George M. Goodwin, freelance consultant, UCLA Oral History Program. B.A., Art History, Lake Forest College; M.A., Art History, Columbia University; Ph.D., Art Education, Stanford University.
The first session was conducted at the Phillips home in Santa Monica. Subsequent sessions were conducted at Mr. Phillips's office.
June 14, December 14, 17, 1979. The first session was conducted in the morning; the second and third in the afternoon.
An hour of conversation was recorded during each of the first two sessions; four hours during the third. In all, six hours were recorded.
Goodwin and Phillips.
Joann (Mrs. Gifford) Phillips had conducted several of the interviews in the UCLA Oral History Program's series "Los Angeles Art Community: Group Portrait." It was she who suggested that her husband be interviewed.
In preparation for the series of interviews, Goodwin read periodical articles and reviewed the catalog of the 1968 University of California, Santa Barbara, exhibition "A Selection of Paintings from the 50s and 60s from the Collection of Gifford and Joann Phillips." At the completion of the third interview session, the Phillipses were planning to move their residence to New York City. It was therefore not possible for Mr. Phillips to set a date for subsequent sessions. In June 1980, when Goodwin visited New York and contacted the interviewee, Phillips declined to participate in further sessions.
Phillips had been a president of the Pasadena Museum of Art and a holdover trustee after the museum was acquired by Norton Simon. He eventually resigned in protest over Simon's policies. Goodwin suspected Phillips' unwillingness to continue with the interviews [was due to] the interviewee's participation in litigation [regarding the] Pasadena Museum of Art.
Bernard Galm, senior editor, checked a verbatim transcript against the original tape recordings and edited for punctuation, paragraphing, spelling, and verification of proper nouns. Words and phrases inserted by the editor have been bracketed. The final manuscript remains in the same order as the taped material.
Mr. Phillips reviewed the edited transcript and made minor corrections.
George Hodak, editorial assistant, prepared the table of contents, interview history, and index.
The original tapes of the interviews are in the university archives and are available under the regulations governing the use of permanent, noncurrent records of the university. Interview records and research materials are on file in the office of the Oral History Program.