Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: G. Cramer Oude Kunst
| title | G. Cramer Oude Kunst gallery records 1901-1998 (bulk 1938-1998). | repository | The Getty Research Institute |
| description | The archive of the gallery G. Cramer Oude Kunst in The Hague in the Netherlands is a rich resource for the study of the international market in old master paintings from the late 1930s through the end of the 20th century. It contains the gallery's complete business records from 1938 to 1998. Of particular research value is the documentation of the activities under Nazi occupation during WWII, especially correspondence and receipts regarding the gallery's dealings with Nazi agents for Adolf Hitler's museum in Linz. It may be the only uncensored dealer archive documenting the international art market in Nazi-occupied Europe. Series I. consists of 347 boxes of correspondence with major art museums all over the world, but mainly in Europe, the United States, and Canada, numerous art dealers, private collectors, auction houses, conservators, editors of art magazines, and renowned art historians, and also with insurance agencies, transport firms, financial institutions, and lawyers. The letters regard predominantly acquisition, shipment, conservation, and sale of paintings. Frequently they provide commentary on current trends in the international art market, prices, aesthetics, and collecting. Also present are personal exchanges between various members of the Cramer family and friends, especially extensive from the late 1930s until the late 1940s. A portion of the correspondence in the postwar period deals with restitution issues and Nazi business dealings for the museum in Linz. Series II. is the most extensive portion of the archive. It consists of 558 boxes housing the firm's complete financial records dating from the 1920s until 1998. Included is one stock book from 1901. The most substantial portion is comprised of account files and bank statements. Also present are tax records, sales reports, commission books, and insurance records. Series III. consists of 33 boxes and three enclosures predominantly containing photographs of paintings and decorative arts, and photographs of the gallery. Also present are photographs received from clients, and x-rays of artworks. This series comprises only a portion of the gallery's vast photo archive, most of which was donated to the Rijksdienst voor Kunsthistorische Dokumentatie (RKD) in the Netherlands. Series IV. consists of 10 boxes containing circa 500 glass plate negatives of art that passed through the gallery during the late 1950s and the 1960s. Series V. consists of 40 boxes of miscellaneous papers documenting the firm's various professional activities, including dealings with the Association of Art Dealers in the Netherlands, CINOA (International Confederation of Art and Antique Dealers'), the Rotary Club, gallery sales catalogs, published catalogs of private collections, and press clippings. Language: Dutch Other Archival Locations: Interview with Hans Cramer, 2004 April 1-2. Special Collections Accession number 2004.M.26. Biographical/Historical Note: The gallery of the art dealers Gustav Cramer (1881-1961) and his son Hans Max Cramer (1920-2012) was one of the most renowned and influential galleries dealing in old master paintings during the 20th century in Europe. The gallery first opened in Berlin in 1933, but in 1938 in order to escape the Nazi regime the family moved to the Netherlands and opened the G. Cramer Oude Kunst gallery on Javastraat 38 in The Hague. After Gustav Cramer's death in 1961 Hans Max Cramer continued his father's business. He was able to make substantial business deals by representing some of the most important private collections in the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. During the postwar years the pool of his clientele expanded to include the world's most significant old master collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Gallery, London, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Toledo Art Museum, and the collections of Armand Hammer, Norton Simon, Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza, and many others. |
| extent | approximately 409 linear feet (944 boxes). |
| formats | Business Papers Financial Records Correspondence Photographs |
| access | Open for access by qualified researchers. |
| record link | http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2001m5 |
| record source | https://primo.getty.edu/permalink/f/19q6gmb/GETTY_ALMA21114985140001551 |
| finding aid | Available over the repository's website. |
| acquisition information | Acquired in 2001. |
| updated | 07/28/2023 16:33:45 |
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