Oral history interview with James Brooks
odd: label: General
content: Originally recorded on 3 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 59 min.
name: label: Interviewee
content: Brooks, James, 1906-1992
label: Interviewer
content: Seckler, Dorothy Gees, 1910-1994
label: Names
content: Club (New York, N.Y.)
label: Names
content: Biddle, George, 1885-1973
label: Names
content: Guston, Philip, 1913-1980
label: Names
content: Nicolaïdes, Kimon, 1892-1938
label: Names
content: Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956
label: Names
content: Robinson, Boardman, 1876-1952
topic: label: Topic
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews
label: Topic
content: Abstract expressionism
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: This interview is part of the Archives of American Art 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: Brooks, James, 1906-1992
label: Interviewer
content: Seckler, Dorothy Gees, 1910-1994
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: James Brooks (1906-1992) was a painter from East Hampton, New York.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 36 Pages (Transcript)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1965 June 10 and June 12
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.brooks65
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Pages
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Transcript available on line.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: An interview of James Brooks conducted 1965 June 10-12, by Dorothy Seckler, for the Archives of American Art.
label: Scope and Contents
content: Brooks speaks of his childhood, early art training, study with Kimon Nicolaides and Boardman Robinson at the Art Students League, mural projects, and his work in advertising. He comments on the Artists Union, his Air Force service, Army art projects, teaching at Columbia and Pratt Institute, an early abstract expressionist group called "the 8th Street Club" or just "The Club"; influence of Hans Hofmann, practicing Zen, changes in his work, his use of line and his drawings. He recalls George Biddle, Philip Guston and Jackson Pollock.