Brainard (Joe) Archive, 1960-1992

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Summary

Title:
Joe Brainard Archive
Dates:
1960-1992
Creators:
Brainard, Joe, 1942-1994
Abstract:
Materials collected by Robert Butts, consisting primarily of diverse works by and regarding New York artist and writer Joe Brainard (1942-1994).
Extent:
5.5 Linear feet (7 archives boxes, 1 shoe box, 2 flat boxes, 50 art bin items, and 18 map case folders)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Joe Brainard Archive. MSS 5. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.

Background

Scope and content:

Materials collected by Robert Butts, consisting primarily of diverse works by and regarding New York artist and writer Joe Brainard (1942-1994). The Joe Brainard Archive consists of numerous examples of Brainard's graphic work dating from 1962 to 1979, most of the books illustrated by Brainard, all of Brainard's manuscripts and published writings, notebooks for Brainard's I Remember series and several other books, Brainard's correspondence with members of the Butts family and correspondence to Brainard from Ned Rorem and Virgil Thomson, checklists of Brainard's artistic production constructed by Robert Butts, and a selection of articles devoted to Brainard's career. In addition to the Brainard materials, the Archive also includes an oil painting by Tom Clark, and a few ink sketches by poets Ron Padgett and Allen Ginsberg. There are also manuscripts of Ted Berrigan, Tom Clark and Rudy Kikel, in addition to broadsides and books written by New York School writers such as John Ashbery, Edwin Denby, and Kenneth Koch. Primarily a study collection, the importance of the Joe Brainard Archive is in documenting the wide range, topical as well as technical, of Joe Brainard's artistic production over a twenty-year period, ca. 1960-1979.

Accession Processed in 1987: This portion of the collection contains many examples of Brainard's artwork as well as book and cover illustrations, manuscripts, and published writings, all dating from ca. 1960 to 1979. It also includes original art and documentation by and of other notable artists and writers.

Arranged in five series: 1) ARTWORK, 2) MANUSCRIPTS, 3) CORRESPONDENCE, 4) CATALOGS, and 5) BIBLIOGRAPHIES.

Accessions Processed in 1991, 1993: Portions of the Joe Brainard Archive processed in 1991 and 1993 contain originals of artwork by Joe Brainard for collaborations with Bill Berkson and Kenward Elmslie, and correspondence related to Robert Butts' projects.

Arranged in four series: 6) CORRESPONDENCE, 7) ARTWORK, 8) MANUSCRIPTS, and 9) PHOTOGRAPHS.

Biographical / historical:

Born in Arkansas in 1942 and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Brainard moved to New York City in 1961. There, he quickly developed friendships with Frank O'Hara, James Schuyler, Bill Berkson, Barbara Guest, and other participants in the New York School. The large number of collaborative works in the collection, as well as the many illustrations Brainard did for books by others, reflect the sense of community shared by these artists.

Brainard's achievement, however, is remarkable quite aside from his many associations. Brainard harmonized linguistic and visual materials in extraordinary ways. His graphic work is notably literary, often incorporating words and sentences into non-literary designs. Such qualities prompted Frank O'Hara to say that Brainard's work had "nothing to do with philosophy, it's all art." Both the art work and writing is full of information and frequently takes erotic and semiotic risks. In one of his more scandalous serial works, Brainard subjected Ernie Bushmiller's Nancy to every imaginable erotic and high art situation.

A prolific artist, Brainard's work has been exhibited extensively in the New York City area since the early 1960s. His first retrospective show, consisting of work from 1960-1970, took place at the Phyllis Kind Gallery in Chicago in 1970. In the mid-1970s he created over 3,000 miniature collages, paintings, and drawings for a major show at the Fischbach Gallery in Manhattan. The materials gathered in the Joe Brainard Archive were first exhibited at the Long Beach Museum of Art in 1980. In 1986 they were again exhibited at UC San Diego. Brainard died May 25, 1994 in New York City.

Acquisition information:
Acquired 1984-1993.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Special Collections Archives, UC San Diego Library
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-12-09 11:08:55 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Original sound recordings are restricted. Listening copies may be available for researchers.

Terms of access:

Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.

Preferred citation:

Joe Brainard Archive. MSS 5. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.

Location of this collection:
9500 Gilman Drive, Dept. 0175
La Jolla, CA 92093-0175, US
Contact:
(858) 534-2533
spcoll@ucsd.edu
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