Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Bourgeois, Stephan
| title | Stephan Bourgeois papers, 1908-circa 1964 |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | The papers of New York art dealer and consultant Stephan Bourgeois measure 4.2 linear feet and date from 1908 to circa 1964. The papers include biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records and printed material. Biographical material includes an address book, biographical statement, passport, a few photographs and some miscellaneous artifacts. Correspondence consists of Stephan Bourgeois's letters to and from museums, clients and other art dealers. There is business correspondence with lawyers and art dealers in Cologne, Germany. Alphabetical correspondence mostly dates from Stephan Bourgeois's time in New York City on the subject of art and exhibitions. There is also correspondence regarding specific paintings. Writings consists of notebooks on artists, writings about various art subjects, research and writings on El Greco, notes on places and sociology, and finally miscellaneous notes. Personal business records include income tax records, bills and receipts, material related to requesting compensation from the German government, and miscellaneous financial records. The bulk of the printed material consists of exhibition catalogs from Bourgeois Galleries. There are a few articles about Stephan Bourgeois, catalogs from other galleries, and assorted clippings. How to Cite This Collection Stephan Bourgeois papers, 1908-circa 1964. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Biographical/Historical Note Stephan Bourgeois (1881-1964) was an art dealer, historian, writer, and gallery owner based in New York City. |
| extent | 4.2 linear feet |
| formats | Business Papers Personal Papers Correspondence Writings Ephemera |
| access | Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.bourstep.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/stephan-bourgeois-papers-6777 |
| finding aid | available over the repository's website. |
| acquisition information | The Stephan Bourgeois papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in 1980 by Mrs. Stephan Bourgeois, widow of Bourgeois. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:52 |
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| title | Jacques Seligmann & Co. records, 1904-1978, bulk 1913-1974 |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | See Box 16, Folder 36: Bourgeois, Stephen, 1924-1945 |
| extent | 6 pages |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.jacqself.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/jacques-seligmann--co-records-9936 |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:52 |
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| title | Oscar Bluemner papers, 1886-1939 |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | The papers of painter Oscar Bluemner date from 1886 to 1939, with one item from 1960, and measure 6.6 linear feet. The collection documents Bluemner's career through scattered biographical material and personal and professional correspondence. Almost one-half of the collection consists of Bluemner's extensive writings and notes about his artwork, painting techniques, and art theory in the form of diaries, notebooks, lists, essays, and notes - many of which are also illustrated. Also found are annotated books, exhibition catalogs, newsclippings, artwork and sketches by Bluemner, and photographs of Bluemner's artwork and of architecture. Bluemner's work in architecture is documented to a lesser degree through scattered licenses, photographs, and design drawings. Biographical material is scattered and includes autobiographical writings, a list of published works, an essay for a Guggenheim fellowship application, certificates, legal documents, and membership records. Also of note are detailed technical diagrams of his studio easel. The small amount of correspondence in this collection is with family, friends, artists, art galleries and museums, art collectors and patons, and others. Notable correspondents include Stephan Bourgeois, Edward Bruce, Ernest Fiene, Arnold Friedman, Stefan Hirsch, Walter Hochschild, Margaret Lewisohn, Aline Liebman, George Ferdinand Of, Albert Rothbart, Alfred Stieglitz, and Ludwig Vogelstein. Page 3 Bluemner' extensive writings about his painting techniques and theories, and art history and criticism are found in painting and theory diaries, notebooks, notes, lists of artwork, essays, and writings for publication. Painting Diaries contain Bluemner's handwritten notes about newly-completed paintings and current work. Theory Diaries contain his notes on art theory. Both sets of diaries contain many color illustrations and sketches. Also of particular interest are Bluemner's notes and homemade notebooks on techniques which he often called "Easel Notes." Also found are notes on paintings he viewed in American art collections and four volumes of notes taken during his tour of Europe in 1912. Bluemner also maintained extensive notes on Chinese and Japanese art history and styles. Additional writings include a collection of notes he compiled and organized from his other diaries, notebooks, and writings for a book on painting. Bluemner's papers also contain books and exhibition catalogs annotated with his notes and illustrations - many of which are on the subject of Chinese and Japanese art. Art motif and travel sketches contain motifs and artwork that Bluemner developed into themes for his paintings. Most of the travel sketches are of towns in New Jersey, but also include sketches and notes on Italy, which he visited in 1912. There is also a small sketchbook and drawings of buildings Bluemner designed. Printed material includes exhibition catalogs and announcements, some of which are annotated with prices and additional information, as well as news and magazine clippings, and prints of published writings by Bluemner. Photographs found in the collection include three photographs of buildings Bluemner designed, photographs of artwork, one print of Bluemner, and negatives. Biographical Note Oscar Bluemner (1867-1938) was born Friedrich Julius Oskar Blümner in Prussia in 1867. As a child he received some formal art training. He enrolled in the architecture department of the Konigliche Technische Hochschule (Royal Technical Academy), Berlin, and received his architecture degree in 1892. A few months later he moved to the United States and worked in Chicago as a draftsman at the World's Columbian Exposition. After the exposition, Bluemner attempted to find work in both Chicago and New York City, but could not find steady employment. In 1903 he created the winning design for the Bronx Borough Courthouse, and for the next few years had various intermittent jobs as an architect in New York. Around this time Bluemner also began writing down his thoughts on aesthetics, art history, and art theory, which he would continue to do for the rest of his life in various journals, diaries, and notebooks. In 1908 Bluemner met Alfred Stieglitz at Stieglitz's gallery, known as "291", and by 1910 he had decided to pursue painting full-time rather than architecture. From 1911 to 1912 he worked on a set of Neo-Impressionist paintings and, using the money he won in a suit regarding the Bronx Courthouse design, he went on a seven-month trip to Europe, touring museums and galleries, and exhibiting his own work in Germany. Upon returning to the United States, Bluemner exhibited in the 1913 Armory Show, and in 1915 had a oneman show at 291. Despite participating in several exhibitions, including solo shows, for the next ten years Bluemner failed to sell many paintings and lived with his family in near-poverty. In 1916 he moved to New Jersey, living as an itinerant, until finally settling in South Braintree, Massachusetts, after his wife's death in 1926. Over the next few years, Bluemner had several prominent one-man shows at the Whitney Studio Galleries and at the Marie Harriman Gallery in New York. He was briefly employed for the Public Works of Art Project in 1934 and the Federal Art Project in 1936, but due to failing health was forced to stop painting. Oscar Bluemner committed suicide in 1938. Alternate Forms: The papers of Oscar Bluemner in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2008. The papers have been scanned in their entirety and total 15,820 images. Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. |
| extent | 6.6 linear ft. |
| access | The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.blueosca.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/oscar-bluemner-papers-5735 |
| acquisition information | The Oscar Bluemner papers were donated in several installments from 1970 to 1985 by John Davis Hatch, an art historian and close friend of Bluemner. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:52 |
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| title | Gordon B. Washburn Records, 1932-1941 (AK2.5) |
| repository | The G. Robert Strauss, Jr. Memorial Library |
| description | The bulk of the Gordon B. Washburn Director's Records consists of correspondence. The relatively larger volume of records surviving from Washburn's administration in comparison with that of his predecessors is a reflection of the expansion of both the number of staff, and the variety of programs offered by the Gallery beginning in 1932. From his correspondence it is clear that Washburn dictated most of his letters, and routine communications were written and signed for him by his stenographers led by Beatrice Howe, Washburn's assistant director. Types of correspondence found in Series II include material documenting the growing educational function of the Gallery, particularly records relating to Gallery cooperation with public schools, and the University of Buffalo, and also the administration of a 1939 Carnegie Foundation grant which founded the Secondary School Project, a diverse series of exhibitions aimed at young adults. Correspondence with visiting lecturers documents this aspect of the Gallery's education function. Another major category is correspondence with art collectors and dealers, most based in New York City. Much of this material relates to loans, purchases, and works considered for purchase. Correspondence documenting the acquisition of art for the permanent collection and the Room of Contemporary Art was found, but it is noted that final correspondence documenting an acquisition is filed in the Registrar's Office. Correspondence in the Directors' Office record the decision to buy, while material in the Registrar files record the actual purchase. Washburn corresponded frequently about art with his former professor, Paul J. Sachs and his assistant, Agnes Mongan. This correspondence concern the quality and provenance of art under purchase consideration, discusses the reliability of dealers, and also records Washburn's personal life in Buffalo. Another frequent personal correspondent was Stephan Bourgeois, a European who established the Bourgeois Gallery in New York. Washburn's correspondence with this significant, but little known art dealer and scholar who pioneered in New York representing the French avant garde artists, is quite voluminous and comprehensive and continues in a complete series from 1931 to 1942. Bourgeois was involved in the organization of the Room of Contemporary Art and served as its New York representative in 1939 and 1940 advising on many purchases. He lectured several times at the Gallery, and his wife, Maria Theresa, who was a pupil of Isadora Duncan, danced in the sculpture court before an elite audience in 1932. Bourgeois' correspondence provides an interesting behind-the-scenes account of the factors and events affecting the New York art world in the thirties. Correspondence with other museum directors concerns circulating exhibition, loans, policies, and documents planning for major events, such as the New York World's Fair and similar expositions. This includes regular correspondence with practically every art museum in the United States. Museum correspondence is arranged alphabetically by city. Correspondence with artists was also found. This included both local artists of interest and isolated letters from internationally recognized artists such as Fernaud Leger, Naum Gabo, and Josef Albers, and American artists like Walt Kuhn. Correspondence with local artists between 1932 and 1934 sheds light on Buffalo art activities particularly affairs involving the Buffalo Society of Artists and its splinter group, the Patteran Society. Biographical Note Gordon Bailey Washburn (1904-1983) was born and raised in Massachusetts. He graduated from Williams College and subsequently traveled in Europe, returning to study under Professor Paul J. Sachs of the Fogg Art Museum. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree from Harvard. His first position in a long career of museum administration was at the Albright Art Gallery, where he succeeded William M. Hekking as art director on October 1, 1931. From the beginning of his tenure at the Albright Art Gallery, Washburn sought to implement programs designed to increase the usefulness of the Gallery to the majority of the public. It was under his direction that the first educational secretaries (coordinators) were hired followed by the appointment of Robert T. Davis as the first director of education in 1936. Similar growth of departments designed for serving the public included the Library (founded in 1932), the Picture Lending Library (founded in 1933), and a Department of Allied Art and Industry (founded in 1934), which was intended to foster links between manufacturers, retailers, and the Gallery through training in art appreciation for sales girls. The changing needs of the public during the Great Depression spurred the implementation of educational outreach programs, school tours, and adult education classes. Washburn himself lectured before a variety of audiences in upstate New York, as well as arranging for a full series of lectures each year at the Gallery. His two largest and best received exhibitions were Master Drawings (1935) and Master Bronzes (1937). Both were scholarly and considered innovative for the manner of their installation. In 1934, Washburn initiated the first independently-juried Western New York regional exhibition as a fair response to rivalry among local artists' societies. Washburn's most lasting contribution to the history of the permanent collection was the establishment of the Room of Contemporary Art in December 1938. Funded largely by Seymour H. Knox II, the Room for Contemporary Art was governed by an innovative and experimental collecting policy which permitted the collection and exhibition of contemporary art from many countries for the benefit and enlightenment of the public. Washburn resigned as director in 1942 to become director of the Rhode Island School of Art's museum. In the early fifties he became director of the Carnegie Institute Department of Fine Arts in Pittsburgh. In 1962 he resigned to head the Asia House Gallery in New York, a position from which he retired in 1972. He died in New York City in 1983. Preferred Citation [Description and dates], Box/folder number, AK2.5, Gordon B. Washburn Records, 1932-1941, G. Robert Strauss, Jr. Memorial Library, Albright-Knox Art Gallery. |
| extent | 48 manuscript boxes (24 linear feet) |
| formats | Correspondence Exhibition Files |
| access | Contact repository for further details. |
| record link | http://akat.albrightknox.org/vwebv/holdingsInfo?searchId=1&recCount=10&recPointer=0&bibId=51226 |
| record source | https://web.archive.org/web/20100706224823/http://www.albrightknox.org/Library/findingaids/2.5/AK2.5.html |
| acquisition information | See Head of Research Resources for acquisition information. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:52 |
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| title | Nassos Daphnis papers, 1940-1977 |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Professional and personal correspondence; biographical material; notes; typescript; sketches; photograph; and catalogs and announcements. REEL N69/124: Professional correspondence with Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo, and the Corcoran Gallery; notes and typescript commentary by Daphnis on his work for a 1953 exhibition; sketches; photographs of Daphnis, his family and his work, many identifying the owners; catalogs and other printed material. REEL N70-68: Letters from Albright Knox Gallery, Buffalo, Carnegie Institute, Corcoran Gallery and other museums, personal friends including Stephen Bourgeois, Mrs. William (Helen) Gratwick, Michael Kyriakis and others, and the American Peony Society and others regarding Daphnis' peony hybridizing projects. Also included are biographical material, Daphnis' comments on color, rhythm, notes for essays, exhibition catalogs, and clippings. UNMICROFILMED: A resume; exhibition catalogs and announcements; postcards of Daphnis's paintings; posters; publicity material; and xerox copies of clippings. Biographical/Historical Note Painter, sculptor, horticulturist; New York, N.Y. Location of Originals Reels N69-124 & N70-68: Originals returned to Nassos Daphnis after microfilming. How to Cite This Collection Nassos Daphnis papers, 1940-1977. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. |
| extent | 0.4 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 2 reels) |
| access | Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information. |
| record link | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/nassos-daphnis-papers-9292 |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/nassos-daphnis-papers-9292 |
| acquisition information | Material on reels N69-124 and N70-68 lent for microfilming 1969-1970 by Nassos Daphnis. Unmicrofilmed material donated 1979 by Daphnis. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:52 |
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