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Finding aid for the Nikolaus Pevsner miscellaneous papers, 1957-1979
2003.M.34
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Title: Nikolaus Pevsner miscellaneous papers
Date (inclusive): 1957-1979
Number: 2003.M.34
Creator/Collector:
Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1902-1983
Physical Description:
14.5 linear feet
(26 boxes)
Repository:
The Getty Research Institute
Special Collections
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, California, 90049-1688
(310) 440-7390
Abstract: This collection of papers relates primarily to the work of German-born art and architecture historian Nikolaus Pevsner during
the 1960s and 1970s, including publications and speaking engagements, pedagogical research, and his membership on boards and
committees, such as the Council of Bauhaus.
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Language: Collection material is in
English and
German.
Art and architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner was born in Germany in 1902. He worked with the Dresden Gallery (1924-1928)
and taught at Göttingen University (1929-1933) before emigrating to England in 1933. In England Pevsner taught at Birkbeck
College (University of London) and the Courtauld Institute, and lectured as the Slade Professor of Art at Cambridge (1949-1955)
and Oxford (1969) Universities.
Pevsner was a scholar of Italian baroque painting, German sculpture and 19th- and 20th-century architecture of England and
Europe. It is as an architectural historian that he is best remembered, partly because he was quite prolific, and also because
of his strong point of view. His polemical view is evident in his 1936 book
Pioneers of the Modern Movement (later re-titled
Pioneers of Modern Design), in which he first tried to persuade England to accept the Modern movement. He remained a persistent advocate for modern
design and for historical preservation.
Among Pevsner's many publications are the following books:
An Outline of European Architecture,
A History of Building Types, and the monumental
Buildings of England in 46 volumes, of which 35 were researched and written by Pevsner. He was an editor of the influential journal
Architectural Review and edited the Pelican History of Art series, which comprised 48 volumes. He received the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute
of British Architects in 1967 and a knighthood in 1969. Pevsner died in 1983.
Open for use by qualified researchers.
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Nikolaus Pevsner miscellaneous papers, circa 1957-1979, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2003.M.34
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2003m34
Acquired in 2003.
Preliminary processing was done by the Registrar's Office in 2003. In September 2010 Holly Larson partially processed and
inventoried Series I. Linda Kleiger completed the processing and finished writing the finding aid in 2011 under the supervision
of Andra Darlington.
Nikolaus Pevsner Papers, 1919-1982, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 840209. The larger collection
of Nikolaus Pevsner papers dates primarily from the years following Pevsner's emigration to England in 1933, and include written
and visual materials used for lectures or as research for his many books and articles. Files related to Pevsner's radio lectures
and affiliations document his career as a public figure, and correspondence tracks his relationships with many key figures
in 20th-century art and architecture. An
online finding aid to the Nikolaus Pevsner Papers is available.
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection of papers relates primarily to Nikolaus Pevsner's work during the 1960s and 1970s, including publications
and speaking engagements, pedagogical research on art and architecture education, and his membership on boards and committees,
such as the Council of Bauhaus. Material includes correspondence, typescripts, manuscripts, ephemera, photocopies, clippings,
study photographs, negatives, and slides.
Extensive correspondence in Series I includes letters to and from many well-known scholars from the worlds of art and architectural
history, such as Anthony Blunt, John Coolidge and John Pope-Hennessy. Series II contains correspondence, typescripts and other
documents related to Pevsner's writing in the 1960s and 1970s, including the following books:
A Dictionary of Architecture (1966),
Studies in Art, Architecture and Design (1968) and
A History of Building Types (1976). Also included are manuscripts for articles and lectures, and related correspondence. In Series III are research files
pertaining to specific buildings and other architectural topics, study photographs, and pedagogical research. Pevsner's professional
files in Series IV document his involvement with the Council of Bauhaus from 1960 to 1972, and also contain assorted general
correspondence, invitations to give lectures and write reviews, and honorary degrees. Assorted administrative and personal
files in Series V document basic office management, such as hiring typists and ordering supplies, as well as personal business
such as ordering Christmas cards and arranging a dinner party.
The collection is arranged into five series:
Series I. Correspondence, 1962-1977;
Series II. Writings and lectures, 1958-1978;
Series III. Research, 1958-1977;
Series IV. Professional activities, 1957-1977;
Series V. Administrative and personal, 1960-1979.
Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1902-1983
Architectural historians--Correspondence
Architecture--Great Britain
Architecture--Modern
Art historians--Correspondence
A history of building types Buildings of England Penguin dictionary of architecture Studies in art, architecture and design
Correspondence--20th century
Manuscripts for publication
Photographic prints
Photographs, Original