Archives of American Art

Galka Scheyer papers

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.schegalk
Creators:
Scheyer, Galka E.
Dates:
1917-1945
Languages:
Many letters are in German.
Physical Description:
5 Reels
ca. 1200 items (on 5 partial microfilm reels)
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Papers relate mainly to the Blue Four and contain primarily correspondence; also business materials, photographs, essays, and printed materials.
Scope and Contents
REEL 1644: Correspondence with Lyonel Feininger and his wife Julia, mainly concerning personal matters, contemporary events in Europe and America, and Scheyer's efforts to establish the Blue Four's reputation on the west coast. Many letters are illustrated with Feininger block cuts.
Scope and Contents
REEL 1854: Letters from Feininger, Alexei Jawlensky, Wassily Kandinsky, and Paul Klee; typescripts of letters to members of the Blue Four; import declarations; a shipping invoice; a consular certificate for paintings; and price lists of works of art.
Scope and Contents
REEL 1905: Correpsondence documenting Scheyer's friendship with various artists associated with the Blue Four and her efforts to exhibit and sell their work. Important correpsondents include: Alexander Archipenko, Hans Arp, Giorgio de Chirico, Marcel Duchamp, Paul Klee, Le Corbusier, Fernand Leger, Carlos Merida, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Diego Rivera, Arthur Segal, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Arnold Schoenberg, Kurt Schwitters, Rufino Tamayo, Mies van der Rohe, Edgar Varese, Max Weber, and Edward Weston. Also included are miscellaneous photographs, essays, notes, and financial and printed materials.
Scope and Contents
REEL 2031-2032: Correspondence with Alexei Jawlensky and Wassily Kandinsky, including several illustrated letters; two photographs of interiors; a published article by Kandindsky, "Abstrakte Kunst," ca. 1925-1926; and price lists for works of art by Kandkinsky. Some letters are typescripts.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Art collector, dealer; b. 1889; d. 1945; Los Angeles, Calif. Scheyer worked to introduce the art of the Blue Four (Blaue Vier), Wassily Kandinsky, Lyonel Feininger, Paul Klee, and Alexei Jawlensky, to American collectors.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
35mm microfilm reels 1644, 1854, 1905, and 2031-2032 available for use at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals in Norton Simon Museum of Art at Pasadena, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Lent for microfilming by Norton Simon Museum of Art, 1979-1980.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.

More Information

Other Title

Other Title
Galka Scheyer Blue Four Archive.

Other Finding Aids

Other Finding Aids
Microfilm reel 1905: Finding aid available at Archives of American Art offices.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Blaue Vier (Group of artists) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Expressionism (Art) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painting, German -- Collectors and collecting Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Germany -- Collectors and collecting Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- United States Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art dealers -- California -- Los Angeles Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Jawlensky, Alexej von, 1864-1941 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kandinsky, Wassily, 1866-1944 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Klee, Paul, 1879-1940 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Le Corbusier, 1887-1965 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Léger, Fernand, 1881-1955 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig, 1886-1969 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Moholy-Nagy, László, 1895-1946 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Schmidt-Rottluff, Karl, 1884-1976 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Schoenberg, Arnold, 1874-1951 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Schwitters, Kurt, 1887-1948 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Segal, Arthur, 1875-1944 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tamayo, Rufino, 1899-1991 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Varèse, Edgard, 1883-1965 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Weber, Max, 1881-1961 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Weston, Edward, 1886-1958 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Archipenko, Alexander, 1887-1964 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Arp, Jean, 1887-1966 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
De Chirico, Giorgio, 1888- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Feininger, Julia Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Feininger, Lyonel, 1871-1956 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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