Asher/Kunitz: Publishing Correspondence with William Claire.
Publishing Correspondence
Asher, Elise and Stanley Kunitz. Publishing Correspondence with William Claire. 1974-82.
A collection of correspondence between Asher and her husband, Stanley Kunitz, and poet William Claire, editor of the magazine Voyages.
Asher, a painter and poet known for playing text off of images and vice versa, trained at the Art Institute of Chicago before acquiring a degree at the Simmons School of Social Work. In 1947 she moved to New York, had her first show in 1953 at the Tanager Gallery; her work can now be found in the National Academy of Sciences, the Corcoran Gallery, and numerous other public and private collections. She married Stanley Kunitz – her second husband and later poet laureate of New York State and of the United States – in 1958. Asher died in 2004.
As follows:
1. Asher. Card reproducing one of Asher’s paintings. Inscribed on the verso to Claire; with envelope.
2. Claire. Typed letter signed photocopy to Asher, regarding his plan to publish an anthology about American poetry and paintings.
3. Jones, Jean. Typed letter signed, from Jean Jones of The American Scholar concerning Claire’s review of “A Kind of Order, A Kind of Folly” by Kunitz, with a copy of the review.
Correspondence
(by Asher, to Claire, unless otherwise noted)
Autograph letter signed, 2 pages, July 10, 1974, responding to Claire’s suggestion of the anthology of art and poetry and much more. In purple ink.
Autograph letter signed, 1 page, October 24, [19]74, about working together, her plans, etc.
Autograph letter signed, 1 page, November 3, 1974, regarding the use of Claire’s connections to further
Asher’s work, etc.
Autograph letter signed, 1 page, April 11, 1975, discussing her work.
Autograph letter signed, April 23, 1975, 1 page, enclosing copies of magazines, joking about Claire becoming her agent, etc.
(by Kunitz, to Claire, unless otherwise noted)
Typed letter signed, one page, September 28, 1975, responding to Claire’s comments about “Order & Folly,” noting that Claire will review it: “I rather hope you don’t have to pair me with Allen Tate. He’s a dear friend, in poor health, whom I worry about.”
Typed letter signed, 1 page, July 23, 1976, noting that Claire will be in charge of the Smithsonian evenings and suggesting a number of potential invitees.
Typed letter signed, 1 page, May 3, 1978, apologizing for not reading Claire’s work, and inviting him to New York for a drink.
Autograph letter signed, one page, July 19, 1979, thanking Claire for his comments about Kunitz’s book, “my life.”
Typed letter signed, 1 page, September 16, 1985, noting that the Fine Arts Center is looking for a director and asking if Claire might be interested.
Brochure from the Fine Arts Center in Provincetown (MA) with a very short comment by Kunitz.
Artwork
Asher. Collage: Original drawing around 3 dimensional images pasted to a card. 6 ½ x 9 inches. Inscribed on the verso: “Greetings to the Claire Household / from the / Kunitz Breakfast Corner / and hello Bell - Elise A.”
Asher. Original drawing on glassine. Inscribed, “Bless You and Peace | Elise Asher”
Color reproduction of “Ruminations At Dawn” 1968, oil on plexiglass, 8 ½ x 11 inches.
Printed matter
Press release from the Ingber Gallery about Asher’s work.
Press release about Asher’s exhibition at the National Academy of Sciences ... 12/17/1982; with two color reproductions of work (one signed).
(Asher) Mechanically reproduced material: biography (2 pp.), articles (2).
Photographs
Photograph of Stanley Kunitz.
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