Collection on the Estate of Karl Nierendorf

Collection on the Estate of Karl Nierendorf

Collection Overview

Repository:
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives.
Creator:
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives
Title:
Collection on the Estate of Karl Nierendorf
Call Number:
A0062
Dates:
1940-1956, 1976 (bulk 1940-1956)
Volume:
1 cubic foot (2 boxes)
Historical Abstract:
In 1948 the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (SRGF) purchased the entire estate of New York art dealer Karl Nierendorf (KN) acquiring not only purchases made abroad on behalf of the SRGF, but also KN's gallery inventory and art objects.
Scope and Content Abstract:
The Collection on Karl Nierendorf dates from 1940 to 1956 with the addition of records created in 1976. The records are divided into two subseries. Subseries A: Nierendorf Gallery (NG) contains records that were created by or for the NG in the 1940s and collected in the 1970s by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives. The records in Subseries B: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation relate to the acquisition of the estate after Karl Nierendorf's (KN) death in 1947 and internal research circa 1976 on KN's life and exhibition history. The records do not include information on works of art displayed at the Nierendorf Gallery prior to the purchase or works that were not included in the sale of the estate. To this date, the location of NG's New York archive, papers, or records is unknown.
Location:
CF
Language:
Collection is primarily in English.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged alphabetically in two subseries: A. Nierendorf Galleries; and B. Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.
Restrictions:
This collection is unrestricted
Publication Rights:
Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the Manager of the Library and Archives.
Preferred Citation:
Collection on the Estate of Karl Nierendorf. A0062. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives, New York, NY.
Subjects:
Art -- Collectors and collecting
Nierendorf Gallery
Nierendorf, Karl
Contributors:
Museum of Non-Objective Painting
Rebay, Hilla, 1890-1967
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
Finding aid prepared by Francine Snyder in June 2010.

Historical Note

In 1948 the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (SRGF) purchased the entire estate of New York art dealer Karl Nierendorf (KN). KN (1889-1947) began his career in the art trade three decades earlier in Cologne with his brother, Josef. After a brief partnership with art dealer J. B. Neumann, in 1923 KN took over his Graphisches Kabinette in Berlin. In 1936, KN immigrated to New York and established the Nierendorf Gallery. Soon after his arrival in New York, KN encountered Hilla Rebay, founding director and curator of the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, the forerunner of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Their shared passion for art resulted in a strong business relationship between KN and the SRGF. In the fall of 1947, KN suffered a fatal heart attack. The SRGF purchased the entire estate of KN early the following year from the State of New York, thereby acquiring not only purchases made abroad on behalf of the SRGF, but also KN's gallery inventory and art objects, which were likely from his personal collection. The estate of Karl Nierendorf also included various items from his residence and gallery, such as miscellaneous furniture and books. However, the estate did not contain KN's gallery papers or records.

More information about the Karl Nierendorf Estate can be found at: http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/about-the-collection/new-york/karl-nierendorf-estate/1650

Scope and Content Note

The Collection on Karl Nierendorf dates from 1940 to 1956 with the addition of records created in 1976. The records are divided into two subseries. Subseries A: Nierendorf Gallery (NG) contains records that were created by or for the NG in the 1940s and collected later by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives. The bulk of these records are announcements, brochures, and newspaper and magazine clippings related to exhibitions held at the NG. The provenance of the auction catalogue and the location of the original scrapbook are unknown. Many of the records in this subseries are digitized and can be viewed in the folder list of the online finding aid.

The records in Subseries B: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (SRGF) relate to the acquisition of the estate after Karl's Nierendorf's (KN) death in 1947 and internal research circa 1976 on KN's life and exhibition history. These records relating to the acquisition contain information on the artworks the SRGF acquired at the time of this purchase and the details of this purchase. Correspondence includes letters between SRGF and the Public Administrator's Office as well as internal memoranda discussing the logistics of the sale. The records do not include information on works of art displayed at the NG prior to the purchase or works that were not included in the sale of the estate. The only records in this series that were not generated at the time of the sale are records created circa 1976 relating to research on KN.

The records do not indicate the existence or location of the NG's archive, papers, and records at the time of the sale in 1947. Currently, while materials related to the NG can be found in alternative repositories and archives, the location of NG's New York archive, papers, or records that would document the history of the gallery and its sales is unknown and the majority of the records are considered lost. Any information on the location of these records should be sent to the Manager of the Library and Archives, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.

Folder List

BoxFolderTitleDate
A. Nierendorf Gallery
Announcements
05241Lecture: J. B. Newmann1941
05242Publications and Reproductions for Saleundated
05243Auction Catalogue: Art of Our Dayundated
Exhibitions
05244Alma Wiener: Newspaper and Magazine Clippings1942
05245Arthur B. Carles: Newspaper and Magazine Clippingsundated
05246Carl Hofer: Newspaper and Magazine Clippings1943
Chang Shan Tse
05247Correspondenceundated
50101Newspaper and Magazine Clippingsundated
East-West
05248Brochureundated
05249aNewspaper and Magazine Clippingsundated
05249bForbidden Art in the Third Reich: Brochure1945
052410Gordon Onslow-Ford: Brochure1946
Julio De Diego
052411Brochure1946
052412Newspaper and Magazine Clippings1946
Paul Klee
501013Brochures/Checklists1930-1949
0524,
5010		14, 2Newspaper and Magazine Clippings (2 folders)1940-1947
Thomas Rowlandson
052415Brochureundated
50103Newspaper and Magazine Clippingsundated
50104Guest Book1946-1947
052416Invitation: Negro Publication Society of Americaundated
052417Magazine Clipping: Sale to Worcester Art Museum1943
50105Scrapbook: Exhibition Publicity (Photocopy)1937-1942
B. Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
Nierendorf Estate
052418-20Appraisal: Public Administrator (3 folders) undated
50106Bill of Sale (copy) 1948
50107Citation 1947
0524,
5010		21, 8Claims (2 folders) (restricted) 1948-1955
052422-25Correspondence and Memoranda (4 folders) 1947-1948, 1950
052426Doubtful Property 1948
50109-11Inventory of Assets Purchased by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (3 folders) 1948-1951
052427Inventory of Publications from the Nierendorf Collection 1952
052428List of all Nierendorf's Objective Painting, Etc. Owned by the Foundation undated
501012Notes of Acquisitions undated
501013Order Authorizing Sale of Paintings, Etc. with Notice of Entry 1948
052429Personal Claim for $2000 Against Karl Nierendorf Estate Assets by Hilla Rebay 1948-1950
501014Petition for Letters of Administration 1947
0524,
5010		30, 15Sale of Books, Catalogues, Magazines and Misc. Prints (Marboro Books) (2 folders) 1956
052431Valuation of Painting, Art Objects, Etc. Purchased 1948-1952
052432Nierendorf, Karl: Exhibition Chronology and Biographical Research circa 1976
501016Klee, Paul: Exhibition Research circa 1976