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Art Records and Inventories

Archives of American Art

Object Details

Collection Artist
Louis, Morris, 1912-1962
See more items in
Morris Louis and Morris Louis Estate papers
Morris Louis and Morris Louis Estate papers / Series 2: Morris Louis Estate Papers
Sponsor
Partial funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Marcella Brenner Revocable Trust.
Date
1960-1992
Archival Repository
Archives of American Art
Identifier
AAA.louimorr, Subseries 2.2
Type
Archival materials
Collection Citation
Morris Louis and Morris Louis Estate Papers, circa 1910s-2007, bulk 1965-2000. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Arrangement
Inventory cards were maintained according to their original order. The cards sometimes include several numerical references, including original Morris Louis numbers (referred to as ML #), Santini numbers (of the Santini Brothers Warehouse), and "DU" numbers. It is not clear what "DU" stands for. Some cards have a color tab attached, while others have minimal description containing perhaps only a title and date. At the time of the Louis' death, numerous unidentified paintings were stored in rolls, and, thus, a numbering system was assigned posthumously. These numbers are most likely the DU numbers. Inventory files are arranged in numerical order according to "DU" number, though notations within files may refer to additional filing numbers. Inventory files are connected to inventory notecards, though some files exist where notecards are absent. Some files contain photocopies of relevant inventory notecard, as well. In both inventory cards and inventory files, systems were used over the course of 30 years, which accounts for varying numbers assigned, descriptions, and notations in multiple handwritings. One inventory file is dedicated to researching the whereabouts of a missing painting identified as 5-71 "a large veil on a triple-fold stretcher."
Collection Rights
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Scope and Contents
Art inventory files and cards contain extensive details about Louis' artwork and often include photographs and transparencies, as well as written descriptions. The files contain documentation of the movement of artwork, whether showing in an exhibition, donated to a museum or gallery, or sold through auction or to a private collector. There are also notations about artwork donations made my Marcella Brenner before her death. Additionally, several estate inventories and lists of museums where pieces were located are filed here.
Collection Restrictions
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. Research Center. Many of the audio recordings and transcripts of interviews with 26 artists conducted by Anita Faatz in 1970-1971 are access restricted and written permission is required from the person interviewed. Please contact reference services for more information. Any use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1503511449825-1503511449867-1
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9162716b0-5780-4e60-ac76-e399079adf67

Related Content

  • Morris Louis and Morris Louis Estate papers

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