Collection Guide
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Pinkus (Gerhard and Marianne) papers
6122
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Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Title: Gerhard and Marianne Pinkus papers
creator:
Pinkus, Gerhard
creator:
Pinkus, Marianne
Identifier/Call Number: 6122
Physical Description:
13.27 Linear Feet
23 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1859-2005
Date (bulk): 1920s-1970s
Abstract: Gerhard and Marianne Pinkus emigrated from Germany to Los Angeles in the 1930s and began to collect art in the 1940s. After
accumulating a small collection of choice (and sometimes rare) finds, Gerhard and Marianne became a major force in the Los
Angeles art world, especially in regard to their primary interest: Marc Chagall. Though they focused mainly on Chagall, the
Pinkuses collected drawings, lithographs, and paintings by many other artists from various periods, with some emphasis on
German Expressionism. In addition to Chagall's drawings, the Pinkus collection included works by Ernst Kirchner, Rico Lebrun,
Gasparo Lopez, Theodore Chasseriau, Edouard Manet, Eugene Delacroix, Conrad Felixmuller, Paul Klee, Gerald Brockhurst, Eugene
Carriere, Franz Marc, Charles Meryon, Henry Fantin-Latour, Christian Anton Laely, and Henri Matisse. The papers of Gerhard
and Marianne Pinkus, 1859-1999 (bulk 1920s-1970s) document their art collecting activites, as well as their and their respective
families' emigre experiences to the United States and South America.
Gerhard and Marianne Pinkus emigrated from Germany to Los Angeles in the 1930s and were married in Santa Monica in 1943. After
establishing themselves as local business owners (they owned a furniture store), Gerhard began to collect art. He established
relationships with collectors and gallery owners in Los Angeles and, gradually, throughout North America and Europe. After
accumulating a small collection of choice (and sometimes rare) finds, Gerhard and Marianne became a major force in the Los
Angeles art world, especially in regard to their primary interest: Marc Chagall. Gerhard and Marianne Pinkus were largely
responsible for bringing Chagall's work to Los Angeles. In 1972, Gerhard collaborated with the Los Angeles County Museum of
Art to exhibit Chagall's early sketches. Gerhard worked doggedly to assemble a comprehensive exhibition of Chagall's drawings
(up to 1930) from his own collection and through loans from private collections all over the world. Though they focused mainly
on Chagall, the Pinkuses collected drawings, lithographs, and paintings by many other artists from various periods, with some
emphasis on German Expressionism. In addition to Chagall's drawings, the Pinkus collection included works by Ernst Kirchner,
Rico Lebrun, Gasparo Lopez, Theodore Chasseriau, Edouard Manet, Eugene Delacroix, Conrad Felixmuller, Paul Klee, Gerald Brockhurst,
Eugene Carriere, Franz Marc, Charles Meryon, Henry Fantin-Latour, Christian Anton Laely, and Henri Matisse.
[Adapted from Laurel Schmuck, "Student Workers Reflect: Pinkus Papers," August 16, 2016, https://libraries.usc.edu/article/student-workers-reflect-pinkus-papers]
The papers of Gerhard and Marianne Pinkus, 1859-1999 (bulk 1920s-1970s) document the art collecting activites of the Pinkuses,
and their and their respective families' emigre experiences to the United States and South America. Included are correspondences
and financial documents regarding the purchase of various works of art, primarily those of Marc Chagall; letters, photographs,
and official documents from both Marianne and Gerhard's childhoods and emigrations from Germany; and letters, photographs
and official documents of various members of the Epstein (Marianne's family) and Pinkus families, including emigration documentation.
The collection is organized into three series. Within each series or sub-series, materials are generally arranged chronologically.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
[Box/folder no. or item name], Gerhard and Marianne Pinkus papers, Collection no. 6122, Special Collections, USC Libraries,
University of Southern California
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Gerhard and Marianne Pinkus Administrative Trust, July 18, 2016.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Art -- Private collections -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Germany -- Emigration and immigration -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Jewish refugees -- California, Southern -- Archival resources
Correspondence
Ephemera
Financial records
Ledgers (account books)
Photographs
Postcards
Realia
Pinkus, Gerhard -- Archives
Pinkus, Marianne -- Archives
Chagall, Marc -- Archives