Artist and gallery files consist of a total of 390 linear feet of materials made up of post cards, announcements, pamphlets, invitations, and other ephemera promoting the work of artists or exhibitions of artworks organized by galleries dating from the late 1950s to the present. The collection is especially strong in ephemera related to contemporary art and artists both in the United States and internationally. 156 file drawers or 338 linear feet are made up of One Artist files, consisting of ephemeral items relating to individual artists and/or their one man shows. 15 file drawers or 32.5 linear feet consist of ephemeral items for group shows, grouped by gallery. 9 file drawers or 19.5 linear feet consist of ephemeral items for group shows organized by insitutions such as universities or colleges or galleries affiliated with these institutions. These materials are grouped by institution. The collection is particularly strong in ephemera from galleries and institutions in the Los Angeles area.

The Artist and gallery files were and are compiled and maintained by the staff of the Balch Art Research Library and have been since the opening of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Wilshire Boulevard in 1965. Some materials date to the 1950s and were probably acquired by the library while it was serving the Los Angeles Museum of Science History and Art (now the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History) at Exposition Park before the Art Museum became an independant entity. Most of the ephemera was mailed directly to the museum either to the Research Library or to curators who passed the materials along for inclusion in the files.

390.0 Linear feet

Contact the Balch Research Library at 323-856-6118 or library@lacma.org for information on publishing or reproducing materials included in these records. Permission will be granted by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art as the owner of the physical materials, and does not imply permission from the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain all necessary permissions from the copyright holder.