Finding Aid for the Robert R. McElroy Photographs of Happenings and Early
Performance Art, 1959-2012
Sheila Prospero
Descriptive Summary
Title: Robert R. McElroy photographs of happenings and early performance art
Date (inclusive): 1959-2012
Number: 2014.M.7
Creator/Collector:
McElroy, Robert R.
Physical Description:
34 Linear Feet
(72 boxes, 1 flatfile folder, computer media: 1.37 GB (67
files))
Repository:
The Getty Research Institute
Special Collections
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles 90049-1688
reference@getty.edu
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/askref
(310) 440-7390
Abstract: Robert R. McElroy's photographs
document performance art and exhibitions by New York artists that took place during the
late-1950s to the mid-1960s. Included are prints, contact sheets, negatives, and slides. The
collection features photographs of works by Jim Dine, Allan Kaprow, Claes Oldenburg, and
Robert Whitman.
Request Materials: Request access to the physical materials
described in this inventory through the
catalog
record
for this collection. Click here for the
access policy .
Language: Collection material is in English.
Biographical / Historical Note
Robert R. McElroy was an American photographer who documented happenings and performances
in New York during the late-1950s through the mid-1960s by artists including Jim Dine, Allan
Kaprow, Claes Oldenburg, and Robert Whitman. Their works developed a new genre of art that
was meant to be fleeting and ephemeral, but by capturing these early performance pieces
through his lens McElroy provides a glimpse into the development of this art form.
McElroy was born in 1928 to an Irish Catholic family in Chicago. His interest in
photography began when he was part of his high school's camera club, and in 1946 he enlisted
in the U.S. Army with the goal of joining the photographers of the Signal Corps. McElroy was
stationed in Vienna, where he became part of the 63rd Signal Battalion's movie team and
produced short documentary-style films. While in Vienna, McElroy became adept at using
hand-held movie cameras such as the Eyemo and Arriflex, and honed his photographic skills on
a Leica, which he would continue to employ well into his career. In 1948, he was sent to a
school for combat motion picture and photography where he learned to document unpredictable
moments and to remain outside of the action. This training would later contribute to
McElroy's skill at capturing the spontaneous movements of performance art. Four years later,
McElroy enrolled in Ohio University's photography program where he met the artist Jim
Dine.
McElroy moved to New York in June 1958 and worked several commercial photography jobs.
During this time he began to attend performances in Greenwich Village theaters and
reconnected with colleagues, including Dine, from Ohio University. Soon after Dine and
artists Marcus Ratcliff and Tom Wesselman established Judson Gallery, McElroy began
documenting exhibitions and performances. In January 1960, he photographed his first event
at the opening of Reuben Gallery's
Paintings exhibition
featuring Red Grooms, Allan Kaprow, Claes Oldenburg, Lucas Samaras, George Segal, and Robert
Whitman.
From 1960 to 1965, McElroy photographed happenings at various gallery and event spaces
including Judson Memorial Church, Martha Jackson Gallery, and Sidney Janis Gallery. He
captured seminal performances including Oldenburg's
Ray Gun
Spex
(1960) at Judson Memorial Church, Kaprow's
Yard as part of the exhibition
Environments, Situations,
Spaces
(1961) at Martha Jackson Gallery, and Whitman's
The
American Moon
(1960) at the Reuben Gallery. McElroy was given access to spaces
both during rehearsals and at final performances which allowed him an opportunity to
determine the vantage points that would best translate the immediacy of the events into
two-dimensional form. He used straightforward shots and close-ups, and captured views of the
installations from various angles.
McElroy photographed Oldenburg's works extensively and was often invited to shoot not only
his performances, but also Oldenburg at work in his studio. McElroy documented the
production, installation, and the opening night for
The Store
in 1961; and also captured Oldenburg and his wife, Patti, creating his well-known soft
sculptures at his 14th Street studio in 1962. He was present for many of Oldenburg's
performances from his early project,
Ray Gun Theater, to one
of his final works,
Washes, in the spring of 1965.
While McElroy photographed these happenings and exhibitions, he also worked as a printer in
the darkroom for
Newsweek beginning in 1962, and was promoted
to staff photographer by 1963. His activities in the art world lessened after his promotion
and by 1965, he focused his time at
Newsweek documenting a
range of events from cultural movements to political campaigns. He followed John Glenn in
his fight for the presidential nomination from the Democratic Party; covered Ronald Reagan
at his summer home in Santa Barbara; and shot images of Brooklyn's streets from the air
during the fiery 1977 blackout. McElroy continued to work for
Newsweek until his retirement in the late 1980s.
McElroy's images have been frequently used in accounts of postwar art and represent some of
the most significant documentation of happenings that took place in New York during the late
1950s to mid-1960s. McElroy passed away at the age of 84 in 2012.
Administrative Information
Access
Open for use by qualified researchers, except audiovisual materials which are unavailable
until reformatted.
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Robert R. McElroy photographs of happenings and early performance art, 1959-2012, The Getty
Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2014.M.7
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2014m7
Acquisition Information
Partial gift of Evelyn R. McElroy in memory of Robert R. McElroy. Acquired in 2014.
Processing History
Processed by Sheila Prospero under the supervision of Kit Messick from July to December
2014. Selected digital material was processed by Laura Schroffel in 2018. Further processing
is required on remaining digital content. Tif files were normalized to the JPG format for
access.
Digital material
Selected moving image and born digital material was processed in 2018 and is available
online: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/2014m7 and here http://hdl.handle.net/10020/2014m7av
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Born digital content will be made available through the digital preservation repository.
Material will be available on-site only.
Separated Materials
Three serials were transferred to the library. These publications can be found by searching
the library
catalog for the Robert R. McElroy Collection.
Scope and Content of Collection
The archive is largely comprised of McElroy's photographs documenting happenings,
performances, and exhibitions by New York artists from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s.
Included are vintage black-and-white prints, negatives, and contact sheets, as well as a
smaller group of color prints and slides. It also contains a number of prints created by
Pace Gallery in 2012. A significant portion of the collection features photographs of works
by Jim Dine, Allan Kaprow, Claes Oldenburg, and Robert Whitman.
The artist files in Series I form the bulk of the archive and contain photographs of
artists' performances and exhibitions. These also include images of artists at work,
rehearsals, exhibition openings, and works of art. The majority of the prints, contact
sheets, and negatives are black-and-white but some color prints and slides are also
included. Notable performances found in this series include Dine's
Car Crash (1960), Kaprow's
Service for the Dead
(1962), Carolee Schneemann's
Chromelodeon (4th Concentration)
(1963), and Whitman's
American Moon (1960). A large portion
of the series features Oldenburg's work and includes performances such as
Circus: Ironworks/Fotodeath (1961) and
Ray
Gun Theater
(1962), as well as one of his last performances,
Washes (1965). This section also contains images of Oldenburg
working on pieces for
The Store (1961) and sewing his
well-known soft sculptures with his wife Patti at his 14th Street studio in 1962. The
photographs in Series I include both vintage and modern prints. Some artist files also
contain image CDs of McElroy's photographs or DVDs of artists' works and performances.
Also in this series are photographs of events, performances, and group shows organized by
galleries such as
Ray Gun Spex at Judson Memorial Church
(1960),
Environments, Situations, Spaces at Martha Jackson
Gallery (1961), and
New Realists at the Sidney Janis Gallery
(1962). There is extensive documentation of the Reuben Gallery, founded by Anita Reuben in
1959. This includes images of the first event McElroy photographed, the group exhibition,
Paintings in 1960, as well as photographs of Rosalyn
Drexler's solo exhibition of that same year. McElroy's involvement with the New York art
scene can be seen through the various events that he photographed such as the conferences,
artist parties, and exhibition openings that are filed in this series. Also included are
image CDs of various events and performances photographed by McElroy; some discs were
created by Pace Gallery.
The third section of the series contains prints from McElroy's negatives created by Pace
Gallery for the exhibition,
Happenings: New York, 1958-1963
(2012). This includes both black-and-white and color prints organized chronologically by
event.
Lastly, a small number of photographs of happenings taken by other photographers are filed
at the end of the series. Included are later prints of photographs taken by John Cohen,
Scott Hyde, Fred McDarrah, and Lucas Samaras.
Series II is comprised of McElroy's personal papers including correspondence, clippings,
and ephemera. Correspondence ranges from 1963 to 2008 and contains both personal and
business correspondence. Included are letters from artists such as Dine, Drexler, Oldenburg,
Richard Serra, and Whitman. The majority of the correspondence is business-related and
pertains to image requests for publication or exhibition, and to copyright issues. Some
files also include loan agreements, receipts, and notes written by McElroy. Clippings
contain articles about artists, galleries, or performance art, and some feature McElroy's
photographs. This series also contains a small quantity of artist or gallery ephemera and
miscellaneous papers.
Arrangement
Arranged in two series:
Series I. Photographs and media, 1959-1970, 1981, 2003-2012;
Series II. Papers,
1960-2010.
Indexing Terms
Subjects - Names
Schneemann, Carolee
Dine, Jim
Samaras, , Lucas
Kaprow, Allan
Whitman, Robert
Oldenburg, Claes
Subjects - Corporate Bodies
Martha Jackson Gallery
Sidney Janis Gallery
Judson Memorial Church
Reuben Gallery
Subjects - Topics
Art, American -- 20th century
Conceptual Art
Happening (Art)
Performance art
Genres and Forms of Material
Gelatin silver prints -- New York (State) -- 20th century
Black-and-white negatives -- New York (State) -- 20th
century
CD-Rs
Black-and-white photographs
Color slides
DVDs -- United States -- 21st century
Color prints (photographs)
Photographs, Original
Contributors
McElroy, Robert R.
Series I.
Photographs and media,
1959-1970, 1981, 2003-2012
Physical Description:
30 Linear
Feet
(69 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
This series contains McElroy's photographs documenting happenings, exhibitions, and
events by New York artists during the late 1950s to mid-1960s, including works by Jim
Dine, Allan Kaprow, Claes Oldenburg, and Robert Whitman, as well as performances and
exhibitions at Judson Memorial Church, Reuben Gallery, Martha Jackson Gallery, and
Sidney Janis Gallery. The photographs consist mostly of vintage black-and-white prints,
negatives, and contact sheets, as well as a smaller group of color prints and slides.
The series also contains a number of modern prints created by Pace Gallery. The majority
of prints are 8"x10" unless otherwise noted. Almost all of the photographs have folders
and/or envelopes with annotations, and a small number of files contain related papers.
The photographs have original roll numbers for each event with some exceptions.
Additionally, this series includes image CDs of McElroy's photographs and DVDs of artist
works and performances.
Arrangement
Arranged in four subseries: Series I.A. Artists; Series I.B. Events and galleries;
Series I.C. Happenings: New York, 1958-1963, Pace Gallery; Series I.D. Photographs by
other photographers.
Series I.A.
Artists,
1960-1970, 1981, 2003-2010,
undated
Physical Description:
24 Linear
Feet
(54 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
The artist files form the bulk of the archive and contain photographs of the artists'
performances and exhibitions. These also include images of artists at work,
rehearsals, exhibition openings, and works of art. The majority of photographs and
negatives are black-and-white unless otherwise noted; some files contain color prints
and slides. Since the folders contain both vintage and modern prints, the date of each
file refers to the date of the performance, exhibition, or event. The photographs have
original roll numbers for each event with some exceptions. Some files contain image
CDs of McElroy's photographs or DVDs of artist works and performances.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by artist with events and exhibitions in chronological order.
Documentation of events is broken out by format.
Andersen, Yvonne,
2007, 2010
box 1
Letter to Milly Glimcher (Pace Gallery),
2010 March 10
Scope and Content Note
Accompanies DVDs.
box 1, item DVD1
Provincetown, The First Summer,
1953,
2007
Scope and Content Note
1 videodisc (DVD) (6 min. 12 sec.) : digital, sd., b & w ; 4 3/4 in.
box 1, item DVD2
The Sun Gallery, Provincetown,
1955-59,
2007
Scope and Content Note
1 videodisc (DVD) (10 min. 20 sec.) : digital, sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in.
box 1, item DVD3
Artists of the Sun,
2007
Scope and Content Note
1 videodisc (DVD) (18 min.) : digital, sd., b & w ; 4 3/4 in.
box 1, item DVD4
Dominic Falcone 1928-2009,
2010
Scope and Content Note
1 videodisc (DVD) (27 min.) : digital, sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in. A movie by Andersen
and Paul Falcone.
Dine, Jim,
1960-1961
Scope and Content Note
See also Reuben Gallery files in subseries I.B.
box 3, folder 1
Paintings,
circa 1960
Scope and Content Note
Roll #028. Empty folder.
Artworks
circa 1960
Scope and Content Note
Roll #030.
Jim Dine, Reuben Gallery,
1960 April 1-14
Scope and Content Note
Roll #017.
Scope and Content Note
See also
Jim Dine, Reuben Gallery file in
Subseries I.B. According to original inventory, rolls #016, 017, and 017-A were
moved to the Reuben Gallery file under rolls #042-B, 042-C, and 042-A
respectively. However, these prints were originally found in Dine's file and are
still marked as roll #017.
box 3, folder 4-7
Dine with Anita Reuben in his studio, Judson Memorial Church,
1960
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #018-019, 019-A, 019-B.
box 3, folder 4-7
Prints and contact sheets
Vaudeville Collage, Reuben
Gallery,
1960 June 11
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #022-023, 023-A, 024.
Scope and Content Note
Part of
An Evening of Sound - Theater - Happenings
series.
box 3, folder 8-11
Prints and contact sheets
Car Crash, Reuben Gallery,
1960 November 1-6
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #004-015.
Prints and contact sheets
A Shining Bed, Reuben Gallery,
1960 December 16-18
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #001-002.
Scope and Content Note
Part of
Varieties event.
box 5, folder 5-7
Prints and contacts sheets
Rainbow Thoughts, Judson
Gallery
1961 January 7-31
Scope and Content Note
Roll #020.
box 5, folder 8
Prints and contact sheets
Drexler, Rosalyn,
circa 1960-1970
Scope and Content Note
See also Reuben Gallery files in subseries I.B.
Portraits,
1965 April 28
Scope and Content Note
No roll number.
box 9, folder 1
Prints and contact sheets
The Line of Least Existence, New
York,
1968 March
Scope and Content Note
No roll number.
Headshots,
1970 May 14
Scope and Content Note
No roll number.
Paintings,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
No roll number.
box 9, folder 5
Paintings,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
No roll number.
Scope and Content Note
Includes exhibition announcement.
Exhibition opening,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
No roll number.
box 8, folder 7-8
Duchamp, Marcel,
1965 January 9
Scope and Content Note
Portraits: contact sheet.
Scope and Content Note
Roll #099.
Forti, Simone,
1960, 2009
box 1, item DVD5-DVD6
An Evening of Dance
Constructions,
2009
Scope and Content Note
DVD5: 1 videodisc (DVD) (88 min.) : digital, sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in.
DVD6 (use copy): 1 videodisc (DVD) (88 min.) : digital, sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in.
See Saw and
Rollers, Reuben Gallery,
1960 December
Scope and Content Note
Part of
Varieties event.
box 8
Color slides,
1981 April 1
Scope and Content Note
Roll #100-102.
box 2, item D1
CD of images by Pace Gallery,
2010 October
Higgins, Dick,
1965 April 17
The Tart, Solo for Florence and Orchesta, and
Celestials (for Bengt at Klintberg),
Sunnyside Garden Ballroom and
Wrestling Arena
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #082-087.
box 9, folder 11-13
Prints and contact sheets
Johnston, Jill,
1963 March 4
Happening at Judson Dance Theater
Scope and Content Note
Roll #105-107.
An Apple Shrine, Judson
Gallery,
1960 November 30-December
24
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #002-008.
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #002-003 also include images of Whitman's
American
Moon.
box 10, folder 1-8
Prints and contact sheets
A Spring Happening, Reuben
Gallery,
1961 March 22-27
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #009-016.
box 11, folder 1-9
Prints and contact sheets
A Service for the Dead I, Maidman
Theater,
1962 March 22
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #018-019.
box 12, folder 1-3
Prints and contact sheets
Sweeping, Woodstock, New York,
1962 August
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #020-026.
Scope and Content Note
Part of Ergo Suits Festival.
box 12, folder 4-10
Prints and contact sheets
A Service for the Dead II, Bridgehampton,
New York,
1962 August
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #027-032.
Scope and Content Note
Part of Ergo Suits Festival.
box 12, folder 11-16
Prints and contact sheets
Words, Smolin Gallery,
1962 September 11-12
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #033-037.
box 13, folder 1-4
Prints and contact sheets
Courtyard, Mills Hotel, New
York,
1962 November 23-25
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #038-040.
Scope and Content Note
Exhibition sponsored by Smolin Gallery.
box 13, folder 5-9
Prints and contact sheets
YAM Festival,
1963 May
Scope and Content Note
Sponsored by Smolin Gallery.
Tree, George Segal's Farm, South
Brunswick, New Jersey,
1963 May 19
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #041, 041-A, 042.
box 16
Color negatives and slides
box 16
Color slides,
1963 May 1-31
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #042-A to 042-H.
Eat, Ebling Brewery Caves, Bronx, New
York,
1964 January 18
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #043-044.
box 13, folder 13-15
Prints and contact sheets
4th Annual New York Avant Garde Festival,
Central Park,
1966 September
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #045-046.
Scope and Content Note
Contains possible images of
Towers
performance.
box 13, folder 16-17
Papers
Scope and Content Note
File folders and photocopies of images.
Unknown,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
Roll #047.
Kirby, Michael,
1965 March 27
Happening in Brooklyn, New York
Scope and Content Note
Roll #108-109.
box 17
Lindner, Richard,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Portraits: negatives.
Scope and Content Note
No roll number.
box 14, folder 3
Minujín, Marta,
1966 February
Scope and Content Note
El Batacazo (The Long Shot), Bianchini Gallery.
11x14 prints.
Scope and Content Note
No roll number.
Oldenburg, Claes,
1960-1969, 2008, 2010,
undated
box 1, item DVD7
Claes Oldenburg "Happenings": Ray Gun Theater,
1962,
undated
Claes Oldenburg "Happenings": Ray Gun Theater, 1962 (digital version
available on-site only): undated
Scope and Content Note
1 videodisc (DVD) (120 min.) : digital, si., b & w ; 4 3/4 in.
Claes Oldenburg and his Ray Gun Theater group offered a series of ten
"Happenings" in a store on East Second Street. Each evening-length work is edited
down to the imagery from each "happening" performance. Film by Raymond Saroff.
CDs of images,
2008, 2010
box 2, item D2
The Street, Reuben Gallery
2008
Claes Oldenburg, The Street, Reuben Gallery (digital version available
on-site only): 2008
box 2, item D3-D4
Performance art pieces,
2010
Claes Oldenburg, performance art pieces (digital version available on-site
only): 2010
Scope and Content Note
Images are performance art pieces including
Sport and
Nekropolis II.
D3 is labeled: "The Pace Gallery / Claes Oldenburg / Scans from Studio slides".
D4 is labeled: "Ben Utley scanned Dec 2010 / Most c.o. slides from c.o.
studio"
box 2, item D5-D7
Solo exhibition, Green Gallery,
2010 October
box 19, folder 1-2
Envelopes,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
Empty envelopes with annotations related to photographs.
Oldenburg with Anita Reuben,
1960 April
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #001-002.
box 19, folder 3-4
Prints and contact sheets
Blackouts (Chimneyfires, Erasers, The Vitamin Man,
Butter and Jam),
Reuben Gallery,
1960 December 16-18
Scope and Content Note
Roll #004.
Scope and Content Note
Part of
Varieties event.
box 19, folder 5-6
Prints and contact sheets
Circus: Ironworks/Fotodeath, Reuben
Gallery,
1961 February 21-26
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #005-021.
Prints and contact sheets
The Store, Ray Gun Manufacturing
Company,
1961 December 1-31
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #022-025, 025-A, 026-029.
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #022-024 are images of Oldenburg creating artwork for
The Store in Spring/Fall 1961.
box 22, folder 1-7
Prints and contact sheets
box 38, folder 3-4
11x14 prints and contact sheets
Ray Gun Theater, Ray Gun Manufacturing Company,
1962 February-May
box 22, folder 8
Unidentified: contact sheet,
1962
Scope and Content Note
Roll #030 contains images possibly from
Nekropolis
II
and
Injun I.
Store Days I,
1962 February 23-24
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #031-037.
box 23, folder 1-7
Prints and contact sheets
Store Days II,
1962 March 2-3
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #038-048.
Prints and contact sheets
Nekropolis I,
1962 March 9-10
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #049-059.
Prints and contact sheets
Nekropolis II,
1962 March 16-17
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #060-071.
Prints and contact sheets
Injun I,
1962 April 20-21
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #072-083.
Prints and contact sheets
Injun II,
1962 April 27-28
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #084-087.
box 28, folder 5-8
Prints and contact sheets
Voyages I,
1962 May 4-5
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #088-096.
box 29, folder 1-10
Prints and contact sheets
Voyages II,
1962 May 11-12
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #097-100.
box 30, folder 1-4
Prints and contact sheets
World's Fair I,
1962 May 18-19
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #101-106.
Prints and contact sheets
World's Fair II,
1962 May 25-26
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #107, 107-A, 108-115.
Prints and contact sheets
box 31, folder 4-10
Rolls #107, 107-A, 108-112
Solo exhibition, Green Gallery,
1962 September 24-October
20
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #116-141, 193-195.
Prints and contact sheets
box 42
Color slides
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #141, #193-195.
New Realists, Group exhibition, Sidney
Janis Gallery,
1962 October 31-December 1
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #158-160.
Scope and Content Note
See also
New Realists file in series I.B.
box 34, folder 8-12
Prints and contact sheets
Stars: A Farce for Objects, Washington
Gallery of Modern Art,
1963 April 24-25
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #161-163.
box 35, folder 1-3
Prints and contact sheets
U.S.A. Flag and
January Calendar,
1963
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #165-166.
Wall Switches, New York,
1965 March 29
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #167-168.
Scope and Content Note
Images of work at the residence of Harold and Alice Ladas. Also contains
correspondence from The Museum of Modern Art in 1971.
Soft works, 14th Street Studio,
1965 October 21
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #169-171.
box 35, folder 9-12
Prints and contact sheets
Washes, Al Roon's pool,
1965 May 22-25
Scope and Content Note
Roll #172.
Moveyhouse, Film-Makers'
Cinematheque,
1965 December 1
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #173-178.
Prints and contact sheets
Solo exhibition, Sidney Janis Gallery,
1966 March 7
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #179-183.
Scope and Content Note
Installation shots.
Prints and contact sheets
Exhibition opening at The Museum of Modern Art,
1969
Scope and Content Note
Roll #184.
box 36, folder 14
Original folder with annotations
C-E-L-I-N-E Backwards,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
Roll #185.
"Empire" ("Papa") Ray Gun,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
Roll #186.
Scope and Content Note
Also includes images of Oldenburg in his studio.
Plasterworks,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
Roll #187.
Meeting with performers,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
Roll #189.
box 37, folder 1
Prints and contact sheets
Dinner party,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
Roll #188.
East 5th Street,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
No roll number.
404 East 14th Street,
1967 February 7
Scope and Content Note
No roll number.
Claes Oldenburg and Robert Whitman,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
Roll #120.
Scope and Content Note
Possibly images of a dance rehearsal.
Miscellaneous,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
No roll number.
Rauschenberg, Robert,
1965 December 3
Map Room II, Filmmakers'
Cinematheque,
1965 December 3
Scope and Content Note
Roll #076-078.
box 18, folder 4-6
Prints and contact sheets
Head shots,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #094-098.
box 17
Exhibition at Green Gallery: color slides
1964 September 16-October
10
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #088-093.
box 14, folder 4
Portrait
1960s
Scope and Content Note
No roll number. 11x14 print.
Schneemann, Carolee,
1963 June 25
Chromelodeon (4th Concretion), Judson
Dance Theater
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #080, 119, 119-A.
box 18, folder 12
File folder with annotations
Van Bovenkamp Gallery,
1965
Scope and Content Note
No roll number.
Scope and Content Note
Group exhibition with Dorothea Baer, Jackie Ferrara, Marty Greenbaum, Lulu, and
Carolee Schneemann. See also series II for exhibition ephemera.
box 17
Shahn, Ben,
undated
Scope and Content Note
No roll number.
Scope and Content Note
Portraits: black-and-white negatives and one color slide.
Factory: prints,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
Roll #103.
Flowers,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
Roll #104.
Whitman, Robert,
1960-1966, 2003, 2010
Scope and Content Note
See also "Claes Oldenburg and Robert Whitman" file (box 37 and 41).
box 1, item DVD8 (original), DVD9
(use copy)
Robert Whitman: Performances of the
1960s,
2003
Scope and Content Note
1 videodisc (DVD) (156 min.) : digital, sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in. (2 copies) Copy 9
is use copy.
box 2, item D8
Small Cannon, Reuben
Gallery,
2010 August
Scope and Content Note
Possibly created by Pace Gallery.
box 2, item D9
Drawings,
2010 December
Scope and Content Note
Images of drawings by Whitman. Scanned by Pace Gallery.
E.G. (An Opera), Reuben
Gallery,
1960 June 11
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #001-002, 002-A, 002-A1, 003, 003-A, 005-006.
Scope and Content Note
Part of
An Evening of Sound - Theater - Happenings
series.
box 43, folder 1-8
Prints and contact sheets
American Moon, Reuben Gallery,
1960 November 29-December 4
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #007-018.
Scope and Content Note
See also Roll #002-003 of Kaprow's
An Apple Shrine
for additional images.
Prints and contact sheets
Mouth, Reuben Gallery,
1961 April 18-23
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #020-034, 034-A.
box 45, folder 6-8
Prints and contact sheets
Ball, Green Gallery,
1961-1962
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #035-046.
Scope and Content Note
Peformance held on December 29-30, 1961 and January 2-6, 1962.
box 48, folder 1-8
Prints and contact sheets
Flower, 9 Great Jones Street, New
York,
1963 March
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #047-056.
box 49, folder 1-7
Prints and contact sheets
Hole, 9 Great Jones Street, New York,
1963 May 27-June 1
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #056-A, 057-060.
Scope and Content Note
See series II for exhibition poster.
box 49, folder 8
Prints and contact sheets
Prune Flat, Film-Makers'
Cinematheque,
1965 December
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #061, 063.
box 49, folder 9-10
Prints and contact sheets
box 49, folder 11
Two Holes of Water-3, 69th Regiment
Armory,
1966 October 18-19
Scope and Content Note
Roll #062.
Scope and Content Note
Part of
9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering
series.
Window,
1963
Scope and Content Note
Roll #065.
Series I.B.
Events and galleries,
1959-1969, 2011
Physical Description:
5 Linear
Feet
(11.75 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
Contains photographs of events and performances arranged by gallery, including Judson
Memorial Church, Reuben Gallery, Martha Jackson Gallery, and Sidney Janis Gallery. The
series also includes photographs of conferences, artist parties, and exhibition
openings. The majority of photographs and negatives are black-and-white unless
otherwise noted; some files contain color prints and slides. Since the folders contain
both vintage and modern prints, the date of each file refers to the date of the
performance, exhibition, or event. The photographs also have original roll numbers for
each event with the exception of a few files. Also included are image CDs of various
events and performances photographed by McElroy; some discs were created by Pace
Gallery. See also artist files in Subseries I.A. for more information on specific
artists who exhibited at these galleries.
Arrangement
Arranged by gallery or event.
Judson Memorial Church,
1959-1960, 1963
Jim Dine and Claes Oldenburg exhibition, Judson Gallery,
1959 November 13-December 3
Scope and Content Note
Roll #001.
Ray Gun Spex,
1960 February 29-March 1-2
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #002-008, 008-A, 008-B.
Scope and Content Note
First happening at Judson which included the following performances: Claes
Oldenburg's
Snapshots from the City, Jim Dine's
The Smiling Workman, Al Hansen's
Projections, Allan Kaprow's
Coca
Cola: Shirley Cannonball?,
Whitman's
Duet for a
Small Smell,
Dick Higgin's
Edifices Cabarets
Contributions,
and Red Grooms's
The Big
Leap.
box 55, folder 2-13
Prints and contact sheets
box 2, item D10
CD with images of Dine's
Smiling
Workman
Scope and Content Note
Also contains images of
Vaudeville Collage at
Reuben Gallery.
Concert of Dance #3, Judson Dance
Theater,
1963 January 29
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #063-073, 073-A.
Scope and Content Note
Includes images of Carolee Schneemann's
Newspaper
Event
from
Concert #3 and Yvonne Rainer's
We Shall Run and
Words
Words
with Steve Paxton.
box 56, folder 1-13
Prints and contact sheets
box 64
Random Breakfast,
1963 [July?]
Scope and Content Note
Roll #118.
Scope and Content Note
Performance featuring David Gordon and Valda Setterfield. Color slides.
Happening summit conference,
1960
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #009-010, 010-A.
Scope and Content Note
Gathering was possibly at Öyvind Fahlström's apartment.
box 57, folder 1-4
Prints and contact sheets
Reuben Gallery,
1960 January-February
Scope and Content Note
Photographs were originally organized by roll numbers and have been rearranged by
exhibition or subject.
Paintings,
1960 January 29-February 18
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #025, 027, 031-033, 037, 039, 041, 055, 122.
Scope and Content Note
Group exhibition with artists Herb Brown, Jim Dine, Red Grooms, Al Jensen, Lester
Johnson, Allan Kaprow, Nicholas Krushenick, Claes Oldenburg, Patricia Passloff,
Renee Rubin, Lucas Samaras, George Segal, and Robert Whitman.
box 58, folder 1-10
Prints and contact sheets
Rosalyn Drexler: Sculptures,
1960 February 19-March 10
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #022-024, 026, 028, 030, 034-036, 036-A, 038, 040, 046, 056, 057-A.
Prints and contact sheets
Jim Dine, Reuben Gallery,
1960 April 1-14
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #019-020, 020-A, 042, 042-A, 042-B, 042-C, 047, 121.
box 60, folder 1-8
Prints and contact sheets
Photographs of Anita Reuben,
1960 January-February
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #029, 043-045, 048-052, 057. Includes images of
Paintings and
Rosalyn Drexler:
Sculptures
exhibitions.
box 60, folder 9-15
Prints and contact sheets
Eleven from the Reuben Gallery, Solomon R.
Guggenheim Museum,
1965
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #053-054.
Scope and Content Note
Group exhibition curated by Lawrence Alloway with works by George Brecht, Jim Dine,
Rosalyn Drexler, Martha Edelheit, Red Grooms, Allan Kaprow, Renee Miller, Claes
Oldenburg, Lucas Samaras, George Segal, and Robert Whitman.
box 61, folder 1-3
Prints and contact sheets
box 63, folder 4-6
Environments, Situations, Spaces, Martha
Jackson Gallery,
1961 May 25-June 23
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #011, 011-A, 012-A, 013-018.
Scope and Content Note
Includes images of George Brecht's score for "chair"
(Iced
Dice),
Jim Dine's
Spring Cabinet, Walter
Gaudnek's
Unlimited Dimensions, Allan Kaprow's
Yard, Oldenburg's
The
Store,
and Robert Whitman's
Untitled
Environment.
box 57, folder 5-13
Prints and contact sheets
box 64
Negatives, slides, and transparencies
Gallery opening, Something Else Gallery,
1966 April 15
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #058, 058-A.
Scope and Content Note
Exhibition photographs at Something Else Gallery founded by Dick Higgins of
Something Else Press.
Sidney Janis Gallery,
1962, 1964
New Realists,
1962 October 31 - December
11
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #059-062.
Scope and Content Note
Group exhibition with Arman, Jim Dine, Yves Klein, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes
Oldenburg, George Segal, Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselman, and others. See also
Oldenburg's
New Realists file in series I.A.
box 61, folder 7-9
Prints and contact sheets
Four Environments by Four New
Realists,
1964 January 6
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #074-075.
Scope and Content Note
Group exhibition with Jim Dine, Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist, and George
Segal.
box 61, folder 10-12
Prints and contact sheets
box 66
Color slides
Scope and Content Note
No roll number.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
Roll #116.
Scope and Content Note
Unidentified exhibition opening, possibly Claes Oldenburg.
Poetry and Fashion, New York,
1969 January 14
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #110-113.
Scope and Content Note
Also known as
Fashion Show Poetry Event.
Dance performance at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology),
1960s
Scope and Content Note
Rolls #114-115.
Artist party,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
No roll number.
Scope and Content Note
Artists include Lee Bontecou, Barnett Newman, and Lucas Samaras.
New York City Summer,
1964
Scope and Content Note
Roll #081.
Best of happenings,
circa 1960-1963
Scope and Content Note
Roll #117.
Miscellaneous,
1960s
Scope and Content Note
No roll numbers.
CDs with images of various happenings,
2011
From Pace Gallery warehouse,
box 2, item D11
2011 February 8
Scope and Content Note
Also contains portraits of McElroy.
box 2, item D12
2011 April
Scope and Content Note
Color images of various happenings.
box 2, item D13
Images for Monacelli Press,
2011 March 29
box 2, item D14
"Happenings,"
2011 November 24
Scope and Content Note
Disc has label "Evergreen Colour Separation (International) Co. Ltd."
box 2, item D15
"From Paul,"
2011 December
Scope and Content Note
Also contains images of related papers.
Series I.C.
Happenings: New York, 1958-1963, Pace Gallery,
2012 February 10-March 17
Physical Description:
0.75 Linear
Feet
(3 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
Contains a selection of reprints of McElroy's photographs created by Pace Gallery for
the exhibition,
Happenings: New York, 1958-1963 that
were not used for the show. Prints are divided by exhibition or happening. The
original order created by Pace Gallery has been retained, but the color photographs
were separated from black-and-white prints for preservation purposes.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by medium.
Series I.D.
Photographs by other photographers,
1962, undated
Physical Description:
0.25 Linear
Feet
(.25 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
The series contains a small number of photographs of happenings taken by other
photographers. Includes later prints of photographs taken by John Cohen, Scott Hyde,
Fred McDarrah, and Lucas Samaras. Includes images of Allan Kaprow's
18 Happenings in 6 Parts and
The Big
Laugh.
Arrangement
Arranged by medium.
box 61, folder 24
Black-and-white prints,
undated
box 66
Color prints and negatives,
1962 November
Series II.
Papers,
1960-2010
Physical Description:
4 Linear
Feet
(3 boxes, 1 flatfile
folder)
Scope and Content Note
This series consists of McElroy's personal papers including correspondence, clippings,
and ephemera. The correspondence ranges from 1963 to 2008 and contains both personal and
business correspondence. Included are letters from artists such as Jim Dine, Rosalyn
Drexler, Claes Oldenburg, Richard Serra, and Robert Whitman. The majority of the
correspondence is business-related and pertains to image requests for publication or
exhibition, and copyright issues. Some files also include loan agreements, receipts, and
notes written by McElroy. Clippings contain articles about artists, galleries, or
performance art,and some feature McElroy's photographs. This series also contains a
small quantity of artist and gallery ephemera and miscellaneous papers.
Arrangement
Arranged by subject.
Correspondence,
1963-2008
Scope and Content Note
Contains mostly business correspondence related to image requests for publication or
exhibitions as well as copyright disputes. Some files also include loan agreements,
receipts, and notes written by McElroy. A small number of files contain personal
correspondence.
box 70, folder 2
Bennington College,
1979-1982
Scope and Content Note
Papers related to Judson Dance Project.
box 70, folder 3
Dine, Jim and Nancy,
1963, 1993
box 70, folder 4
Drexler, Rosalyn,
1985 June 17
box 70, folder 5
Harry N. Abrams, Inc.,
1965, 1988-1991
box 70, folder 6
Kaprow, Allan,
1965, 1971
box 70, folder 7
Kodansha Publishers Ltd.,
1972, 1977-1978
Scope and Content Note
Papers related to reproduction of images for publication,
Art Now: From Abstract Expressionism to Superrealism.
box 70, folder 8
Martin, Julie,
1983 May 3
Scope and Content Note
Papers related to Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.).
box 70, folder 9
Moore, Barbara,
1968, 1977-1981
box 70, folder 10
Morgenthau, Mrs. Robert,
1970 January
Scope and Content Note
Letter from Martha Pattridge Morgenthau.
box 70, folder 11
Oldenburg, Claes and Patty,
1963-1968, 1998
Praeger Publishers, Inc.,
1963-1976
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence regarding copyright issues with publication,
Art and Life by Udo Kultermann. Includes a letter from Allan Kaprow.
box 70, folder 14
Princeton University,
2002 April 30
Scope and Content Note
Includes photograph of Robert Rauschenberg's
Map Room
II.
box 70, folder 15
Schneemann, Carolee,
2001 July 13
box 70, folder 17-18
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,
1996, 1998
Scope and Content Note
Includes two contact sheets of Dine's
Car Crash.
box 70, folder 19
Thames and Hudson Limited,
1974-1976
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence regarding lost color slide.
box 70, folder 20
Vostell, Wolf,
1964 November
box 70, folder 21
Whitman, Robert,
1982, 1984, 2001-2002
Various correspondence,
1965-2008
Scope and Content Note
Includes permission requests, loan agreements, and receipts from various publishers
and institutions including Anthony McCall Associates, Phaidon Press Limited,
Columbia University, Harvard University, Museum of Modern Art (New York), and
Whitney Museum of American Art.
box 63, folder 13
Color prints
Scope and Content Note
Photographs are part of World Press Photo Holland Foundation letter (May
1985).
Clippings and Ephemera,
1960-1969, 1998-2010
box 72, folder 1
Dine, Jim,
1960 November 10
Scope and Content Note
Clipping.
box 72, folder 2
Drexler, Rosalyn,
1965
Scope and Content Note
I Am the Beautiful Stranger book jacket.
box 72, folder 3
Happenings,
1963
Scope and Content Note
Clippings.
box 72, folder 4
Judson Memorial Church,
1999 April 19
Scope and Content Note
Clipping.
Kaprow, Allan,
1963, 1998, 2006-2009
box 72, folder 5
Papers,
1963, 1998, 2006-2009
flatfile 1**
New York Herald Tribune
clipping,
1963 May 5
Scope and Content Note
Photocopy of clipping.
Oldenburg, Claes,
1961-1969
flatfile 1**
Exhibition announcement, Sidney Janis Gallery,
1967
Reuben Gallery,
1960, 2010, undated
box 2, item D16
CD,
2010 December
Scope and Content Note
Contains scanned images of Reuben Gallery papers and other miscellaneous
images.
flatfile 1**
Schneemann, Carolee,
1965
Scope and Content Note
Van Bovenkamp Gallery exhibition announcements.
Whitman, Robert,
1962-1963, 2003
box 72, folder 13
Clippings,
1962-1963, 2003
box 72, folder 14
Miscellaneous papers
1964, 1967, undated
box 2, item D17
CD of unidentified book text files,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Possibly from Pace Gallery.