Painting and Sculpture Department Records
Scope and Contents
The records consist of departmental and exhibition records. The former is comprised of general correspondence and subject files. Documentation of exhibitions primarily consists of lender files, artist and object research files, photographs, draft catalogue writings and files of other subject pertinent to planning an exhibition, such as budget, labels and installation, travel, publicity, promotion and special events.
Currently, this record group documents the curatorial office during its years of operation as the Painting and Sculpture Department, and as the Department of European Painting before 1900, the title it assumed in 1974. In 2014, it was renamed as the European Painting and Sculpture Department, which is a separate record group.
Dates
- 1924-1999
Creator
- Bye, Arthur Edwin, 1885- (Creator, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research. Access to unprocessed and institutional records less than 10 years old is at the discretion of the Archivist.
Conditions Governing Use
The Painting and Sculpture Department Records are the physical property of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Archives. The Museum holds literary rights only for material created by Museum personnel or given to the Museum with such rights specifically assigned. For all other material, literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for obtaining permission from rights holders for publication and for other purposes where stated.
Biographical / Historical
When the Painting and Sculpture Departments were allied, the Painting curators were Arthur Edwin Bye from 1922 to 1928, and Henry Clifford from 1929 to 1965, while the Sculpture curators were Horace H. F. Jayne and Francis H. Taylor from 1927-1930. Of special interest is Bye's bibliography and Clifford's participation with the American Committee for the Restoration of Italian Monuments.
Henry Gardiner was Assistant Curator in the Painting Department (under Henry Clifford) from 1960 to 1968. From 1968 to 1971 John L. Tancock was Associate Curator of Sculpture and there was no official Curator of Painting. In 1972 Anne d'Harnoncourt was named Associate Curator of Twentieth Century Painting and Joseph J. Rishel was Associate Curator of Painting before 1900. In 1973 the Department was split, with Anne d'Harnoncourt as Curator in the newly established Twentieth Century Art Department, and Joseph Rishel became the Curator of Painting in the new European Painting before 1900 Department. Peter Sutton came in 1979 as Assistant Curator, was named Associate Curator in 1982 and left in 1984 to join the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Extent
137 linear feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Painting and Sculpture Department records consist of departmental and exhibition records. It includes correspondence, subject files, lender files, artist and object research files, photographs, draft catalogue writings and other documentation of the Department’s activities.
Processing Information
These materials were arranged and described by Alice Lefton, Bertha Adams, Megan Finn and Leslie O'Neill. Funded by a grant from The National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Creator
- Bye, Arthur Edwin, 1885- (Creator, Person)
- Clifford, Henry (Creator, Person)
- Gardiner, Henry G. (Creator, Person)
- Rishel, Joseph J. (Creator, Person)
- Strehlke, Carl Brandon (Creator, Person)
- Sutton, Peter C. (Creator, Person)
- Tancock, John L. (Creator, Person)
- Taylor, Francis Henry, 1903-1957 (Creator, Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Painting and Sculpture Department Records
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Alice Lefton, Bertha Adams, Megan Finn and Leslie O'Neill
- Date
- 2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Sponsor
- Funded by a grant from The National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Repository Details
Part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Library and Archives Repository
Philadelphia Museum of Art
PO Box 7646
Philadelphia PA 19101-7646 United States
archives@philamuseum.org