Guide to the Papers of Ruth Abrams (1912-1986),
1934-1986 (bulk 1970s)

Series I: General, 1945-1986.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by topic.

Scope and Content:

This series is comprised of items of a broad nature that relate to Ruth Abrams' life, interests, and artwork. This includes biographical information, personal papers, articles, and documents pertaining to the disposition of Abrams artwork and other topics.

The Biographical section contains documents from biographic indexes in which Ruth Abrams was included and biographical outlines which were used in exhibits. Personal papers include correspondence to, from, and about Ruth Abrams, an appointment book, and legal papers. Correspondence is between Abrams and various family members, associates, and friends, including a letter from Lewis Mumford. The larger amount of the correspondence is personal and family-related.

Articles include newspaper and magazine clippings of interest to Abrams and which she collected. Some of the topics are: exhibits of her paintings, various artistic themes, and articles on outer space, exploration, and astronomy. Book reviews and some clippings are often annotated or marked by Abrams to show sections of the articles she found interesting. One large folder contains papers related to the fate of various works by Abrams, including documents on loans, donations, and purchases of her art collection. The rest of the documents pertain to various organizations and individuals.

Series II: Written Material,  1950-1982.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by topic.

Scope and Content:

This series is comprised of Abrams' creative writing, essays, and notes, as well as one folder of reviews and comments about her art.

Writings consist of both fiction and non-fiction works of Ruth Abrams. None of these works appear to have been published. Her non-fiction writings include essays, theses, and creative writing. Abrams' Creativity Thesis focused on the relationship between artists and society, and the role and meaning of art in modern society. Her Perception Thesis discussed themes such as personality projection, perception of figures in artwork, and the psychology of artistic self-expression. Essays include papers on non-art-related topics and discussion of the Great Mother theme, which focuses on topics such as the concept of goddesses and matriarchal figures, maternal manifestations in nature, and similar concepts. Creative writing includes several short stories and a draft of a novel, as well as a lengthy play.

Notes are mostly handwritten drafts and notes for papers and essays. Items in the folder "Personal statements by Ruth Abrams about Her Art" contain notations which describe her development as an artist and explain why she painted and her perception of herself as an artist. Other themes addressed in this folder are the phenomenon of the unexpected, the perception of the viewer, "pure" abstract art, and Abrams' experience with the New York's Artist Club and Abstract Expressionist group. Included is a handwritten transcript of a taped interview with Abrams concerning her artistic development. Excerpts of non-art related personal writing is also available in this subseries, possibly from a journal, which discuss conflicts Abrams dealt with in her personal life.

Reviews consist of handwritten and typewritten reviews by Abrams of other painters' works as well as others' comments on her art. Reviews and comments on her art are both handwritten and typed, and take the form of essays, reviews, poems, and comments expressing reactions upon seeing her work.

Series III: Microcosms,  1963-1980.

Arrangement:

Arranged by topic.

Scope and Content:

The concept of Microcosms was one of the central themes of Ruth Abrams' art. In the early 1960s Abrams' work was diametrically opposed in scale to that of the New York School. The artist reduced the massive images, common to the Abstract Expressionist movements, into a few square inches of color and space. The Microcosms were envisioned as freed from the arbitrary horizon line, which has been an artistic reference point for centuries. By representing infinite cosmic spaces within a small frame Ruth Abrams continued her exploration of the concepts of scale and space in painting.

This series consists mostly of Ruth Abrams handwritten and typewritten writings on the concept of Microcosms, including drafts of essays prepared for publication.

This Series also contains a list of Ruth Abrams' paintings and some promotional materials for Microcosms exhibits, including brochures and final versions of essays on Microcosms.

Series IV: Paradox of the Big,  1967-1981.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by topic.

Scope and Content:

Series IV contains materials related to the production of Ruth Abrams' film Paradox of the Big. The concept of the Paradox evolved out of Ruth Abrams explorations of Microcosms ( see Series III). The small scale of Microcosms painting sought to convey the idea that, when viewed from the unthinkable vantage point of infinity, any scale within the range of our cognitive capacity is meaningless. Ruth Abrams focused on those forces in the world that transcend human experience. This explains the use of the smallest possible images to represent forms whose infinite size is beyond human's ability to comprehend. The film Paradox of the Big was about a visionary exploration in space as expressed in Ruth Abrams' painting.

The largest folder of this series contains Ruth Abrams' handwritten and typewritten notes on the film and several annotated drafts of the scripts. In this folder the researcher will find drafts of essays explaining the idea of the film, writings about camera technique used, lists of administrative things to do, notes on script by Ruth's friend/colleague Joe (presumably Joe MacCarthy).

The rest of the materials in this series document different stages of the film production: grant applications to the CAPS (Creative Artists Public Service Program) and to the New York State Council of the Arts; budget documents, distribution agreements; correspondence and comments on the film, promotional materials; interviews; and a video tape of the film itself.

Included are also drafts of Ruth Abrams' article "Some Aspects of Visual Perception Today", which she wrote during the production of the Paradox of the Big.

Series V: Exhibits, 1934-1983.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by gallery or exhibit.

Scope and Content:

This series contains information on Ruth Abrams' solo and group exhibits in the United States and abroad. Materials include clippings, exhibit announcements, brochures, posters, correspondence with galleries, lists of works, press releases. For a list of galleries refer to the Container List and Chronology of Ruth Abrams' life.

Series VI: Visual Material, 1950s-1980s.

Arrangement:

Arranged by type of material and topic.

Scope and Content:

Consists of approximately 350 photographs (both black-and-white and color), negatives, a few slides, and transparencies, as well as an oversized sketch. There are approximately 60-70 personal photographs. Other than Abrams, the few individuals who are identified are: Sandra Gilbert (Metropolitan Museum of Art), Charles Abrams, Ruth Anschen, Barry Heiney, Kouzmanoff, and Agda Roebuot. About eighty percent of this series consists of photographs of Abrams' artwork; only some of which are identified and most are undated. There are frequently multiple shots of the same painting. The series also contains four images of unidentified sculptures.

OVERSIZED MATERIAL, unadted, 1984, 1957.