3. Records of the Curatorial Departments

These records contain correspondence, research, institutional literature, and exhibition files from the East Asian Art Department.

The American Decorative Arts Department Records include exhibition files, object files, correspondence, photographs, bibliographic records (on index cards), and other work by curators.

This collection documents the activities and exhibition of the former Modern and Contemporary Art Department (2000-2013).

These records document the exhibitions, research, and activities of the Twentieth Century Art Department at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The earliest Decorative Arts Department Records consist of the correspondence of Museum Committee member Alfred Coxe Prime. The other series document the work of curatorial staff; namely, Joseph Downs, Henry P. McIlhenny, Joan Prentice, and Calvin Hathaway, who each headed the department, respectively, from 1925 to 1973. Material consists of correspondence, subject files, research and exhibition records.

Documentation in this record group begins approximately in 1974 when the museum designated a department of "European Decorative Arts after 1700." Most of the records were created or compiled by Kathryn Hiesinger, who has headed the curatorial department since its inception. The bulk of material pertains to two exhibitions, "The Second Empire: Art in France under Napoleon III" (1978), and "Japanese Design: A Survey Since 1950" (1994).

The Marcel Duchamp Exhibition Records contain material created and collected by the Modern and Contemporary Art Department (formerly the Twentieth Century Art Department) during the course of organizing and/or participating in exhibitions about the artist Marcel Duchamp.

The Marcel Duchamp Research Collection is comprised of ephemera, photographs, clippings, writings and correspondence related to the artist Marcel Duchamp, his life, work, and legacy which was collected and compiled by the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The collection consists of photocopied letters, articles, book excerpts, receipts, and prints pertaining to individuals and artists involved with both Mexico and modern printmaking.

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.