Ruth White Gallery records
name: label: Creator
content: Ruth White Gallery (New York, N.Y.)
label: Names
content: Castanis, Muriel, 1926-2006
label: Names
content: Gelb, Jan, 1906-1978
label: Names
content: Kohlmeyer, Ida, 1912-1997
label: Names
content: Seligmann, Kurt, 1900-1962
label: Names
content: Skaling, Audrey
label: Names
content: White, Ruth, 1911-1996
topic: label: Topic
content: Women art dealers
label: Topic
content: Abstract expressionism
label: Topic
content: Surrealism
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was donated by the Ruth White Gallery between 1969 and 1975.
creator: label: Creator
content: Ruth White Gallery (New York, N.Y.)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Ruth White Gallery records
abstract: label: Summary
content: The Ruth White Gallery records measure 7.1 linear feet and date from 1933 to 1974, with the bulk of the records dating from 1956 to 1970. Administrative records document the running of the gallery, and artist files shed light on the gallery's dealings with artists including Sylvia Bernstein, Jules Engel, Ida Kohlmeyer, Kurt Seligmann,  Audrey Skaling, and many others.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: The Ruth White Gallery was established in 1956 near Central Park in New York City, and specialized in contemporary art. The gallery was affiliated with artists such as Muriel Castanis, Mildred Crooks, Jan Gelb, Ida Kohlmeyer, Ce Roser, Kurt Seligmnan, and Audrey Skaling. Kohlmeyer and Castanis had their first solo exhibitions at the gallery in 1959 and 1968 respectively, and Skaling and Kohlmeyer were both personal friends of Ruth White.

Ruth White (1911-1996) was an art dealer and collector. She was born in New York and studied under Kurt Seligmann. Later in life she moved to Sarasota, Florida, but continued collecting paintings and sculpture by young American artists.
function: label: Function
content: Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 7.1 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1933-1974
label: Date
content: bulk 1956-1970
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.ruthwhit
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: This collection is arranged as two series.

Series 1: Administrative Records, 1940-1974, bulk 1956-1970 (Box 1-3; 2.1 linear feet)

Series 2: Artist Files, 1933-1974, bulk 1956-1970 (Box 3-7, OV 8; 5 linear feet)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection received a preliminary level of arrangement after donation and was microfilmed on reels 34, N69-41, N69/55-N69/59, and N69/113. 

The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Christopher DeMairo in 2021.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reels 34, N69-41, N69/55-N69/59, and N69/113 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 Ruth White Gallery records measure 7.1 linear feet and date from 1933 to 1974, with the bulk of the records dating from 1956 to 1970. Administrative records document the running of the gallery, and artist files shed light on the gallery's dealings with artists including Sylvia Bernstein, Jules Engel, Ida Kohlmeyer, Kurt Seligmann,  Audrey Skaling, and many others.

Administrative records include inventories, correspondence, provenance records, financial and shipping records, printed material, price lists, and photographs of artwork and exhibitions. Also found are gallery and museum files containing similar records, that document the gallery's relationship with other businesses and art institutions.  

Artist files consist of biographical summaries and resumes, correspondence, some writings, price lists, invoices, exhibition ephemera,  newspaper clippings, photographs of artwork, and scattered photos of artists.
separatedmaterial: label: Separated Materials
content: Material lent for microfilming on reel 34, Scrapbooks, 1956-1967, containing notices, clippings, and articles about artists represented by the gallery, was returned to the donor and is not described in the collection container inventory.