Oral history interview with Alan Fink
name: label: Interviewee
content: Fink, Alan, 1925-
label: Interviewer
content: Brown, Robert F.
label: Names
content: Mirski, Boris, 1898-1974
label: Names
content: Swan, Barbara, 1922-
topic: label: Occupation
content: Art dealers -- Massachusetts -- Boston
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: This interview is 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 administrators.
creator: label: Interviewee
content: Fink, Alan, 1925-
label: Interviewer
content: Brown, Robert F.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Alan Fink (1925-) is an art dealer in Boston, Mass. and is married to Barbara Swan.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 2 Sound cassettes (Sound recording (2 1/2 hrs.), analog)
label: Extent
content: 45 Pages (Transcript)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1997 Jan. 22 and Jan. 29
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.fink97
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Sound cassettes
label: Type
content: Pages
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Transcript available on line at http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/oralhistories/transcripts/fink97.htm
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: An interview of Alan Fink conducted 1997 Jan. 22 and Jan. 29, by Robert F. Brown, for the Archives of American Art, at Fink's Alpha Gallery, Boston, Mass.
label: Scope and Contents
content: JANUARY 22, 1997 SESSION: Fink discusses his childhood, early education, and first profession; traveling in Europe and meeting his future wife, the painter, Barbara Swan; and becoming interested in art.
label: Scope and Contents
content: JANUARY 29, 1997 SESSION: Coming to Boston in 1951 largely because Barbara Swan was there; first work as a gallery manager (1951-1967) for Boris Mirski; the New York dealer, Edith Halpert with whom he worked closely; the painter and head of Brandeis University art department, Mitchell Siporin; Leonard Baskin, and David Aronson; the lack of support for young local artists from Boston institutions; the major local collector of young local artists, Jerry Goldberg and Abe Pollin who followed his example; the increased number of Boston art galleries in the 1960s as art collecting grew; great success of a show of African masks at Mirski Gallery; his last years with Mirski; opening of his Alpha Gallery in September 1967; and taking on some of Mirski's artists, including Michael Mazur, Robert Birmelin, Philip Gausman, Barbara Swan, Marianna Pineda, Harold Tovish, Elbert Weinberg, and others.