Summary
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Records of the Registrar's Office: PhotographsBackground InformationThe registrar's office maintained a photograph file to document changes in the museum's galleries. The practice of photographing gallery views began when the museum opened in 1916, with new photographs being taken for each special exhibition or gallery renovation. Photographs usually were not taken, however, for routine rotation of artwork.Over time the museum expanded through new additions. By 2002 the museum had expanded three times, with new wings opening in 1958, 1971, and 1984. The additional building added new galleries but also resulted in confusion about the sequence of art in the galleries. Several times the museum staff chose to renumber the galleries to make navigating the museum less confusing to the visitor. The appendix details each of the changes in gallery number, organized by each gallery's number in 2002. The following is a chronological list of the gallery changes from 1916-2002: 1916: The museum opens with fifteen galleries located solely on the second, or "gallery floor." Some additional gallery space for the education department on the ground floor is called Gallery 16. 1958: New galleries are added with the addition of the 1958 wing by Hayes and Ruth. The new galleries on the second floor are numbered sequentially after the original fifteen galleries. Some of the ground floor space is converted into galleries which are identified alphabetically 1970: The original auditorium is destroyed, along with the education department's gallery 16, and renovated as the Oriental (today the Asian) galleries, which descend into the basement as well as being located on the ground floor. These galleries are lettered sequentially after the existing first floor galleries (with the exception of Gallery T, Later Japanese Art). This is the first phase of a five-phase gallery renovation project 1971: The new wing by Marcel Breuer adds special exhibition galleries (called as such) but does not change the existing gallery sequence. This is the second phase of the five-phase gallery renovation project 1972-1976: All of the second floor galleries are overhauled as phases two through five of the gallery renovation project. On the west side of the 1958 wing gallery walls are moved. The new numbering sequence for the second floor galleries "recognizes generally the development of Western Art," according to a contemporary gallery map. First floor letter identification remains the same. 1984: The new addition by Peter van Dijk adds nine galleries adjacent to the west side of the 1958 wing. The galleries on the second floor, beginning with Gallery 29, are renumbered to incorporate the additional galleries. 1990: In November 1990 galleries on the first floor and in the Asian galleries are numbered in the 100s, replacing the alphabetical letters. All galleries on the second floor have the number 2 added in front of their number, making them all in the 200s. The special exhibition galleries are given numbers consistent with the level on which they are located. Only the education corridor on the lower level is not given a number. Appendix: Gallery Numbering ChangesGallery 101 (1971 Addition) Gallery 102 (1958 Addition) Gallery 103 (1958 Addition) Gallery 104 (1958 Addition) Gallery 105 (1916 Building - not used a gallery until after 1958) Gallery 106 (1916 Building - not used a gallery until after 1958) Gallery 107 (1916 Building - not used a gallery until after 1958) Gallery 108 (1916 Building - not used a gallery until after 1958) Gallery 109 (1916 Building - not used a gallery until after 1958) Gallery 110 (1916 Building) Gallery 111 (1916 Building - not used a gallery until after 1958) Gallery 112 (1916 Building - not used a gallery until after 1958) Gallery 113 (1916 Building - not used a gallery until after 1958) Gallery 114 (Asian Galleries created in 1970) Gallery 115 (Asian Galleries created in 1970) Gallery 116 (Asian Galleries created in 1970) Gallery 117 (Asian Galleries created in 1970) Gallery 118 (Asian Galleries created in 1970) Gallery 119 (Asian Galleries created in 1970) Gallery 120 (Asian Galleries created in 1970) Gallery 121 (Asian Galleries created in 1970) Gallery 122 (Asian Galleries created in 1970) Gallery 201 (1958 Addition) Gallery 202 (1958 Addition) Gallery 203 (1958 Addition) Gallery 204 (1958 Addition) Gallery 205 (1958 Addition) Gallery 206 (1958 Addition) Gallery 207 (1958 Addition) Gallery 208 (1958 Addition) Gallery 209 (1958 Addition) Gallery 210 (1958 Addition) Gallery 211 (1958 Addition) Gallery 212 (1916 Building) Gallery 213 (1916 Building) Gallery 214 (1916 Building) Gallery 215 (1916 Building) Gallery 216 (1916 Building) Gallery 217 (1916 Building) Gallery 218 (1916 Building) Gallery 219 (1916 Building) Gallery 219A (1916 Building) Gallery 220 (1916 Building) Gallery 220A (1916 Building) Gallery 221 (1916 Building) Gallery 222 (1916 Building) Gallery 223 (1916 Building) Gallery 223A (1916 Building) Gallery 223B (1916 Building) Gallery 223C (1916 Building) Gallery 224 (1958 Addition) Gallery 225 (1958 Addition) Gallery 226 (1958 Addition) Gallery 227 (1958 Addition) Gallery 228 (1958 Addition) Gallery 229 (1984 Addition) Gallery 230 (1984 Addition) Gallery 231 (1958 Addition) Gallery 232 (1958 Addition) Gallery 233 (1958 Addition) Gallery 234 (1984 Addition) Gallery 235 (1984 Addition) Gallery 236 (1984 Addition) Gallery 237 (1958 Addition) Gallery 238 (1958 Addition) Gallery 239 (1958 Addition) Gallery 240 (1958 Addition) Gallery 241 (1958 Addition) Gallery 243 (1971 Addition) Gallery Changes in the West Wing of the 1958 Addition, 1973-1974 Galleries 37 and 36 merged to become 24 (today 224) Gallery 35 became Gallery 34 became Gallery 33 became Gallery 32 became part of 30 (today 232) Gallery 31 became Gallery 30 became Gallery 29 became |
