Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Archives related to: Kunsthandel Kurt Bachstitz Gallery

titleKunsthandel Kurt Bachstitz Gallery
repositoryRijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Dokumentatie
descriptionContains card system; correspondence with various art dealers; clippings, documentation and blueprint images; correspondence and notes by Detler von Hadeln, including expertises by W. von Bode, Bienerth, M. Friedländer, A.L. Mayer, F. Sarre, Marc Rosenberg, Arthur Upham Pope; Two stock books (Stock-Book I and II) from the Auspitz collection; Baldass Catalog and press documentation regarding the Von Auspitz Collection (1932-1933).

The Bachstitz Gallery was founded by Kurt Walter Bachstitz located at Surinamestraat 11 in The Hague. This collection was developed by the Viennese banker Stephan von Auspitz of the bank Auspitz, Lieben & Co. Auspitz. After his death, around 1931, the collection was sold to Kurt Walter Bachstitz.

formatsCorrespondence
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record linkhttps://rkd.nl/collections/558
record source
updated02/14/2025 10:07:27
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titleBachstitz, Inc. Records, 1923-1937 (bulk 1929-1930, 1936-1937)
repositoryThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
descriptionThe Bachstitz, Inc. records consist primarily of correspondence and administrative and financial records relating to president of the firm Kurt Walter Bachstitz’s activities as an art dealer in New York City.

The bulk of the records, which date from 1929-1931 and 1936-1937, correlate with trips Bachstitz made to the United States during those years to cultivate the New York City branch of his business and a U.S. clientele.

Biographical/Historical Note:
Kurt Walter Bachstitz (1882-1949), a successful art dealer with international reach, was active in Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam, The Hague, and New York City through the 1920s and 1930s. His inventory of artwork featured old master and modern paintings, miniatures, Renaissance bronzes, medieval objects, classical Greek and Byzantine jewelry, and Islamic glass, and his clientele included many notable private art collectors, museums, and galleries throughout Europe and the United States.

According to the Dutch Advisory Committee on the Assessment of Restitution Applications for Items of Cultural Value and the Second World War's "Recommendation Regarding Bachstitz," in 1941, Bachstitz, who was Jewish, resigned as the head of his flagship firm in The Hague and transferred his business and inventory to his non-Jewish wife, Elisa Emma Hofer.

Organization/Arrangement:
The Bachstitz, Inc. records are arranged in four series: I. Correspondence II. General Administrative Records III. Inventory IV. Financial Records

extent9.375 linear feet (22 full-size boxes and 1 half-size box)
accessThe collection is open for research. Photocopies were made to replace fragile items in Series III. Inventory. Requests for access to originals will be reviewed by Archives staff on a case by case basis.
record linkhttp://libmma.org/digital_files/archives/Bachstitz_records_b18041048.pdf
record sourcehttp://library.metmuseum.org:80/record=b1804104~S1
finding aidFinding aid available in The Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives and on the Internet.
acquisition informationThe Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired the Bachstitz, Inc. Records as a gift from Janos Scholz in 1969. According to a June 7, 1969 letter from the donor, the records, along with works of art, were left in the Manhattan Storage Warehouse at the outbreak of WWII. The art was sold and the records were put in his care. They were offered to the Metropolitan for safekeeping and scholarly use with the permission of Bachstitz’s heirs.
updated02/14/2025 10:07:52
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