The collection documents the scholarly, personal and professional pursuits and activities of noted art critic and art historian Pierre Courthion. The bulk of the material relates directly to Courthion's research and writing projects, consisting primarily of unpublished notes and edited typescript drafts of essays, articles and monographs, as well as related visual materials and correspondence.

Pierre Courthion (1902-1988) was a prominent Swiss-born art critic and historian. Courthion's major projects focused on the history of American, French and European art including the art of Paris and Montmartre, Romanticism and Realism, the Impressionist movement, Swiss art, and the contemporary art of his time. Courthion attended the Université de Géneve and received a scholarship to study painting at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. While in Paris, Courthion spent time in Montmartre where he became acquainted with and developed friendships with artists such as Alberto Giacometti and Kurt Seligmann and encountered many of the artists living and working there, many of whom would be the focus of his later publications. Courthion was a student at the Louvre and did his doctoral work on the painter, Jean-Étienne Liotard. Over the course of his career, Courthion traveled widely for his research, lecture tours, and conferences. He lived and worked in France for most of his life.

18.0 linear feet (40 boxes)

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