The New York Tapes: Alan Solomon’s Interviews for Television, 1965–66

The New York Tapes is a collection of previously unpublished interviews with seminal East Coast artists and their associates conducted by famed curator Alan Solomon for the documentary television series USA: Artists in the mid-1960s. The interviews were lost but preserved in typed transcripts, which are published here for the first time, extensively illustrated with stills from the television programs and related documentation. The transcripts provide new material and reveal how what was included in the final programs became manipulated to fit the format of documentary television.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 624 pages
Publication date: 07 November 2023
Publisher: Circle Books

This extensive volume presents for the first time a collection of interviews conducted with pivotal East Coast artists and their associates, encompassing Kenneth Noland, Jim Dine, Roy Lichtenstein, Marcella Brenner, Helen Jacobson, Clement Greenberg, Helen Frankenthaler, Larry Poons, Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Claes Oldenburg, Barnett Newman, Leo Castelli, Andy Warhol, Gerard Malanga, and Edie Sedgwick. These groundbreaking conversations were originally captured in late 1965 and early 1966 for the documentary television series USA: Artists, curated by the renowned Alan Solomon, a prominent figure in the New York art scene during that era. This project served as a natural extension of Solomon's extensive curatorial endeavors, notably his involvement in organizing the United States exhibition at the 1964 Venice Biennale.

The half-hour format of the episodes necessitated the exclusion of numerous original interviews, some of which extended beyond an hour in duration. Unfortunately, after the series concluded, the original filmed and tape-recorded interviews were lost. However, a single set of typed transcripts, meticulously preserved in the Alan R. Solomon papers at the Archives of American Art, a branch of the Smithsonian Institution (co-publisher of this volume), stands as the sole complete record of the original interviews.

The New York Tapes brings together these interview transcripts and presents them as a cohesive body for the first time, accompanied by an abundance of stills from the television programs and related documentation. The transcripts offer valuable insights that were not included in the final programs, providing a deeper understanding of the artists and their contributions.

Alan Solomon's dedication to preserving and sharing the legacy of these artists is evident in his tireless efforts, and this volume serves as a testament to his invaluable contribution to the art world. The New York Tapes is a significant addition to the literature on postwar art and offers a valuable glimpse into the minds

history and the creative processes of these influential artists.

Dimension: 191 x 127 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780578635286