THE CREATION OF THE HAVEMEYER COLLECTION, 1875-1900.
Item
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Title
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THE CREATION OF THE HAVEMEYER COLLECTION, 1875-1900.
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Identifier
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AAI8222988
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identifier
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8222988
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Creator
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WEITZENHOFFER, FRANCES RENEE.
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Contributor
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John Rewald
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Date
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1982
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Fine Arts
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Abstract
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Although works from the Havemeyer collection enrich numerous departments of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, there has never been a thorough study of its growth and development.;As a young girl Louisine Elder had met Mary Cassatt in Paris and had been introduced by her to the work of the still contested French Impressionists; she became the first American to acquire a few of their pictures. After marriage to the "Sugar King" H. O. Havemeyer in 1883, she enlisted the aid of Mary Cassatt to detach her husband from his beloved old masters and to stimulate his interest in the French moderns. The two women were asisted by the Parisian dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, the driving force behind the introduction of Impressionism to America. The creation of the Havemeyer Collection was primarily the result of an unusual and creative relationship among Mr. and Mrs. Havemeyer, Mary Cassatt, and Paul Durand-Ruel.;To better understand this achievement, the Havemeyers have to be placed within the context of their own time. To that effect, the collecting habits of some of their friends and contemporaries must be discussed as well as the general artistic background of the period.;The incredible wealth of works of art accumulated by the Havemeyers was assembled in a truly astonishing building that was as unique a creation as the collection itself. This makes it necessary to study in detail the Havemeyer mansion, the interiors of which were designed by Samuel Colman and Louis Comfort Tiffany, the latter one of America's most innovative designers.;Unlike certain American businessmen-collectors whose emphasis was on quantity and ostentation, the unusually private Havemeyers were people of exceptional taste for whom collecting meant satisfying an aesthetic need.;Overall, this study is concerned with documenting the actual purchases made by the Havemeyers. It is based on archival material that permits careful scrutiny of many individual acquisitions.;Even though their house no longer stands, and even though their treasures--except for those bequeathed to the Metropolitan Museum--have since been dispersed, the Havemeyers made an extremely important contribution to America's culture which warrants careful investigation.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Art History
