Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Finding Aid for the D.J. Hall papers, 1885-2008 (bulk ca. 1970-2008)
1822
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Title: D.J. Hall papers
Date (inclusive): 1885-2008 (bulk ca. 1970-2008)
Collection number: 1822
Creator:
Hall, D.J. (1951- )
Extent:
27 document boxes (13.25 linear ft.)
6 oversize boxes
2 shoe boxes
2 map folders
Abstract: D.J. (Debra Jane) Hall is a southern California representational, figurative painter, best known for her portraits of women
by poolside. Papers record her personal life and artistic career, including family records, teaching materials, research materials
for projects and artwork, documentations of artwork, exhibitions and interviews, as well as original prints and artwork.
Language: Finding aid is written in
English.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library,
Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of
the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC
Regents do not hold the copyright.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of D.J. Hall, October 9, 2008. Addition, 2011.
Processed by Rachel H. Wen-Paloutzian in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Kelley
Wolfe Bachli, 2010. Addition processed by Mike D'Errico in 2012.
The processing of this collection was generously supported by
Arcadia
funds.
[Identification of item], D.J. Hall papers (Collection 1822). Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library,
UCLA.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
6686093
D.J. (Debra Jane) Hall is a southern California representational, figurative painter, best known for her portraits of women
by poolside. Hall was born in Los Angeles in 1951. At age three her parents Thomas Lyon and Jane Aven Hall divorced, and
Hall's mother was later diagnosed with mental illness. During her uneasy childhood, Hall spent much of her time with her grandparents
Margaret Lyon and Edward Mathew Hall in their Santa Ana residence. During these early years, Hall started to cultivate her
imagination in drawing. Later, Hall moved to Los Angeles with her mother, where they lived for five years with her maternal
grandparents Ruth and Horace Aven. She attended Airport Junior High School and Inglewood High School. With an academic scholarship,
Hall attended University of Southern California (USC), and she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor degree in Fine Arts.
At USC, Hall met architect Toby Watson, whom she married after her graduation in 1973. Although unaware of the photorealism
art movement at the time, Hall developed a distinctive style of realist painting through working with photographs.
Hall's first solo exhibition was at Albert Contreras Gallery in Los Angeles in 1975. She was awarded a National Endowment
for the Arts Fellowship in painting in 1977. Before Hall turned thirty years old, a solo exhibition of her artwork was held
at OK Harris Works of Art in New York. While five subsequent solo exhibitions took place at OK Harris, Hall built an extensive
record of solo and group exhibitions throughout United States, Canada, Japan and Europe. In 1982, a documentary film "D.J.
Hall: Real Life in Venice" was produced by Robert Crane and Dana Bieber. A year later, Hall designed the imagery painted on
the stage set and the scrim panels for "A Sense of Humor," a play written by Ernest Thompson and performed at Ahmanson Theatre
in Los Angeles. In 1986, a major solo exhibition at Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery presented Hall's artwork from 1974 to
1985.
In the 1990s, Hall contracted Lyme disease and came to terms with her life-long battle with depression. During her recovery,
Hall adopted a new artistic direction as she created small gouache paintings of still life and landscape. After regaining
her health, she began to paint larger works. As a painting and life drawing instructor, Hall has taught at various local colleges,
and given art lectures in museums and at special events. In 1999, Hall began a teaching life drawing at Otis College of Art
and Design in Los Angeles. In 2001, Hall participated in "Youth Take Flight", a public art project for the LAX Summer Art
Academy. Working with local high school students for six weeks, Hall designed and completed a multi-panel installation at
the Los Angeles International Airport Terminal One. In 2004, Hall worked as a Fine Art consultant for the James L. Brooks
film "Spanglish," as her artwork inspired the visual appearance of the film. Meanwhile, Hall remained productive creating
a new body of work. Her new paintings were displayed in the 2005 solo exhibition at Koplin Del Rio Gallery in West Hollywood.
Three years later, the Palms Springs Art Museum exhibited a survey of Hall's artwork, titled "D.J. Hall: Thirty-Five Year
Retrospective."
D.J. Hall currently resides in Venice, California.
D.J. Hall papers document both personal and professional aspects of her life. Personal materials include journals, therapy
notes, correspondences, genealogy charts, family records and photographs. Teaching materials include syllabi, lesson plans
and notes. Exhibition materials include preparatory materials for exhibitions, exhibition announcements and catalogues, interviews,
exhibition reviews and publication clippings. An extensive portion of the collection is dedicated to Hall's projects and artwork,
including notes, sketches, storyboards, color studies, designs, source photographs and slides. In addition to audio and video
materials revolving Hall's career, the collection houses photographs and slides of artwork, as well as original prints and
artwork by Hall, including sketchbooks, college works, life drawings, paintings, and designs.
Papers are organized in six series by item type, and arranged by work and artistic projects in chronological order within
series when applicable. The series are as follows:
- Personal, 1885-2008 (boxes 1-9, 30-31)
- Teaching, 1980-2004 (boxes 10-12, 31)
- Exhibition, Interview and Review, 1974-2008 (boxes 13-16)
- Research, ca. 1970s-2006 (boxes 16-23, 31)
- Audio and Video, 1974-2004 (boxes 24-28, 30)
- Artwork, 1966-2008 (boxes 28-34)
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
COLLECTION CONTAINS DIGITAL MATERIALS: Special equipment or further processing may be required for viewing. To access digital
materials you must notify the reference desk in advance of your visit.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Hall, D. J. (Debra Jane), 1951- --Archives.
Women painters --California, Southern --Archival resources.