Evan H. Turner (born 1927), an art historian and scholar, was the Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) from 1964 to 1978, leading the Museum through a period of significant growth and transformation. He created new art departments for American and 20th Century Art, and the innovative Department of Urban Outreach (DUO) to promote art across the City of Philadelphia. These progressive activities were matched by a groundbreaking exhibition in 1973, the Marcel Duchamp retrospective, which drew upon significant scholarship and assembled virtually the entire oeuvre of one of the most important artists represented in the Museum. In 1975, Turner led the Museum in a major construction project to install a new climate control system in the building, and in 1976, he helped plan the United States’ Bicentennial and the PMA’s Centennial celebrations. Turner was an active member of a number of professional organizations, as well as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. The...(see more)
Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]
Edwin Atlee Barber was Curator/Secretary of the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art from 1901to 1907, Director/Curator from 1907 to 1916 and Honorary Curator of American Pottery and Porcelain from 1893 to 1916. His great interest was in pottery, porcelain, and ceramics, primarily early American works. A scholar and prolific writer, Barber wrote and published numerous articles on his specialty. He is considered a pioneering scholar in his field. The Edwin Atlee Barber records include both general and administrative correspondence from Barber’s tenure at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art. The Museum was know as the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art until 1938, when it was changed to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Materials date from 1898 to 1933. Included in the collection are letters sent to Barber after his death; some of these letters were answered by Barber’s wife or daughter. This collection contains correspondence covering a broad...(see more)
Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]