Exhibition files document the National Academy of Design's commitment to exhibiting American art, achieved through its long history mounting annual, gallery, special, and museum exhibitions. Files may include exhibition catalogs, photographs, press clippings, sales records, and correspondence related to jury selection, awards and prizes, and logistical planning.
Annual exhibition files (subseries 7.1) document the Academy's member-curated annual exhibitions, which since 1826, have presented a survey of contemporary art in America. Up until 1900, the documentation of the annual exhibitions consists primarily of the exhibition catalogs, press clippings, and other printed material such as invitations and tickets. Catalogs provide details on participants, and many from the late 19th century contain illustrations by the artists and notes by prominent art critics such as Charles M. Kurtz. Documentation for 20th century exhibitions may additionally contain correspondence; financial material including price lists and receipts; exhibition and jury committee records; photographs of artwork, installations, and juries; guest books; entry forms and submission guidelines; and voting ballots. Annual exhibitions have typically been held in the spring, and certain years include winter or autumn annual exhibitions as well.
Gallery exhibition files (subseries 7.2) pertain to those exhibitions organized by outside organizations or groups who rented or borrowed the space from the Academy, including the American Society of Painters in Watercolor, Audubon Artists, and the National Association of Women Artists. These exhibitions provided a source of revenue for the Academy or were organized as a benefit for the outside organization. Items may include exhibition catalogs, clippings, correspondence, lists, and rental agreements.
Special exhibition files (subseries 7.3) pertain to exhibitions organized by the Academy and featuring works by Academy members. This includes exhibitions organized to correspond with America's centennial in 1876, the Academy's own centennial in 1925, and exhibitions of Academy artists organized in other locations including New Zealand and Fort Worth, Texas. Items found in this subseries may include catalogs, lectures and essays, correspondence, and other records pertaining to sales, curatorial, advertising, fundraising, and lenders.
Museum exhibition files (subseries 7.4) relate to exhibitions mounted by the Academy museum, opened in 1979, independent of the Annuals and member generated shows. Museum exhibitions included many travelling exhibitions that originated elsewhere and visited the Academy museum.
The final subseries (7.5) contains general exhibition files that overlap between exhibition types.
Arrangement:
The series is arranged as five subseries. Files are arranged chronologically within each subseries.
7.1: Annual Exhibitions, 1826-2003
7.2: Gallery Exhibitions, 1836-1988
7.3: Special, 1846-1981, 2008
7.4: Museum, 1979-1984
7.5: General, 1917-1996
Collection Restrictions:
This bulk of this collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
National Academy of Design records, 1817-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
