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Wilhelm Reinhold Valentiner papers

Creator:
Valentiner, Wilhelm Reinhold, 1880-1958  Search this
Names:
Detroit Institute of Arts  Search this
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Bode, Wilhelm von, 1845-1929  Search this
Colenbrander, H. T. (Herman Theodoor), 1871-1945  Search this
Ford, Edsel, 1893-1943  Search this
Heise, Carl Georg, 1890-1979  Search this
Hofstede de Groot, C. (Cornelis), 1863-1930  Search this
McIlhenny, John  Search this
Mellon, Andrew W. (Andrew William), 1855-1937  Search this
Morgan, Anne Tracy, 1873-1952  Search this
Sarre, Maria  Search this
Wills, Helen, 1905-1998  Search this
Extent:
6.9 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Prints
Photographs
Diaries
Place:
Germany -- Politics and government -- 1918-1933
Date:
1853-1977
Summary:
The papers of art historian and museum director Wilhelm Reinhold Valentiner measure 6.9 linear feet and date from 1853 to 1977. Found within the collection are biographical materials, including information on the Lepsius and Valentiner families; correspondence with family, friends, art collectors, and art historians; seven diaries; additional writings and notes; printed materials; three clippings scrapbooks; artwork in the form of prints and woodcuts; and photographs of Valentiner and his family and friends, including two photograph albums.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of art historian and museum director Wilhelm Reinhold Valentiner measure 6.9 linear feet and date from 1853 to 1977. Found within the collection are biographical materials, including information on the Lepsius and Valentiner families; correspondence with family, friends, art collectors, and art historians; seven diaries; additional writings and notes; printed materials; three clippings scrapbooks; artwork in the form of prints and woodcuts; and photographs of Valentiner and his family and friends, including two photograph albums.

Biographical materials include certificates, membership cards, a curriculum vitae, and genealogical information on the Valentiner and Lepsius families.

Correspondence includes letters in German from Valentiner's parents, siblings, extended family members, and his wife and daughter. General correspondence includes letters and cards in German and English from art historian mentors and peers, including Wilhelm von Bode, Cornelius Hofstede de Groot, Carl Heise, and Herman Colenbrander, as well as art collectors and friends, including John McIlhenny, Andrew Mellon, Edsel Ford, Maria Sarre, and Helen Wills Moody Roark.

Seven diaries dated 1910-1939 were written in German, some of which also contain sketches, photographs, and other enclosures. Additional writings and notes consist of autobiographical writings, numerous essays, lectures, and monographs on Italian and Dutch art and artists, and reports and lectures on exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Detroit Institute of Arts. Lecture seminar notes appear to have been written while Valentiner was a student in Germany, and materials related to Arbeitsrat für Kunst date from the period after Valentiner's military service when he served as a chairman to the newly formed Working Council for the Arts, prior to his return to America in 1921.

Printed material includes bulletins, exhibition catalogs, clippings, and three clippings scrapbooks, which document Valentiner's professional career in New York and Detroit.

Photographic materials are of Wilhelm Valentiner, his immediate and extended family members, and his friends. Photos of Valentiner are from his youth, military service in Germany, and his personal and professional career in the U.S. Photographs of friends include art scholars, collectors, and family friends, including Maria Sarre, Helen Wills Moody Rorke, and Anne Morgan, the daughter of Pierpoint Morgan. There are also a handful of reproductions of artwork used as scholarly references in his writings. The two photo albums focus on Valentiner's family and friends from his youth in Germany, and Valentiner with family members later in his life.

Artwork in the collection consists of prints from a page in a German book, a bookplate, and two woodcuts by unidentified artists.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 8 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1853-1976 (8 folders; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1860-1974 (3.4 linear feet; Box 1-4)

Series 3: Diaries, 1910-1939 (7 folders; Box 3)

Series 4: Writings and Notes, 1890-1970 (1.7 linear feet; Box 4-6, 9)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1915-1977 (0.2 linear feet; Box 6)

Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1908-1933 (0.4 linear feet; Box 6, 9)

Series 7: Photographic Materials, 1840-1970 (0.8 linear feet; Box 6-8)

Series 8: Artwork, 1890-1960 (3 folders; Box 8)
Biographical / Historical:
Art historian and museum director Wilhelm Reinhold Valentiner (1880-1958) lived in New York City, N.Y., Detroit, Michigan, and Raleigh, North Carolina and was known for his leadership and collection development during his tenure at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Valentiner was born in Karlsruhe, Germany to Karl Wilhelm Valentiner, a professor of astronomy at Heidelberg University, and his wife, Anna Lepsius Valentiner. The youngest of four children, Valentiner attended the University of Leipzig and continued studies in art history at the University of Heidelberg, where he received his doctorate in 1905 under the mentorship of Henry Thode. His relationship with Thode and with fellow students Edwin Redslob and Hermann Voss would eventually lead to lifelong friendships with a network of European scholars and historians, including Wilhelm von Bode and Cornelius Hofstede de Groot.

Upon von Bode's recommendation to J.P. Morgan, then President of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Valentiner joined the staff of the Metropolitan in 1908 as the curator for Decorative Arts. In 1913, he founded the journal Art in America, where he would remain as editor until 1931. At the onset of World War I, Valentiner returned to Germany to enlist and served until the war's end, at which point he spent a brief period working at the Kaiser Friedrich Museum and participated in the Arbeitsrat für Kunst, a new group that questioned the traditional relationship between artists and established art institutions. Though shortlived, his participation as a chairmen for the Working Council for the Arts introduced him to leading German artists and architects, including Walter Gropius, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Käthe Kollwitz, and Lyonel Feininger. At this time, he also met his future wife, Cecelia Odefay, who he married in 1919.

In 1921, Valentiner returned to the U.S. and was asked to serve as a collecting advisor to the Detroit Institute of Arts. In 1924, he was appointed the Institute's director, a position he held until his retirement in 1944. During his tenure, he oversaw the opening of a new wing, the first acquisition of pre-Columbian and African art, the strengthening of Chinese and Islamic art collections, significant acquisitions of European Modernists, and the development of the museum's education and conservation divisions.

In 1937, Valentiner founded the Art Quarterly journal for the College Art Association, which he edited until 1949. After his retirement from the Institute, Valentiner was called from retirement to serve as director for the Los Angeles County Museum and the Getty Museum in California, and the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. Valentiner died from complications of pneumonia in 1958.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the Mary E. Adams letters from Wilhelm Valentiner and an oral history interview with Mary and Clinton Adams conducted by Paul Karlstrom, April 24, 1998. The North Carolina Museum of Art also holds papers of Wilhelm Valentiner, most of which are also available at the Archives on microfilm reels D31 and 2140-2144.
Separated Materials:
In 1981 and earlier, the Archives microfilmed the William R. Valentiner papers that were on deposit from the North Carolina Museum of Art onto reels D31 and 2140-2144. The papers were returned to the North Carolina Museum of Art, but the microfilm is still available for use at the Archives research centers and for interlibrary loan.

Reel D31 includes diary entries, 1914-1957, describing Valentiner's service in the German army, 1914-1918, with the War Information Office in Berlin, the overthrow of the monarchy and German politics, relations between Germany and Russia and communist activity in Germany, the administration of Berlin museums and radical artists' activities, his work with the L.A. County Museum, Detroit Institute of Fine Arts, the North Carolina Museum of Art, and private collectors, impressions of friends, including Henry Ford, Carl Hamilton, the Hohenzollerns, Franz Marc, Rainer Maria Rilke, Walter Rathenau, Helen Wills, Benjamin Altman, J. Pierpont Morgan, and recollections of women art collectors, including Mrs. August Belmont, Rita Lydig, and Mrs. Leonard Thomas. A very small portion of the filmed materials may be found among the Valentiner papers at the Archives, but most of the materials were returned to the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Loaned materials on reels 2140-2144 consist of 26 diaries, 1904-1958; autobiographical writings; manuscripts and lectures by Valentiner; correspondence with family, friends, authors, museums, galleries, and dealers, including Harry Bertoia, Charles Culver, Lyonel and Julia Feininger, Walter Gropius, Paul and Mary Weschler, and Morris Graves; and a scrapbook containing clippings, drafts of speeches, and invitations.
Provenance:
From 1972 to 1977, Valentiner's papers were gathered from various sources by historian Margaret Sterne who was researching and writing a biography of Valentiner. Sterne died just prior to publication and the papers were sorted by Archives' staff and returned to the lender when known. After publication of the biography, the bulk of the papers were returned to their respective lenders (primarily the University of North Carolina) and the remaining papers were sorted and accessioned by the Archives. Donors are listed as unknown or anonymous.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archvies' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.
Occupation:
Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Art historians -- Michigan -- Detroit  Search this
Museum directors -- Michigan -- Detroit  Search this
Topic:
Art museums -- United States  Search this
Museum directors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Art, Dutch  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- United States  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Art, Italian  Search this
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Prints
Photographs
Diaries
Citation:
Wilhelm Reinhold Valentiner papers, 1853-1977. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.valewilh
See more items in:
Wilhelm Reinhold Valentiner papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f81f812b-6e64-4abf-a0a7-8555efae3ac5
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-valewilh
Online Media:

Actie, werkelijkheid en fictie in de kunst van de jaren '60 in Nederland : [tentoonstelling] Museum Boymans-Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, 9 november 1979 t/m 6 januari 1980 / [redaktie, Wim Beeren ... et al.]

Author:
Beeren, W. A. L (Willem A. L.)  Search this
Museum Boymans-Van Beuningen  Search this
Physical description:
176 p. : ill. ; 30 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Place:
Netherlands
Date:
1979
C1979
20th century
Topic:
Arts, Dutch  Search this
Arts, Modern  Search this
Call number:
NX554.A1 A27X
NX554.A1A27X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_131723

België Nederland : knooppunten en parallellen in de kunst na 1945 : [tentoonstelling : Paleis voor Schone Kunsten te Brussel, 20.6/10.8.1980, Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam, 13.2/22.3.1981]

Author:
Palais des beaux-arts (Brussels, Belgium)  Search this
Museum Boymans-Van Beuningen  Search this
Physical description:
157 p. : ill. ; 30 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Place:
Belgium
Netherlands
Date:
1980
1980]
20th century
Topic:
Arts, Belgian--Dutch influences  Search this
Arts, Modern  Search this
Arts, Dutch--Belgian influences  Search this
Call number:
NX555.A1 B4X
NX555.A1B4X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_144179

Jan Altink, 21 October 1885-6 December 1971 D.H. Couvée. Jan Altink / W.J. de Gruyter

Title:
Jan Altink and expressionism
J. Altink
Author:
Altink, Jan 1885-1971  Search this
Author:
Couvee, D. H Jan. Altink and expressionism  Search this
Gruyter, W. Jos. de (Willem Josiah) 1899-1979 Jan. Altink  Search this
Physical description:
2 volumes illustrations (some color) 31 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Expositions
Exhibition catalogs
Date:
1978
20th century
20e siècle
Topic:
Painting, Dutch  Search this
Drawing, Dutch  Search this
Art, Dutch  Search this
Art néerlandais  Search this
Call number:
N40.1.A457 C8
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_126956

Wilhelm Reinhold Valentiner papers, 1853-1977

Creator:
Valentiner, Wilhelm Reinhold, 1880-1958  Search this
Subject:
Colenbrander, H. T. (Herman Theodoor)  Search this
Heise, Carl Georg  Search this
Hofstede de Groot, C. (Cornelis)  Search this
Bode, Wilhelm von  Search this
Wills, Helen  Search this
Sarre, Maria  Search this
Mellon, Andrew W. (Andrew William)  Search this
McIlhenny, John  Search this
Ford, Edsel  Search this
Morgan, Anne Tracy  Search this
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Detroit Institute of Arts  Search this
Type:
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Prints
Photographs
Diaries
Place:
Germany -- Politics and government -- 1918-1933
Citation:
Wilhelm Reinhold Valentiner papers, 1853-1977. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art museums -- United States  Search this
Museum directors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Art, Dutch  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- United States  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Art, Italian  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Research and writing about art  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)13492
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209035
AAA_collcode_valewilh
Theme:
Diaries
Research and writing about art
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209035
Online Media:

Haagse Kunstkring : werk verzameld, [tentoonstelling]

Author:
Haagse Kunstkring  Search this
Subject:
Haagse Kunstkring  Search this
Physical description:
140 p. : ill. ; 25 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Date:
1977
20th century
Topic:
Art, Dutch  Search this
Call number:
N6948.5.H2 H32 1977X
N6948.5.H2H32 1977X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_115059

Rembrandt van Rijn: artist file, [photographs]

Artist:
Rembrandt van Rijn 1606-1669  Search this
Physical description:
1 folder
Type:
Photograph
Artist files
Topic:
Art, Dutch  Search this
Image number:
VFM VF002434
See more items in:
Photograph Study Collection
Data Source:
Photograph Study Collection, Smithsonian American Art Museum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_jul_141088

Gerard Ter Borch: artist file, [photographs]

Artist:
Ter Borch, Gerard 1617-1681  Search this
Physical description:
1 folder
Type:
Photograph
Artist files
Topic:
Art, Dutch  Search this
Image number:
VFM VF002910
See more items in:
Photograph Study Collection
Data Source:
Photograph Study Collection, Smithsonian American Art Museum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_jul_141634

Moses van Uyttenbroeck: artist file, [photographs]

Artist:
Uyttenbroeck, Moses van ca. 1595-before 1647  Search this
Physical description:
1 folder
Type:
Photograph
Artist files
Topic:
Art, Dutch  Search this
Image number:
VFM VF003372
See more items in:
Photograph Study Collection
Data Source:
Photograph Study Collection, Smithsonian American Art Museum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_jul_142181

Johannes Vermeer: artist file, [photographs]

Artist:
Vermeer, Johannes 1632-1675 (formerly attributed to)  Search this
Physical description:
1 folder
Type:
Photograph
Artist files
Topic:
Art, Dutch  Search this
Image number:
VFM VF003373
See more items in:
Photograph Study Collection
Data Source:
Photograph Study Collection, Smithsonian American Art Museum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_jul_142182

Dutch art : an illustrated souvenir of the exhibition of Dutch art at Burlington House, London

Author:
Royal Academy of Arts (Great Britain)  Search this
Witt, Robert Clermont Sir 1872-1952  Search this
Physical description:
127 p. : ill. ; 25 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Date:
1929
Topic:
Art, Dutch  Search this
Painting, Dutch  Search this
Call number:
N6941 .R88 1929
N6941.R88 1929
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_392405

Beeldende kunst en kunstbeleid in Rotterdam 1945-1985 / Jan van Adrichem

Author:
Adrichem, Jan van  Search this
Museum Boymans-Van Beuningen  Search this
Physical description:
123 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
Netherlands
Rotterdam
Amsterdam
Rotterdam (Netherlands)
Date:
1987
20th century
Topic:
Art and state  Search this
Art, Dutch  Search this
Cultural policy  Search this
Call number:
N8846.N4 A37 1987X
N8846.N4A37 1987X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_384766

Nederlands bijdrage tot de internationale ontwikkeling sedert 1945. [Tentoonstelling] Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, 29 Juni-17 Sept. 1962. La contribution hollandaise au développement international de l'art depuis 1945. Montréal, Museum of Fine Arts, Oct. 5-Nov. 4. The Dutch contribution to the international development of art since 1945. Ottawa, The National Gallery of Canada, Nov. 15-Dec. 31

Author:
Amsterdam (Netherlands) Stedelijk Museum  Search this
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts  Search this
National Gallery of Canada  Search this
Physical description:
[64] p. illus. (part col.) 28 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Date:
1962
1962]
Topic:
Art, Dutch  Search this
Call number:
N6948 .A52
N6948.A52
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_91087

Fiona Tan : geography of time

Title:
Fiona Tan : geography of time = Tidens geografi = Geografie der Zeit = Geografiyah shel zeman
Geography of time
Tidens geografi
Geografie der Zeit
Geografiyah shel zeman
Author:
Tan, Fiona 1966-  Search this
Gange, Eva Klerck  Search this
Gallois, Christophe  Search this
Gorschlüter, Peter  Search this
Jerardi, Angela  Search this
Hval, Jenny 1980-  Search this
Direktor, Ruth  Search this
Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design (Norway)  Search this
Musée d'art moderne Grand-Duc Jean  Search this
Museum für Moderne Kunst (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)  Search this
Muzeʼon Tel Aviv  Search this
Subject:
Tan, Fiona 1966-  Search this
Physical description:
208 p : ill. (chiefly col.), col. port. ; 23 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Date:
2015
©2015
21st century
Topic:
Video installations (Art)  Search this
Art, Dutch  Search this
Call number:
N6953.T25 A4 2015
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1053818

Marlene Dumas : land of milk and honey : 3.4.-15.5.1993

Title:
Land of milk and honey
Author:
Dumas, Marlene 1953-  Search this
Pohlen, Annelie  Search this
Produzentengalerie Hamburg  Search this
Subject:
Dumas, Marlene 1953-  Search this
Physical description:
1 v. (unpaged) : ill. ; 30 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Date:
1993
20th century
Topic:
Art, Dutch  Search this
Call number:
N6953.D86 A4 1993
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1060704

Paul Panhuysen : schilderijen, situasies, ordeningssystemen en omgevingsontwerpen, 1960-1978 / Paul Panhuysen

Author:
Panhuysen, Paul  Search this
Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum  Search this
Subject:
Panhuysen, Paul  Search this
Physical description:
59 pages : illustrations, maps ; 27 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Date:
1978
20th century
Topic:
Art, Dutch  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1052568

Commemorative catalogue of the exhibition of Dutch art held in the galleries of the Royal Academy, Burlington House, London, January-March, 1929

Author:
Royal Academy of Arts (Great Britain)  Search this
Physical description:
xxx, 311, [1] p. col. mounted front., CXX pl. 36 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Date:
1930
Topic:
Art, Dutch  Search this
Call number:
N6941 .L6 1930X
N6941.L6 1930X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_391985

Rijksaankopen 1984 : werk van hedendaagse beeldende kunstenaars

Author:
Netherlands Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst  Search this
Straaten, Evert van  Search this
Burkom, Frans van  Search this
Tuyl, Gijs van  Search this
Beer, Evelyn  Search this
Haas, Robert de  Search this
Subject:
Netherlands Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst  Search this
Physical description:
304 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 28 cm
Type:
Books
Date:
1985
20th century
Topic:
Art, Dutch  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1060143

Os pintores de Maurício de Nassau, exposição; 21 de maio a 7 de julho de 1968

Author:
Rio de Janeiro Museu de Arte Moderna  Search this
Subject:
Johan Maurits Prince of Nassau-Siegen 1604-1679  Search this
Physical description:
90 p. illus. 22 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Place:
Pernambuco, Brazil (State)
Date:
1968
Topic:
Art, Dutch  Search this
Call number:
N6946 .R58
N6946.R58
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_91375

Technology and Digital Initiatives : Innovative Approaches for Museums / edited by Juilee Decker

Editor:
Decker, Juilee  Search this
Physical description:
vi, 108 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Type:
Case studies
Date:
2015
Topic:
Museums--Educational aspects  Search this
Web-based instruction  Search this
Museums--Information technology  Search this
Museum techniques  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1050684

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