Ruth Gikow papers
name: label: Creator
content: Gikow, Ruth, 1915-1982
topic: label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Illustrators -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Serigraphers -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Social realism
label: Topic
content: Jewish artists
label: Topic
content: Women artists
label: Topic
content: Women painters
label: Topic
content: Women printmakers
label: Topic
content: Artists' studios -- Photographs
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Material on D230 was lent by Gikow in 1965. Gikow and her husband Jack Levine donated the remainder in 1978 and 1983, which was microfilmed in 1994 with grants from the Henry and Lucy Moses Fund, the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation, the Samuel Bronfman Foundation, and the Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation. After microfilming, an addition to the collection was donated by Levine in May 1999. Papers of Jack Levine donated at the same time have been cataloged separately.
creator: label: Creator
content: Gikow, Ruth, 1915-1982
setName: label: See more items in
content: Ruth Gikow papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The Ruth Gikow papers measure 2 linear feet and date from 1933-1982. The papers document Gikow's life and career as a figurative painter and illustrator through biographical material; personal and professional correspondence with family, galleries, universities, and colleagues; autobiographical essays and writings on art broadly, lists of artwork and other writings; personal business files such as sale records and price lists; exhibition catalogs, news clippings, and other printed material; and photographs of Gikow and her artwork.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Ruth Gikow (1915-1932) was a New York based painter, illustrator, and serigrapher. Gikow was born in Ukraine, emigrating to New York City with her parents in 1920. She studied under John Steuart Curry at the Cooper Union Art School from 1932-1935. She also studied with Louis Ross, Louis Schanker and Raphael Soyer. In 1935 Gikow became a Works Progress Administration artist, and in 1939 Gikow was awarded a commission to paint a mural titled Children's Indoor and Outdoor Activities for the children's wing of Bronx Hospital. Her other mural work included a live demonstration at the 1943 New York City World's Fair, and commercial murals for department stores across the city. Her career also involved illustrating books such as an edition of Crime and Punishment and History of the Jews in America by Deborah Pessin; and co-founding the American Serigraph Society in which she developed her technique with silk screen printing. In 1946 Gikow married painter Jack Levine. 

Her paintings are in the collection of several art museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney, the Museum of Modern Art, and the National Institute of Arts and Letters in New York, the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as well as collections at Brandeis University, and New York University.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 2 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1933-1982
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.gikoruth
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Interviews
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as six series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1933-1972 (5 Folders: Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1949-1981 (0.5 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1950-1980 (0.2 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 4: Personal Business, circa 1954-1980 (5 Folders: Box 1)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1933-1982 (0.6 Linear feet: Box 1-2)

Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1939-1975 (0.4 Linear feet: Box 2)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Sabine Lipten in 2023.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Portions of the collection and material lent for microfilming are available on 35mm microfilm reels D230 (frames 692-1388), and reels 4874-4875 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Ruth Gikow papers measure 2 linear feet and date from 1933-1982. The papers document Gikow's life and career as a figurative painter and illustrator through biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business files, printed material and photographic material. Biographical material contains resumes, Gikows passports, a transcript from a Jewish Home Show radio interview and an audio interview with Gikow done by Karl E. Fortess. Correspondence is between Gikow and her family, critics and galleries, and from colleagues including Karl Fortess and Lee Nordness, and one letter each from Werner Drewes, Jo Hopper, and Raphael Soyer. Writings consists of essays by Gikow on her life and career and on art and artists more broadly. Other writings include an annotated appointment calander, lists of her artwork and miscellaneous notes. 

Personal business records document Gikow's career through sale records and price lists, as well as receipts and correspondence related to the production of a catalog of her work. Also present is an exhibition file documenting an exhibition of Gikow's paintings memorializing the Kent State University shootings. Printed material is comprised of exhibition announcements and catalogs, news and magazine clippings, advertisements and brochures that Gikow illustrated, along with a book Gikow illustrated titled History of Jews in America. Of note is a published book on Gikow's work entitled Gikow by Matthew Josephson. Photographic material contains photographs of Gikow, her husband Jack Levine, her studio, other artists, including Chaim Gross, Jacob Lawrence, and Raphael Soyer, and her works of art.