Betty Blake's Alfred Jensen Painting Papers
Scope and Contents
The collection contains papers and publications related to painter Alfred Jensen, specifically the Jensen painting The Ten Thousand Things owned by Betty Blake and bequested to the Dallas Museum of Art. These include orignal sale documents, loan correspondence, and exhibition catalogues. The collection also includes an exhibition catalogue and magazine documenting Blake's collection as a whole and her home where the collection was hung.
Dates
- 1973 - 2007
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for public research. Researchers must make an appointment to view this collection.
Biographical / Historical
Betty Blake was born on April 25, 1916 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She moved to Dallas in 1943 with her third husband, though she maintained a summer home in Newport, Rhode Island. Blake had a long-standing passion for art, particularly contemporary art, and was an active collector. She was a supporter of numerous arts organizations including The American Federation of Arts, Smithsonian National Museum of American Art, Texas Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts, Fort Worth Art Museum, and Newport Art Museum. She opened the Betty McLean Gallery in 1951, the first contemporary art gallery in Dallas, which would evolve into Valley House Gallery.
Blake acquired Alfred Jensen's The Ten Thousand Things from The Pace Gallery in 1973. The painting often hung with pride of place in her living room. The painting was donated to the DMA after Blake's death on August 8, 2016.
Note written by Hillary Bober
Alfred Jensen (1903–1981), born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, was an abstract painter. His paintings are often characterized by grids of brightly colored triangles, circles or squares, painted in thick impasto. Conveying a complex web of ideas, often incorporating calligraphy or numerical systems, they are frequently referred to as "concrete" abstract art.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Jensen
Extent
0.25 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The collection contains papers and publications related to painter Alfred Jensen, specifically the Jensen painting The Ten Thousand Things owned by Betty Blake and bequested to the Dallas Museum of Art. Included are sale documents, loan correspondence, and exhibition catalogues. The collection also includes an exhibition catalogue and magazine documenting Blake's collection as a whole and her home where the collection was hung.
Arrangement
The content and/or extent of the collection does not necessitate a formal arrangement scheme; general alphabetical, chronological or numerical order may be used.
Custodial History
Material from the collection was displayed as part of an exhibition featuring The Ten Thousand Things to celebrate Betty Blake and the bequest in Fall 2016-August 2017.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Douglas Blake, by deed of gift.
Processing Information
Processed by Hillary Bober. Processing completed 16 December 2016.
Additional description/notes were added for DACS compliance and ArchivesSpace local usage guidelines in 2021.
- Title
- Finding Aid to the Betty Blake's Alfred Jensen Painting Papers
- Author
- Hillary Bober
- Date
- 07/17/2018
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Dallas Museum of Art Archives Repository