Oral history interview with Susan Rothenberg, 1987 May 22-June 2

Collection Information

Size: 147 Pages, Transcript

Format: Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 10 min.

Summary: An interview of Susan Rothenberg conducted 1987 May 22-1987 June 2, by Cynthia Nadelman, for the Archives of American Art.

Rothenberg speaks of her early life; her art training, early travels in Europe; starting out as a sculpture student in college; her arrival in New York, performance art; the art scene there in the 1960s and the 1970s; experimental painting techniques; the development of her "Horses" and "Mondrian" series. She discusses various exhibitions and working with galleries, including 112 Greene Street and Willard Gallery. She recalls her ex-husband George Trakas, Joan Jonas, Alan Saret, George Trakas, Nancy Graves, Richard Serra, Lucas Samaras, Mary Heilmann, Neil Jenney, and Miani Johnson, among others.

Biographical/Historical Note

Susan Rothenberg (1945-2020) was a figurative painter and sculptor in New York City and Galisteo, New Mexico.

Provenance

These interviews are part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Language Note

English .

Funding

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service. This interview received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative Pool.