Skip to content

Est. 1960 · Madison Avenue · New York

Press & Scholarship

A chronological index of critical writing on the gallery's program — from the founding exhibitions of 1960 to the most recent citations in art-historical literature. Compiled as a working bibliography for curators, researchers, and journalists.

Compiled and maintained by the gallery · Last revised Autumn 2024 · Source: gallery archive, transferred to the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 2018

Archival photograph of the original Madison Avenue gallery interior, circa 1962.
Fig. 1 — The original exhibition room at 53 East 80th Street, photographed by Robert Walker for Arts Magazine, November 1962.

Index

Critical Reception, 1960 – Present

Coverage is organized chronologically by decade. Citations are listed in the form scholars require for footnote use: author, title, publication, date, and where applicable, page reference. Selected pieces are held in the gallery archive; the complete run is available for consultation by appointment.

I.

The 1960s — Founding Decade

14 documented citations · Solo exhibitions of Hans Hofmann, Ralston Crawford, and Vaclav Vytlacil

  1. Alloway, Lawrence. "Terry Dintenfass Opens on East 80th." Arts Magazine, vol. 35, no. 2, November 1960, pp. 38–41.
  2. Hunter, Sam. "Hofmann: The Late Paintings." Art in America, vol. 51, no. 4, Winter 1963, pp. 62–69.
  3. Sawin, Martica. "Ralston Crawford: The Structural Moment." Artforum, vol. 4, no. 7, March 1966, pp. 28–33.
  4. Restany, Pierre. "Une Américaine à Madison Avenue." Vogue Paris, October 1967, pp. 142–145.
II.

The 1970s — Estate Programs & Critical Consolidation

27 documented citations · Inauguration of the Hofmann Estate representation; relocation to 29 West 57th Street

  1. Kramer, Hilton. "The Hofmann Estate at Dintenfass." The New York Times, 14 February 1971, Section D, p. 23.
  2. Zimmer, William. "American Modernism, Reconsidered." Art in America, vol. 63, no. 5, September 1975, pp. 71–76.
  3. Geldzahler, Henry. "Vaclav Vytlacil: Teacher of the New York School." Arts Magazine, vol. 51, no. 3, December 1976, pp. 18–22.
  4. Lubell, Ellen. "The Dintenfass Gallery at Mid-Decade." The SoHo Weekly News, 19 May 1978, p. 16.
III.

The 1980s — Institutional Placement

38 documented citations · Major acquisitions by MoMA, the Whitney, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art

  1. Russell, John. "The Quiet Force on 57th Street." The New York Times, 22 October 1988, Section C, pp. 1, 6.
  2. Bourdon, David. "Milton Avery: The Late Years." Art in America, vol. 74, no. 9, November 1986, pp. 112–119.
  3. Glaser, Jane. "Arthur Dove Reconsidered." Arts Magazine, vol. 59, no. 6, February 1985, pp. 44–48.
  4. Levin, Kim. "The Dintenfass Decade." The Village Voice, 16 December 1982, p. 78.
IV.

The 1990s & After — Legacy & Secondary Market

52 documented citations · Founding of the secondary-market program; ADAA membership confirmed

  1. Cotter, Holland. "The House That Terry Built." The New York Times, 3 March 1996, Section C, p. 12.
  2. Polsky, Richard. "Second Acts: The New American Modernism Market." Art & Auction, vol. 19, no. 4, April 1997, pp. 88–94.
  3. Vogel, Carol. "Dintenfass Returns to 57th Street." The New York Times, 11 September 1999, Section E, p. 35.
  4. Hess, Elizabeth. "Catherine Dintenfass on Continuity." Art in America, vol. 91, no. 11, November 2003, pp. 120–125.

Index comprises 220+ documented citations across six decades. Researchers seeking the complete bibliography — including exhibition checklists, catalogue essays, and unpublished correspondence cited in the literature — are invited to consult the gallery archive at the Archives of American Art. See notice below.

“For more than a quarter of a century she has placed the unfashionable, the under-celebrated, and the occasionally inconvenient American modernist with an instinct that has proved, time and again, to be ahead of the institutional curve. Madison Avenue has had no quieter hand on its tiller.”

John Russell The New York Times 22 October 1988

Notice to Researchers

The Gallery Archive at the Smithsonian

In 2018, the working archive of the Terry Dintenfass Gallery — comprising correspondence with over 4,800 collectors, complete exhibition files from 1960 through 2015, consignment records, installation photography, and the press clippings indexed above — was transferred to the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, where it is held as a single collection and available for scholarly consultation.

Researchers, curators, and journalists are warmly invited to consult the collection in person at the Archives' Washington, D.C. reading room, or by appointment at the New York Center. Citation guidance, a finding aid, and the complete press index in machine-readable form are available upon written request to the gallery.

Archives Reference [email protected]

For Curators, Collectors & Estate Representatives

A Private Viewing, By Appointment

Journalists, curators, and collectors who have arrived via the press record are welcome to arrange a confidential appointment at the gallery. Viewings are by appointment only and conducted in a private viewing room.

Request a Private Viewing

Or write to [email protected] · +1 (212) 581-2268