Gregory Battcock papers
name: label: Creator
content: Battcock, Gregory, 1937-1980
label: Names
content: Bronx Museum of the Arts
label: Names
content: International Association of Art Critics
label: Names
content: Trylon & perisphere
label: Names
content: William Paterson College of New Jersey -- Faculty
label: Names
content: Battcock, Elizabeth
label: Names
content: Beker, Gisela
label: Names
content: Brown, Cee
label: Names
content: Burton, Scott
label: Names
content: Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976 -- Photographs
label: Names
content: Carsman, Jon, 1944-
label: Names
content: Christo, 1935-
label: Names
content: Dalí, Salvador, 1904-1989
label: Names
content: Dreva, Jerry, 1945-1997
label: Names
content: Frank, Peter, 1950-
label: Names
content: George, John
label: Names
content: Glusberg, Jorge
label: Names
content: Goldstein, Al
label: Names
content: Halbert, Jacques
label: Names
content: Hess, Emil, 1889-1945
label: Names
content: Levine, Les, 1935-
label: Names
content: Livingston, Braniff
label: Names
content: McGeehan, Robert, 1933-
label: Names
content: Morley, Malcolm, 1931-
label: Names
content: Nakagawa, Naoto, 1944-
label: Names
content: Neri, Julio
label: Names
content: Paik, Nam June, 1932-2006
label: Names
content: Partch, Harry, 1901-1974
label: Names
content: Peña, Rolando, 1942-
label: Names
content: Picard, Lil
label: Names
content: Pocock, Philip
label: Names
content: Schult, Ha, 1939-
label: Names
content: Van Baron, Judith
label: Names
content: Varble, Stephen
label: Names
content: Warhol, Andy, 1928-
label: Names
content: Wechter, Vivienne Thaul
label: Names
content: Whyte, Ron
topic: label: Occupation
content: Art critics -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Constructivism (Art)
label: Topic
content: Educators -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Minimal art
label: Topic
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Art -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Study and teaching
label: Topic
content: Art thefts
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The Gregory Battcock papers were donated in 1992 by Nancy Mahl, an artist who occupied a studio in Jersey City, N.J. that had formerly been leased by a moving and storage company, and who came upon Battcock's papers in the building. The papers had been shipped to the Jersey City building without the knowledge of Ron Whyte (executor of Battcock's estate) and the Rev. Paul William Bradley, who had arranged to have Battcock's papers stored after his death. Additional papers were donated 2003 by Rev. Paul W. Bradley, who inherited the papers after the death of his partner Ron Whyte.
creator: label: Creator
content: Battcock, Gregory, 1937-1980
setName: label: See more items in
content: Gregory Battcock papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of New York art critic, writer, educator, and painter, Gregory Battcock, measure 10.6 linear feet and date from 1952 to circa 1980. The collection includes biographical material, correspondence, published and unpublished writings, artists' files, personal business records, printed materials, scrapbooks, photographic materials, and artifacts that detail his involvement in both the mainstream and fringe art scenes of the 1970s.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Gregory Battcock (1937-1980) was an art critic, writer, educator, and painter from New York, N.Y. He attended Michigan State University, the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome, and Hunter College for his undergraduate and graduate studies before receiving his Ph.D. from New York University in 1978.  His dissertation was titled "Constructivism and Minimal Art: Some Aesthetic, Theoretical and Critical Correlations." 

Battcock was a prolific writer and wrote numerous articles as a correspondent for Art & Artists and Domus magazines. His column, "The Last Estate," appeared in Gay magazine as well as other publications. In 1977, Battcock co-founded the short-lived magazine, Trylon & Perisphere, with his close friend, playwright Ron Whyte. Even though only three issues were printed, the magazine exhibited Battcock's predilection for art society gossip, and provocative imagery and prose. E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc. published several of Battcock's books including Why Art: Casual Notes on the Aesthetics of the Immediate Past, Breaking the Sound Barrier: A Critical Anthology of the New Music, and Idea Art: A Critical Anthology. In addition to his writing career, Battcock taught fine art at William Paterson College of New Jersey, was art critic for New York Free Press from 1967 to 1970, Editor-in-Chief of Arts Magazine from 1973 to 1975, and appeared in the Andy Warhol films The Illiac Passion,  Horse, and Batman Dracula.

Battcock was murdered in Puerto Rico on December 25, 1980. At the time of his death he was working on "The Story of Film," which remains unpublished, and The Art of Performance: A Critical Anthology, which was published posthumously in 1984.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 10.6 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1952-circa 1980
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.battgreg
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Video recordings
label: Type
content: Scrapbooks
label: Type
content: Diaries
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Interviews
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: This collection is arranged as 9 series.

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1958-1980 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1960s-circa 1980 (2.7 linear feet; Boxes 1-3, 12)

Series 3: Writings and Notes, 1966-1980 (2.7 linear feet; Boxes 4-6)

Series 4: Artists' Files, 1960s-1980 (0.6 linear feet; Box 6)

Series 5: Personal Business Records, 1966-1980 (0.5 linear feet; Box 6-7)

Series 6: Printed Materials, 1952-1980 (1.4 linear feet; Boxes 7-8, 12-13)

Series 7: Scrapbooks, 1959-1980 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 8-9, 12)

Series 8: Photographic Materials, 1960s-1980 (1.0 linear feet; Boxes 9-11)

Series 9: Artifacts, circa 1970s (0.1 linear feet; Box 11)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2017 with funding from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care Pool Fund, using accelerated processing strategies implemented by the Archives to increase information about and access to more of our collections. For this collection, accelerated processing included arrangement to the series and folder levels, adhering to the creator's original arrangement as much as possible. Generally, folder contents were simply verified with the original folder titles, but items within folders were not arranged further. All materials were rehoused in archival folders and boxes for long-term stability, but staples and other fasteners have not all been removed.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Scrapbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Diaries
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of New York art critic, writer, educator, and painter, Gregory Battcock, measure 10.6 linear feet and date from 1952 to circa 1980. The collection includes biographical material, correspondence, published and unpublished writings, artists' files, personal business records, printed materials, scrapbooks, photographic materials, and artifacts that detail his involvement in both the mainstream and fringe art scenes of the 1970s. 

Biographical materials contain address lists, six appointment books, a diploma and certificate, family history, identification documents, interviews, resumes, obituaries, a William Paterson College of New Jersey teaching file, and membership files for The Bronx Museum, International Association of Art Critics, and other organizations. Correspondence is with Battcock's mother, Elizabeth; friends and colleagues Peter Frank, John George, Al Goldstein, Braniff Livingston, Robert McGeehan, Julio Neri, Judith Van Baron, Ron Whyte, and others regarding social events, reprint permissions, book projects, travel arrangements, real estate, and freelance work. 

Writings and notes include personal journal entries, drafts for articles and essays, manuscripts for published and unpublished works including "The Story of Film" and Breaking the Sound Barrier: A Critical Anthology of the New Music, his dissertation titled "Constructivism and Minimal Art: Some Critical, Theoretical and Aesthetic Correlations," book proposals, lectures, limericks, restaurant reviews, notes and writings by Jorge Glusberg and Vivienne Thaul Wechter.

Files for artists contain mostly printed material on Gisela Beker, Cee Brown, Jon Carsman, Christo, Jerry Dreva, Jacques Halbert, Emil Hess, Les Levine, Naoto Nakagawa, Nam Jun Paik, Harry Partch, Lil Picard, Philip Pocock, HA Schult, Andy Warhol, and others. The file for Salvador Dalí contains one video recording. Battcock's personal business records include contracts and payments for his writing, real estate papers, business agreements, papers regarding his father's estate, a loan agreement for Andy Warhol's "Self Portrait," and files detailing the theft of two painting by Malcom Morley from Battcock's residence.  

Found in printed materials are clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, flyers, post cards, magazines, press releases, issues of Trylon & Perisphere and Gay magazines, and other material that features Battcock's writings. Additional clippings of Battcock's writings that appeared in the New York Free Press, New York Review of Sex and Politics, Domus, The Soho Weekly News, New York Arts Journal, Gay, and other publications are contained in ten scrapbooks. 

Photographs are of Battcock, colleagues and friends, works of art from his personal collection, travel, and artists Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, Nam Jun Paik, Julio Neri, Rolando Peña, Stephen Varble, and Scott Burton. Several keys with a detached keychain labeled 'studio' are in artifacts.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Also found at the Archives of American Art is an audio interview recorded on December 11, 1969 with Gregory Battcock for the University Roundtable radio series. The recording forms part of the WFUV radio interviews relating to art, 1969-1973 collection.