Finding Aid to the Edward DeCelle Papers, 1969-2001

Finding Aid written by Josh Schneider
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
© 2006
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Finding Aid to the Edward DeCelle Papers, 1969-2001

Collection Number: BANC MSS 2005/185c

The Bancroft Library



University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, California
Finding Aid Written By:
Josh Schneider
Date Completed:
November 2006
© 2006 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Collection Summary

Collection Title: Edward DeCelle papers,
Date (inclusive): 1969-2001
Collection Number: BANC MSS 2005/185c
Creators : DeCelle, Edward Brooks
Extent: Number of containers: 2 cartons Linear feet: 2.5
Repository: The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: The Edward DeCelle Papers, 1969-2001, includes the correspondence, transaction records and research files of art collector and former San Francisco gallery owner Edward Brooks DeCelle.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Information for Researchers

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94270-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html .
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Edward DeCelle Papers, BANC MSS 2005/185c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Alternate Forms Available

There are no alternate forms of this collection.

Separated Material

Photographs have been transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Barton, Crawford, 1943-
Mapplethorpe, Robert--Exhibitions
Tress, Arthur--Exhibitions
DeCelle, Edward Brooks--Archives
Art--Collectors and collecting--California--San Francisco
Art--Exhibitions
Art galleries, Commercial--California--San Francisco
Censorship--United States--History--20th century
Arts--Censorship
Gay artists--Exhibitions

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

The Edward DeCelle Papers were given to The Bancroft Library by Margaret DeCelle on February 17, 2005.

Accruals

No additions are expected.

Processing Information

Processed by Josh Schneider in 2005.

Biographical Information

Edward Brooks DeCelle was a gallery owner, curator, and fine art collector based primarily in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Perhaps best known for the curation of the 1979 exhibit at 80 Langton in San Francisco entitled "Censored" showcasing the works of Robert Mapplethorpe, DeCelle was heavily influential in the gay renaissance of the 1970's and 1980's in San Francisco.
From 1972-1983, DeCelle ran the Lawson DeCelle Gallery in SF, which had a strong reputation as a waypoint for young, talented gay artists. He was also a founding board member of 80 Langton (now New Langton Arts) in San Francisco. He later moved to Washington D.C. and became highly involved in the art scene there. DeCelle donated countless works to galleries and museums across the United States, including the Corcoran, Getty, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, National Portrait Gallery, and the Whitney.
Other prominent artists represented by DeCelle include photographers Crawford Barton and Arthur Tress.

Scope and Content of Collection

The Edward Brooks DeCelle Papers, 1969-2001, includes the correspondence, transaction records and research files of art collector and former San Francisco gallery owner Edward Brooks DeCelle.
Coverage of Robert Mapplethorpe's earliest West Coast exhibitions, including the surrounding controversy, is particularly strong. As DeCelle was personally acquainted with many of the key players in that important moment in art history, an insider's viewpoint is frequently revealed. Other notable correspondents include Arthur Tress, Crawford Barton, Thom Gunn, and San Francisco socialite Katharine Cebrian.

 

Series 1 Performances/ Exhibitions 1978-2001

Physical Description: Carton 1, Folders 1-7

Arrangement

Arranged Chronologically

Scope and Content Note

This series includes materials from multiple Robert Mapplethorpe photograph and film exhibitions, including one curated by DeCelle at the Lawson-DeCelle gallery in San Francisco. Of particular interest is coverage of the cancellation of a 1989 Mapplethorpe exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C. entitled The Perfect Moment, an act which some perceived as an accommodation to conservative sentiment at a time when the National Endowment for the Arts was coming under increasingly sharp attack. A guidebook from an Arthur Tress Retrospective is also included.
Carton 1

Robert Mapplethorpe

Carton 1, Folder 1

Censored 1978-1979

Carton 1, Folder 2

Still Moving 1979-1996

Carton 1, Folder 3

Blacks and Whites 1980

Carton 1, Folder 4-6

The Perfect Moment 1989-1990

Carton 1

Arthur Tress

Carton 1, Folder 7

Fantastic Voyage 2001

 

Series 2 Subject Files 1969-2001

Physical Description: Carton 1, Folders 8-43; Carton 2, Folders 1-4

Arrangement

Arranged Alphabetically

Scope and Content Note

This series comprises the personal and professional subject files maintained by DeCelle. Files may include correspondence, press materials, transaction records, and articles.
Carton 1

Barton, Crawford

Carton 1, Folder 8

Correspondence 1994-1997

Carton 1, Folder 9

Press Materials 1991-1997

Carton 1, Folder 10

Articles 1991-1997

Carton 1, Folder 11

Boswell, John 1994-1995

Carton 1, Folder 12

Burton, Scott 1980-1990

Carton 1, Folder 13

Cebrian, Katharine 1983-1992

Carton 1, Folder 14

Clark, Todd 1999-2000

Carton 1, Folder 15

Drici, Milou-Daniel 1996-1998

Carton 1, Folder 16

Dugdale, John 1996-1999

Carton 1, Folder 17

Dureau, George 1997

Carton 1, Folder 18

Fritscher, Jack 1990-1998

Carton 1, Folder 19

Gay Artists 1994-1998

Carton 1, Folder 20

Geraci, Joseph 1996-1997

Carton 1, Folder 21

Goodman, Jeff 1984

Carton 1, Folder 22

Gunn, Thom 1994-1998

Carton 1, Folder 23

Herron, Don 1980

Carton 1, Folder 24

Howe, Delmas 1997

Carton 1, Folder 25

Ireland, David 1983-1998

Carton 1, Folder 26

Kelley, Kitty 1994

Carton 1, Folder 27

Lorenz, Richard 1978-1998

Carton 1, Folder 28

Lucie-Smith, Edmund 1997-1999

Carton 1

Mapplethorpe, Robert

Carton 1, Folder 29

Correspondence 1979-1989

Carton 1, Folder 30

Catalogs 1979-1989

Carton 1, Folder 31

Articles 1979-1989

Carton 1, Folder 32

Press Materials 1978-1989

Carton 1, Folder 33

Mardikian, Anita & Pepo Pichler 1981-1998

Carton 1, Folder 34

Michals, Duane 1997-1999

Carton 1, Folder 35

Mintun, Peter 1996-1999

Carton 1, Folder 36

Morgan, Richard 1994-1998

Carton 1, Folder 37

Morrisroe, Patricia 1995

Carton 1, Folder 38

Odocha, Okay Harold Undated

Carton 1, Folder 39

Roberts, Tom 1987-1996

Carton 1, Folder 40

Rose, Robin 1986-2000

Carton 1, Folder 41

Ross, Steve 1981-1982

Carton 1, Folder 42

Stevens, Bradley 1996-2000

Carton 1

Tress, Arthur

Carton 1, Folder 43-44

Correspondence 1995-2001

Carton 2, Folder 1-2

Publicity Materials 1993-1997

Carton 2, Folder 3

Articles 1969-2000

Carton 2, Folder 4-5

Various Artists 1993-2001

Carton 2, Folder 6

Venera, Michael 1984-1996

Carton 2, Folder 7

Wagstaff, Sam 1987-1997

Carton 2, Folder 8

Winfield, Paul 1990-2000

 

Series 3 Galleries 1976-2000

Physical Description: Carton 2, Folders 5-22

Arrangement

Arranged Alphabetically

Scope and Content Note

This series includes the professional subject files DeCelle kept on galleries and collectors. It consists primarily of professional correspondence, transaction records, press materials, and articles.
Carton 2, Folder 9

Archives of American Art 1996

Carton 2, Folder 10

Baltimore Museum of Art 1995-1997

Carton 2, Folder 11

Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library 1995-1996

Carton 2, Folder 12

Corcoran Gallery of Art 1989-2000

Carton 2, Folder 13

Gay and Lesbian Historical Society of Northern California 1992-1998

Carton 2, Folder 14

Grey Art Gallery, New York University 1995-1996

Carton 2, Folder 15

High Museum of Art, Atlanta 1994-1995

Carton 2, Folder 16

J. Paul Getty Museum 1994-1995

Carton 2, Folder 17

Los Angeles County Museum of Art 1995

Carton 2, Folder 18

National Gallery of Art 1995-1999

Carton 2, Folder 19

National Portrait Gallery 1994-1997

Carton 2, Folder 20

National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian 1991-1994

Carton 2, Folder 21

Oakland Museum 1995

Carton 2, Folder 22

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art 1995-1998

Carton 2, Folder 23

Wessel & O'Conner Gallery 1997-1998

Carton 2, Folder 24

Whitney Museum of American Art 1996-1997

Carton 2, Folder 25-26

80 Langton, San Francisco 1976-1981

Carton 2, Folder 27

544 Natoma, San Francisco 1983