William and Ethel Baziotes papers, circa 1900-1992, bulk 1935-1980

Correspondence mostly consists of letters to William Baziotes, with a limited number of outgoing letters. Letters to Baziotes are from Lawrence Alloway, Alfred Barr, Andre Breton, Clement Greenberg, Peggy Guggenheim, David Hare, Jean Helion, Maria and Robert Motherwell, Charles Peterson, Jackson Pollock, and others. Other notable correspondents in this series include John Canaday, John (Giovanni) Castano, Gerome Kamrowski, Gordon Onslow-Ford, Gertrud Schumm, Ethel Schwabacher, and Byron Vazakas. It should be noted that there are usually only one or two letters from most of the correspondents. There are also numerous letters from the Samuel M. Kootz Gallery regarding the sales of his artwork.

Especially noteworthy are William Baziotes's letters to his brother Christos. Baziotes encourages Christos and another brother Harry in their art, and discusses employment on the WPA Easel Project, the New York art scene, teaching at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences and at New York University, his relationships with Paul Bodin, Clement Greenberg, Samuel Kootz, Francis Lee, Joan Miro, and Robert Motherwell.

Also included in this series are condolence letters to Ethel Baziotes upon the death of her husband. There are letters to Ethel from friends and artists, as well as museums and galleries regarding retrospective exhibitions at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Newport Harbor Museum.

Letters to William Baziotes are at the beginning of the series, followed by letters from William Baziotes, letters to William and Ethel Baziotes, condolence letters to Ethel Baziotes, and finally letters to Ethel Baziotes. The letters are mostly arranged chronologically within each grouping.