CVM Collections and Archives:

Special Collections (non-film)


Oskar Fischinger Collection and Archive
William Moritz Archive
CVM General Collection
Jordan Belson Archive
Mary Ellen Bute Collection
Glenn McKay Archive
Charles Dockum Archive
Hy Hirsh Photography Collection

Jules Engel, Whitney Brothers, Ed Emshwiller, Richard Baily, Misc. Collections



Oskar Fischinger Collection and Archive


Ticket to screening/Lumigraph performance at San Francisco Museum of Art, 1953

This collection contains papers and materials from both Oskar and Elfriede Fischinger; much of this collection is currently being processed. These papers are separate from William Moritz's extensive Fischinger research collection. Some examples can be seen on the Fischinger Research Pages. CVM owns the Oskar Fischinger films and papers, and administers rights to these materials (Gift of The Fischinger Trust).

 

Sketches

Documents from Art in Cinema series at San Francisco Museum of Art, 1946 - 53.

PAPERS (Articles, Correspondence, Manuscripts, Clippings, Program Notes, Flyers, Pamphlets, personal papers). Please note, nearly all correspondence and manuscripts pre-1936 are German language

Oskar Fischinger papers, approx 18 linear feet.
Elfriede Fischinger papers, 11 linear feet. Includes numerous film distribution files.
Plus:

Disney papers, 1.5 linear feet. Contracts, story meetings, pay stubs, car insurance, etc.
Hilla Rebay, 3 linear feet. Correspondence, Christmas cards, postcards.

Topics include: Art in Cinema. Philip Boyer, Censur cards, Cinema 16, Clippings 1922-1938. Coronet-Louvre Theatre . Bernhard Diebold. Diplomas. Equipment receipts. Euthymol plan. European Film Fund. Exhibition files from SF Museum of Art exhibition, 1950s. Film Kurier. FIlm Plans & Statements. Fiesta. Hans Fischinger. Frau im Mond. Frankfurt Filmmuseum. Gaspar Color. Inventories. Geyerwerke. Klingende Ornamente. Lab Orders. Fritz Lang. Legal. Ligafilm. Lumigraph. MGM. Manuscripts. MOMA (1940s-60s). Music Rights. Nierendorf paintings. Paramount. Pasadena Museum of Art 1959. Press Releases. Pure Oil. Prospects 1926-29. Raumlichtmusik. Rex Film. Hans Richter, Walter Ruttmann. Galka Scheyer. Cecile Starr. Statements by OF. Testimonials (originals). Tolirag, Trickfilm Werke. Typescripts by Oskar. Universal German. Various art exhibition files.

Flyers, programs from venues including Coronet Theatre, Oasis, Theatre Vanguard, Encounter Cinema, others.

MONOGRAPHS (Hundreds of Books, Exhibition Catalogs, Dissertations)

PERIODICALS (Journals, Magazines, Film Distributor Catalogs). Example: American Cinematographer, March 1968. "Psychedelic Visual Effects for "The Trip," Journals include Circle (1946), Film Culture. Incudes oversize archival box, newspapers.

ARTWORK: Paintings, Drawings, Animation Paintings and Drawings, Sketches. Black and White animation drawings, pencil on paper, from the films Allegretto, Kreise and more. Charcoal on paper animation artwork from Studie nr 5, Studie nr 6, Studie nr 8, Studie nr 9. Extensive animation paintings, pencil on paper drawings and materials from Radio Dynamics and Ornament Sound experiments (above, on exhibit at Weinstein Gallery SOMA, San Francisco). Concept paintings and pastels from Fantasia.

 

flipbooks

Elfriede's collection of c. 125 flipbooks including a Robert Breer flipbook (examples: Cal Arts, Ottawa 1978, Paul Glabicki, Ruth Hayes)

 

Front, Bill Moritz. Back, Stan Brakhage, Elfriede Fischinger, Cecile Starr

PHOTOGRAPHIC: 3 linear feet. Slides, prints, negatives, proofs, contact sheets.

POSTERS: 68

Animation paintings for Radio Dynamics, on display

PROCESS MATERIAL: Title cards, Storyboards, Designs, Animation sketches, original materials and unshot animation on paper from Ornament Sound experiments and other films. Some examples can be seen on the Fischinger research site. Other material includes Titles, drawings for titles for Allegretto, Radio Dynamics, Kreise, Gasparcolor, etc.

MUSIC SCORES: 2 oversize archival boxes. Includes Oskar's notated scores for films including Muratti, Composition in Blue, An Optical Poem, American March and more; plus numerous graphs and charts.

Example: Section of Oskar's notated score for American March

 

EXTENSIVE FILM, VIDEO and DIGITAL MEDIA Collections are not included here.

For Fischinger Research we recommend beginning with CVM's

Fischinger Research Pages

 

Note, artwork is housed offsite; special arrangements must be made for viewing


OTHER SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

William Moritz Archive

PAPER (Articles, Correspondence, Manuscripts, Clippings, Posters, Program Notes, Newsletters, Flyers, Pamphlets, and personal papers). Includes a near-complete set of all of Moritz's texts and writings, both published and unpublished, and his extensive research on Oskar Fischinger.

Folders include: Kenneth Anger, Berthold Bartosch, Jordan Belson, Mary Ellen Bute, Bruce Conner, Jules Engel, Hy Hirsh, Pat O'Neill, James Whitney, John Whitney, Thomas Wilfred, many others including color organ artists and inventors.

The finding aid is in progress. Useful links:

Dozens of Moritz articles are on CVM's online library

Link to List of Moritz lectures

MONOGRAPHS (Books, Journals, Exhibition Catalogs, Dissertations)

PERIODICALS (Journals, Magazines, Newsletters)

ARTIFACTS

PHOTOGRAPHIC (Slides, prints, negatives, proofs, contact sheets)

ARTWORK - Animation cels and drawings, pottery by James Whitney, artwork by Jordan Belson.

 

POSTERS including 1960s Fillmore and Avalon concert posters (left, Family Dog #14 poster, Avalon, SF; right, Velvet Underground at the Shrine, LA).

FILM AND VIDEO Holdings are not included here. The Moritz video and audiotape holdings include hundreds of reference videotapes on visual music, experimental film and animation; and dozens of video and audio interviews with Moritz over many decades.

Moritz's personal filmography with notes


CVM General Collections

PAPER (Articles, Correspondence, Manuscripts, Clippings, Program Notes, Newsletters, Flyers, Pamphlets). Files include exhibition files for Visual Music, 2005 MOCA/Hirshhorn exhibition.

MONOGRAPHS (Books, Exhibition Catalogs, Dissertations)

A temporary, small portion of our Monographs catalog is online here

PERIODICALS (Journals, Magazines, Film Distributor Catalogs)

Film Culture Collection, Journals, 1957 - 1979

PHOTOGRAPHIC (includes numerous digital stills)

ARTWORK, POSTERS

ARTIFACTS

FILM, VIDEO and DIGITAL MEDIA Collections are not included here. For film programmers, please see our Access and Distribution page.

CVM: Color Organ Collection

Articles, papers, manuscripts, monographs, drawings relating to Color Organ experiments 1890s-1960s

Folders include: Charles Dockum, Thomas Wilfred, Mary Hallock Greenewalt, many others. Audio and video recordings related to Stanton MacDonald-Wright's Kineidoscope.

FILM, VIDEO and DIGITAL MEDIA Collections are not included here (see Charles Dockum page).

CVM: Vanguard Theatre Collection

Flyers, Posters, Correspondence, Clippings. Many flyers are a gift of The Fischinger Trust. Selected flyer scans will be added soon.

January 29, 1974. Underground Series: Bruce Conner (PDF)

 

CVM: Visual Music Alliance Collection

 



Cover of Vortex V program

Jordan Belson Collection

PAPER (Articles, Clippings, Correspondence, Program Notes, Posters, Flyers). We recommend beginning your research at CVM's Belson Research site

ARTWORK

1. Drawing from "Mandala," Color Xerography (from Moritz collection)

2. "God's Eye," Color xerography from Mandala scrolls (Moritz collection)

3. "At the Shrine of Non-Objectivity," Color xerography (Moritz collection)

4. "Storyboard for Music of the Spheres" Digital Print (gift of the artist)

5. "Light Structure" (2000) Color Xerography. Gift of the Artist, 2009.

PHOTOGRAPHIC (Slides, prints, contact sheets, digital stills)

FILM, VIDEO and DIGITAL MEDIA Collections are not included here. See our Jordan Belson site and our Access and Distribution page for 16mm prints and digital files. We have also released two DVDs with 8 of his films.

 


Mary Ellen Bute Collection

We recommend beginning your research at CVM's Bute Research Portal

Our collection includes animation concept paintings for Spook Sport (one shown above), animation breakdown sheets, an extensive collection of oscilloscope photographs and tests by Ted Nemeth/Mary Ellen Bute, publicity photographs and flyers, a presentation book/folio regarding several films (detail below).

FILM, VIDEO and DIGITAL MEDIA Collections are not included here. See our Access and Distribution page for available 16mm prints and digital files.


Glenn McKay Archive

Paintings, drawings, photography including original altered SX-70 photographs and prints.

Invitation card from performance at The Whitney Museum, NY, assisted by Jefferson Airplane

Papers, posters, flyers, scrapbooks, ephemera. Materials related to light shows performed in the 1960s and early 1970s, and travvels with the Jefferson Airplane. Contracts, correspondence..

Selected McKay art and photography donated for fundraising purposes can be viewed at our Gallery.


Charles Dockum Collection

Dockum Research pages, under construction

FILM, VIDEO and DIGITAL MEDIA Collections are not included here.

Jules Engel Collection

Animation drawings, artwork, color concept paintings, photographs. In the Moritz collection, several original handwritten statements.

FILM, VIDEO and DIGITAL MEDIA Collections are not included here.

 

Hy Hirsh Collection

 

CVM owns an extensive collection of original photography by Hy Hirsh, including vintage gelatin silver prints, color Ansco chromogenic prints, and hundreeds of slides of Hirsh's fashion photography, travels, studies for his films, and life in Paris (collage above). Gift from Susan Herzig and Paul Hertzmann, San Francisco, CA, 2008. Selected work is featured on our Hirsh Research site (under construction).

Additional Hirsh photographs and paper materials are in the William Moritz collection at CVM.

 


Whitney Collection

PAPER (Articles, Clippings, Program Notes, Flyers, Business Cards, Limited Correspondence). Much is from the Moritz collection.

ARTWORK: Pottery and Ceramics by James Whitney, raku pottery and glaze tests. Yantra movement drawings (photocopies).

PHOTOGRAPHIC: Digital stills, slides, photographs.

POSTERS

FILM, VIDEO and DIGITAL MEDIA Collections are not included here.


Ed Emshwiller Collection

Slides, papers, flyers


Richard Baily Collection

"Spawn," 2004, Giclee Print (gift of the artist, 2004)

 

Baily's FILM, VIDEO and DIGITAL MEDIA Collection is not included here. CVM released a DVD of some of his films, see our Store page.


 

Center for Visual Music

email cvmaccess (at) gmail (dot) com

Last modified Apr. 2024