The Ted Stamm Archives serves as a research source and repository for the Ted Stamm documents, focusing on the study of the life and work of Ted Stamm and containing the primary holdings of the artist, his studio, and key collaborators. The use, accomplishments, and significance to the humanities of the Ted Stamm Archives are evidenced through their impact on exhibitions, scholarship, and research projects.

Research Projects

1. Ted Stamm Slide Collection Archive

The Ted Stamm Estate has facilitated the placement of the comprehensive “Ted Stamm slides of works of art and exhibitions, circa 1968-1986, 2018” at the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art (AAA), ensuring permanent preservation and scholarly accessibility of this significant visual documentation.

Overview

The collection comprises approximately 6,450 35mm slides measuring 2.2 linear feet, dating from circa 1968-1986 with additional materials from 2018. This documentation period spans from Ted Stamm’s arrival in New York in 1968 until his death in 1984, with Stamm serving as the primary photographer for the majority of the collection. The archive constitutes a comprehensive visual record of artworks and exhibitions in New York during a pivotal period in contemporary art history, documenting both Stamm's own work and the broader New York art scene during this transformative era.

Scope and Content

The collection encompasses exhibition installations, individual artworks photographed in situ, public art installations, street art, graffiti, and architectural documentation of Lower Manhattan gallery spaces and facades. Beyond exhibition documentation, the archive includes select educational materials that Ted Stamm used in his teaching practice, featuring art historical surveys, course materials, syllabi, reading lists, and pedagogical resources.

The slide collection documents approximately 500 individual artists across all sections, providing a demographic snapshot of the art world during the 1960s-1980s. The gender representation reflects the era’s male-dominated art establishment, with approximately 80% male and 20% female artists. Ethnically, the collection predominantly features American and European artists (90%), with smaller representation from Japanese, Latin American, and other international artists (10%).

The documentation spans three tiers of artistic recognition: highly canonical artists (30%) including Warhol, Johns, Stella, Pollock, and de Kooning; established mid-tier artists (40%) with gallery representation and museum exhibitions; and emerging or lesser-known artists (30%) from the downtown New York scene. Notable female artists documented include Louise Bourgeois, Agnes Martin, Helen Frankenthaler, Nancy Graves, and Jenny Holzer. The collection also captures the early street art and graffiti movement, featuring artists like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat before they achieved mainstream recognition.

Historical Impact

The Ted Stamm slide collection has made contributions to contemporary art scholarship and cultural documentation. Select images have been sourced, including the BBC documentary “Basquiat: Rage to Riches” (2020), providing rare visual documentation of the artist’s early career and the downtown New York scene. The collection has also supported academic exhibitions, notably “Times Square Exhibition Revisited” (2012) at Hunter College and “Art on the Piers” (2016), offering primary source materials.

Beyond public exhibitions and media, the archive has served as a research resource for art historical scholarship. The Ted Stamm Estate has shared slides with numerous artist estates, foundations, and catalogue raisonné editors, contributing to scholarly publications on contemporary artists including Ad Reinhardt, Agnes Martin, Barnett Newman, Brice Marden, Carl Andre, Chuck Close, Dan Flavin, Daniel Buren, Donald Judd, Eva Hesse, John Chamberlain, Keith Haring, Lynda Benglis, Merrill Wagner, On Kawara, Richard Artschwager, Robert Ryman, Sean Scully, and Sol LeWitt.

This collaborative approach has ensured that Ted Stamm’s unique perspective as artist and documentarian continues to inform the historical record of one of the most dynamic periods in American contemporary art. The collection’s widespread scholarly utilization demonstrates its primary source material and cultural artifact, preserving the individual artworks and the broader ecosystem of artistic production, exhibition, and community that defined New York’s art world during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Organization

The slides maintain Stamm's original classification system, organized in four subseries:

• Art History, General (circa 1968-circa 1984)

• Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art (circa 1968-circa 1984)

• Artists A-Z (circa 1968-circa 1984)

• Galleries and Projects/Exhibitions (1969-1983)

Within each subseries, materials are arranged alphabetically by artist or subject, then chronologically. The collection includes complementary printed matter such as artist books, exhibition catalogs, and monographs that provide additional scholarly context.

Access

The collection is accessible through the Smithsonian Archives of American Art in Washington, D.C., available for both in-person research and digital access online.

For research requests: Please visit the Smithsonian Archives of American Art website or contac info@tedstamm.com for further information.

2. Ted Stamm Research Fellowship

The Ted Stamm Research Fellowship supports humanities students at undergraduate and graduate levels. For the past four years (2021-2025), this fellowship has been sponsored by the Metcalf Foundation at the University of Chicago. The program has attracted fellows from distinguished institutions, including previous participants from Hunter College of Art (2012) in New York, advancing interdisciplinary research and scholarly engagement with Stamm’s work and its broader cultural context.

For more information, please contact: info@tedstamm.com

3. Catalogue Raisonné Support

The Ted Stamm Archives provides ongoing support for the Ted Stamm Catalogue Raisonné research project, a comprehensive scholarly documentation of the artist’s complete body of work. This definitive reference will serve as the authoritative resource for researchers, collectors, curators, and art historians, establishing a complete record of Stamm’s artistic output and contributing to the broader understanding of his practice and historical significance.

To read more view the Ted Stamm Catalogue Raisonné information.

4. Archival Research Projects

The Ted Stamm Archives supports specialized research initiatives that advance scholarly understanding of Stamm’s work and methodology. Among these efforts is the “Ted Stamm: Tags” (2025) Participatory Project, a research initiative examining Stamm's engagement with urban marking and street-based artistic practices. The archives also provides support for monographic studies, including publications such as Ted Stamm: Series (Hatje Cantz, 2023) and the Ted Stamm: Woosters (Artbooks, 2018) chapter for chronological documentation, which offer in-depth analysis of the artist's working methods and artistic development. Additionally, the Ted Stamm: DRM (Karma, 2017) facsimile project focuses on the documentation and reproduction of works and materials. These projects contribute to a comprehensive understanding of Stamm’s practice while establishing scholarly frameworks for future research.

For a research request, please contact: info@tedstamm.com

Research Access

Ted Stamm Archives are not open to the public but requests can be made by curators, educators, scholars, and other qualified researchers for processed digital material.

For a research request, please contact: info@tedstamm.com

Support

The Ted Stamm Estate Slide Archives has been supported by the Smithsonian American Art Archives and processing supported by The Walton Family Foundation. The Ted Stamm Research Fellowship has been supported by the Metcalf Foundation at the University of Chicago.