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Overview of the Collection |
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Creator: | Rosenberg, Léonce, 1879-1947 | |
Title: | Léonce Rosenberg Papers, Correspondence Relating to Cubism | |
Inclusive Dates: | 1914-1932 | |
Quantity: | 0 linear feet One 5" document box |
Léonce Rosenberg (1879-1947), art collector, dealer and publicist, son of Alexandre, was born in Paris on September 12, 1879 to a family of four children: brothers Edmond and Paul and a sister Marie-Amélie. In 1910 Léonce left the family-owned gallery to open his own business, called Haute Epoque, at 19 rue de La Baume, Paris 8. Although considered an antiquarian, Rosenberg began buying cubist art: by 1914 he purchased work by Pablo Picasso, Auguste Herbin, and Juan Gris. After brief service in World War I (1916-1917) he continued his interest and represented, for varying periods of time, Picasso, Auguste Herbin, Fernand Léger, and Gris, among others and by the end of the war opened a new gallery, l'Effort Moderne. On October 19, 1921 the Léonce Rosenberg collection was sold in Amsterdam while l'Effort Moderne continued to operate until 1941. Rosenberg died in Neuilly-sur-Seine on July 31, 1947.
The processed Léonce Rosenberg Papers consists of typed (TLS) and handwritten (ALS) letters to Léonce Rosenberg and are contained in one 5" document box. The letters, in French, date from between 1914 and 1932 and include correspondence with Juan Gris (1887-1927), Auguste Herbin (1882-1960), poet Max Jacob (1976-1944), Fernand Léger (1881-1955), Jean Metzinger (1883-1956), Francis Picabia (1897-1953), and Gino Severini (1883-1966).
A copy of the auction catalogue describing the collection and an 81-page summary in English of the letters are also included.
The records are open for research and contain no restricted materials.
The Léonce Rosenberg Papers are the physical property of The Museum of Modern Art. Literary rights, including copyright belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. Rights to work produced during the normal course of Museum business resides with The Museum of Modern Art. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archivist.
Index Terms |
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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the library catalog of The Museum of Modern Art. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings. | ||
Persons and Organizations: | ||
Art dealers | ||
Artists -- Correspondence | ||
Cubism | ||
Gris, Juan, 1887-1927 -- Correspondence | ||
Herbin, Auguste, 1882-1960 -- Correspondence | ||
Jacob, Max, 1876-1944 -- Correspondence | ||
Léger, Fernand, 1881-1955 -- Correspondence | ||
Metzinger, Jean, 1883-1956 -- Correspondence | ||
Picabia, Francis, 1879-1953 -- Correspondence | ||
Rosenberg, Léonce, 1879-1947 | ||
Rosenberg, Léonce, 1879-1947 -- Correspondence | ||
Severini, Gino, 1883-1966 -- Correspondence | ||
Subjects: | ||
Art dealers | ||
Artists -- Correspondence | ||
Cubism | ||
Gris, Juan, 1887-1927 -- Correspondence | ||
Herbin, Auguste, 1882-1960 -- Correspondence | ||
Jacob, Max, 1876-1944 -- Correspondence | ||
Léger, Fernand, 1881-1955 -- Correspondence | ||
Metzinger, Jean, 1883-1956 -- Correspondence | ||
Picabia, Francis, 1879-1953 -- Correspondence | ||
Rosenberg, Léonce, 1879-1947 -- Correspondence | ||
Severini, Gino, 1883-1966 -- Correspondence | ||
Document Types: | ||
Postcards |
The Léonce Rosenberg Papers, Correspondence Relating to Cubism, form part of the Museum Archives Twentieth-Century Manuscript Collection which includes unpublished documentation, such as correspondence, typescripts, photographs, ephemera among other items, generated by organizations or individuals important to the history of twentieth-century art and reflecting the varied interests and concerns of Museum programs. See also, the Museum Archives holdings of the Department of Circulating Exhibitions and the International Program Records for records pertaining to circulating exhibitions that included the artists represented in the Léonce Rosenberg Papers. The Alfred H. Barr, Jr. (AHB) Papers include correspondence with or about cubist artists and the AHB Papers, Record Group 3 is devoted to Barr's material on Abstract Art, Cubism and Futurism. For information on individual artists, see the Artist Files or relevant monographs in the Museum Library.
At the suggestion of Trustee James Thrall Soby (who served as Director of the Department of Painting and Sculpture 1943-1945; an Advisor to the Committee on Museum Collections 1940-1967), the Léonce Rosenberg Papers were purchased by the Museum at an auction at the Parke-Bernet Galleries on October 31, 1961. The collection was listed in the catalogue as The Annals of Cubism; From the Archives of Léonce Rosenberg. Upon acquisition the correspondence was housed in the Museum Library as part of its Special Collections. In 1962, Lucy R. Lippard, then an Assistant in the Museum Library, compiled summary translations of the letters. A note on the draft, "for first publication by MoMA" suggests that the Museum considered publishing the letters. The Correspondence was officially transferred to the Museum Archives on May 4, 1998 and has been processed according to archival principles.
Léonce Rosenberg Papers, Correspondence Relating to Cubism, [series.folder]. The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York.
Explanation of Abbreviations
ALS is an Autographed Letter Signed.
TLS is a Typed Letter Signed.
Series I. Correspondence 1914-1932 |
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Contents are arranged alphabetically by correspondent's name, then chronologically by date of item |
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Folder | Title | Date |
I.1 | Gris, Juan 17 ALS |
1918-1920 |
I.2 | Herbin, Auguste 103 ALS |
1914-1923 |
I.3 | Jacob, Max 15 ALS |
1915-1917 |
I.4 | Léger, Fernand 28 ALS |
1918-1920 |
I.5 | Metzinger, Jean 61 ALS |
1918-27 |
I.6 | Picabia, Francis 1 ALS |
11 October 1930 [1920?] |
I.7 | Severini, Gino 24 ALS |
1924-1932 |
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Series II. Supporting Material 1949-1974 |
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Contents are arranged chronologically |
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Folder | Title | Date |
II.1 | Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., [auction catalogue] catalogue contains descriptions of letters |
10/31/61 - 11/1/61 |
II.2 | Rough translated abstracts of each letter 81 pages |
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