Postcard from Bĕla Kolářová to Thomas M. Messer, 1979. Box 4120. Series 3: Artist Correspondence: Kolář, Jiří (with correspondence from Bĕla Kolářová). Thomas M. Messer records. A0007. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives, New York
Finding 52: Postcard from Bĕla Kolářová to Thomas M. Messer, 1979
March 3, 2011
Artist Bĕla Kolářová, wife of fellow Czech artist Jiří Kolář, sent this postcard to Thomas M. Messer in 1979. The postcard, which depicts the Berlin Wall, informs Messer of the couple’s new address in West Berlin, where they had recently moved. Messer, who corresponded with numerous artists during his directorship, had a particularly active correspondence with Jiří Kolář. The letters and postcards from Kolář and his wife found in Messer’s artist correspondence date from 1973 until 1983, and originate from cities throughout Europe, including Paris, where the couple settled in 1980. Messer, who was born and raised in Czechoslovakia, corresponded with the two artists in their native Czech language. Messer’s support of Kolář’s work is evident in the three one-man exhibitions Kolář had at the Guggenheim between 1975 and 1986.
–Shirin Khaki, Archives Assistant