THE PAUL MELLON CENTRE'S ARCHIVE CATALOGUE GOES ONLINE
The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art has launched its archive catalogue online - http://archivecatalogue.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk/CalmView/Default.aspx - revealing to a wider audience the research material compiled by some of the most significant art historians of the twentieth century. Highlights include the papers of W.G. Constable (1887-1976) first director of the Courtauld Institute and museum director; and Sir Brinsley Ford (1908-1999) collector, art connoissuer and editor of the Burlington Magazine. The catalogue launch is an important stage of an ongoing project to make the collections more widely available.
The Paul Mellon Centre has been acquiring archive material since 1977 and now holds twenty collections. These consist primarily of the working papers of art historians, but also include the papers of museum directors and curators, dealers and significant individuals working in the field. Recent acquisitions have included the records of the Hunting Art Prize (1980-2005), an annual competition open to established, emerging and amateur artists and sponsored by Hunting plc. Alongside a wealth of information about British art and artists from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century, the papers also illuminate the study and practice of art history in Britain. The majority were compiled in the process of research for scholarly publications, catalogues and exhibitions and include research notes, correspondence and in particular, a huge volume of images – most of which have been annotated. They also reveal much about the lives and careers of the creators themselves. Of particular note are the papers of Sir Oliver Millar (1923-2007) art historian and surveyor to the Queen’s pictures; Sir Roy Strong (b.1935) art historian, museum director, writer, broadcaster and landscape designer, and Sir Ellis Waterhouse (1905-1985) art historian and museum director.
To date, about a quarter of the material has been catalogued. Alongside the papers of W.G. Constable and Sir Brinsley Ford, the online database includes descriptions of the collections of Sir Howard Colvin (1919-2007), architectural historian; John Ingamells (b.1934) art historian and museum director; and Gilbert Benthall (1880-1961) collector and amateur art historian. It also includes a small amount of information about the Centre’s own records, and those of its predecessor the Paul Mellon Foundation. The archive catalogue will be of particular relevance to anyone with an interest in the Grand Tour. As well as comprehensive information about travel, art, behaviour and patronage in eighteenth century Italy, the Brinsley Ford archive includes hundreds of files containing references to thousands of travellers. Every name mentioned in the papers has been cited in the catalogue, which is full text searchable, making this information readily available as never before. The catalogue is illustrated with over 300 digital images (scans of the items themselves).
Work on the Centre’s archive collections continues. In the meantime, all the papers are open to the public. To make an appointment to view the material - or if you have a query about the catalogue or the Centre’s archive collections more generally - please contact the Archivist, Charlotte Brunskill ([log in to unmask]).
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