#museum library

[huariqueje]

Rijksmuseum Research Library   -   Mara van Laaren , 2019.

Dutch , 1977  -

Oil on canvas , 96 x 86 cm.

[museoillogique]

Radclyffe after I. Jewitt - The British Museum: the incunabula room of the library, with reader, ca 1841-1844

[brooklynmuseum]

We're looking for an experienced and innovative library professional with a deep commitment to accessibility. Is that you? Apply now to become our next Museum Librarian! 

[theancientgeekoroman]

One of the upsides of my job is that when there is someone to watch the desk, I get to catalog books in the library and then shelve them. Also, I pick the books that I know well or look most interesting first so that it’s more enjoyable. I love working in the library here :3

Also, all the books aside from The Martians Have Landed! book are ones I donated once I completed my Historic Preservation and Native Americans and Museums courses.  

[brooklynmuseum]

My main role as a Pratt Institute School of Information Fellow at the Brooklyn Museum Library is to help make our vast collection of auction catalogs discoverable in our library online catalog known as Brookmuse, which is part of Arcade, a shared NYARC catalog. The Library holds thousands of catalogs from multiple auction houses dating back into the 1800s, and up to the present. During my time here, I’ve been cataloging a small, early 20th century section of those catalogs, originating from Christie’s and Sotheby’s.

These small, precious catalogs, while plain in their design, provide windows into the art market for a select periods of time. They hold invaluable printed and annotated information, which answers questions about the provenance, or the pedigree, of objects of all kinds, including the visual and decorative arts. This information can inform us of an object’s monetary value, but also describes what kinds of objects came up on the market at certain periods of time. Objects of vertu (objects of importance), miniature enamel portraits, silverware, snuff boxes, rugs, and, of course, fine paintings and sculptures, are often the items I see for sale in these circa 1940 auctions.

These catalogs are of interest to our own Brooklyn Museum curators as well as outside researchers from around the world. They provide a deeper understanding of important artists and artworks, which can impact our understanding of art history and offer us valuable new perspectives.

Posted by Samantha Levin

[brooklynmuseum]

Having the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition here is a great opportunity for us to look back at previous times we have exhibited her work at the Brooklyn Museum. She was a trailblazer in many ways and so has been the Museum in its long history. A great example is the International Exhibition of Modern Art held at the Brooklyn Museum in 1926 which included her work along with several other artists working around the world at that time. The exhibition was organized by Katherine Dreier working with Marcel Duchamp, Wassily Kandinsky and several other artists who wanted to present modern art from around the world. The exhibition showcased over 300 works of art by 106 artists. The work of the following eleven women artists was included: Georgia O’Keeffe, Marcelle Cahn, Francisca Clausen, Katherine S. Dreier, Suzanne Duchamp, Alicia Halicka, Munter-Kandinsky, Ranghild Keyser, Suzanne Phocas, Kaethe Steinitz and Marguerite Zorach. The accompanying catalog, designed by Constantin Alajolov, remains today an outstanding example of an innovative exhibition catalog offering an image of the artist, a work of art and a statement by the artist. This rare catalog is on view today in the Georgia O’Keeffe: Living Modern at the Brooklyn Museum with the page open to O’Keeffe and her work.

Aside from showcasing O’Keeffe’s work, the exhibition itself is remembered today as one of the one most important thematic shows devoted to international modern art and the most significant since the famed Armory Show of 1913 up until MoMA’s exhibition on Cubism and Modern Art held in 1936. This popular exhibition, attended by over 52,000 people, was followed by a one person exhibition on Georgia O’Keeffe in 1927. The only other woman artist in the 1926 exhibition to have a one person exhibition at Brooklyn was Marguerite Zorach. So in this Year of Yes let us look back at the work of women artists and how their work has been presented by museums around the world including the Brooklyn Museum.

For more Georgia O’Keeffe related ephemera stopy by the Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives. Some of our favorite O’Keeffe related ephemera, pictured here, is included in our rich collection of Artist Files.

Posted by Deirdre Lawrence

[brooklynmuseum]

The Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives receive many reference requests related to the Museum’s rich history of exhibiting and collecting the work of prominent fashion designers. One exhibition in particular, The Genius of Charles James, which was on view from October 16, 1982 through January 16, 1983 at the Brooklyn Museum, receives a lot of attention from our researchers. Just last week we had two different visitors, one from Oxford University and the other from the Institute of Dramatic Arts in Australia, come to the Library and Archives to research this show. The Genius of Charles James was the first major retrospective exhibition of over 50 creations by the designer, who was one of America’s foremost couturiers of the 1930’s, 40’s, and 50’s. The fact that so many researchers are interested in this historic exhibition struck me as particularly relevant considering the groundbreaking show that opened at the Brooklyn Museum last week, Georgie O’Keeffe: Living Modern. For the first time, O’Keeffe’s wardrobe is on display alongside her work for visitors to see, calling to mind how Charles James’ designs were displayed at the Museum in 1982.

In conjunction with the personal papers of Charles James that are housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives, the many resources available at the Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives provide ample opportunity for researchers who are interested in Charles James to visit New York and gather information. Our department is committed to preserving the rich exhibition history of the Brooklyn Museum for future scholars and generations to come!

Posted by Giana Ricci Photos Brooke Baldeschwiler

[luckiestdyke]

I’ve been volunteering at my city’s art museum library & preparing documentation for finding aids