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Twentieth Century Art Department Records
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Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]Philadelphia Museum of Art, PO Box 7646, Philadelphia, PA 19101-7646
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
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In 1969, the Museum appointed its first curator in the Department of Painting and Sculpture to be responsible for objects defined by time period. That year John L. Tancock became Associate Curator of 19th and 20th Century Sculpture. During the several years prior, Henry G. Gardiner and Allen Staley both served under the general title of Assistant Curator. In 1971 Anne d'Harnoncourt joined the department as its first Associate Curator of 20th Century Painting. In 1973, Twentieth Century Art became a separate department, with d"Harnoncourt as curator. Mark Rosenthal succeeded her in 1983 when the Museum named d'Harnoncourt its George D. Widener Director. In 1989 Ann Temkin joined the Museum as Acting Curator of Twentieth Century Art, and the following year she was appointed the Muriel and Philip Berman Curator of Twentieth Century Art. The final departmental name change occurred in the year 2000. To reflect the coming millenium, the Twentieth Century Art Department became the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art. It continues to operate as such.
These records underscore the Museum's continued and expanding commitment to modern art, with some of the material predating its formal designation as the Department of Twentieth Century Art. Beginning in the mid-1960s, chronologically-arranged exhibition records comprise more than three-quarters of the record group, spanning shows held from 1967 to 1996, exploring modernism's diversity, from Mexican art to Marsden Hartley. There are administrative and planning files to nearly every show, documenting issues such as funding, public relations and publicity, installation design and labels, research and lenders. Three of the more extensively documented exhibitions are "Philadelphia: Three Centuries of American Art" (1976), which was organized by the American Art Department, "Futurism and the International Avant Garde" (1980-1981), and "Thinking is Form: the Drawings of Joseph Beuys" (1993-1994), which also traveled to New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. Each includes a significant number of artist, object, and lender files, most of which contain correspondence, photographs and clippings, as well as files pertaining to themes explored in the exhibition and its catalogue, to other published writings, including reviews, and to related events such as symposiums. Also documented here are the planning stages of a traveling exhibition that never occurred. It was to feature the American photographer Alfred Stieglitz. The papers pertaining to the show date from 1990 to 2003 and thus reflect the activities of the department under its "Twentieth Century Art" and later "Modern and Contemporary Art" designation.
This record group also includes approixmately 2 linear feet of departmental records (1966-1982), and approximately 2.5 linear feet of "donor collection" files. The former is comprised of general correspondence and subject files pertaining to issues such as loans to other institutions, exhibitions, and specific objects and collections. There are also individual files to some special events and programs, namely the 1967 Philadelphia Art Festival, the 1970 Flower Show, and a program proposed during the early 1980s involving the subway station at Temple University, located in the north section of Philadelphia. Donor collection files are alphabetically arranged and include more than fifty family names, many of whom significantly shaped the Museum's holdings in modern art. Some of the more extensively documented collectors include Walter and Louise Arensberg, Albert Eugene Gallatin, and Louis E. Stern.
Folder-level inventories are available in the Archives.
For later records, see Modern and Contemporary Art Department Records.
These materials were arranged and described by Bertha Adams, Megan Finn and Leslie O'Neill. Funded by a grant from Institute of Museum and Library Services and National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Organization
- Publisher
- Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid prepared by Bertha Adams, Megan Finn and Leslie O'Neill
- Finding Aid Date
- ©2011
- Sponsor
- Funded by a grant from Institute of Museum and Library Services and National Historical Publications and Records Commission
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research. Access to institutional records less than 10 years old is at the discretion of the Archivist.
- Use Restrictions
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The Twentieth Century Art Department Records are the physical property of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Archives. The Museum holds literary rights only for material created by Museum personnel or given to the Museum with such rights specifically assigned. For all other material, literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for obtaining permission from rights holders for publication and for other purposes where stated.
Collection Inventory
"Mondrian" was a unique exhibition of the works of Piet Mondrian, that opened at the PMA on April 2, 1966. The exhibition featured over 120 works, drawn from nine countries, and included paintings, drawings, and watercolors. The records for the exhibition include correspondence, press releases, requests for materials and services, and invitations. The bulk of the material is from 1966.
The "Friends Select: Acquisitions Exhibition" was held in the spring of 1967. The exhibition featured works by Frank Stella, Mark Tobey, and Sidney Goodman. The records for the exhibition include general material such as correspondence, press releases, and checklists.
"Paintings by Peter Hurd-Henriette Wyeth" was an exhibition of 50 paintings by Peter Hurd and his wife, Henriette Wyeth, the sister of Andrew Wyeth. On display were paintings such as Henriette Wyeth's "Portrait of Andy" and Peter Hurd's "Portrait of President Johnson." The records, from 1967, include correspondence, press releases, requests for materials and services, and checklists.
The exhibition, "American Sculpture of the Sixties," opened at the PMA on September 15, 1967. The exhibition featured works by sculptors such as Claes Oldenburg and Isamu Noguchi. The records, which date from 1967 to 1968, include artist records, checklists, installation documentation, photographs, and substitution material.
The exhibition "Paul Klee, 1879-1940: A Retrospective Exhibition" featured approximately 150 works, including oils, watercolors, and drawings, by the artist, Paul Klee. The works examined Klee's development from 1900 to 1940. The records include correspondence, condition reports, requests for materials and services, and installation notes.
"The Collection of Emily McFadden Staempfli" was an exhibition featuring the famous collection of Ms. McFadden Staempfli. The exhibition featured works by Man Ray and Niki de St. Phalle. The records consist of the planning files which include material such as correspondence, press releases, checklists, and other documents related to the preparation of the exhibition.
The exhibition, "The Art of Mexico," featured tapestries, portraits, prints, political and social caricatures, and ritual masks. Held from October 4, 1968 to December 24, 1968, the exhibition included artists such as Diego Rivera, Fortino Olivera C., and David Alfaro. The records contain press releases, checklists, correspondence, and requests for materials and services.
"Sculpture: Gift of R. Sturgis and Marion B.F. Ingersoll," was a stunning exhibition of the Ingersoll gift of sculpture. The exhibition featured work by Jacques Lipchitz, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso. The records consist of general material such as press releases, images, and lists.
The exhibition "The Pure and Clear: American Innovations," was sponsored by The Friends of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Artists featured in the exhibit included Joseph Albers, Robert Morris, and Louise Nevelson. The records consist of artist files, the Friends of the PMA, and installation photographs.
The "Charles Sheeler Memorial Exhibition" was held at the PMA from January 10, 1969 to February 16, 1969. The records for the exhibition include general material such as correspondence, loan agreements, checklists, and requests for materials and services. The records date from 1968 to 1969.
"Constantin Brancusi, 1876-1957: A Retrospective," was a comprehensive exhibition of over seventy pieces by Brancusi. The exhibition featured works in marble, alabaster, wood, limestone, onyx, and bronze, as well as drawings and watercolors. The objects were drawn the Musee National d'Art Moderne in Paris, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The records for the exhibition consist of checklists, correspondence, and general material such as press releases and notes.
The exhibition "Peace," held at the PMA in late spring of 1970, was organized by local students, and featured works by artists such as Robert Motherwell, Mark Rothko, Christo, and Edna Andrade. The records for the exhibition include correspondence, checklists, exhibition photographs, artist information and other related material.
The exhibition "Multiples: The First Decade," explores multiples and mass production in art. Organized by John Tancock, curator of 19th and 20th Century Art, the exhibition featured about 400 multiples by 200 American and European artists. The records for the exhibition include correspondence, installation documentation, loan files, and press releases.
On October 13, 1971, the PMA opened an exhibition of recent acquisitions of sculpture. The records consist of floorplans, correspondence, and pre-exhibition forms.
"Friends Purchase Party and Exhibition: Twentieth-Century Painting and Sculpture" was an exhibition held at the PMA from April 27, 1972 to May 7, 1972. The works on display were chosen and installed by Anne d'Harnoncourt in collaboration with John Tancock. The records for the exhibition include installation photographs and general material such as correspondence, press releases, newsclippings, and planning documentation.
Every summer since 1958, the PMA has held an exhibition of paintings from various sources, all of which are from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The exhibition, "Summer Loans 1972" featured both anonymous lenders and various works collected by Mrs. John Wintersteen, one of the best-known private collectors in the United States. The records for the exhibition include general material and the Wintersteen loan file.
"American Art since 1945: A Loan Exhibition from the Museum of Modern Art," was organized and installed by Anne d'Harnoncourt. A two-way loan exhibition, more than fifty paintings and sculptures were on display at the PMA, including works by Pollock, Gorky, de Kooning, and Rothko. The records for the exhibition include checklists, loan documentation, installation material, and loan files. The majority of the records are from 1972.
"Sculpture of the Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic" was a travelling exhibition of close to 450 works of Inuit (Eskimo) objetcts. The pieces were carved in stone, bone, and ivory, and covered 2,700 years of Inuit art. The records for the exhibition include general material such as newsclippings and correspondence.
"A Child's Garden of Art" was held at the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial in February of 1973. The records for the exhibition consist of correspondence and lists for borrowed objects.
Since 1958, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has held summer exhibitions of loan artwork. The records for the exhibition contain general material such as correspondence and checklists.
In the summer of 1973, the Philadelphia Museum of Art held an exhibition of fifty works of art from the Woodward Foundation. On display were works by artists such as Frank Stella, Robert Motherwell, Jasper Johns, and William DeKooning. The records for the exhibition include general material such as newsclippings, checklists, correspondence, loan documentation, and requests for materials and services.
In May of 1974, the Friends of the Philadelphia Museum of Art held a party and exhibition. The records for the exhibition include correspondence, invitations, notes, checklists, and other material related to the planning of the exhibit.
The Summer Loans exhibition held at the PMA in 1974 featured loaned artwork. The records for the exhibition are limited and consist of internal correspondence.
The recent acquisitions of the 20th Century Art Department were on display from October 30, 1974 to February 18, 1975 at the PMA. The exhibition featured major purchases, including Philip Pearlstein's "Two Female Models with Drawing Table" and other works by artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Sidney Goodman. The records contain installation photographs and notes.
"Claes Oldenburg: Object into Monument" was an exhibition of the artist's larger than life objects. Organized by Barbara Haskell of the Pasadena Art Museum and installed at the PMA by Anne d'Harnoncourt, the exhibition focused on Oldenburg's work since the mid-1960s. The records contain general planning material such as checklists, installation documentation, photographs, and expense reports.
To celebrate the bicentennial, the PMA opened the stunning exhibition, "Three Centuries of American Art," on April 11, 1976. On display were 550 objects from the Philadelphia area including paintings, prints, sculptures, photographs, costumes, decorative arts, and architecture. Arranged chronologically in 50-year periods, the installation was designed by Venturi and Rauch, a Philadelphia architectural firm. The exhibition was organized by the Curator of American Art, Darrel Sewell, and was funded largely by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Atlantic Richfield Foundation, and the Provident National Bank. The records for the exhibition include administrative, artist, and research files.
The administrative files contain records relating to the planning of the exhibition and include installation plans and loan files. The records date from 1974 to 1975.
This sub-subseries contains files on artists in the exhibition, and include research material, images, and object descriptions.
These research files were not used for the final exhibition. They consist of research notes, artist biographies, and other material for reference and research.
The final sub-subseries consists of miscellaneous research files. Included are files regarding Philadelphia artists, local galleries and institutions, and other research files.
Arranged in original order.
"Recent Acquisitions: Made in Philadelphia" was organized by Anne d'Harnoncourt, Curator of Twentieth Century Painting, and Ann Percy, Associate Curator of Drawings.The exhibition featured about thirty paintings, drawings, and prints created by Philadelphia artists. The records for the exhibition consist of general material such as press releases, newsclippings, and object lists.
"Life with Dada: Beatrice Wood Drawings" was an exhibition of the artist's drawings ranging in date from 1917 to 1950. Curated by Anne d'Harnoncourt, the exhibition also included a selection of works and prints from artists whom Wood knew in New York during the years she lived there from 1916 to 1921. The records for the exhibition contain correspondence, film notes, installation images, publicity material, and reviews.
The exhibition, "Eight Artists," was organized by Anne d'Harnoncourt and included work by artists such as Chuck Close, Eleanor Antin, and Adelka Akers. The records for the exhibition include budget files, checklists, installation images, and copies of the exhibition handouts. Also included are individual artist files on each artist represented in the exhibition. The records date from 1977 to 1978.
The PMA exhibition "Contemporary Drawings: Philadelphia II" was a joint effirt with the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. There were two exhibitions accompanied by one catalogue. Fifty-two artists were selected, and each exhibition featured the works of twenty-six artists. The records for the exhibition include correspondence and checklists.
"Violet Oakley (1874-1961)" was an exhibition of 175 paintings, drawings, and objects. Curated by Anne d'Harnoncourt and Ann Percy, the exhibition was a major retrospective of Oakley's work. The records for the exhibition include loan correspondence, photographs, lists, budget reports, and other material related to the planning of the exhibition. The bulk of the records date from 1979.
Curated by Anne d'Harnoncourt, "Noguchi's Imaginary Landscapes" was an exhibition of 80 sculptures, 119 photo panels, and 33 charts. The accompanying exhibition catalogue was published by The Walker Art Center. The exhibition records include correspondence, installation documentation, press releases, and other related planning material.
"Brancusi as Photographer" was an exhibition of 73 photographs from the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. The exhibit was organized by the Akron Art Institute, curated by Carolyn Carr, and installed by Anne d'Harnoncourt. The records for the exhibition contain general material such as correspondence, newsclippings, research notes, and other planning documentation.
The administrative and planning files includes records such as correspondence, budget reports, labels, object files, and research files. The bulk of the records date from 1980 to 1981.
"Spirit of an American Place: Photographs by Alfred Stieglitz" was an exhibition of 86 photographs. The records for the exhibition contain general material such as correspondence, memorandums, and exhibition materials.
"Picasso from the Collections" was an exhibition of 22 paintings and sculptures installed in the Twentieth-Century Galleries. The records for the exhibition include general material such as correspondence, labels, object descriptions and other related material.
"Master Drawings by Picasso" featured over100 drawings, watercolors, gouaches, collages, and assemblages to illustrate Picasso's versatility as a draughtsman. The works were drawn from over 50 museums and the exhibition focused on unfamiliar works. The records for the exhibition include correspondence and other planning material.
"Marius de Zayas: Conjuror of Souls" was a small retrospective exhibition of the artists' work. The exhibition, which featured Zayas's drawings, was organized by Douglas Hyland, the Curator of Western Art at the Spencer Museum of Art in Los Angeles. The records include general material such as checklists, correspondence, and memos, as well as installation documentation, labels, and photographs.
"John Cage: Scores & Prints," was organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The exhibition presented the first comprehensive review of John Cage's scores, print editions, and books. The records include checklists, installation photographs and documentation, and other material related to the preparation of the exhibition.
press releases, correspondence, notes, object entries,
"Dada and the Surrealism Project" addressed surrealism in the twenties and thirties. The exhibition was organized in conjunction with the Man Ray exhibition, "Perpetual Motif: The Art of Man Ray."
also note that there are a few AT research files within "Topics and Research"
arranged in original order
Ann Temkin collaborated with curators from the Centre Georges Pompidou, Musee National d'Art Moderne in Paris to organize a retrospective surveying the career of Constantin Brancusi. Born in Romania, Brancusi emigrated to Paris in 1904. Within a decade he had gained notoriety as an innovative artist, and his body of work redefined sculpture for the twentieth century.
The majority of records in the exhibition planning files include installation views, registraral materials, correspondence between the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Musee National d'Art Moderne, financial information, and records pertaining to education and programming initiatives.
Ann Temkin's research files include extensive sources from museum and library archives, notes on lenders and collaborating institutions, object files, study themes, correspondence, and notes on related individuals. Though some original records date back several decades, the bulk of the files were created between 1991 and 1995.
Ann Temkin co-wrote the exhibition catalogue, "Constantin Brancusi, 1876-1957," with Friedrich Teja Bach and Margit Rowell. Catalogue records include administrative materials, essay drafts, auxiliary texts, and reference figures.
Printed materials include marketing and public relations records disseminated to the press, gallery guides, and small souvenirs produced for sale or promotion such as postcards and bookmarks.
Exhibition records and related research files contain a variety of administrative materials, press reviews, documentation of media projects, photographs of the exhibition installation, records of Brancusi materials dating prior to 1995, and the application for indemnification.
Includes correspondence and lists of Italian artist collections in Philadelphia for the proposed exhibition "Italy - Philadelphia: Collections of Modern Art."
The records for the proposed exhibition of Man Ray works include correspondence, object lists, and checklists. The materials date from 1970 to 1971.