Oral history interview with Charles Alan
odd: label: General
content: Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 58 min.
name: label: Interviewee
content: Alan, Charles, 1908?-1975
label: Interviewer
content: Cummings, Paul
label: Names
content: Downtown Gallery (New York, N.Y.)
label: Names
content: Yale School of Drama -- Students
label: Names
content: Allen, Lawrence
label: Names
content: Askew, R. Kirk (Ralph Kirk), 1903-1974
label: Names
content: Baker, Richard Brown
label: Names
content: Breinin, Raymond, 1910-
label: Names
content: Conner, Bruce, 1933-2008
label: Names
content: Davis, Stuart, 1892-1964
label: Names
content: Geddes, Norman Bel, 1893-1958
label: Names
content: Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970
label: Names
content: Harnett, William Michael, 1848-1892
label: Names
content: Hirshhorn, Joseph H.
label: Names
content: Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953
label: Names
content: Landau, Felix (1924-2003)
label: Names
content: Levi, Julian E. (Julian Edwin), 1900-1982
label: Names
content: Levine, Jack, 1915-2010
label: Names
content: Levy, Julien
label: Names
content: Marin, John, 1870-1953
label: Names
content: Marin, John, Jr., 1915?-1988
label: Names
content: O'Keeffe, Georgia, 1887-1986
label: Names
content: Root, Edward Wales, d. 1956
label: Names
content: Sachs, Paul J. (Paul Joseph), 1878-1965
label: Names
content: Shahn, Ben, 1898-1969
label: Names
content: Washburn, George
label: Names
content: Zerbe, Karl, 1903-1972
topic: label: Occupation
content: Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Set Designers -- United States -- Interviews
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: These interviews are part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
creator: label: Interviewee
content: Alan, Charles, 1908?-1975
label: Interviewer
content: Cummings, Paul
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Charles Alan (1908?-1975) was an art dealer from New York, New York. Alan attended Horace Mann School, graduating in 1924. Attended Yale School of Drama in 1925, then worked as a set designer for MGM and Warner Brothers. In 1930, Alan became a theatrical set designer and director. After serving in the Army in World War II, he worked for Edith Halpert at the Downtown Gallery. In 1952, he opened the Charles Alan Gallery, specializing in contemporary art. Alan closed the gallery in 1970 to become a private dealer.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 37 Pages (Transcript)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1970 August 20-25
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.alan70
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Pages
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: An interview of Charles Alan conducted 1970 August 20-25, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.
label: Scope and Contents
content: Alan speaks of studying scene and stage design; attending Yale School of Drama; doing illustrations for various publications; traveling and studying in Europe; working as a set designer for MGM and Warner Brothers; his experiences working at the Downtown Gallery; his thoughts and recollections about Edith Halpert; leaving Downtown Gallery and starting his own gallery; his opinions on the future of small galleries in New York; museum purchases; Edith Halpert's art collection; selling his gallery to Felix Landau; and various thoughts concerning the art world. He recalls Norman Bell Geddes, Edith Halpert, Stuart Davis, Julien Levy, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Kirk Askew, Raymond Breinin, Ben Shahn, George Washburn, Edward Root, Joe Hirshhorn, John Marin, John Marin Jr., Lawrence Allen, Georgia O'Keeffe, William Harnett, Julian Levi, Jack Levine, Karl Zerbe, Bruce Conner, Richard Baker, Paul Sachs, and many others.