Finding aid for the Knoedler Kasmin Limited records, 1959-2007, bulk 1970-1992

Sheila Prospero


Descriptive Summary

Title: Knoedler Kasmin Limited records
Date (inclusive): 1959-2007 (bulk 1970-1992)
Number: 2010.M.71
Creator/Collector: Knoedler Kasmin Limited
Physical Description: 45.7 Linear Feet (75 boxes, 2 flat file folders)
Repository:
The Getty Research Institute
Special Collections
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles 90049-1688
reference@getty.edu
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/askref
(310) 440-7390
Abstract: The Knoedler Kasmin Limited records document the business of the London gallery under the partnership of gallerist John Kasmin with New York's Knoedler & Co. from 1977 to 1992. The gallery exhibited mostly abstract painting and sculpture and represented well-known contemporary artists such as Stephen Buckley, Anthony Caro, David Hockney, Sam Francis, Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Motherwell and Frank Stella. The bulk of the collection consists of exhibition announcements, clippings and photographic documentation of artists' work in the form of prints, transparencies, slides and negatives. Also included are business records such as inventory lists, sales invoices and administrative and operational documents.
Request Materials: Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog record   for this collection. Click here for the access policy .
Language: Collection material is in English

Biographical / Historical Note

The Knoedler Kasmin Limited gallery operated in London from 1977 to 1992 as a partnership between gallerist John Kasmin and New York's Knoedler & Co. The gallery exhibited mostly abstract painting and sculpture and represented well-known contemporary artists such as Stephen Buckley, Anthony Caro, David Hockney, Sam Francis, Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Motherwell and Frank Stella.
Prior to the opening of the gallery, John Kasmin (British, 1934- ), backed by the Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, a young Guinness heir, formed Kasmin Limited in 1961 and created his eponymous gallery on New Bond Street two years later. Kasmin represented artists including Hockney, Caro, Howard Hodgkin and Gillian Ayres, as well as American artists Frankenthaler, Jules Olitski and Morris Louis. Kasmin Limited became known for its associations with Hockney and the American color field painters championed by Clement Greenberg. The gallery closed in 1972 due to a downturn in the economy and a shift in the Marquess's interests. Kasmin continued to work with artists, selling work privately and organizing exhibitions in other galleries.
Five years later, Kasmin entered into equal partnership with Knoedler Inc. of New York to operate a joint gallery out of the Knoedler premises on Bond Street opposite the Sotheby's headquarters. At the time, Knoedler Inc. was under the ownership of business tycoon Armand Hammer and was directed by Kasmin's friends, John Richardson and Lawrence Rubin. Seeking to promote the Knoedler name in London beyond the sale of old master paintings, Richardson and Rubin were able to attract Kasmin with a large line of credit from a U.S. company and near-complete freedom in choosing what art to display.
Knoedler Kasmin Limited gallery launched at 143 New Bond Street and then moved to a larger space at 22 Cork Street, where it remained until July 1992. Kasmin continued to work with artists he had represented at Kasmin Limited, along with new artists including Motherwell, Francis, Joel Shapiro, Nancy Graves and Jennifer Bartlett, as well as younger artists Peter Kinley, Tim Scott, and Bhupen Khakhar. The gallery also participated in art fairs at Basel, Paris, Madrid, Chicago and Bologna.
Kasmin ended the Knoedler Kasmin partnership in 1992, having decided to move away from representing living artists. He has since dedicated himself to collecting ancient Eastern and Islamic sculpture, ceramics, textiles and calligraphy.

Administrative Information

Access

Open for use by qualified researchers.

Publication Rights

Preferred Citation

Knoedler Kasmin Limited records, 1959-2007 (bulk 1970-1992), The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2010.M.71.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2010m71

Acquisition Information

Gift of John Kasmin in 2010.

Processing History

Processed by Sheila Prospero under the supervision of Andra Darlington in 2012.

Related Archival Materials

Separated Materials

78 monographs and 15 serials were transferred to the library. These publications may be found by searching the Library Catalog  for the Knoedler Kasmin Limited Collection.

Scope and Content of Collection

The Knoedler Kasmin Limited records document the business of the London gallery from 1977 to 1992 under the partnership of gallerist John Kasmin with New York's Knoedler Inc. The archive highlights the gallery's emphasis on abstract painting and sculpture and provides extensive information on notable contemporary artists such as David Hockney and Frank Stella.
Series I forms the bulk of the archive and consists of files on the artists whose work the gallery exhibited, including British artists Hockney, Stephen Buckley, Anthony Caro, Howard Hodgkin and Gillian Ayres, as well as American artists Stella, Helen Frankenthaler, Jules Olitski and Robert Motherwell. The series contains mostly exhibition announcements, clippings and photographic images of artists' works in the form of prints, transparencies, slides and negatives. Some files also include correspondence, business papers and exhibition catalogs. Filed at the end of the series (box 11) are unidentified color slides and transparencies.
Featured in Series II is a small section of papers and photographs related to group and special exhibitions at the gallery as well as art fairs in which the gallery participated. Included in this series are exhibition lists, announcements and correspondence. The photographic material consists of both black-and-white and color prints, transparencies and negatives documenting exhibition installation shots and artists' works.
Series III contains administrative records and operational documents for the gallery, including documentation of the gallery's incorporation in 1977 and closure in 1992. Records include lease documents, architectural plans, daybooks and clippings, as well as insurance claims and correspondence following a flood at the gallery in February 1984.
Series IV consists of inventory lists and invoices for artwork sold at Knoedler Kasmin Limited gallery between 1977 and 1992. The gallery's inventory is also documented in stock books and a small number of photographs of works sold before 1990. A large number of invoices for art sold at the gallery forms the major portion of the series.

Arrangement

Arranged in four series: Series I. Artist files, 1959-2007 (bulk 1970-1991); Series II. Exhibition files, 1972-1992, 2004; Series III. Gallery administration, 1963-2006; Series IV. Gallery inventory, 1977-1992.

Indexing Terms

Subjects - Names

Ayres, Gillian, 1930-
Buckley, Stephen, 1944-
Caro, Anthony, 1924-2013
Hodgkin, Howard, 1932-2017
Hockney, David
Frankenthaler, Helen, 1928-2011
Francis, Sam, 1923-1994
Olitski, Jules, 1922-2007
Motherwell, Robert
Kasmin, John, 1934-
Stella, Frank

Subjects - Corporate Bodies

Knoedler Kasmin Limited

Subjects - Topics

Art dealers -- England -- London
Art galleries, Commercial -- England -- London
Art, Modern -- 20th century
Art, Modern -- Collectors and collecting

Genres and Forms of Material

Photographs, Original
Slides (photographs)
Printed ephemera
Transparencies
Black-and-white prints (photographs)
Color prints (photographs)

Contributors

M. Knoedler & Co
Knoedler Kasmin Limited
Kasmin, John, 1934-


 

Series I. Artist files, 1959-2007 (bulk 1970-1991) 1970-1991

Physical Description: 24.2 Linear Feet (44 boxes, 1 flat file folder)

Scope and Content Note

The artist files form the bulk of the archive and document the artists the gallery represented including British artists David Hockney, Stephen Buckley, Anthony Caro, Howard Hodgkin and Gillian Ayres, as well as American artists Frank Stella, Helen Frankenthaler, Jules Olitski and Robert Motherwell. This section contains mostly exhibition announcements, clippings and photographic images of artists' works in the form of prints, transparencies, slides and negatives. Some files also include correspondence, business papers and exhibition catalogues. Filed at the end of the series (box 11) are unidentified color slides and transparencies. For more photographs of artists' works, see box 66 and 67 in Series IV.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by artist with unidentified slides and negatives at the end.
box 1, folder 1

Arnold, Eve, 1987

Scope and Content Note

Exhibition announcements.
 

Ashbaugh, Dennis, 1980-1981

 

Papers, 1980-1982

box 1, folder 2

General, 1980-1981

box 12

Clippings (portfolio), 1980-1982

 

Photographs, 1980-1981

box 1, folder 3

Black-and-white prints, 1980-1981

box 7

Color transparencies, 1980-1981

box 1, folder 4

Avedisian, Edward, 1965-1966

Scope and Content Note

Exhibition announcements.
 

Ayres, Gillian, between 1980-1991

 

Papers, 1982-1991

box 1, folder 5-11

General, 1982-1991

Scope and Content Note

Includes exhibition announcements, clippings, business papers, invoice book and one black-and-white photograph.
box 12

Clippings (portfolio), 1983-1987

box 7

Color photographs, slides and negatives, 1980s

 

Bannard, Walter Darby, 1964-1991, undated

box 1, folder 12

Papers, 1964-1991

box 7

Color transparencies and black-and-white negatives, undated

 

Bartlett, Jennifer, 1989-1990

box 1, folder 13

Exhibition announcements, 1989-1990

 

Photographs, 1989

Scope and Content Note

Installation shots for exhibition, Jennifer Bartlett: New Work: Fire.
box 1, folder 14

Black-and-white prints

box 7

Color prints

 

Buckley, Stephen, 1968-2006 (bulk 1970-1990) 1970-1990

 

Papers, 1978-2006 (bulk 1978-1990) 1978-1990

box 25, folder 2-12

General, 1978-2006 (bulk 1978-1990) 1978-1990

Scope and Content Note

Folder 11 also includes black-and-white photographs.
box 26

Clippings (portfolios), 1972-1988

Scope and Content Note

See also box 25, folder 12.
box 43*, folder 1-2

Posters, 1979-1985, undated

 

Photographs, 1968-1989, undated

 

Color, 1968-1989

box 13-14

Prints, Polaroids, negatives, slides and transparencies, 1976-1989

Scope and Content Note

Also includes black-and-white negatives.
box 15-16

Numbered slides, 1968-1988

 

Black-and-white prints, 1972-1987, undated

box 17-18

Binders, 1977-1987

Scope and Content Note

Photographs have been removed from original binder for conservation purposes.
 

Loose, 1972-1987, undated

box 19-24

1972-1987

box 25, folder 1

undated

 

Caro, Anthony, 1971-1991

 

Papers, 1978-1991

box 2, folder 1-4

General, 1978-1991

box 12

Clippings (portfolio), 1978-1987

flatfile 1**

Exhibition poster, 1990

Scope and Content Note

For solo exhibition at Gallery Kasahara, Osaka.
 

Photographs, 1971-1989, undated

 

Black-and-white, 1978-1989, undated

box 2, folder 5-14

Prints, 1978-1989

box 43*, folder 3

Contact sheet, undated

box 8

Color prints, Polaroids, transparencies, slides and negatives, 1971-1986

box 3, folder 1

Carter, John, 1991

Scope and Content Note

Exhibition announcement.
box 3, folder 2

Cohen, Bernard, circa 1962-1964

 

David, Michael 1984-1987

box 3, folder 3

Exhibition announcement, 1987

box 8

Color transparencies, between 1984-1987

box 8

Davis, Ron, 1968-1971

Scope and Content Note

Color photographs and transparencies.
box 3, folder 4

Dzubas, Friedel, 1975-1983

Scope and Content Note

Exhibition announcements.
box 3, folder 5

Feeley, Paul, 1991-1992

 

Francis, Sam, 1986-1992

box 3, folder 6-7

Papers, 1986-1992

 

Photographs, 1987-1989

box 3, folder 8-9

Black-and-white prints, 1987, 1989

box 9

Color prints, transparencies, one slide and one Polaroid, 1987-1989

 

Frankenthaler, Helen, between 1959-1985

box 3, folder 10

Papers, 1978-1985

 

Photographs, between 1959-1981

box 3, folder 11

Black-and-white prints, 1978-1980

box 9

Color prints and transparencies, between 1959-1981

box 9

Goodnough, Robert, circa 1970

Scope and Content Note

Color transparencies.
box 3, folder 12

Gottlieb, Adolph, 1986

Scope and Content Note

Exhibition catalogue.
 

Graves, Nancy, 1984-1989

box 3, folder 13-14

Papers, 1984-1989

box 9

Color photographs, 1987

box 3, folder 15

Grosz, George, undated

Scope and Content Note

One black-and-white photograph.
 

Hambleton, Mary, between 1987-1990

box 3, folder 16

Papers, 1990

 

Photographs, between 1987-1990

box 3, folder 17

Black-and-white prints, 1990

box 10

Color slides and transparencies, between 1987-1990

 

Harris, Rohan, 1987-1991, undated

box 3, folder 18

Papers, 1988-1991

 

Photographs, 1987-1989, undated

box 3, folder 19

Black-and-white prints, undated

box 10

Color prints, transparencies and one slide, 1987-1989, undated

 

Hockney, David, 1962-1998

 

Papers, 1971-1998

box 27, folder 1-6

Ephemera, 1978-1989

box 28

Personal and business correspondence, 1971-1998

Scope and Content Note

Also includes black-and-white photographs.
box 29

General, 1978-1984

Scope and Content Note

Contains mostly papers related to an exhibition of paintings and drawings related to the opera, Parade. See also flat file folder 1** for an unfolded exhibition poster.
 

Clippings, 1977-1992

box 29A, folder 1-4

Loose, 1979-1992

box 29A, folder 5-9

Publications, 1979-1988

box 30-34

Portfolio, 1977-1991

box 43*, folder 4

Printed fabric, undated

Scope and Content Note

Silkscreened Hockney print.
 

Posters, 1978-1981, undated

box 43*, folder 5

Various, 1978-1981, undated

flatfile 1**

Exhibition poster: Paintings and Drawings for 'Parade', 1981

 

Photographs, 1962-1989

box 35-36

Black-and-white prints, 1962-1988

box 37-39

Color prints, Polaroids, transparencies, negatives, and slides, 1978-1989

 

Hodgkin, Howard, 1962-1989

box 4, folder 1

Papers, 1962-1989

box 4, folder 2-3

Books, 1969-1976

Scope and Content Note

Contains mostly exhibition catalogues with annotations.
flatfile 1**

Exhibition poster, 1982

Scope and Content Note

Solo exhibition at M. Knoedler & Co.
 

Photographs, 1978-1981

box 4, folder 4

Black-and-white prints, 1979, 1981

box 10

Color prints and slides, 1978-1980

box 10

Holland, Tom, 1986-1988

box 4, folder 5

Janowich, Ron, 1988

Scope and Content Note

Exhibition announcement.
 

Kar, Ida, 1982-1983

box 4, folder 6

Exhibition announcements, 1982

box 12

Clippings (portfolio), 1982-1983

 

Khakhar, Bhupen, 1970-1992

box 4, folder 7-10

Exhibition announcements, 1970-1992

box 12

Clippings (portfolio), 1982-1983

box 10

Kinley, Peter, between 1977-1988

 

Man Ray, 1981, undated

box 5, folder 1

Exhibition announcement, 1981

box 5, folder 2

Black-and-white photographs, undated

box 5, folder 3

Martinez, Ginetta, 1984-1986

box 5, folder 4

Matisse, Henri, undated

Scope and Content Note

Black-and-white photographs.
 

McNeil, George, 1985-1989

box 5, folder 5

Papers, 1985-1989

box 11

Color photographs, 1985

 

Motherwell, Robert, 1977-1984

box 5, folder 6

Papers, 1977-1984

box 11

Color transparency, circa 1978

box 11

Muller, Richard, undated

Scope and Content Note

One color transparency.
 

Olitski, Jules, 1978-2007

 

Papers, 1978-1989, 2007

box 5, folder 7-8

General, 1978-1989, 2007

Scope and Content Note

Also includes one black-and-white photograph.
box 12

Clippings (portfolio), 1978

box 11

Color print, transparencies and one slide, undated

 

Owen, Frank, between 1980-1986

 

Papers, 1981-1986

box 5, folder 9

General, 1981-1986

Scope and Content Note

Also includes two black-and-white photographs.
box 12

Clippings (portfolio), 1983

box 11

Color slides and transparencies, between 1980-1984

box 5, folder 10

Porter, Katherine, 1988

Scope and Content Note

Exhibition announcement.
 

Prangenberg, Norbert, between 1978-1989

 

Papers, 1981-1989

box 5, folder 11

General, 1981-1989

box 12

Clippings (portfolio), 1983

 

Photographs, between 1978-1985

box 5, folder 12

Black-and-white prints, between 1978-1982

box 11

Color prints, contact sheets, transparencies and one Polaroid, between 1978-1985

box 11

Price, Kenneth, circa 1967

Scope and Content Note

One color transparency.
 

Scott, Tim, 1978-1982

box 6, folder 1-2

Papers, 1978-1982

 

Black-and-white photographs, between 1978-1980

box 6, folder 3-4

Prints and contact sheets, 1978-1980

box 11

Negatives, circa 1979

box 6, folder 5

Shapiro, Joel, 1985

 

Smith, Matthew, 1976, undated

box 6, folder 6

Exhibition catalogue, 1976

 

Photographs, undated

box 6, folder 7

Black-and-white prints

box 11

Color transparencies

 

Smith, Richard, 1963-1990

box 6, folder 8-9

Papers, 1979-1990

 

Photographs, 1963-1986

box 6, folder 10

Black-and-white prints, 1979-1983

box 11

Color prints, Polaroids, slides and transparencies, 1963-1986

 

Stella, Frank, 1961-1991

box 42, folder 1-9

Papers, 1961-1991

 

Photographs, 1970-1990

box 42, folder 10-11

Black-and-white prints, 1981-1990

box 40-41

Color prints, Polaroids, transparencies, slides and negatives, 1970-1990

 

Vilaincour, Leon, 1982

box 6, folder 11

General papers

box 12

Clippings (portfolio)

box 11

Unidentified slides and negatives of artworks, undated

 

Series II. Exhibition files, 1972-1992, 2004

Physical Description: 1.4 Linear Feet (3 boxes)

Scope and Content Note

Papers and photographs related to group and special exhibitions at the gallery as well as art fairs the gallery participated in are featured in this series. Included are exhibition lists, announcements and correspondence. The photographic material consists of both black-and-white and color prints, transparencies and negatives documenting exhibition installation shots and artists' works.

Arrangement

Arranged by subject or by document type.
 

List of shows, circa 1986-1989

box 44

Binder, circa 1986

Scope and Content Note

Contains list of works exhibited at the gallery from December 1977-1986 and organized by artist.
box 45, folder 1

Papers, circa 1989

box 45, folder 2

Exhibition announcements, 1978-1992

box 45, folder 7-9

Business correspondence, 1972-1987, 2004

Scope and Content Note

Also includes exhibition announcements from various galleries.
 

Photographs, 1977-1991

box 45, folder 3-5

Black-and-white prints, 1977-1986

Scope and Content Note

Also includes photographs of a summer party at the gallery in 1983.
box 46

Color prints, transparencies and negatives, 1977-1991

 

Series III. Gallery administration, 1963-2006

Physical Description: 4.3 Linear Feet (3.5 boxes, 1 flat file folder)

Scope and Content Note

This series contains administrative papers and operational documents for the gallery and provides historical information dating from the incorporation of Knoedler Inc. with Kasmin to papers regarding the gallery's closure in 1992. These documents include lease papers, architectural plans, daybooks and clippings. Another significant portion of the series is material related to damage from a flood at the gallery in February 1984, consisting mostly of insurance claims and correspondence.

Arrangement

Arranged by subject or by document type.
 

Lease, 1981-1993

Scope and Content Note

For 22 Cork Street location.
box 45, folder 10-13

Papers, 1981-1993

flatfile 2**

Architectural drawings, 1981, 1984

Scope and Content Note

Drawings of the gallery space.
box 45, folder 14-15

Garage Art Limited, 1973-1975

Scope and Content Note

Business papers related to the purchase of the gallery by John Kasmin and Terence Conran.
box 45, folder 16

Deed, 1982

box 45, folder 17

New gallery name report, 1992

Scope and Content Note

Information on company name change to Cork Street Art Ventures Limited.
box 47

Flood records, 1984-1987

Scope and Content Note

Claims and correspondence related to flood damages at the gallery on February 10, 1984. Also contains black-and-white photographs.
 

Clippings, 1963-2006

box 48

Portfolio, 1963-1965, 1970

box 49, folder 1-2

Loose, 1984-2006

box 49, folder 3

Miscellaneous ephemera, 1981, 1984

box 49, folder 4-5

Employees, 1990-1992

box 49, folder 6

Hockney Polaroid Requests book, circa 1981

Scope and Content Note

Contains names and addresses of potential buyers interested in a Hockney Polaroid composite. Book was also used as a "Daily Events" logbook.
box 50

Cash daybook, 1991-1992

box 50

Purchase daybook, 1989-1992

 

Series IV. Gallery inventory, 1977-1992

Physical Description: 15.8 Linear Feet (24.5 boxes)

Scope and Content Note

This series consists of inventory lists and invoices of art work sold at Knoedler Kasmin Limited gallery between 1977-1992. A record of the gallery's inventory is documented in stock books as well as a small number of photographs of artists' works sold before 1990. A large number of invoices for art sold at the gallery form the majority of the section.

Arrangement

Arranged by subject or by document type.
box 49, folder 7-9

Price lists, 1978-1990

 

Invoices, 1977-1992

box 51-52

1977

box 52-53

1978

box 52-55

1979

box 54-56

1980

box 55-57

1981

box 57-58

1982

box 58-59

1983

box 59-60

1984

box 59-60

1985

box 60-62

1986

box 61-63

1987

box 63-64

1988

box 64-65

1989

box 65

1990-1992

box 65, folder 24

Miscellaneous, 1987-1991

 

Photographs, undated

Scope and Content Note

Stock sold before 1990. Photographs of artists' works.
box 66, folder 1-19

Black-and-white prints, undated

box 67

Color prints, transparencies, negatives, and one Polaroid, undated

box 66, folder 20

Stock list, 1990-1992

 

Stock books, 1977-1992

Scope and Content Note

Organized by inventory number.
box 68

K1000-K1969A, 1977-1981

box 69

K1970-K2539, June 1981-August 1984

box 70

K2540-K3021, September 1984-November 1987

box 71

K2540-K3116, November 1987-November 1988

box 72

K3117-K3327, December 1988-November 1991

box 68

5652-6236, 1974-1979

box 73

6554-6687, March 1980-February 1988

box 74

6923-7219, March 1988-February 1992