Nanae Momiyama papers
name: label: Creator
content: Momiyama, Nanae, 1924-2002
label: Names
content: Bruce Museum
label: Names
content: Kenkeleba House
label: Names
content: National Association of Women Artists (U.S.)
label: Names
content: Kusama, Yayoi, 1929-
label: Names
content: Secor, Johanna
place: label: Place
content: Japan
topic: label: Occupation
content: Calligraphers
label: Occupation
content: Educators -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Calligraphy, Japanese
label: Topic
content: Women artists
label: Topic
content: Asian American art
label: Topic
content: Asian American artists
label: Topic
content: Japanese American art
label: Topic
content: Japanese American artists
label: Topic
content: Asian American painters
label: Topic
content: Asian American educators
label: Topic
content: Women painters
label: Topic
content: Women educators
label: Topic
content: Women illustrators
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was donated by Haniwa Gottlieb, Nanae Momiyama's daughter, in 2009.
creator: label: Creator
content: Momiyama, Nanae, 1924-2002
setName: label: See more items in
content: Nanae Momiyama papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of New York painter, calligrapher, and educator, Nanae Momiyama measure 3.0 linear feet and date from 1928-circa 2000, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1948-1990s. The collection traces Momiyama's career as a first wave post-World War II Japanese-American artist through biographical material, correspondence, writings and notes, business records, printed material, scrapbooks, sketches and sketchbooks, and photographs.
bioghist: label: Biographical Note
content: Nanae Momiyama (1924-2002) was a Japanese American painter, calligrapher, and educator based in New York City, New York and Greenwich, Connecticut.

In 1924, Nanae Momiyama was born in Tokyo, Japan. In 1944, she graduated from Bunka Gakuin College in Tokyo, where she later taught painting and drawing. In 1954, under the sponsorship of the Japanese government, Nanae Moimiyama attended the Art Students' League in New York City, where she was mentored by the painter, Morris Kantor. During this period, Momiyama participated in exhibitions organized by the cooperative galleries on East Tenth Street in New York City that were promoting the works of Abstract Expressionist artists.

Nanae Momiyama's artistic interests extended to the teaching of Japanese calligraphy and Sumi-e paintings at colleges, universities, and art institutions, including the National Teacher's Convention for Asian Studies at Brooklyn College, Columbia University, and Japan Society. During her career, Momiyama received commissions to design posters for movies, plays, and concerts and to illustrate books and magazines. In addition, she wrote Sumi-e, An Introduction to Ink Painting  that became a standard text on the subject.

Nanae Momiyama participated in many solo and group exhibitions in the United States and abroad: Brata Gallery, the Bruce Museum, Gima Gallery, Ligoa Duncan Gallery, and Seibu Galleries, among others.

Nanae Momiyama was a long time resident of Greenwich, Connecticut. She died in 2002.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 3 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1928-circa 2000
label: Date
content: bulk 1948-2000
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.mominana
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Sketchbooks
label: Type
content: Scrapbooks
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Greeting cards
label: Type
content: Interviews
label: Type
content: Sketches
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 9 series:

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1948-1995 (Box 1: 0.4 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1953, 1970s-1993 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings and Notes, circa 1950s-1995 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 4: Business Records, 1962-1987 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1950s-1995 (Box 1; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1948-1978 (Box 2; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 7: Sketches and Drawings, circa 1950s-1970s (Box 2; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 8: Sketchbooks, circa 1975-1997 (Box 2; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 9: Photographs, 1928-circa 2000 (Box 3; 1.0 linear feet)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The papers were processed by Joy Weiner in 2012.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sketchbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Scrapbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Greeting cards
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketches
label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Content Note
content: The papers of New York painter, calligrapher, and educator, Nanae Momiyama measure 3.0 linear feet and date from 1928-circa 2000, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1948-1990s. The collection traces Momiyama's career as a first wave post-World War II Japanese-American artist through biographical material, correspondence, writings and notes, business records, printed material, scrapbooks, sketches and sketchbooks, and photographs.

Biographical material includes resumes, a graduation certificate, passports, artist's statements, a calendar of lectures, address books, miscellaneous biographical material, and a 1972 WGCH radio interview with Nanae Momiyama.

Correspondence is mostly professional and consists of incoming and outgoing letters with arts organizations, museums, and galleries, such as the Bruce Museum, the Japanese Artists'Association, Kenkeleba House, and the National Association of Women Artists. There is some personal correspondence from family and friends, including Yayoi Kusama and Johanna Secor.

Writings and notes contain writings and notes by Nanae Momiyama and others. Writings and notes mostly consist of drafts of lectures and press releases relating to Momiyama's class demonstrations on Sumi-e painting.

Business records include annotated painting lists, consignments, a loan agreement, a contract, and scattered receipts. Painting lists and sales receipts provide a detailed record of works sold by Nanae Momiyama from 1974-1987.

Nanae Momiyama's activities as an artist are well-documented through printed materials, including press releases, clippings, periodicals, exhibition invitations, announcements, and catalogs, periodicals, annotated checklists, and brochures. Also found is Momiyama's monograph on Sumi-e painting.

Five scrapbooks contain exhibition-related material, such as announcements, invitations, brochures, reviews, installation shots, and artwork. One scrapbook is of a more personal nature and includes notes, handmade holiday cards by the artist, and photographs of Momiyama's children.

Artwork comprises sketches, drawings, and graphic designs. Sketches are mostly studies for Nanae Momiyama's paintings. Also included are five sketchbooks; one sketchbook is devoted to Momiyama's calligraphy.

Photographs are of Nanae Momiyama and others, exhibition installations and artwork, miscellaneous photographs, and slides of artwork. Also found are six photograph albums of images of Nanae Momiyama with family, friends, and colleagues. Of interest, are two photograph albums depicting Nanae Momiyama's school life and social activities in Japan from 1928-1940s.