Remarks, 1983-2008, undated

From exhibition openings and gallery tours to lectures and symposiums, d'Harnoncourt spoke frequently on behalf of PMA and as a leading advocate and authority of the arts. This subseries reflects the group of files she maintained as a unit although variously identified over the years as "speaking engagements," "remarks," and "inside lectures." These files pertain primarily to events held at PMA, including those hosted by other organizations and corporations. Also included are files of d'Harnoncourt's comments on behalf of PMA at several events held outside the museum. Most notable are the presentation in Dresden, Germany marking the return of works of armor, the PMA historical slide lecture she gave at the Louvre, and the PMA exhibition opening in Kyoto, Japan.

It is unclear why there is almost no documentation for events at PMA from 1994 to 2000 although several events not documented here can be found in Series 1, "Names and subjects." "See references" noted below provide links to those files. Because the museum receives funding from the city of Philadelphia, d'Harnoncourt and other staff often presented testimony to City Council. As only two of her testimonies are included here, researchers should also consult "City: Budget" files in the various subseries of Series I. While this subseries includes d'Harnoncourt's remarks at a significant number of exhibition openings held between 2005 and 2007, researchers should also consult Series II "Exhibitions" for other years, and search for "remarks" at the folder level. As with most of her records, d'Harnoncourt filed additional copies of her remarks in folders identified by venue or event name. Therefore, some duplication will also occur in Series I.

Despite the gap, this group still makes evident the frequency and breadth of d'Harnoncourt's talks, her endless excitement in presenting ideas and artists to a variety of audiences, and her unflagging enthusiasm for the museum and its city. The files vary in the amount and type of documentation. D'Harnoncourt's preparation for a talk could consist of half a page to multiple pages of handwritten comments or typed text, and/or long lists of comparative slides, or simply lists of objects or topical notations. "AMs" identifies any handwritten items; "Ts" identifies those that are typed. Many files include correspondence and other papers documenting the planning of the event and guests to be invited, as well as press releases, clippings, brochures and other ephemera. Interviews and audio tours are also included in this subseries, documented by notations of talking points and scripts. Occasionally, but infrequently, PMA staff provided d'Harnoncourt with her draft remarks.

"Various events" files pertain to speaking engagements for which there is minimal documentation--usually a list of slides and memos regarding expected attendance. For the most part, these are the regularly-scheduled events such as members' director's tours, corporate partners' luncheons, and associates' annual meetings. The CD in the latter folder contains 79 images of objects in the museum's collections. The label is marked with the date of 08/30/2004, which according to her appointment book was the date of an "all-day staff retreat." The slides ending the subseries were held by the Slide Library for d'Harnoncourt's use. There is no indication for what talks, if any, A'dHarnoncourt compiled these. The slides were housed originally in two metal cases and one slide box. Although slides are now housed in mylar sleeves, they remain in original order. Any notations have been noted in the folder title. Approximately half of the slides in all the containers are unidentified. The first case contains the most slides, approximately 400. About half pertain to Marcel Duchamp--his life, his work and that of his contemporaries. Most of the remainder illustrate works of art created during the 1960s and 1970s by artists such as Jasper Johns. A number of objects are held by other museums, namely the Museum of Modern Art. Whether"PMA oddities" was d'Harnoncourt's designation for the second case of slides is unclear as the words did not appear to be written in her hand. Most of these slides illustrate the museum's main building and its construction as well as more contemporary gallery installations. There are two identified subgroups of slides with the cardboard slide box. The first contains images relating to significant collectors of the early 20th century, and therefore contemporaries of Duchamp. They are Gertrude Stein, Katherine Dreier, John Quinn and Alfred Stieglitz. The second subgroup illustrates works by artists influenced by Duchamp. Approximately half of the remaining slides are images of Duchamp. The others are too varied for any one category.