Dian Jordan, Ph.D. Candidate University of Texas of the Permian Basin Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim “I cannot exhibit this painting at the Museum.” Jan 23, 1963 Lawrence Alloway, Guggenheim NY Photo: Shunk-Kender © Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York 2005 Photo © Tais Melillo Oral History Challenge Let the person tell their story… uninterrupted. Photo: Shunk-Kender © Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Andy Warhol (center) interviews Stevenson. Silver Clouds launch on The Factory roof (Fall 1965) Photo © Billy Name Oral History Challenge • Permissions / info regarding found photographs •Warhol website - details of event and ID of Billy Kluver (right). •Provided the agent contact for Billy Name. •Agent suggests Billy can call to discuss other details or find more photos. Photo © Billy Name Oral History Challenge • With Billy Kluver’s name, I was able to find audio •6,000 hours of audio over 20+ year time span •http://ubumexico.centro.org. mx/sound/warhol_andy/warh ol_tapes/Warhol-Tapes-17- On-The-Roof-With-Billy- Kluver.mp3 •“It is very curious…” Photo © Billy Name Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Bow and Arrow Acquired by Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Smithsonian Institution Reproduction request not granted Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Smithsonian archives •Oral History tapes •Tapes of others (artists, agents, collectors) that mention Stevenson •Other tapes had transcripts – called and received for Stevenson •Exhibition (dates) folio Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Expand the search beyond “artists” •Donors •Curatorial staff •Restricted interviews Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art, New York •Oral History tapes •Lily Auchincloss LA: I'm a trustee of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine and chairman of the arts program. Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Library of Congress 1950s-1960s music industry icon, Joe Smith 25 years ago, former DJ, interviews music legends. Yoko Ono – Stevenson’s neighbor in NYC. Oral History Challenge Become educated on copyright law and permission requests. LIFE and Time magazines are difficult to obtain permissions from… and expensive. Reproduction request not granted Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim “I was a poor starving artist. I finally found an 8th floor walkup with a balcony overlooking a courtyard.” Remember the 8th floor walk-up part… Photo by Rosine Bigot Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim LeSensuel Fantastique 25 panels Portrait of Lord Timothy Willoughby de Eresby Photo by Andre Morain courtesy of the Harold Stevenson collection Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim New Adam goes “His lordship to US. is in the Time magazines buff.” Nov 29, 1963 Dec 6, 1963 “Eyebrows will go up.” Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Stevenson is unaware of Willoughby’s lineage & social class. Willoughby lives with Stevenson in Paris. “whom I first thought to be a naughty British ‘pay boy’ literally from the streets.” Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Nothing Important We were of men who through often Ever Dies of filthy darkness grope. By: Romain Gary We did not dare to breathe a prayer, Or to give our anguish scope: Something was dead in each of us, And what was dead was hope.” Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim “Tell me about this painting.” Frames on his table were the significant stories of his life. Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim “She asked me to marry her. ” ..I just couldn’t. I had to say no.” Oral History Challenge In July, no air conditioning was an issue. Bring water. Schedule interviews for mornings. Take food to elderly that live alone. Oral History Challenge Select an interesting item to prompt conversation. “Harold, tell me about this photograph?” Oral History Challenge Embedded knowledge Stevenson is known for portraits Ask the not- obvious question What is this piece (landscape) Beavers Bend State Park Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Depression era poverty Native American Indians Cowboys Bible belt of Southern Christian religion Alta Fly and Harold Stevenson - art camp Photo courtesy Harold Stevenson collection Oral History Challenge Alta Fly was eager to share her correspondence with Harold, dating back to the 1950s. Photo courtesy of the Alta Fly collection Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Lawrence Alloway “Frankly, if I included letter, January 1963 Harold’s spectacular nude, I Jim Dine Jasper Johns believe that the whole Roy Lichtenstein James Rosenquist weight of public attention Andy Warhol would be drawn towards ‘The Replaces Stevenson New Adam’. For this reason… with I cannot exhibit this Robert Raushenberg painting at the museum....” Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Iris Clert prints Alloway letter. World-wide distribution --- before social media February 29, 1963 Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Guggenheim New York prepares for Six Painters and the Object Exhibition Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim “What a sadness, …we must wait until history has claimed a work before it can go ‘home’. I do not mean to rave of injustice nor unfairness and I know how hard and fast the rules of big organizations are ….” Courtesy Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives, New York Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim “One of the functions of the Museum is an educational one, and in my judgment, our obligations would not be furthered by having The New Adam in it.” Lawrence Alloway February 13, 1963 Courtesy Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives, New York Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim “The work obviously recalls Michelangelo’s Adam from Sistine chapel….” Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim “What I remember is that Robert Rosenblum really championed this acquisition and exhibition, and the fact of its history….” Lisa Dennison Selections from the Collection: Pop and the Art of Assemblage, 1960–1975, May 13 – September 1, 2006. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Photo: David Heald Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim 8 x 40 feet 2.5 x 12 meters 9 panels Sometimes referred to as 8 panels 5 & 6 are split Courtesy Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives, New York National Conference of the Oral History Assn. Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim October 9-13,2013 Oklahoma City, OK USA Study for panels Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim 1 panel study Face in pencil sketch Model reposed on right arm Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim The final first piece. Photo: Shunk-Kender © Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Ropes and pulleys lower the panels from Stevenson’s 8th floor walk up to the courtyard below and into the gallery Photo: Shunk-Kender © Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim “It was hard to live with Alloway’s injustice. Think what would happen today if such a thing should be perpetrated, say - on a feminist? Harold Stevenson 2001 Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim “Art is not solely the possession of the artist, but the society in which it must reside.” Stevenson Harold Stevenson: From Idabel to Guggenheim Harold Stevenson… As he remembers Iris Clert Gallery, Paris France January 1963 Photo: Shunk-Kender © Roy Lichtenstein Foundation .