Janis, Sidney, 1896-1989

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role

Collector Dealer/Gallery

dates

1896-1989

city

New York City

state

NY

other cities

Paris, France; Buffalo, NY;

sex

M

historical notes

Clothing manufacturer, art collector and dealer, Janis owned and operated the Sidney Janis Gallery in New York.

Sidney Janis began collecting paintings in 1926 and opened his gallery in New York in 1949 with an exhibition of works by Léger, whom he had known in Paris. The gallery is closed.

Janis and his wife, Harriet, made annual trips to Paris, where they met Mondrian, Picasso, Léger, Brancusi, and other masters. By the early 1930s, they had acquired a number of major works by Picasso, Matisse, De Chirico, Dalí, Mondrian, and the self-taught master Henri Rousseau. In New York, Sidney and Harriet Janis became good friends with Gorky, Keisler, and Duchamp, all of whom often visited their apartment.

decades
of activity

1920-1930
1930-1940
1940-1950
1950-1960
1960-1970
1970-1980
1980-1990

updated

03/22/2024 12:09:28

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Archives/Repository	Collection Title	Collection Details
Archives of American Art Victor Building, Suite 2200	Sidney Janis interview, 1972 Mar. 21-1972 Sept. 26.	see details...
Archives of American Art Victor Building, Suite 2200	Sidney Janis interview, 1981 Oct. 15. - Nov. 18.	see details...
The Museum of Modern Art Library and Archives	Subject file : Sidney Janis Gallery: miscellaneous uncataloged material.	see details...
ZADIK \| Central Archive for German and International Art Market Studies	ZADIK: Papers	see details...
The Getty Research Institute Research Libraries, Archives and Special Collections	Roberto Sebastián Matta Echaurren Letter, ca. 1960, to Sidney Janis.	see details...
The Museum of Modern Art Library and Archives	MoMA History Interviews	see details...