John Hultberg papers
name: label: Creator
content: Hultberg, John, 1922-2005
topic: label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Authors -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Abstract expressionism
label: Topic
content: Surrealism
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Papers were donated 1969-1997 by John Hultberg. Material on reel 2346 was donated in 1981 by Hultberg and his wife Lynne Drexler. Additional material donated in 2024 by the John Hultberg estate via Hultberg's longtime partner and estate representative, Elaine Wechsler.
creator: label: Creator
content: Hultberg, John, 1922-2005
setName: label: See more items in
content: John Hultberg papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of painter and writer John Hultberg measure 7.7 linear feet and date from circa 1922-2022. They illustrate his career through biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records, printed and photographic material, and artwork.  

There is a 4.5 linear feet unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2024 that includes biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records, press clippings, printed materials, artworks, photographic prints and slides, audio recordings, and audio-visual recordings. Also included is a small amount of material related to Hultberg's former wife Lynne Drexler. Materials date from circa 1950-2022.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: John Hultberg (1922-2005) was a painter and writer who worked mainly in New York. 


Hultberg was born in Berkeley, California and attended Fresno State College, graduating in 1943. During World War Two he was a Navy Lieutenant and after the war studied at the California School of Fine Arts (now the San Francisco Art Institute), founded by the G. I. Bill. In 1948, he created a portfolio of seventeen lithographs with James Budd Dixon, Walter Kuhlman, and Frank Lobdell. The Portfolio was titled Drawings and has been acknowledged as a landmark in Abstract Expressionist Printmaking. In 1952, Hultberg studied at the Art Students League of New York. 


Hultberg's first wife was Hilary Blech, and in 1961 he met artist Lynne Mapp Drexler and the two married three years later though at the time of Lynne's death in 1999 they were estranged. Hultberg had one son, Carl R. Hultberg. He then met his partner and agent Elaine Wechsler, who he was with until his death. 


Hultberg primarily worked with abstract expressionist paintings and made surrealist landscapes which he created with linear perspectives and angular shapes. His paintings were influenced by his time spent on Monhegan Island in Maine, and his career reached its peak while he lived in Portland. In 1955 he won the Corcoran Biennial first prize in Washington. By 1990 he was a full-time resident of New York and he taught at the Art Students League until the week of his death.


Hultberg died on April 15, 2005, at the age of eighty-three in New York, New York.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 7.7 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1922-2022
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.hultjohn
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: This collection consists of eight series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1922-1988 (.2 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1922-1997 (.8 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1940-1997 (1.3 Linear feet: Boxes 2-3)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1940-1994 (.5 Linear feet: Box 3)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1948-1997 (.2 Linear feet: Box 3)

Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1947-1963 (.1 Linear feet: Box 4)

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1950-1984 (.1 Linear feet: Box 4)

Series 8: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1950-2022 (4.5 linear feet: Boxes 5-9)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: This collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared, by Allessandra Liberati 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 N70-5, 295, and 2346 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.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The John Hultberg papers measure 7.7 linear feet and date from circa 1922-2022. Biographical material includes Hultberg's resume, birth certificate, other identification and legal documents, three interviews of and by Hultberg, and certificates and awards. Correspondence is with family, friends, and multiple galleries and museums concerning Hultberg's artwork and personal life. Writings includes multiple manuscripts of Hultberg's various books, including Vagabondage (1989) and Crying At The Lock: Excerpts From The Journals Of John Hultberg (1991), and writings by others. 

Personal business records relate to Clay Edgar Spohn and the sales, purchase, and loaning of Hultberg's artwork. Printed material includes exhibition announcements and catalogs, news clippings, and reviews of Hultberg's artwork. Photographic material contains personal photographs and photographs of Hultberg's artwork and artwork contains loose sketches, collages, and a drawing. 

There is a 4.5 linear feet unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2024 that includes biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records, press clippings, printed materials, artworks, photographic prints and slides, audio recordings, and audio-visual recordings. Also included is a small amount of material related to Hultberg's former wife Lynne Drexler. Materials date from circa 1950-2022.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: The Archives also hold an oral history interview with John Hultberg conducted 1968 Nov. 11, by Paul Cummings.