Jaime Davidovich papers
name: label: Creator
content: Davidovich, Jaime, 1936-2016
label: Names
content: Artists' Television Network
label: Names
content: Wooster Enterprises
label: Names
content: Henry, Judith (Henry Davidovich)
label: Names
content: Herzberg, Julia P.
label: Names
content: Segalove, Ilene, 1950-
place: label: Place
content: Argentina
topic: label: Occupation
content: Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Performance artists -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Latino and Latin American artists
label: Topic
content: Video art
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The papers were donated by Jaime Davidovich in 2016 and in 2023 by the Jaime Davidovich Foundation via Ariel Aisiks, manager.
creator: label: Creator
content: Davidovich, Jaime, 1936-2016
setName: label: See more items in
content: Jaime Davidovich papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of New York-based, Argentinian born conceptual and performance artist Jaime Davidovich, measure 18.2 linear feet and 2.61 GB and date from 1949 to 2020. The collection document's Davidovich's transition from Argentina to the United States, his early artistic career in both countries, specific projects and exhibitions, and the way in which Davidovich's work intersected with audiovisual media and the New York avant-garde in the 1960s and 1970s. Papers include biographical materials, correspondence, writings including memoirs, exhibition and project files, scrapbooks, printed materials, professional activity material, artwork, photographic material, and exhibition and ephemera items.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Jaime Davidovich (1936-2016) was a conceptual and performance artist in New York, N.Y.

Davidovich was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As a child, he became ill with rheumatic fever and his parents gave him art materials with which to entertain himself during his months of illness. Davidovich studied at National College in Buenos Aires and graduated from the University of Uruguay in 1961. After graduation, he began teaching in Bahía Blanca, Argentina, and subsequently became the art superintendent at the visual arts school. In 1963 he was given the opportunity to travel to New York by the DiTella Foundation in Buenos Aires, after a grant to study in France fell through at the last minute. In New York he attended the School of Visual Arts and eventually began working as a graphic designer for Random House publishers. 

In 1965, Davidovich and his wife, artist Judith Henry, moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked as a graphic designer and began working with video. His first video installation was exhibited at the Akron Art Institute in 1972. Davidovich's fascination with video and television continued when he moved back to New York City and created the nonprofit organization, Artists Television Network (ATN). The network produced television shows for Manhattan's public access channel using the name SoHo Television. Davidovich's avant-garde variety show, The Live! Show, was the organization's most well-known production. Davidovich hosted the show as the character Dr. Videovich, and invited guests including Laurie Anderson, Eric Bogosian, and other creatives. 

In 1976, Davidovich and Henry established Wooster Enterprises, a design studio and retail outlet that created conceptual stationary in affiliation with the Fluxus movement. The company closed in 1979, but it's most popular stationary continued to be produced and sold at the Museum of Modern Art.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 18.2 Linear Feet
label: Extent
content: 2.61 Gigabytes
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1949-2020
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.davijaim
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Gigabytes
label: Type
content: Sketchbooks
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Interviews
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as eleven series.

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1949-2015 (Box 1, OVs 3, 5, Box 6; 0.9 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1958-2016 (Box 1, 6; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, 1961-2016 (Box 1, 6-7, 19; 1.0 linear feet)

Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1983-2016 (Box 1, OV 3, Box 7-9, 19; 1.5 linear feet; ER0001, ER0002, ER0004, ER0010; 2.181 Gigabytes )

Series 5: Project Files, circa 1960-2019 (Box 1-2, OVs 4-5, Box 9, 19, OV 24; 2.1 linear feet)

Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1950-2010 (Box 2, OVs 3-4, Box 9, 18; 1.2 linear feet)

Series 7: Printed Materials, circa 1950s-2020 (Box 2, OVs 3, 5, Box 10, OVs 19, 23; 1.5 linear feet; ER0005; 0.002 Gigabytes)

Series 8: Professional Activity Files, 1971-2016 (Boxes 10-11; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 9: Artwork, 1950-2015 (Boxes 11-12, 17, OVs 20-22, 27-36; 3.7 linear feet)

Series 10: Photographic Material, circa 1950-2015 (Boxes 12-15, Box 19, OVs 25-26; 3.7 linear feet; ER0003, ER0006-ER0009, ER0011-ER0012; 0.423 Gigabytes )

Series 11: Exhibition Items and Ephemera, circa 1960-1991 (Boxes 15-16; 1.2 linear feet)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2018. The collection was prepared for digitization and the finding aid was revised by Stephanie Ashley in 2020. An addition was processed and the finding aid updated by Ricky Gomez in 2023. Born-digital components for the collection were processed by Ryan Evans and Ricky Gomez in 2023.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: The bulk of the original donation was digitized in 2020 and is available on the Archives of American Art website. Items not digitized include blank pages, blank versos of photographs, address books, some publications for which only the covers and relevant pages may have been digitized, and some of the routine records relating to the 152 Wooster Street Corporation management and sale. The 2023 addition has also not been digitized.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sketchbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of New York-based, Argentinian born conceptual and performance artist Jaime Davidovich, measure 18.2 linear feet and 2.61 GB and date from 1949 to 2020. The collection document's Davidovich's transition from Argentina to the United States, his early artistic career in both countries, specific projects and exhibitions, and the way in which Davidovich's work intersected with audiovisual media and the New York avant-garde in the 1960s and 1970s. Papers include biographical materials, correspondence, writings including memoirs, exhibition and project files, scrapbooks, printed materials, professional activity material, artwork, photographic material, and exhibition and ephemera items. 


Biographical materials include Davidovich's contacts in address books, a certificate, curriculum vitae, a membership card, and a report card. A photograph album documents his New York apartment and studio after first coming to New York in the 1960s. Also found are records of the Wooster Street Corporation where Davidovich later lived and had his studio.Additional material includes calendar books, Argentina military enrollment records, school records, and passports and identification cards.


Correspondence is with museums, galleries, artists, and curators, notably Julieta Hanono, Ilene Segalove, and Julia Herzberg, and includes early correspondence from Argentina during Davidovich's time as a student and a teacher in Buenos Aires. Additional correspondence includes correspondence with Grita Ingram, Simon Feldman, Kathy High, and general correspondence from 1959 to 2016.


Writings include artist statements, lecture note cards, a letter of recommendation, memoir drafts, and a manuscript about Davidovich by Carolyn Kinder Carr. Memoirs provide detailed information about Davidovich's childhood, education, and early career. Additional writings consist of some articles by Davidovich such as "El Vacio Y la Nueva Problematica" and a number of notebooks. The notebooks mainly consists of outlines, sketches, and notes for the various television broadcasts produced by Davidovich.


Exhibition files consist of correspondence, notes, gallery floor plans, photographic material, lists of artwork, and exhibition announcements. 


Project files contain bound project books, proposals, correspondence, notes, sketches, photographic and source material for the Artists' Television Network, Wooster Enterprises, and other projects. 


Scrapbooks record Davidovich's career in fine arts and design. Printed material includes art reproductions, books, brochures and booklets, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, flyers, periodicals, posters, and press releases.


Printed material consists of articles, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, posters, press releases, and books related to Davidovich and his exhibitions and television productions. Also included are posters and postcards related to Wooster Enterprises.


Professional activity files consist of correspondence and forms related to symposiums, presentations, workshops, and artist-in-residency programs Davidovich participated in. Also included are some interviews with Davidovich and grants and fellowships he applied for.


Artwork consists of numerous sketches and sketchbooks by Davidovich. The majority of the sketches are of individuals, and most of the sketchbooks contain designs and ideas for his various television productions.


Photographic material consists of photographs of Davidovich, photographs of the New York City Area taken by Davidovich, photographs of his artwork and television stills, and photographs of his studios. Also included are negatives and slides of his artwork and some of his television productions.


Exhibition and ephemera material consists of exhibition items featured in exhibitions Davidovich participated in. Items include a chess set, paddle rackets, and a model of an exhibition space. Also included are ephemeral items such as pins from "The Live! Show", toy televisions, and lab coat Davidovich wore while portraying Dr. Videovich for various television productions. Most exhibition items were used in Fluxus related exhibitions.


The bulk of material related to Davidovich's artworks, especially later ones, and the artworks themselves are located at NYU Fales Library.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: The bulk of the records related to Davidovich's artworks, especially later ones, and artworks themselves, are located in the Jaime Davidovich Collection, 1952-2000, at New York University's Fales Library.