Guide to the J. Paul Getty Museum, Department of Manuscripts, Photographs of Unpacking the Ludwig Collection, 1983
Finding aid prepared by Sue Luftschein
Title: Photographs of unpacking the Ludwig Collection
Date (inclusive): 1983
Number: IA20002
Creator/Collector:
J. Paul Getty Museum. Dept. of Manuscripts
Physical Description:
0.1 linear feet
(1 box)
Repository:
The Getty Research Institute
Institutional Records and Archives
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, California, 90049-1688
(310) 440-7390
archives@getty.edu
Abstract: Records comprise photographs, and photocopies of the photographs, of the opening and unpacking of the Ludwig Collection of
illuminated manuscripts purchased by the J. Paul Getty Museum, 1983.
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Language: Collection material is in
English
The early 1980s were a pivotal moment in the Getty Trust’s development. The settlement of J. Paul Getty’s estate precipitated
lengthy discussions about the future directions of the Museum's collections. In 1983, the J. Paul Getty Museum was offered
one of the finest private collection of illuminated manuscripts in the world, that of German chocolate manufacturer Peter
Ludwig and his wife, Irene Ludwig. It provided the opportunity to acquire a world-class collection with a single purchase,
and broadened the scope of collecting by the Getty Museum. The collection consisted of 144 illuminated manuscripts, selected
with the advice of book dealer Hans P. Kraus, covering more than eleven hundred years and representing virtually every region
of Europe. Particularly strong in German, central European, and later Flemish manuscripts, the collection was among the few
private collections of manuscripts formed in the second half of the twentieth century that was still intact. The Trustees
approved the purchase in 1983, and the Department of Manuscripts was formed with Thomas Kren, formerly Associate Curator of
Paintings, as its head.
[Source: John Walsh, Deborah Gribbon. The J. Paul Getty Museum and its collections : a museum for the new century. Los Angeles
: J. Paul Getty Museum, c1997.]
The records described in accession 1986.IA.33 are available for use by qualified researchers.
The following types of records are permanently closed: records containing personal information, records that compromise security
or operations, legal communications, legal work product, and records related to donors. The J. Paul Getty Trust reserves the
right to restrict access to any records held by the Institutional Archives.
Contact
Library Rights and Reproductions .
[Cite the item (as appropriate)], Photographs of unpacking the Ludwig Collection, 1983, Dept. of Manuscripts, J. Paul Getty
Museum. Institutional Archives, Getty Research Institute, Research Library, Finding aid no. IA20002.
The material originated in accession no. 1986.IA.33.
Initial inventory created by intern post-2003; records were processed and finding aid was created by Sue Luftschein, April
21, 2005.
Scope and Content of Collection
Records comprise 42 3x5 inch color photographs, and 41 photocopies of the photographs, of the opening and unpacking of the
Ludwig Collection of illuminated manuscripts donated to the J. Paul Getty Museum, 1983. Pictured in the photographs are the
Ludwigs, Hans P. Kraus, Hanni Kraus, and Mary Ann Mitchell, New York representatives in the sale of the Ludwig Collection;
Jake Zeitlin, Los Angeles book dealer who represented the Getty in the sale, and partner of H.P. Kraus in the sale; and Thomas
Kren, Associate Curator of Paintings, John Caswell, Registrar's Office, and Jimmy Evans, museum preparator, J. Paul Getty
Museum.
The photographs are organized in no apparent order.
Kraus, Hanni
Kraus, Hans Peter, 1907-1988
Kren, Thomas, 1950
Ludwig, Irene
Ludwig, Peter , 1925-1996
Zeitlin, Jake, 1902-
J. Paul Getty Museum
J. Paul Getty Trust
Art objects--Collectors and collecting
Art--Collectors and collecting
Art--Handling
Museums--Acquisitions
Administrative records
Manuscripts
Photographs
Photographs of unpacking the Ludwig Collection, 1983
Physical Description:
0.1 linear feet
(1 box)
Box 1986.IA.33-1, Folder 1
41 photos, Ludwig Collection unpacking (photocopies), 1983
Box 1986.IA.33-1, Folder 2
39 photos, Ludwig Collection unpacking (originals), 1983