Florence Weinstein papers
name: label: Creator
content: Weinstein, Florence, b. 1895
label: Names
content: Borduas, Paul-Emile, 1905-1960
label: Names
content: Golbin, Andrée, 1923-2006
label: Names
content: Littlefield, William Horace, 1902-1969
label: Names
content: Motherwell, Robert
label: Names
content: Weinstein, Sylvie L., 1906-1945
topic: label: Occupation
content: Ceramicists -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New City
label: Topic
content: Women artists
label: Topic
content: American studio craft movement
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was donated in 1977 and 1983 by Florence Weinstein.
creator: label: Creator
content: Weinstein, Florence, b. 1895
setName: label: See more items in
content: Florence Weinstein papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of New York painter and ceramicist Florence Weinstein measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1929 to 1983. The collection provides scattered documentation of  Weinstein's career through records including correspondence, biographical notes, printed materials, photographs of Weinstein and her work, and a drawing by Sylvie Weinstein.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Florence Weinstein (1895-1989) was a painter and ceramicist in New York, New York. 

Weinstein was born to Gregory and Eugenie, immigrants from Lithuania and Russia, who married in 1890 in New York City; her two sisters, Eleanore and Sylvie, were also accomplished artists. After graduating from Adelphi College with a bachelor's degree in English, Weinstein taught high school, held held various other jobs during World War I, and visited France to travel and study French. She attended the Alliance Française from 1922 to 1923 and the École des Arts de la Sorbonne from 1931 to 1932. 

In college, Weinstein studied classical and Renaissance art, but was impressed by Georgia O'Keefe's "non-classical" approach after viewing O'Keefe's exhibition at the 231 Gallery. While she spent summers in Provincetown during the late 1930s and early 1940s where she was surrounded by artists, she only dabbled in painting and sculpture and lacked confidence in her artistic abilities. 

After the death of her sister Sylvie in 1945, Weinstein took a leave of absence from teaching and spent time in New Mexico. Upon her return to New York she sought to capture the beauty of the New Mexico landscape in her painting. Her sister Eleanor suggested she take a free class led by Barnett Newman. In 1948, she took courses at the Subjects of the Artist School founded by Newman, William Baziotes, David Hare, Robert Motherwell, and Mark Rothko. The school was short-lived, but the experience helped propel Weinstein to retire from teaching in 1951 and focus solely on being an artist. She was initially a painter, but she began exploring ceramics and sculpture in 1969.

Weinstein died in 1989.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.2 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1929-1983
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.weinflor
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Drawings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2022.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reel 3957 available for use at 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.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
originalsloc: label: Existence and Location of Originals
content: The collection contains a photocopy of an essay by Gregory Weinstein, father of Florence, titled "A Helpful Thrill." The original essay was retained by Florence Weinstein.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of New York painter and ceramicist Florence Weinstein measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1929 to 1983. The collection provides scattered documentation of Weinstein's career and comprises correspondence from Robert Motherwell, William Littlefield, Paul Borduas, Andrée Golbin, and others; biographical notes by Weinstein; printed materials consisting of announcements and catalogs for Weinstein's exhibitions, press releases, and clippings; photographs of Weinstein, her home, and works of art; and artwork by Littlefield and Weinstein's sister, Sylvie.