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Sarah Mundy and Stephanie Ashley; Ricky Gomez
Scope and Contents
The papers of New York-based, Argentinian born conceptual and performance artist Jaime Davidovich, measure 18.2 linear feet and 2.61 GB and date from 1949 to 2020. The collection document's Davidovich's transition from Argentina to the United States, his early artistic career in both countries, specific projects and exhibitions, and the way in which Davidovich's work intersected with audiovisual media and the New York avant-garde in the 1960s and 1970s. Papers include biographical materials, correspondence, writings including memoirs, exhibition and project files, scrapbooks, printed materials, professional activity material, artwork, photographic material, and exhibition and ephemera items.
Biographical materials include Davidovich's contacts in address books, a certificate, curriculum vitae, a membership card, and a report card. A photograph album documents his New York apartment and studio after first coming to New York in the 1960s. Also found are records of the Wooster Street Corporation where Davidovich later lived and had his studio.Additional material includes calendar books, Argentina military enrollment records, school records, and passports and identification cards.
Correspondence is with museums, galleries, artists, and curators, notably Julieta Hanono, Ilene Segalove, and Julia Herzberg, and includes early correspondence from Argentina during Davidovich's time as a student and a teacher in Buenos Aires. Additional correspondence includes correspondence with Grita Ingram, Simon Feldman, Kathy High, and general correspondence from 1959 to 2016.
Writings include artist statements, lecture note cards, a letter of recommendation, memoir drafts, and a manuscript about Davidovich by Carolyn Kinder Carr. Memoirs provide detailed information about Davidovich's childhood, education, and early career. Additional writings consist of some articles by Davidovich such as "El Vacio Y la Nueva Problematica" and a number of notebooks. The notebooks mainly consists of outlines, sketches, and notes for the various television broadcasts produced by Davidovich.
Exhibition files consist of correspondence, notes, gallery floor plans, photographic material, lists of artwork, and exhibition announcements.
Project files contain bound project books, proposals, correspondence, notes, sketches, photographic and source material for the Artists' Television Network, Wooster Enterprises, and other projects.
Scrapbooks record Davidovich's career in fine arts and design. Printed material includes art reproductions, books, brochures and booklets, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, flyers, periodicals, posters, and press releases.
Printed material consists of articles, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, posters, press releases, and books related to Davidovich and his exhibitions and television productions. Also included are posters and postcards related to Wooster Enterprises.
Professional activity files consist of correspondence and forms related to symposiums, presentations, workshops, and artist-in-residency programs Davidovich participated in. Also included are some interviews with Davidovich and grants and fellowships he applied for.
Artwork consists of numerous sketches and sketchbooks by Davidovich. The majority of the sketches are of individuals, and most of the sketchbooks contain designs and ideas for his various television productions.
Photographic material consists of photographs of Davidovich, photographs of the New York City Area taken by Davidovich, photographs of his artwork and television stills, and photographs of his studios. Also included are negatives and slides of his artwork and some of his television productions.
Exhibition and ephemera material consists of exhibition items featured in exhibitions Davidovich participated in. Items include a chess set, paddle rackets, and a model of an exhibition space. Also included are ephemeral items such as pins from "The Live! Show", toy televisions, and lab coat Davidovich wore while portraying Dr. Videovich for various television productions. Most exhibition items were used in Fluxus related exhibitions.
The bulk of material related to Davidovich's artworks, especially later ones, and the artworks themselves are located at NYU Fales Library.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers were donated by Jaime Davidovich in 2016 and in 2023 by the Jaime Davidovich Foundation via Ariel Aisiks, manager.
Related Materials
The bulk of the records related to Davidovich's artworks, especially later ones, and artworks themselves, are located in the Jaime Davidovich Collection, 1952-2000, at New York University's Fales Library.
Funding
Sponsor
The processing and digitization of this collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. Additional funding for the digitization of the papers was provided by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2018. The collection was prepared for digitization and the finding aid was revised by Stephanie Ashley in 2020. An addition was processed and the finding aid updated by Ricky Gomez in 2023. Born-digital components for the collection were processed by Ryan Evans and Ricky Gomez in 2023.
