Vollard (Ambroise) Miscellaneous papers regarding, 1890-1939 (bulk 1890-1910), bulk 1890-1910

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Summary

Title:

Miscellaneous papers regarding Ambroise Vollard

Dates:

1890-1939 (bulk 1890-1910), bulk 1890-1910

Creators:

Getty Research Institute, Monfreid, Daniel de, 1856-1929, Vuillard, Édouard, 1868-1940, Vollard, Ambroise, 1867-1939, Steinlen, Théophile Alexandre, 1859-1923, and Getty Research Institute. Research Library

Abstract:

Collection comprises original and photocopied letters and records related to the French art dealer Ambroise Vollard and the artists he represented.

Extent:

6 Linear Feet (11 boxes)

Language:

English .

Preferred citation:

Miscellaneous papers regarding Ambroise Vollard, 1890-1939, bulk 1890-1910, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2001.M.24.

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2001m24

Background

Scope and content:

Collection comprises original and photocopied letters and records related to the art dealer Ambroise Vollard and the artists he represented. Also included are transcriptions of photocopied materials.

Included are: 83 items of correspondence, 3 documents, 18 b&w photographs, 12 publications, 1 sketchbook, 2 watercolors, and 1 lithograph. The photocopies of stockbooks, account books, and correspondence, were made from original materials, some of which are now in the Musee D'Orsay. The transcriptions were made by Gerrard White from the photocopies.

Correspondence centers on artists Paul Gauguin, Georges Rouault, Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard, Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, Daniel de Monfreid, Henri Gabriel Ibels, and Maurice Denis; prominent critics such as Felix Feneon, Roger Marx, Andre Mellerio, Gabriel Mourey, and Jules Laforgue; dealers such as Vollard, Edouard Kleinmann, and Durand Ruel; collectors such as Chaudet, Gabriel Frizeau, and Alexandre Natanson; publishers such as Floury and Marty; and the print dealer André Clot.

This collection was assembled by Gerrard White from various sources including Maurice Malingue, the family of André Mellerio, Baron Denys Cochin, the heirs of André Clot, John Rewald, and Louis Sébastien, heir of antiquarian Edouard Jonas.

Biographical / historical:

Ambroise Vollard, the pioneer French art dealer, patron and publisher, can be said to be the first of the 'modern' art dealers. Malcolm Gee calls Vollard the "most notable contemporary art dealer of his generation in France." Born 1867 in Réunion, he moved to Paris to study law in 1890 and soon began buying and selling prints and drawings. After working at L'Union Artistique for Alphonse Dumas, Vollard set up his own business and in 1894 opened a gallery near the Opéra on the Rue Laffitte, then the center of the Paris art business.

Vollard organized Cézanne's first one-man exhibit and, as was his habit, bought works directly from the artist, building a collection of enormous value. He also bought work from van Gogh, Gauguin, Bonnard, Denis, Redon, Vuillard, Derain, Rouault, Vlaminck, Rousseau, Picasso, Maillol, and Matisse, often holding back the work for years to take advantage of rising prices.

Vollard is also known for his print publishing business (1890s through 1900) and for establishing the genre of the illustrated art book (livre d'artiste). After 1915 Vollard launched over 40 publishing projects with artists, many of which were incomplete when he died in 1939. Vollard wrote several books on artists (Cézanne, Renoir, Degas, among them) as well as his memoir, published in English with the title Recollections of a Picture Dealer (1936, 1978).

Acquisition information:

The collection was assembled from various sources by Gerrard White, who also made the transcriptions in the collection. Acquired by the Getty Research Library in 2004.

Processing information:

Processed by J. Gibbs and Lily Tsukahira.

Arrangement:

Arranged in 6 series: Series I. Correspondence concerning Paul Gauguin, 1897-1917; Series II. Other correspondence, 1891-1939; Series III. Correspondence regarding Vollard's painters and the art market, 1887-1924; Series IV. Ambroise Vollard dealer's records and related records in other repositories, ca. 1894-1935; Series V. Catalogues, monographs and exhibition documentation; Series VI. Research file.

Physical location:

Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog record for this collection. Click here for the access policy.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:: J. Gibbs.
Date Encoded:: This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-05-14 13:46:50 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:: Open for use by qualified researchers with the following exceptions. The Jaz drive in Box 11 containing Gerrard White's inventory and transcriptions is sealed. However, a paper hard copy of the documents is available for read-only access in Box 12 and Box 13; it may not be photocopied or digitally copied in whole or in part.
Terms of access:: Contact Library Reproductions and Permissions.