Fischbach Gallery records
name: label: Creator
content: Fischbach Gallery
label: Names
content: Thiabaut Galley
label: Names
content: Altoon, John, 1925-
label: Names
content: Antonakos, Stephen, 1926-2013
label: Names
content: Bladen, Ronald, 1918-1988
label: Names
content: Chamberlain, Wynn
label: Names
content: D'Arcangelo, Allan, 1930-
label: Names
content: Davis, Gene, 1920-1985
label: Names
content: Dunn, Anne
label: Names
content: Fischbach, Marilyn Cole, 1931-2003
label: Names
content: Gilardi, Piero, 1942-
label: Names
content: Hesse, Eva, 1936-1970
label: Names
content: Katz, Alex, 1927-
label: Names
content: Krushenick, Nicholas, 1929-1999
label: Names
content: Levine, Les, 1935-
label: Names
content: Mangold, Robert, 1937-
label: Names
content: Ohlson, Douglas Dean, 1936-
label: Names
content: Ryan, Anne, 1889-1954
label: Names
content: Ryman, Robert, 1930-
label: Names
content: Slavin, Arlene, 1942-
label: Names
content: Smith, Tony, 1912-
label: Names
content: Sugarman, George, 1912-1999
label: Names
content: Swain, Robert, 1940-
topic: label: Topic
content: Art, American
label: Topic
content: Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States
label: Topic
content: Minimal art -- United States
label: Topic
content: Artists -- United States
label: Topic
content: Women art dealers
label: Topic
content: Realism
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Gallery founder Marilyn C. Fischbach and director A. Aladar Marberger donated the majority of the Fischbach Gallery records in 1978. Additional records were donated in 2001 by Maureen Dawley on behalf of the Carnegie Mellon University and in 2015 and in 2019 by John Fischbach, Marilyn C. Fischbach's son.
creator: label: Creator
content: Fischbach Gallery
setName: label: See more items in
content: Fischbach Gallery records
abstract: label: Summary
content: The records of New York City Fischbach Gallery measure 39.5 linear feet and date from 1937 to 2015, with the bulk of materials dating from 1963 to 1977. The majority of the collection consists of artists files containing a wide variety of materials documenting the gallery's relationship with its stable of modern and avant garde artists, as well as gallery exhibitions. Files include biographical materials, correspondence, printed materials, and photographs. Gallery records also include general business correspondence, access-restricted financial records; and additional printed materials. The 2015 addition of 14 linear feet consists of inventory and client sales records in the form of card indexes. The 2019 addition consists of material related to Marilyn Fischbach's art collection.
bioghist: label: Historical Note
content: The Fischbach Gallery was founded in 1960 by Marilyn Cole Fischbach at 799 Madison Avenue in New York City. The gallery was noted for its stable of minimalist young artists in the 1960s, and the work of the painterly realists in the 1970s. 

During its early years, the gallery was among the first to focus on 1960s avant-garde and minimalist artists. Fischbach possessed a talent for discovering young artists and for helping them advance their careers. Many of these young artists became well-known, including Ronald Bladen, Eva Hesse, and Alex Katz. Other artists represented by the gallery include Allan D'Arcangelo, Les Levine, Robert Mangold, Robert Ryman, George Sugarman, and Robert Swain. 

The gallery also had an active exhibition schedule and organized and hosted group exhibitions of modern art, including "According to the Letter" (1963), "Hard Center" (1963), and "Direct Representation" (1969). Additionally, the Fishbach Gallery hosted "Eccentric Abstraction" in 1966, an exhibition organized by Lucy Lippard.

Later, the gallery moved to W. 57th Street in Manhattan. Fischbach hired A. Aladar Marberger as director of the gallery. Under his direction, the Fischbach Gallery shifted its focus from the avant-garde to contemporary American realism and minimalist sculpture. The gallery remained open until 2015. 

Marilyn Cole Fischbach (1931-2003) was born and raised in New York City. She was the sole owner of the Fischbach Gallery until the early 1980s, when she brought three investors on board to co-own the gallery. Fischbach spent the last two decades of her life in Paris, but remained a co-owner of the gallery until her death.
function: label: Function
content: Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State)
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 39.5 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1937-2015
label: Date
content: bulk 1963-1977
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.fiscgall
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Gallery records
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 9 series.

Series 1: Artists and Exhibitions Files, 1937-1977 (Boxes 1-18, 28; 18 linear feet)

Series 2: Gallery Correspondence, 1962-1974 (Boxes 18-19; 1.75 linear feet)

Series 3: Business Records, 1969-1971 (Box 27; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 4: Financial Records, 1963-1975 (Boxes 20-25; 4.5 linear feet)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1963-1972 (Box 26; 6 folders)

Series 6: Photographs, circa 1960s (Box 26; 2 folders)

Series 7: Inventory Card Indexes, circa 1960s-2015 (12.1 linear feet; Box 29-41)

Series 8: Client Sales Card Index, circa 1970s-2000s (1.9 linear feet; Box 41-42)

Series 9: Marilyn Fischbach Collection Records, circa 1975-2000 (0.2 linear feet; Box 43)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The records donated in 1978 were minimally arranged shortly after receipt. In 2009, the two accessions were merged and fully processed by Jayna Hanson with funds provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.  The 2015 addition of 14 linear feet was minimally processed and the finding aid updated by Hilary Price in 2015. The 2019 addition of 0.2 linear feet was minimally processed and the finding aid updated by Ryan Evans in 2020.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Gallery records
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Content Note
content: The records of New York City Fischbach Gallery measure 39.5 linear feet and date from 1937 to 2015, with the bulk of materials dating from 1963 to 1977. The majority of the collection consists of artists files containing a wide variety of materials documenting the gallery's relationship with its stable of modern and avant garde artists, as well as gallery exhibitions. Files include biographical materials, correspondence, printed materials, and photographs. Gallery records also include general business correspondence, access-restricted financial records; and additional printed materials. 

Artists and Exhibition Files contain information on over one hundred Fischbach Gallery artists and measure 18 linear feet. The contents of each file varies, but typically may include biographical information; correspondence between the artist, museums, and other galleries; scattered consignment information; printed materials including articles, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and press releases; photographs of the artist, installations, constructions, and works of art; and negatives, slides, and transparencies. Substantial files are found for John Altoon, Stephen Antonakos, Ronald Bladen, Wynn Chamberlain, Allan D'Arcangelo, Gene Davis, Anne Dunn, Piero Gilardi, Eva Hesse, Alex Katz, Nicholas Krushenick, Les Levine, Robert Mangold, Doug Ohlson, Anne Ryan, Robert Ryman, Arlene Slavin, Tony Smith, George Sugarman, and Robert Swain, among others. Also included are files pertaining to group exhibitions including "According to the Letter" (1963), "Hard Center" (1963), "Six Women" (1965), "Game Without Rules" (1966), "Direct Representation" (1969), and "Eccentric Abstraction" (1966) which was organized by Lucy Lippard. 

General gallery correspondence is business correspondence between the gallery and companies, individuals, museums, galleries, dealers, new or non-Fischbach artists, and institutions. Additional business records consist of an address book, lists of Fischbach artists, gallery plans, a notebook, as well as guest lists, mailing lists, and press lists.

Financial records are access restricted and require written permission from the donor's representative for use. The files document financial transactions for many of the artists represented in the artists files and includes sales records, invoices, artists' payments, and correspondence about sales and possible sales. The alphabetical financial files document routine gallery business, such as framing, shipping, insurance, messenger, publicity, etc. and are organized by name of business. General financial files consist of accounting ledgers, banking documents, insurance claims, and travel accounts. 

Printed materials consist of various business cards, clippings concerning the Fischbach Gallery, and a pamphlet by Ron Williams as a guide to New York galleries. The bulk of printed materials are found in the Artists and Exhibition Files. 

A small series of photographs include those from the Thiabaut Gallery, and unidentified photos of landscapes. It is likely that Fischbach Gallery occupied the space previously used by the Thiabaut Gallery and some materials were included in the collection for that reason. The bulk of photographic materials are found in the Artists and Exhibition Files.

In 2015, 14 feet of records were added to the collection. The addition consists of inventory and client sales records in the form of card indexes. The addition is access-restricted until 2065.

A 2019 addition of 0.2 linear feet, consisting of material related to Marilyn Fischbach's art collection, was processed in 2020.