Charles Henri Ford:
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. | |
| Acquisition: | Purchase, 1968, and gift, 2018 | |
| Processed by: | Jill Morena, 2018 |
| Repository: |
Biographical Sketch
| 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). | ||
Index Terms
People |
||
| Auden, W. H. (Wystan Hugh), 1907-1973. | ||
| Ford, Charles Henri. | ||
| Joans, Ted. | ||
| Malanga, Gerard. | ||
| Mansfield, Jayne, 1933-1967. | ||
| Rosenthal, Irving, 1930- . | ||
| Shakya, Reepak. | ||
| Tamang, Indra. | ||
| Warhol, Andy, 1928-1987. | ||
Subjects |
||
| Buddhism--Nepal. | ||
| Concrete poetry. | ||
| Gay artists--United States. | ||
| Haiku. | ||
| Mythology, Greek. | ||
| Portraits--1960-1970. | ||
| Portraits--1980-1990. | ||
Places |
||
| Nepal. | ||
Document Types |
||
| Collages (visual works). | ||
| Offset lithography. | ||
| Posters. | ||