Oral history interview with Thomas M. Messer
odd: label: General
content: Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 9 min.
name: label: Interviewee
content: Messer, Thomas M.
label: Interviewer
content: Cummings, Paul
label: Names
content: American Federation of Arts
label: Names
content: Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston, Mass.)
label: Names
content: Roswell Museum
label: Names
content: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
topic: label: Topic
content: Art museum directors -- United States -- 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: Messer, Thomas M.
label: Interviewer
content: Cummings, Paul
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Thomas M. Messer (1919- ) is a museum director from New York, N.Y.
function: label: Function
content: Art museums -- United States
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 35 Pages (Transcript)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1970 Sept. 22
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.messer70
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: 35mm microfilm reel 3417 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: An interview of Thomas M. Messer conducted 1970 Sept. 22, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art. Messer speaks of his childhood in Czechoslovakia; his early interest in art and music; coming to the United States; his education at Boston University; directing a museum, in Roswell, N.M., for three years; going to the American Federation of Arts and becoming director there; moving on to the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston; the development of his interest in Latin American art and culture; becoming the director of the Guggenheim Museum; his philosophy on museum acquisitions; the current art market; what makes exhibitions successful or unsuccessful; and the future of museums.