Barnes Foundation Launches Two Year Project to Catalog Archives
National Endowment for the Humanities provides funding additional archivist
MERION, PA. (May 19, 2004) - The Barnes Foundation has launched a two year project to re-house, arrange, and catalog writings, financial documents, correspondence and other records of The Barnes Foundation and its founder, Dr. Albert C. Barnes. A grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities will fund the hiring of a new full-time Project Archivist to oversee the effort, which encompasses a portion of the archives including more than 200 linear feet of manuscript material dating from before 1900 up to 1980.
The $95,397 Humanities Preservation and Access Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities helps pave the way for plans to open The Foundation's comprehensive archives to researchers. Substantial support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation over the past three years made it possible to begin cataloguing and rehousing the archives and to hire two archivists. Eventually, The Foundation will be able to provide access to a humanities archive that documents the history of one of America's great art collections, art schools and arboreta, as well as the life of Dr. Barnes, an important collector, philosopher, educator, and social activist.
"These documents are a treasure trove of information about Barnes' interactions with broad segments of the community, and his intentions for The Foundation's programs," said Kimberly Camp, Executive Director and CEO of The Barnes Foundation. "Because Barnes kept copies of everything he sent and everything sent to him, our archives contain full dialogues between him and John Dewey, H. L. Mencken, Ezra Pound, Paul Guillaume, Ambroise Vollard, Henri Matisse, Charles S. Johnson, Alain Locke and so many others."
Equally important, noted Camp, is the fact that opening the archives to researchers will help to dispel some of the misconceptions and perceptions that exist about Dr. Barnes.
"A great deal has been written about Dr. Albert C. Barnes and the history of The Barnes Foundation, much of it inaccurate or lacking a fuller understanding of Dr. Barnes," said Camp, noting that most biographies were especially lacking. "Published biographies about Barnes have been written without benefit of the archives. Consequently, they rely on anecdotal information from people who never knew Barnes and have only known of repeated unsubstantiated myths about his intentions, his programs and his interactions with others. Dr. Barnes is often characterized in ways that are antithetical to the evidence shown in the archives. His work as an advocate for social justice and reform, support for individual artists, and interaction with the arts community, is matched only with his passion for art and wicked sense of humor. "
The project includes more than 200 linear feet of manuscript material consisting of:
Early records of The Foundation and Dr. Albert Barnes, including: histories, deeds and maps of the Merion property; Dr. Barnes's original ideas for The Foundation written in pencil on the back of hotel stationary; collection inventories; itineraries for Barnes' trips to France; and plans for arrangement of the art collection in the Gallery building.
Drafts of books, essays, speeches and other writings documenting the evolution of Dr. Barnes' theories on art and education, and his symbiotic intellectual relationship with educator and philosopher John Dewey.
Financial records documenting the collecting history of one of the world's most important collections of post-Impressionist and early modern paintings, as well as significant collections of African, Asian, Native American, and American decorative arts.
Correspondence of The Foundation from after Barnes' death in 1951 to 1980, including student correspondence and other letters documenting the administration of The Foundation by President and Director of the Arboretum Laura L. Barnes, Director of the Art Department Violette de Mazia, and board members of The Foundation.
"This effort has been a long-time coming, and we are thankful that the National Endowment for the Humanities has recognized the historical importance of this effort," said Camp. "We remain hopeful that as our efforts progress, we will also reclaim Foundation records that have been removed over the years - including papers of Violette de Mazia and other staff members and Trustees - so that the full story of The Barnes Foundation can be told."
About the Barnes Foundation
The Barnes Foundation was established in 1922 by Dr. Albert C. Barnes to "promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts." The Barnes Foundation's use of its premier art collection to enhance discussion and critical problem solving skills is truly innovative. For eighty years artists, teachers, historians and lay people have enjoyed the benefits of this quality education program and its work toward democracy and education.
The Foundation's collection of French paintings of the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and early Modern eras are among the finest in the world. The Foundation is noted for its extraordinary number of masterpieces by Renoir, Cézanne, and Matisse that provide a depth of work by these artists unavailable elsewhere. Works by Picasso, Seurat, Rousseau, Modigliani, Soutine, Monet, Manet, Degas, Van Gogh and others are only part of The Foundation's incredible collection.
The Barnes Foundation's arboretum is as vital an asset to The Foundation as its art collection. It contains a world-class collection of ferns, stewartia, magnolias and lilacs. It is used for the horticulture program and has provided an unparalleled resource for horticultural education for over five decades.
###
|
300 North Latch's Lane
![](images/"shim.gif"){kind=spacer}
