Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (10)
Viewers also liked
Viewers also liked (20)
Similar to Legacy of Artists Archives_4
Similar to Legacy of Artists Archives_4 (20)
Legacy of Artists Archives_4
- 1. The Life Cycle of an Artist’s Archive: From Creation to Legacy Lisa Cambier Getty Research Institute “Archives for Art History: Artists’ Estates and Archives” College Art Association Conference 2014 1
- 4. What is an Archive? “Materials created or received by a person, family or organization, public or private, in the conduct of their affairs and preserved because of the Enduring Value in the information they contain, or as evidence of the functions and responsibilities of their creator, especially those materials maintained using the principles of provenance, original order, and collective control; permanent records” - John Henley, Literary Appraiser 4
- 5. Dwan Gallery announcement for Robert Smithson’s Great Salt Lake Utah Sketch from Marjorie Cameron’s Notebook, ca. 1957 An artist’s paint palette What is an Archive? (Continued) 5
- 6. The Value of an Archive •Why •How 6 In 1994, Stanford acquired Allen Ginsberg’s archive for over $1 Million •Challenges •Other valuation criteria - subjective
- 7. What Do Institutions Look For? •Are the documents historically important? •Are the records appropriate for the collection and within scope? 7 Exhibition announcement from Jackson Pollock Paintings and Drawings, 1943 November, Archives of American Art
- 8. Ad Reinhardt, Correspondence with the Museum of Modern Art, 1952-1966, Ad Reinhardt Papers, Archives of American Art Research Value 8
- 9. Ad Reinhardt Correspondence with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1965-1966, Ad Reinhardt Papers, Archives of American Art Research Value (Continued) 9
- 10. Harry Shunk and Janos Kender at dinner for Lucio Fontana, La Coupole, Montparnasse, Paris, 1961. Photograph: Shunk-Kender © Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Research Value (Continued) 10
- 11. Yves Klein, Leap into the Void, 5 rue Gentil-Bernard, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France, 1960. Artistic action of Yves Klein © Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris. Photograph: Shunk-Kender © Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Research Value (Continued) 11
- 12. Integrity of the Archive •Pieces vs. whole Relevance to the Institution •“Focused” collections •Money, staffing, processing •Legitimacy and context Downtown Collection at Fales Library and Special Collections, NYU 12
- 13. Items from Fales Library and Special Collections at NYU’s “Downtown Collection” including a handwritten page from Patti Smith’s diary, which she gave to Richard Hell, one of Punk’s founding fathers Relevance to the Institution (Continued) 13
- 14. Left to right: Chuck Close, Irving Sandler, Robert Storr Facilitators of the 1997 Visual Artists Estate Planning Conference How Do Archives Get Placed? 14
- 15. Choosing an Institution •Long-term relationships •Compatibility with other materials in the collection •Accessibility •Capacity for Conservation •Ability to provide access to scholars, researchers and the public “One size does not fit all” 15
- 16. Choosing an Institution (Continued) •Institution where artist will be most appreciated •“Focused” collections •Provide affirmation context 16 Johanna Fateman's Artaud-Mania from the Riot Grrrl Collection at Fales Library
- 17. Creating a Legacy: Artist-Endowed Foundations and Access 17
- 18. Creating a Legacy: Artist-Endowed Foundations and Access (Continued) •Access to scholars •Proper housing •Impact of Placement •Preservation and Legacy 18 Portrait of Robert Mapplethorpe wearing his necklaces, Maurice Hogenboom, photographer, ca. early 1970s. The Getty Research Institute, Gift of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation
- 19. Alexander Calder’s Studio, 1939-1946, undated Alexander Calder Papers, Archives of American Art In Summary •Challenge of Valuation •Alternate Values •Proper Placement •“One size does not fit all” •Field Still Developing 19
Editor's Notes
- When I was in graduate school, I had a course on valuation techniques and research methods How to find comparables for values – size, subject matter, artist One day, my teacher presented a challenge by asking us to put a value on something completely unique to a particular artist and something not often seen on the auction block: Edward Hopper’s easel. Though we weren’t given much time to come up with a value or assessment, I found that I was able to present an argument as to what I thought the value of this easel was based on it’s provenance and the role it played in the creation of Edward Hopper’s works. Provenance added value It was this exercise that led me to learn about artists’ archives and the completely unique materials of which they are made Six months as an intern at an appraisal firm, teaching assistant to examine how an archive is valued or placed Topic of MA Thesis
- In the past few years it has become clear that artists are becoming more aware of ways to secure their legacy, through the creation of foundations and the placement of their archives in museums and collections, similar to how artists think about placing their artwork Aspen Institute’s 2 Volume National Study on the Artist as Philanthropist and their recent panel at LACMA on Foundations as a New Force in Cultural Philanthropy show increasing interest for artists, foundations and museums In looking over the available literature on the placement of archives, similar to literature on estate planning, most focus on an artist’s artwork and not their archive Through numerous interviews with collecting institutions, artists’ foundations, and appraisers, and through looking into current archival practices, I found the following:
- The definition of what makes up an archive varies according to appraisers, art historians and archivists One definition, seen here, provided by the literary appraiser, John Henley, shows how broad an archive can be.
- Tom McNulty, my former teacher and current appraiser, expands on this definition with his inclusion of artistic materials, such as paint brushes, easels and sketchbooks The documents that make up an archive are often ephemeral and difficult to access, yet their use to graduate students and scholars at academic institutions is priceless Artists, estates and foundations are becoming increasingly aware of importance of institutional placement Legacy cannot be created without institution’s ability to provide proper research access and care for these unique materials
- The Value of an Archive For many estates and foundations, the monetary value of their archive is not a consideration; rather they’re simply trying to determine the most appropriate institution or repository Appraisal necessary if foundation trying to shop around Appraiser much have enough time to go through Challenges are archives vary in size, condition, content and historical importance Comparables Another method, $25/ item / box In most cases, appraisers are “forced to adopt other criteria such as research value, the potential uses scholars will make of the material in years to come, historical value and cultural value” These value of the highest importance to collecting institutions, monetary value is subjective, appraiser with experience is important
- From an institution’s viewpoint, the two main questions that an archivist or curator must answer in determining whether to acquire an archive are whether the records are historically important, or likely to have enduring value, and are the records appropriate for his or her repository. Positive answers to these questions are crucial and add research value to the archive, especially to an institution in which these archives may have a personal interest, such as a library in the artist’s hometown or an institution that has a number of the artist’s artworks.
- During the course of my interviews at institutions such as the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art, The Fales Library at NYU, The Getty Research Institute and the library at the Museum of Modern Art, when I asked the question, “What makes an archive valuable to your institution?” research value was the universal response. For the most part, the “celebrity” of the creator, meaning how famous the artist is or was, does not play a large role as long as the archive is a well-documented and historically significant collection depicting an artistic movement or contains meaningful correspondence between two prominent figures.
- When I spoke to Charles Duncan at the Archives of American Art, he mentioned that believes an archive has two sets of creators, the artist to whom the archive belongs and the people associated with that archive through correspondence. He also mentioned that it especially helps if artists were great or prolific writers, such as Robert Motherwell or Ad Reinhardt.
- The research value of an archive is only as valuable as the access to it. When the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation acquired the archives of the well-known but reclusive art world photographer Harry Shunk and his collaborative work with Janos Kender in 2009, they knew that among the thousands of photos they were acquiring, there were many to which some researchers had never previously had access. These photographs are some of the only remaining images that capture ephemeral projects of over 450 contemporary artists of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.
- In acquiring the Harry Shunk and Shunk-Kender Photography collection, the RLF effectively rescued this important archive and took responsibility to preserve and place it, all the while keeping within their mission as a foundation to promote Roy Lichtenstein and his contemporaries. And now, this important archive will be available to researchers internationally, with the Lichtenstein Foundation’s donation of the archive split among the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles; the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the National Gallery of Art in Washington; the Tate in Britain; and the Pompidou Center in Paris.
- A somewhat contentious issue among the appraisers, archivists, curators, and librarians interviewed was whether an archive would ever be sold, valued or acquired in pieces rather than as a whole. According to most, the integrity of the archive was part of its value, and a partial archive would most likely not be considered for acquisition. However, some believed that if a part of the archive had a sense of completeness within itself, they might consider acquiring it. Archives can be even more relevant if an institution has a collecting specialty, a specific art historical movement or era in which they collect heavily. There are a few reasons why institutions develop specialty collections. One reason is that not all institutions can compete for every archive because of money, staffing or processing deficiencies. If an institution starts to collect heavily in one specific area, it can better afford and process a smaller number of specialized archives. For artists and estates, placing an archive into one of these “focused” institutions also provides legitimacy to an artist’s work by providing context within the other artists and movements of the time.
- The Fales’ library best represents another reason a library or institution might want to establish itself as the pre-eminent collector in a specific area. When Fales presented a show of its downtown archival holdings in 2006, it reached “critical mass”, establishing it as the lead repository of “Downtown” archives. Their “Downtown Collection” suits NYU’s location in lower Manhattan, where the art scene flourished in the 70’s and 80’s. Many artists of the time lived, and still live, blocks from the campus. By creating this distinct area of acquisition, NYU has made itself the “Go-to” repository for artists who may fall into this category and may want to donate or sell their archives one day.
- Choosing an Institution In 1997, a roundtable discussion and conference was held involving artists, their families and lawyers to discuss estate planning. The results of this conference were published in A Visual Artist’s Guide to Estate Planning..
- In the 2008 Supplement to this publication, the following were listed among the most important factors for artists and estates when choosing an institution for archival placement: long-term relationships, compatibility with other materials in the collection, accessibility, capacity for conservation, and ability to provide access to scholars, researchers, and the public. The supplement also established that “one size does not fit all” since artists and estates will each find unique ways of placing archives, especially if the archive is to be spread across different institutions
- Targeting an institution with a specialty collection may be the best option for a lesser-known artist, whose works might benefit from the inclusion into such a collection, providing affirmation and context. Though I have focused on some of the larger collecting institutions, such as the AAA, Fales Library and the GRI, it is important to keep in mind that while it is appealing to assume that one’s work belongs in a national institution like the Smithsonian or a major university library, an artist’s archive might be most appreciated in a smaller institution, such as a library located in the smaller towns where the artist grew up or somewhere affiliated with a school the artist once attended.
- Creating a legacy: Artist-Endowed Foundations and Access Other than placing their archives in an appropriate repository, artists are becoming more aware of creating a legacy through setting up an artist-endowed foundation Though there are many types of foundations, the clarity of purpose of a foundation is essential. It is important to pick an executor and subsequently trustees who will carry out that mission and be steadfast.” In the course of a discussion with Dr. Jack Cowart, executive director of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, he mentioned that he believes there will be a golden age of the artist-endowed foundation, but foundations need to be wary of starting with such a strong and specific mandate that it be impossible for the foundation to carry out.
- If an artist sets up an artist-endowed foundation while he or she is still living, one practice for that foundation may be to maintain and house archives for scholars. However, foundations today may not be as willing or able to allow as much access to outside scholars as other institutions might be able to provide. If the foundation cannot properly house the archives or ensure access to scholars, the archives should be donated or sold to a proper institution. Some believe that not allowing the public access to the archives undermines the foundation’s claim to public benefit. This decision should not be taken lightly: “If the decision is made to sell or to donate archival materials to a library or another research faculty, the artist-endowed foundation must realize that this decision may permanently impact research and writing about the artist.” For scholars, it is important to look into already established archival holdings, including micro-film before journeying to a repository and incurring extra costs. Ultimately, the foundation will need to decide on the final repository for those archives if, and when, the foundation can no longer properly preserve and promote the artist’s legacy.
- After thorough examination of research materials and much discussion with valuation and archive specialists, it is clear that the valuation and placement of artists’ archives is still a challenging issue for appraisers, institutions, and artists. Because of the opacity of private archival sales, it is important for appraisers and for those who purchase archives for institutions to understand the research, historical and intrinsic values of an archive, as well as its integrity. Artists’ archives are a valuable resource to researchers, cultural institutions and scholars. Though researchers can determine the historical or cultural value of these archives, finding a monetary value is not as simple. The specific monetary value and purchase prices of artists’ archives are rarely published, leaving appraisers in the dark on how to find comparable prices for valuation. Whether these prices reflect the provenance of the archives and are directly correlated to the “celebrity” or are influenced by meaningful correspondence in the papers, an archive has many sources of value. Ultimately, the valuation and placement of artists’ archives is an area that is still in need of further study in order to ensure the preservation of artists’ legacies.