Ingalls Library & Museum Archives

Newly acquired and residing in the contemporary galleries of the East Wing is a sculpture by artist Liza Lou.  Continuous Mile (Black) is a large coil of what appears to be rope, but when viewed closely is made entirely from black glass beads.  The hand knotted sculpture is the product of Lou’s interest in beadwork and her location; her studio is in the city of Durban, South Africa.  There she is able to draw on local Zulu men and women to assist in the creation of her intricate work.  The Ingalls Library holds several volumes on Liza Lou, as well as resources on South African and Zulu beadwork.

Lunch, for me, is a salad and an armful of auction catalogs. Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Bonhams and other international houses crowd the shelves of our Recent Acquisitions area – jewels in Paris, furniture in Amsterdam, or Old Master paintings in London, one can hardly believe the offerings available on the market today. As we ready for the opening of our new East Wing on June 27 which will, among 21 new galleries, showcase our Impressionist collection, I’m drawn to Christie’s Impressionist/Modern Works on Paper + Day Sale catalogs, for 24 June 2009. These gorgeous catalogs offer so much more than just works of art. Here’s Rodin! Le Baiser in bronze, only 15 inches in height, shines on pages also packed with bibliography. And here are pals of Gauguin, Claude-Emile Schuffenecker and Emile Bernard, soon to be highlighted in our upcoming Becoming Gauguin exhibition in October. A lot entry for Paul Sérusier chronicles his adventures in Brittany with Gauguin and the incredible influence Gauguin had on his painting. I’ve barely scratched the surface – come explore the best venue in town for the exciting world of art at auction.

Known to art librarians as Lancour, after the librarian at the Cooper-Union who compiled the volume, Harold Lancour’s American Art Auction Catalogues 1785-1942 is a union list of auction sales of art objects.  Like Fritz Lugt’s Répertoire… this volume is an integral part of provenance research.  Sales are arranged by year, with entries following the manner set forth in American Book Auction Catalogues, 1713-1934, by McKay.  Any catalogue that contained 25 or more art objects is included, allowing greater coverage of early estate sales.  Following each listing, the extant copies of the aforementioned catalogue are provided.  Our copy of Lancour is annotated with a carrot mark to indicate which catalogues we maintain in our collection.  Of particular interest is the listing of auction houses, prefacing the sales.  All known addresses and relevant dates are included, providing a unique list of galleries and auction houses unavailable elsewhere.  Lancour is shelved in the library’s reference collection at Z5939.A1 L3.

Alex Ash, recent graduate of Case Western University, writes in his winning answer to the Summer of CMA’s essay contest, “I have always been fortunate enough to have the wonderful Cleveland Museum of Art right in my backyard,” continuing, “Although most of the museum was closed for my four years here, I still was lucky enough to have classes there, as well as access to the best kept art-secret for art lovers in Cleveland–Ingalls library.”  Congratulations to Alex.  Like the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Ingalls Library is free to all.  Visit us Tuesday to Friday 10am to 5pm.

Recently added to the Ingalls Library collection through the generous bequest of the Butkin Estate is a wonderful example of book illustration, Kate Greenaway’s Birthday Book for Children.  The book is a collection of daily verses, written by British children’s book author Mrs. Sale Barker.  With each day’s verse, Greenaway provides a delicate illustration, a woman struggling with her umbrella for a blustery January, tulips blooming in a flower pot for May.  New months feature a full page color illustration.  Interleaved within the images are lined pages for inscription or notes.  The book joins our already robust selection of Greenaway titles in the library’s rare book collection.  For those unable to view the book in person, there is a reproduction of the work available online.  But a personal viewing is invited and recommended, contact the reference desk for arrangements at 216.707.2530.  For more information on Kate Greenaway, the library’s Collection in Focus is an exceptional starting point.  Kate Greenaway’s Birthday Book for Children is available in our library catalog at NC242.G74 G74 1880.