Theodore F. Wolff papers
name: label: Creator
content: Wolff, Theodore F.
label: Names
content: Diebenkorn, Richard, 1922-1993
label: Names
content: Donati, Enrico, 1909-2008
label: Names
content: Hogue, Alexandre, 1898-1994
label: Names
content: Johnston, Ynez, 1920-
label: Names
content: Kohlmeyer, Ida, 1912-1997
label: Names
content: Landeck, Armin, 1905-
label: Names
content: Miller, Melissa
label: Names
content: Natkin, Robert, 1930-
label: Names
content: Stamos, Theodoros, 1922-1997
label: Names
content: Tacha, Athena, 1936-
label: Names
content: Turrell, James
label: Names
content: Witkin, Jerome
topic: label: Occupation
content: Art critics -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Art -- Study and teaching
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: A small amount of material was donated in 1999 by Theodore F. Wolff.  Additional papers were donated in 2013 by Collette Wolff, widow of Theodore F. Wolff.
creator: label: Creator
content: Wolff, Theodore F.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Theodore F. Wolff papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of art critic, writer, and painter Theodore F. Wolff measure 8 linear feet and date from 1920-2013, with the bulk of the material dating from 1977-2013. The collection documents Wolff's career through biographical material, correspondence, interviews, writings, subject files, printed material, a small amount of artwork, and photographs.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Theodore F. Wolff (1926-2012) was an art critic, writer, and painter in New York City.

Wolff attended the University of Wisconsin, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art Education in 1949 and a Masters degree in Art and Art History the following year.   By the early 1950s, Wolff was living in San Francisco, where he began his professional career as a painter.  In 1956, he and his wife, Collette Wolff, moved to New York.  During this period, Wolff also worked as an art appraiser and fine arts consultant for collectors, galleries, and museums. In 1977, Wolff began writing art criticism for  The Christian Science Monitor  and held the post of art critic at the publication until 1990.  In addition to his  art columns to The Monitor, Wolff contributed critical and introductory essays on artists for exhibition catalogs and journals.  Theodore F. Wolff taught and lectured on art and art education at museums, universities, and conferences.  In 1982, he received the National Headliners Award for Consistently Outstanding Column on Art and the Art World Award for Distinguished Newspaper Art Criticism in 1983.  In 1990, Theodore Wolff retired from The Christian Science Monitor.  He devoted the latter part of his career to painting, writing, lecturing, and teaching.

Theodore F. Wolff died in 2012 in New York City.  He is survived by his wife, Collette Wolff.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 8 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1920-2013
label: Date
content: bulk 1977-2013
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.wolftheo
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Sketches
label: Type
content: Video recordings
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Interviews
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 8 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1982-2013 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1920, 1951-2011 (Box 1; 0.75 linear feet)

Series 3: Interviews, circa 1990-2002 (Box 2; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 4: Writings, Talks, and Lectures, circa 1977-2005 (Boxes 2-4; 2.8 linear feet)

Series 5: Subject Files, circa 1940, 1964-2004 (Boxes 4-6; 1.8 linear feet)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1956-2006 (Boxes 6-8; 2.2 linear feet)

Series 7: Artwork, 1942-1948 (Box 7, 1 folder)

Series 8: Photographs, circa 1980-circa 2011 (Box 7; 0.25 linear feet)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: This collection was processed in 2014 by Joy Goodwin.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sketches
label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of art critic, writer, and painter Theodore F. Wolff measure 8 linear feet and date from 1920-2013, with the bulk of the material dating from 1977-2013.  The collection documents Wolff's career through biographical material, correspondence, interviews, writings, subject files, printed material, a small portion of artwork, and photographs.

Biographical material consists of biographical data, curriculum vitae, and awards.  Included are outgoing and incoming letters that document Wolff's activities as an art critic, appraiser, and fine arts consultant.   A large portion of his correspondence is with artists.  Among the correspondents are Richard Diebenkorn, Alexander Hogue, Ynez Johnston, Armin Landeck, Melissa Miller, Robert Natkin, Theodoros Stamos, Athena Tachna, Jerome Witkin, and the writer Tom Wolfe.  There is significant correspondence with Morris Graves, James Hubbell, Clyfford Still, and Stow Wengenroth relating to their work and Wolff's writings.

Interviews consist of three interviews with Theodore F. Wolff as well as a panel discussion with Wolff and other artists.  Found are interviews with Enrico Donati and James Turrell.  Recordings are on five sound cassettes and three videocassettes.
Writings consist of Wolff's reviews, mostly tearsheets for The Christian Monitor and draft versions of a book.  Also included are talks and lectures on art and art education recorded on seven videocassettes and six sound cassettes.  Subject files document Wolff's professional interests and relate to his writing projects, exhibitions, talks, and presentations.  Included are interviews with artists that were used by Theodore Wolff as source material.

Printed material includes Theodore F. Wolff's published critical writings on art, artists, and education. Included are exhibition catalogs, brochures, journals, and monographs.  Artwork consists of seventeen sketches by Wolff done early in his career.  Photographs are of Theodore F. Wolff and with friends and colleagues, many of them unidentified.  Included are photographs of Wolff with Ida Kohlmeyer.