Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art records, 1883-1962, bulk 1885-1962

Collection Information

Size: 252.8 Linear feet

Summary: The records of the Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art measure 252.8 linear feet and date from 1883-1962, with the bulk of the material dating from 1885-1940. The collection includes extensive correspondence between the museum's founding director, John Beatty, and his successor, Homer Saint-Gaudens, with artists, dealers, galleries, collectors, museum directors, representatives abroad, shipping and insurance agents, and museum trustees. The collection also includes Department of Fine Arts interoffice memoranda and reports; loan exhibition files; Carnegie International planning, jury, shipping, and sale records; and Department of Fine Arts letterpress copy books.

Biographical/Historical Note

The Carnegie Institute Museum of Art was established in 1895 by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. One of the first modern contemporary art museums in the United States, its flagship exhibition, the Carnegie International, is recognized as the longest running contemporary exhibition of international art in North America and is the second oldest in the world. Read More

Provenance

The Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art records were loaned for microfilming in 1966 and later donated to the Archives of American Art in 1972. A small addition of corrrespondence was donated in 2017 by Elizabeth Tufts Brown.

Language Note

Materials in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Digitization Note

This site provides access to the records of the Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2014. The Exhibitions and International Series (Series 3 and 4) and the correspondence of directors John W. Beatty (Boxes 15-18) and Homer Saint-Gaudens (Boxes 121-127) have been scanned in their entirety and total 154,000 images.

Funding Note

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Brown Foundation. Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.