An Inventory of His Art Collection at the Harry Ransom Center
Creator:
Ford, Charles Henri, 1913-2002
Title:
Charles Henri Ford Art Collection
Dates:
1964-1986
Extent:
1 box, 2 Flat Files (34 items)
Abstract:
The collection consists of 15 offset lithographs by Charles Henri Ford (American,
1913-2002) from his series, Poem Posters, 18 collages of
juxtaposed images and poetry, and one screen print.
Call Number:
Art Collection AR-00336
Language:
English and
French
Access:
Open for research. Please note that a minimum of 24 hours notice is required to pull
Art
Collection materials to the Ransom Center's Reading and Viewing Room. Some materials
may be
restricted from viewing. To make an appointment or to reserve Art Collection materials,
please contact the Center's staff at art@hrc.utexas.edu. Researchers must create an
online
Research Account and agree to the Materials Use Policy before using archival materials.
Use Policies:
Ransom Center collections may contain material with sensitive or confidential information
that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers
are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable
living
individuals represented in the collections without the consent of those individuals
may have
legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy
may
arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be
deemed
highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the Ransom Center and The University
of
Texas at Austin assume no responsibility.
Restrictions on Use:
Authorization for publication is given on behalf of the University of Texas as the
owner of
the collection and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright
holder
which must be obtained by the researcher. For more information please see the Ransom
Centers' Open Access and Use Policies.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Charles Henri Ford Art Collection (AR-00336). Harry Ransom Center, The University
of Texas
at Austin.
For a biographical sketch of Ford, please see the finding aid for Charles Henri Ford
Papers
(MS-01435).
Sources
Pawlik, Joanna. "Re-membering Surrealism in Charles Henri Ford's Poem Posters (1964-1965)."
Art History 41, no. 1 (2018): 154-191.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8365.12302. Accessed 10 May 2018.
Rood, Karen L. "Charles Henri Ford (10 February 1913-)." American Poets, 1880-1945:
Second
Series, edited by Peter Quartermain, 48, Gale, (1986): 191-210. Dictionary of Literary Biography 48 (1986). Dictionary of
Literary Biography Complete Online,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/FEYRDK912515051/DLBC?u=txshracd2598&sid=DLBC.
Accessed 10 May 2018.
Smith, Roberta. "ART IN REVIEW; Charles Henri Ford -- 'Printed Matter 1929-1969'."
The New York Times, 25 June 1999.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of 33 artworks by Charles Henri Ford (American, 1913-2002)
that
were created in collaboration with other known artists and individuals, and one screen
print.
It is divided into three series: I. Poem Posters, II. Collages, and III. Other Works.
Series I consists of 15
offset lithographs that exist in unique or limited edition poster format in combinations
of
layered, interchangeable text and images of celebrities, poets, and other literary
and
artistic figures of the 1960s. Ford produced these works in close collaboration with
his
printer in Athens, Vassily Papachrysanthou. Poem Posters was
first exhibited in the United States at Cordier and Ekstrom Gallery in New York in
May 1965.
Ford created a film of the exhibition opening party which he also entitled Poem Posters (1967). The titles for this series are taken from
checklists for exhibitions of the posters at Ubu Gallery, New York City (Charles Henri
Ford:
Printed Matter 1929-1969, May 15-July 2, 1999) and Guillaume Galozzi (Gallery), New
York
City (Charles Henri Ford: Poster Poems [1965], October 7-30, 1993), as well as titles
from
Joanna Pawlik's article, "Re-membering Surrealism in Charles Henri Ford's Poem Posters
(1964-1965)" (see Sources below for bibliographic information).
Series II. Collages is divided into Subseries A and B. Subseries A contains collages
of
clippings by Reepak Shakya, paired with haiku by Ford. Subseries B is comprised of
black and
white photographs by Indra Tamang with haiku by Ford. Ford spent much of his time
in Nepal
after his first visit in 1972. Some photographs in this series may have been taken
in Ford's
home, named The Hermitage, in Kathmandu.
Series III. Other Works consists of one screen print of collaged images of well-known
artists and persons, including Andy Warhol, members of Warhol's circle, and Ford himself.
This image was used for the front and back covers of Ford's publication of collage
poems, Silver Flower Coo (1968). The source of the print title is a juxapostition of a curator and cataloger
supplied title (in brackets) and a lot listing from the collection of Bob Colacello,
sold through Paddle8 auction house on June 5, 2014.
Related Material
Manuscripts and correspondance by, to, and from Ford can be found in the Daisy Aldan
Papers
(MS-00056), Paul Bowles Collection (MS-00479), Charles Henri Ford Papers (MS-01435),
Dame
Edith Sitwell Collection (MS-03855), Pavel Tchelitchew Collection (MS-04175), and
Parker
Tyler Collection (MS-04300). Photographs of Ford can be found in the Charles Henri
Ford
Literary File Photography Collection, Pavel Tchelitchew Literary File Photography
Collection
(PH-02809), and Parker Tyler Literary File Photography Collection (PH-02656). One
drawing of
Ford by Tchelitchew is present in the Pavel Tchelitchew Art Collection (AR-00270).
