Irving Petlin papers
name: label: Creator
content: Petlin, Irving, 1934-2018
label: Names
content: Golub, Leon, 1922-2004
label: Names
content: Kitaj, R. B.
label: Names
content: Selz, Peter Howard, 1919-2019
topic: label: Occupation
content: Painters -- France -- Paris
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- Massachusettes -- Martha's Vineyard
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Art and war
label: Topic
content: Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Protest Movements -- United States
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was donated in 2019 by Sarah Petlin.
creator: label: Creator
content: Petlin, Irving, 1934-2018
setName: label: See more items in
content: Irving Petlin papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of painter Irving Petlin measure 3.0 linear feet and date from 1952-2014. Materials include correspondence with other artists and collaborators, galleries, friends, and family;  notes by Petlin related to his artistic process; exhibition and project files regarding the war in Vietnam and other projects; exhibition catalogs, announcements, and clippings related to Petlin's work and group and solo museum and gallery shows; periodicals related to the art world; books featuring Petlin as an illustrator or inscribed by author or editor friends of Petlin's; sketches by Petlin; an Italian contemporary art award; a piece of the Peace Tower collaboration with Mark di Suvero and other artists; and photographs of Petlin's works, installations, and Petlin in a studio.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Irving Petlin (1934-2018) was a painter in Paris, France; New York, New York; and Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Petlin was born in Chicago to Polish Jewish immigrants, attended the Art Institute of Chicago, and earned a MFA from Yale University. Petlin specialized in the medium of pastel, first gaining recognition in Paris after his service in the United States army. From there he went to Los Angeles, where he was principal organizer of the "Artists Protest Movement Against the War in Vietnam," and the 1966 "Peace Tower," with Mark di Suvero and other artists. Petlin and his wife, Sarah, a poet, moved to New York City for 28 years before returning to Paris. Petlin was heavily influenced by the political landscape around him and was an active member of the Art Workers' Coalition. He used allegory, mythology, and symbolism to illustrate politics and the human condition. He often collaborated on projects with other artists and was inspired by writers and poets. In the last decades of his life, Petlin split his time between his studio in Paris and his family's 18th century farmhouse in Martha's Vineyard continuing his work as an artist and activist.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 3 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1952-2014
label: Date
content: bulk 1970-1990
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.peltirvi
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Sketchbooks
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 7 series.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1968-2002 (0.25 linear feet, Box 1)

Series 2: Writings, 1952-1984 (0.18 linear feet) Box 1)

Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1974-1988 (0.20 linear feet, Box 1)

Series 4: Project Files, 1980-1984, 2007 (0.17 linear feet, Box 1)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1962-2014 (2.09 linear feet Box 1, 2, 3)

Series 6: Artwork, circa 1966-1974 (0.07 linear feet, box 3, 4)

Series 7: Photographic Material, circa 1970s-1978 (0.04 linear feet, Box 4)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Jennifer E. Neal and Lewis Tio in 2021.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketchbooks
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of painter Irving Petlin measure 3.0 linear feet and date from 1952-2014. Materials include correspondence with other artists and collaborators, galleries, friends, and family;  notes by Petlin related to his artistic process; exhibition and project files regarding the war in Vietnam and other projects; exhibition catalogs, announcements, and clippings related to Petlin's work and group and solo museum and gallery shows; periodicals related to the art world; books featuring Petlin as an illustrator or inscribed by author or editor friends of Petlin's; sketches by Petlin; an Italian contemporary art award; a piece of the Peace Tower collaboration with Mark di Suvero and other artists; and photographs of Petlin's works, installations, and Petlin in a studio.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Irving Petlin conducted by James McElhinney September 13 and 15, 2016.