Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Alfred Daber Gallery
| title | Curatorial Office Records of Charles Cunningham, 1973-1977 | repository | Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute |
| description | Located in the Institutional records of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute The Curatorial Office Records of Charles C. Cunningham primarily contain correspondence about potential museum acquisitions and discussions of loans with staff at other museums. Due to his long and respected career, Cunningham had many acquaintances and close friends among curators and directors at other art institutions, as well as among art historians and dealers. The correspondence in these records includes numerous exchanges about intellectual and business concerns in the art world. The high esteem and affection his peers felt for him is evidenced in letters that blur the line between professional and personal. Other materials in this series include: class lists and grades, assignments, and correspondence with students from several courses taught by Cunningham; CAI memoranda; and financial records about costs of exhibits and loans. Historical Note Born in 1910 in Mamaroneck, NY, Charles C. Cunningham attended Harvard and became a curator at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in 1935. From 1941 to 1966 he was the director of Hartford's Wadsworth Atheneum. He went on to become director of the Art Institute of Chicago until he retired from this position in 1972. George Heard Hamilton, then director of the Clark, invited Cunningham to become chief curator. Cunningham was responsible for two major exhibits at the Clark, The Elegant Academics in 1974 and Jongkind and the Pre-Impressionists: The Painters of the Ecole Saint-Simeon in 1976. He also initiated the Conservation Laboratory, which opened in 1977. Cunningham retired from the Clark that year and died in 1979. Preferred Citation: [Cite the item (as appropriate)], Curatorial Office Records of Charles Cunningham, 1973-1977, Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts. Related Materials: The Smithsonian Archives of American Art Oral History Collection holds a four reel tape containing an interview conducted with Cunningham in 1977. Records relating to Cunningham are also held by the MFA Boston Archives, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art Archives, and the Art Institute of Chicago Archives. Related or similar material can be found in the following series in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute Records, Williamstown, Massachusetts: Curatorial Office Records of Jennifer Lovett; Curatorial Office Records of Lisa A. Jolin; Curatorial Office Records of Steven Kern; Curatorial Office Records of the American Paintings Catalogue; Records of the Curator of Paintings; Curatorial Photographic Services Orders; Curatorial Office Records of the Prints and Drawings Department; and Curatorial Office Records of Exhibition Planning, 1951-1978. In 1950 Sterling and Francine Clark chartered the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute as a home for their extensive art collection. Opened to the public in 1955, the Institute has built upon this extraordinary group of works to become a highly respected art museum and one of the few institutions in the United States that combines a public art museum with a complement of research and academic programs, including a major art history library. Custodial History: These records were moved to Storage A sometime after 1976. |
| extent | 5 linear ft. |
| formats | Administrative Records Correspondence Ephemera Writings |
| access | Restrictions on Access: This material is currently restricted. |
| record link | http://cdmdemo.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p7001coll1/id/10 |
| record source | http://francine.clarkart.edu/ |
| acquisition information | These records were acquisitioned from Storage A in May 2007. Four files (536-539) were added to this collection in July 2009. They were found by the Registrar in her office. |
| updated | 08/25/2017 16:33:10 |
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