Edwin Binney 3rd Turkish collection notebooks, 1960s-1985

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Summary

Extent:
2 Linear Feet (7 binders)
Language:
English .

Background

Scope and content:

This collection comprises Edwin Binney III's personal notebooks documenting his Turkish art collection during the years 1960 to 1984. While the majority of the pieces have Turkish origins, the collection also contains several Persian and Syrian pieces, a piece from Naxos, and one piece thought to have French origins.

The notebooks contain individual object records consisting of images (transparencies, photographs, and reproductions from art auction catalogues) accompanied by one to three pages of typed text with Binney's handwritten annotations. Each object record contains an informational heading with title, origin, date, dimensions, price, and place of purchase, and often includes the name of seller and the next highest bidder. Binney's notes following the heading include related provenance information, financial and travel matters, and Binney's personal response to the work. Some objects have little notation while others have extensive narratives on related works, provenance, exhibition history, bibliographic references, and Binney's personal valuation of the work as part of his collection. Nearly all notes include auction catalogue references numbers. Some objects are missing corresponding images.

Binney's notebooks document the development of a significant American collection of Turkish art formed during the late 20th century. The notebooks also identify several prominent people in the Turkish art market that influenced Binney's acquisitions, including: art dealers Hassan Khan Monif (d. 1968), Adrienne Minassian (d. 1997), Joseph Soustiel (d. 1990) and his son Jean Soustiel (d. 1999); academics and curators Richard Ettinghausen (Freer Gallery of Art and later Metropolitan Museum of Art/Institute of Fine Arts, New York University; d. 1979), Glyn M. Meredith-Owens (British Museum and later University of Toronto), Ernst J. Grube (Metropolitan Museum of Art and later University of Venice; d. 2011), W.G. (Bill) Archer (Victoria and Albert Museum; d. 1979), and Walter Denny (University of Massachusetts), Binney mentions Denny most frequently in his notes about ceramic and textile objects because Denny specialized in these arts and Binney eagerly sought his expertise and approval; collectors Edmund de Unger (d. 2011), Alfred Chester Beatty (d. 1968), Mark Zebrowski (d. 1999), Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan (d. 2003), Stuart Cary Welch (d. 2008), John Goelet, Eric Schroeder (d. 1971), Fredrik R. Martin (d. 1933), Hagop Kevorkian (d. 1962), Jean Pozzi (d. 1967), and S. Sevadjian.

Biographical / historical:

Heir to the famed Crayola fortune, Edwin Binney III (1925-1986) developed his collecting interests in childhood, starting with Oregon Trolley transfer coins, soap wrappers, small boxes, and paper weights from the different countries and cities he visited. In 1958, Binney purchased his first Persian art piece, a Shirazi hunt painting (c. 1560). After only four years of collecting, Binney had acquired 90 miniatures split evenly between Iranian and Indian pieces, enough material to organize his first exhibition at the Portland Art Museum. Binney also wrote the accompanying catalogue, Persian and Indian Miniatures: from the Collection of Edwin Binney, 3rd. Between the years 1966 to 1968, Binney launched a second exhibition featuring his entire Islamic art collection including books, ceramics, and metalwork which traveled with the Smithsonian.

The size of Binney's Turkish collection was unprecedented in America by 1973, and his collection was displayed that November at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in an exhibition that coincided with the Republic of Turkey's 50th anniversary. The Turkish exhibition traveled to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and subsequently to the Honolulu Academy of Arts from mid-August 1974 to early January 1975. The accompanying catalogue, Other Turkish Treasures from the Binney Collection, was published by LACMA in 1974. The collection also traveled to the Portland Art Museum in 1979. The accompanying catalogue, Turkish Treasures from the Collection of Edwin Binney, 3rd, was also published in 1979. An addendum to the 1979 catalogue was published in 1981.

Alongside his Turkish collection, Binney also developed collections in Indian painting, ballet prints, European prints and paintings, as well as an impressive American quilt collection built with his daughter, Gail Binney Sterne.

Binney served on the San Diego Museum of Art's board from 1977 to 1979 and again in 1983 to 1986. He became instrumental in securing the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck collection of Islamic art for LACMA.

After Binney's death in the Summer of 1986, his various collections were bequeathed to several institutions including the San Diego Museum of Art, the Portland Art Museum, and the Harvard Holden Library Theater. Binney's Turkish collection was divided between the Harvard University Art Museum (160 objects) and LACMA (120 objects).

Acquisition information:
Collection is believed to be received in 1985 from Edwin Binney, 3rd along with a portion of his Turkish art collection.
Processing information:

Items were removed from the original binders and sheet protectors and placed into seven new binders and new sheet protectors. Typed text pages were placed back-to-back in original order, and image transparencies were placed in individual sheet protectors.

Binney's object numbers (located on the left-hand corner of the text pages) are often found on the reverse side of images; when not present, they were written on acid-free paper and placed alongside images.

Original poly sleeves containing any annotations were retained. Loose clippings found detached from text pages were photocopied onto acid-free paper in their original position. The photocopy was placed behind the original, with loose clippings placed together inside the sheet protector.

Container lists were created for the start of each section with the following information: original title, Binney object number/identifiers, catalogue object list numbers, institution object list numbers, and acquisition information. The container lists also note which objects are missing images, and contain legends for abbreviations.

Arrangement:

The notebooks maintain the original arrangement by Edwin Binney 3rd in four series: 1) Turkish I 2) Turkish II-Calligraphy Pre-Classic 3) Turkish II 4) Islamic Collection Gifts, Sold, for sale. Each series has been further arranged in subseries. The contents of each series and subseries are arranged according to either type of Turkish art (ceramics, metalwork, calligraphy, miniatures, etc.) or the date the piece was created (17th-20th century) and then by the object number assigned by Edwin Binney, 3rd.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open to qualified researchers at the discretion of the curator. Contact the Art of the Middle East Department at 323-857-6011 for more information.

Terms of access:

Permission will be granted by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art as the owner of the physical materials, and does not imply permission from the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain all necessary permissions from the copyright holder.

Location of this collection:
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036, US
Contact:
(323) 857-6118
library@lacma.org
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