A substantial and significant volume of material pertaining to the pioneering art critic and writer Dore Ashton, an early champion of Abstract Expressionism and the New York School, with scores of primary works related to both fine art and poetry. The archive can be divided into three major components: photographs, artwork, and written material.

The centerpiece of the written material is a thick notebook of material, compiled by Ashton over many years. Included are dozens of signed and dated typescript poems by Hilda Morley, Jane Randall, William Jay Smith, Barbara Howes, and Richard Wilbur.

The Wilbur material is particularly fascinating, and speaks to their close friendship and working relationship (Wilbur was a contributor to Ashton’s 1959 publication “Poets of the Past”). Included is an unpublished, hand-written poem by Wilbur. The poem, titled "Two Pre-Columbian Cultural Cheers”, is a jocular satire of the collegiate fight song. It was composed in 1957, on the occasion of the publication of Ashton’s 1957 book “Abstract Art Before Columbus.” There is also a printed copy of Wilbur’s “Advice to a Prophet,” inscribed with the following:

“I have just written a one-line play about Prometheus. Prometheus is tied to the rock: the eagle of Zeus is tormenting him. ENTER a SHALLOW OPTIMIST.

Shallow Optimist: “What’s Eating You?”

Other notable material includes two working drafts of poems by the important Peruvian author Blanca Varela. One of these is an early draft of her beloved prose poem “Calle Catorce” (“Fourteenth Street”) which bears a number of notable differences from the published version. There is also a page of manuscript sheet music composed by Yehudi Wymer, done so for a party of Yunkers’.

Also present are many examples of Ashton’s own writing, much of which pertains to some of the key figures in American art in the late 1940s and early 1950s. “It has been nearly three months since I visited Rothko in his studio, “begins one entry, “and the residue of feeling is with me. It bothers me that I have been unable to find the language to speak of the experience. Let alone the language to speak of the works of art.” There are also substantial entries pertaining to Phillip Guston, Jackson Pollock, and numerous others.

The photographic portion of the collection is equally robust. There are many wonderful and captivating portraits of Ashton taken throughout the years. Along with candid snapshots, there are many pictures of her shot by notable photographers including David Gahr, Larry Fink, David and Denise Hare, Renate Motherwell and others.

Also present are many photographs which were used to illustrate her 1973 book “The New York School: A Cultural Reckoning” such as a portrait of Milton Avery, shot by Lee Sievan, and a wonderful group portrait of the Forum 49 collective, showing Weldon Kees, Adolph Gottleib, and others. Other portraits of art world luminaries found in the collection include those of Philip Guston, Hannah Wilke, Robert Motherwell, Joseph Cornell, Will Barnet, Marisol Escobar, and many more. Another interesting aspect of the photographic collection is a group of about forty candid photos of a Rothko opening showing him, Guston, and others.

Ashton was, for a time, married to the Abstract Expressionist Adja Yunkers, and the present collection contains and the present collection also includes dozens of examples of his own work, mainly in the form of watercolor sketches, some with text or inscriptions to Ashton. Also included are four sketchbooks of Ashton’s own work, done in the 1950s and 60s, as well as a few of her woodblock prints.

The aforementioned notebook also contains many fascinating pieces of original art, crafted as unique Christmas cards, and given to Ashton and her one-time husband, the artist Adja Yunkers. These include works by the Abstract painter Perle Fine, Italian painter Pietro Dorazio, natalia dumitresco and her husband Alexandre Istrati, and a few others.

Overall a significant, endlessly fascinating account of a singular New York figure.

More images available upon request.