Oral history interview with Virginia Dwan
odd: label: General
content: Originally recorded on 10 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 19 digital wav file. Duration is 11 hr., 20 min.
name: label: Interviewee
content: Dwan, Virginia, 1931-2022
label: Interviewer
content: Stuckey, Charles F.
label: Names
content: Dwan Gallery (Los Angeles, Calif.)
label: Names
content: Dwan Gallery (New York, N.Y.)
label: Names
content: Andre, Carl, 1935-
label: Names
content: Arman, 1928-2005
label: Names
content: De Maria, Walter, 1935-2013
label: Names
content: Guston, Philip, 1913-1980
label: Names
content: Heizer, Michael, 1944-
label: Names
content: Kienholz, Edward, 1927-
label: Names
content: Klein, Yves, 1928-1962
label: Names
content: Kline, Franz, 1910-1962
label: Names
content: LeWitt, Sol, 1928-2007
label: Names
content: Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008
label: Names
content: Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967
label: Names
content: Ryman, Robert, 1930-2019
label: Names
content: Smithson, Robert
label: Names
content: Snelson, Kenneth, 1927-2016
label: Names
content: Tinguely, Jean, 1925-
topic: label: Occupation
content: Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art 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: Dwan, Virginia, 1931-2022
label: Interviewer
content: Stuckey, Charles F.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Virginia Dwan (1931-2022) is an art dealer from New York, New York.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 192 Pages (Transcript)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1984 March 21-June 7
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.dwan84
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Pages
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: An interview of Virginia Dwan conducted 1984 March 21-June 7, by Charles F. Stuckey, for the Archives of American Art.
label: Scope and Contents
content: Dwan speaks of her background and education; her early interest in art; starting her gallery in 1959 in Los Angeles; the early days of her gallery; the development of her circle of artists; early shows; financing the gallery; "shopping" for art and artists; public and critical reaction to her gallery's shows; the decision to go to New York, and getting established there; making decisions about what to show; collectors; the closing of the Dwan Gallery; and her life since. She also relates anecdotes about the creation and execution of Robert Smithson's "Spiral Jetty" and reminisces about numerous artists with whom she was associated, including: Jean Tinguely, Robert Rauschenberg, Yves Klein, Ad Reinhardt, Ed Kienholz, Philip Guston, Arman, Robert Smithson, Franz Kline, Kenneth Snelson, Carl Andre, Sol Lewitt, Michael Heizer, Walter De Maria, and Robert Ryman.