Warhol's 1966 portrait of Holly Solomon

Art dealer Holly Solomon’s papers, including 220 boxes of materials tracing her involvement with Manhattan’s cultural scene from the 1970s-1990s, have been donated to the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art. Solomon died in 2002 at the age of 68.

The trove includes letters between Solomon and artists Gordon Matta-Clark, William Wegman and others. The material is being processed and will be available to researchers and others, with written permission from her sons.

The Solomon collection includes gallery announcements, exhibition catalogs and audio visual materials, according to Jason Stieber, the Archive’s collection specialist.

The Archives of American Art is a repository for items associated with the history of American art, and includes papers from dealers Leo Castelli, Andre Emmerich, Edith Halpert and others.

Before working as a dealer, Solomon was an early Pop art collector. Her 1966 nine-panel portrait by Warhol fetched $2.1m at Christie’s in 2001, the year before she died.

Solomon and her wealthy husband Horace opened an alternative space, the 98 Greene Street Loft, in 1969. They launched the Holly Solomon Gallery in 1975 at 392 West Broadway, representing Nam June Paik and others.

The year before she died, in conjunction with Christie’s auction of her Warhol, Solomon did several videotaped interviews. They may be viewed here and here.