Morris Louis Estate Papers
name: label: Collection Artist
content: Louis, Morris, 1912-1962
setName: label: See more items in
content: Morris Louis and Morris Louis Estate papers
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 14.9 Linear Feet (Boxes 3-19, OV 20)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1947-2007
label: Date
content: bulk 1965-2000
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.louimorr, Series 2
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: This series is arranged as 8 subseries.

2.1 Gallery Exhibitions, 1947-2002

2.2 Art Records and Inventories, 1960-1992

2.3 Legal Records, 1962-1989

2.4 Financial Records, 1959-1998

2.5 Printed Material, 1960-2006

2.6 Writings, 1963-1988

2.7 Photographs, circa 1950s-2001

2.8 Project Files, 1966-2007
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The majority of the collection (circa 15 linear feet) consists of records created and maintained by Marcella Brenner in the course of managing Louis' estate and posthumous exhibitions and projects. Gallery exhibition records include printed materials, photographs, slides, price lists, invoices, and scattered correspondence for many posthumous and retrospective exhibitions between 1965 through 2002.  Files are found for several exhibitions at the Andre Emmerich Gallery, Baltimore Museum of Art, Boston Museum of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Denver Art Museum, Hayward Gallery, Hirshhorn Museum, Jewish Museum, Museum of Modern Art, and numerous other U.S. and international galleries and museums.  

Louis' artwork is well-documented in highly detailed inventory lists and cards.  Legal records document the lawsuit brought by the Bernstein family against Marcella Brenner which began in 1964 and ended in 1970 in favor of Brenner, as well as 25 years of correspondence between Brenner and attorney I. S. Weissbrodt. Extensive sales records are found in the financial records, as well as scattered tax records.  

Printed materials include calendars, clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, and other miscellaneous materials.  Writings include essays about Louis and manuscript copies of the book Trustee for the Human Race:  Litigation over the Morris Louis Paintings written by Ruth S. Blau under contract for Marcella Brenner.  Photographs are primarily of artwork depicted in exhibition installations.  

Project files are found for several posthumous documentary film projects and a catalog raisonne.  Several of the projects contain only interviews provided by Brenner in support of the project, but others contain original research documentation.  One such project was a series of audio recordings of interviews commissioned by Brenner and conducted by Anita Faatz in 1970-1971 with 27 artists talking about Morris Louis, his work, their relationships with him, and his influences.  Faatz conducted interviews with Clement Greenberg, Leonard Bocour, Andre Emmerich, Helen Frankenthaler, and Kenneth Noland, among many others.