: Artwork, circa 1960s-circa1990s (0.70 linear feet; Box 5, 8, 10; OV 11-13; OV 15-18)

Series 10: Photographic Material, 1954-2008 (1.40 linear feet; Box 6-7)

Series 11: Sound Recordings and Video Recordings, 1967-2008 (0.70 linear feet; Box 7, 9)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jennifer E. Neal and Lewis Tio in 2022.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketchbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of painter Howard Kanovitz measure 8.00 linear feet and 1 GB and date from 1953-2017. The collection documents Kanovitz's work as a professional artist through biographical material; personal and professional correspondence; writings; interviews; personal business records; gallery, exhibition and project files; photographic and printed material; sound and video recordings; and preliminary drawings and studies for artworks.

Biographical material includes Kanovitz's address and appointment books, artist statements, CVs, genealogical research, a Guggenheim fellowship application, and United States passports. Correspondence files reflect relationships with friends and colleagues, including Frank O'Hara, Larry Rivers, Gregory Corso, B.H. Friedman, and others, as well as curators, museums, and galleries in the United States and Europe. Writings include Kanovitz's notes and notebooks; essays, poetry, and prose by Kanovitz; lists of artworks; poems by others; manuscripts; graduate student papers; and lectures given by Kanovitz. Exhibition and gallery files include checklists, mailing lists, inventories, correspondence, contracts, commission files, invoices, sales records, and proposals related to installations that included Kanovitz's work. Project files include correspondence, artist bios, contracts, invoices, press releases, interview transcripts, notes, source material, and photographs related to film, theater, and other projects. Personal business records include bills of sale, consignment memos, invoices, price lists, and leases for art studios and apartments. Printed material includes publications; clippings; exhibition announcements and catalogs; event programs; source material; posters; and a scrapbook of digital prints. Artwork includes preliminary sketches and source material for Kanovitz's photo-based paintings and set design materials for a circa 1977 play entitled, "The Party." Photographic material includes color and black and white prints, slides, negatives, transparencies, digital prints, and contact sheets that document exhibition installations, friends, artworks, commissions, and various studies and source material. Sound and video recordings include interviews, films, BBC broadcasts, documentaries, and performances that document Kanovitz's set design.