THE PETER HALLEY ARCHIVE: a work in progress
Consisting of over fifty linear feet of processed photographs, slides and transparencies, correspondence, exhibition ephemera, and original manuscripts, as well as over 1,200 catalogued publications featuring the artist, The Peter Halley Archive and Library is a comprehensive body of material about the life and career of Peter Halley.
Collected by Peter Halley and his staff since the 1970s, the full archive continues to undergo processing and research. For questions, please reach out to the archivist, Matthew Herzog at artist@indexmagazine.com.
ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART, SMITHSONIAN
Oral history interview with Peter Halley, 2021 September 29-October 6
Size: 13 Items, (3 hrs., 58 min.), digital, wav; 56 Pages, Transcript
Summary: An interview with Peter Halley conducted 2021 September 29 - October 6, by Annette C. Leddy for the Archives of American Art, at Halley's studio in New York City.
CORRESPONDENCE COLLECTION
The Correspondence Collection consists of letters, postcards, notes, and relevant papers created or accumulated by Peter Halley, documenting his relationship with various artists, critics, writers, and curators from the 1980s to present.
From over 300 correspondents, highlights include Elaine Sturtevant, Anne Truitt, and Franz Erhard Walther.
ARTISTS:
Anne Truitt
John Nixon
Elaine Sturtevant
Franz Erhard Walther
Margaret Wirstrom
Haim Steinbach
Various Artists
NOTABLE FIGURES:
Jeffrey Deitch
Robert Nickas
SNAPSHOTS COLLECTION
The Snapshots Collection consists of thousands of photographs, slides, and transparencies, detailing candid moments with people, studio processes, and installations.
The photographs were produced as the events unfolded by both Peter’s staff and closest friends, offering unique snapshots of the artist’s life and career.
PEOPLE AND PORTRAITS
STUDIO SNAPSHOTS
INSTALLATION AND PRODUCTION SNAPSHOTS
PETER HALLEY LIBRARY
Consisting of nearly 800 publications collected by Peter Halley and members of his studio, the Peter Halley Library contains a comprehensive body of published information on the artist’s life, artwork, and career.
UNPUBLISHED NOTES AND TEXTS
This collection of notes and texts offers a rare glimpse into the early development of Halley’s artistic and written critical theory. Blending verbal and visual thought, these works reveal his evolving ideas through notes, sketches, and conceptual diagrams. The collection traces how these foundational thoughts shaped the aesthetic and philosophical inquiries that would later define his work.
EXHIBITION EPHEMERA COLLECTION
The Ephemera Collection contains, among other materials, posters, lecture and exhibition invitations, booklets, and catalogue proofs.
There are more than 2000 items in the collection with most digitized or in the process of digitization. The material dates from the 1960s to the present day and covers innumerable events in the artist’s life.
INVITATIONS, POSTCARDS, & POSTERS
PRESS RELEASES
PRESS COLLECTION
The records comprise press clippings about the career of Peter Halley. The records, 1970-2024 (bulk 1985-2013), contain clippings, facsimiles and complete periodicals from national and international publications covering over four decades of Halley’s career as an artist, writer, lecturer and teacher. The press clippings were collected and maintained by Peter Halley and staff members of Peter Halley’s studio.
