Avis Berman research material on art and artists
name: label: Creator
content: Berman, Avis
label: Names
content: Bearden, Romare (1911-1988)
label: Names
content: Breeskin, Adelyn Dohme, 1896-1986
label: Names
content: Foster, James W., 1920-
label: Names
content: Gross, Chaim, 1904-1991
label: Names
content: Lawrence, Jacob, 1917-2000
label: Names
content: Nakian, Reuben, 1897-1986
label: Names
content: Rosenthal, Gertrude, 1903-
label: Names
content: Sloan, Helen Farr, 1911-2005
topic: label: Occupation
content: Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Art critics -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Authors -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Women art dealers
label: Topic
content: Women art historians
label: Topic
content: Women authors
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was donated incrementally by Avis Berman 1981-1993, 2021 and 2024.
creator: label: Creator
content: Berman, Avis
setName: label: See more items in
content: Avis Berman research material on art and artists
abstract: label: Summary
content: Avis Berman research material on art and artists measures 3.2 linear feet and dates from 1976-2007. Included are interviews conducted by Berman, correspondence, printed material, and drafts of writing for articles and essays published by Berman in preparation for various books, articles and exhibitions, magazines and museum and gallery catalog essays. Subjects include Romare Bearden, Adelyn Breeskin, Howard Chandler Christy, Chaim Gross, Geoffrey Holder and Carmen de Lavallade, Jacob Lawrence, Marisol, Mary Miss, Reuben Nakian, Maxfield Parrish, Helen Farr Sloan, John Sloan, Raphael Soyer, and others.

There is a 0.8 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2024 that includes files on Philip Martiny, Margery Ryerson and Bill Scott containing notes, writings, interview transcripts, printed material. Files, drafts and correspondence regarding an essay Rave Reviews: 100 Years of Great American Art for the National Academy by Berman.  Materials date from circa 1997-2007.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Avis Berman (1949- ) is a writer, curator, and historian of American art, architecture and culture based in New York, N.Y. She holds a bachelor's degree from Bucknell University and an master's degree from Rutgers Univerisy, both in English literature. She is the author of numerous books including Rebels on Eighth Street: Juliana Force and the Whitney Museum of American Art; James McNeill Whistler; and Edward Hopper's New York. She was also co-author and editor of Katharine Kuh's memoir,  My Love Affair with Modern Art: Behind the Scenes with a Legendary Curator.

Berman has written numerous articles on subjects including painting, sculpture, photography, illustration, design, architecture, and the social history of the visual arts for a broad range of publications including The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, The Washington Post, Smithsonian, Saturday Review, The Boston Book Review, American Art, ARTnews, The San Francisco Examiner, The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Baltimore Sun, Art in America, Art & Antiques, House & Garden, and Architectural Digest.

Throughout the 1980s 1990s and 2000s Avis served as a consultant for the Archives of American Art, Washington, D.C., in her capacity as interviewer for the oral history project for which she has  researched and interviewed countless artists, collectors, and other figures in the art world in Europe and the United States.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 3.2 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1976-2007
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.bermavis
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Interviews
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged in four series:

Series 1: Correspondence, 1983-1989 (0.1 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 2: Artists and Art Workers Files, circa 1976-1990 (1.2 Linear feet: Box 1-2)

Series 3: Topical Files, circa 1980-1994 (1.1 Linear feet: Box 2-3)

Series 4: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1997-2007 (0.8 linear feet: Box 4-5)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processed by Ryan Evans in 2022.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: 35mm microfilm reels 2786 and 4909 are available at Archives of American Art office reading rooms in Washington, D.C. and New York City.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Avis Berman research material on art and artists measures 3.2 linear feet and dates from 1976-2007. Included are interviews conducted by Berman, correspondence, printed material, and drafts of writing for articles and essays published by Berman in preparation for various books, articles and exhibitions, magazines and museum and gallery catalog essays. Subjects include Romare Bearden, Adelyn Breeskin, Howard Chandler Christy, Chaim Gross, Geoffrey Holder and Carmen de Lavallade, Jacob Lawrence, Marisol, Mary Miss, Reuben Nakian, Maxfield Parrish, Helen Farr Sloan, John Sloan, Raphael Soyer, and others.

Correspondence consists primarily of letters received from artists and art professionals Berman contacted during her research process for various assignments. This type of correspondence also appears in the artist and art workers files and the topical files of this collection. 

The artist and art workers files contains a wide range of research material  including correspondence, notes, and copies of published articles and book chapters, generally collected in preparation for a writing assignment. Some drafts for those writing assignments appear in the files as well. 

Topical files consist of research materials compiled by Avis Berman on topics she researched and deloped primarily for the sake of writing projects, including correspondence, notes, and copies of published sources. 

There is a 0.8 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2024 that includes files on Philip Martiny, Margery Ryerson and Bill Scott containing notes, writings, interview transcripts, printed material. Files, drafts and correspondence regarding an essay Rave Reviews: 100 Years of Great American Art for the National Academy by Berman.  Materials date from circa 1997-2007.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Also in the Archives are the Avis Berman research material on Katharine Kuh, 1939-2006, research material on Julianna Force, circa 1930-2020, research material on Elie Nadelman, 2001, and an interview of Reuben Nakian conducted by Berman for the Archives Oral History Program, June 1981.