Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Kunsthandel Kurt Bachstitz Gallery
| title | Bachstitz, Inc. Records, 1923-1937 (bulk 1929-1930, 1936-1937) | repository | The Metropolitan Museum of Art |
| description | The 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 |
| extent | 9.375 linear feet (22 full-size boxes and 1 half-size box) |
| access | The 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 link | http://libmma.org/digital_files/archives/Bachstitz_records_b18041048.pdf |
| record source | http://library.metmuseum.org:80/record=b1804104~S1 |
| finding aid | Finding aid available in The Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives and on the Internet. |
| acquisition information | The 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. |
| updated | 11/08/2017 14:38:11 |
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