Collection Information
Size: 2.9 Linear feet
Summary: The papers of author, art critic, and art historian Russell Lynes, measure 2.9 linear feet and date from 1930-1986. The bulk of the material is related to Lynes's research for his 1973 book, The Good Old Modern: An Intimate Portrait of the Museum of Modern Art . Also included are some personal papers and photographs.
Biographical/Historical Note
Russell Lynes (1910-1991) was an author, art critic, and art historian in New York City. He was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and graduated from Yale University in 1932. Lynes worked as director of publications at Vassar College from 1936-1937, and served as assistant head principal and then head principal at the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, from 1938-1944. From 1944-1967 Lynes was an editor of Harper's Magazine . He authored many books and articles on art, architecture, and culture, and served on the boards of numerous organizations. Lynes was the brother of photographer George Platt Lynes.
Provenance
Portions of the collection were lent for microfilming from 1968-1978, and the bulk of the collection, including some of the loaned material, was donated by Russell Lynes from 1968-1989.
Related Materials
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent by Russell Lynes and microfilmed on reels N70-40, D310, 1859, 494, 153, and 3967. This material includes papers concerning California painter and muralist Howard Warshaw, consisting of correspondence about his work and exhibitions, exhibition catalogs and announcements, sketches, photographs of works of art, published writings, material sent to Lynes for his editorial opinion, and Lynes's essay for the catalog, "Howard Warshaw: A Decade of Murals." It also includes correspondence, clippings, and estate records related to Olana, Frederick Church's estate on the Hudson River in Greenport, New York; reports, press releases, articles, clippings, and other printed material related to government sponsorship of the arts; and material related to Eugene Berman including photographs, correspondence, and exhibition catalogs and announcements.
Some of the loaned materials were returned to the donor and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Language Note
English .
Funding Note
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
Image assets for this folder have not been fully processed.
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