After weeding for duplicates and of material already available at AAA on microfilm, the collection now comprises 553 items, dating from 1887-1943, the bulk of which are exhibition catalogs from New York City art galleries for the first two decades of the twentieth century, representing exhibitions of mainly modernist art. Catalogs for exhibitions held in Boston and a few other cities are also present. The collection is especially relevant for the study of early American modernism, and is useful in understanding the role of art galleries, exhibitions, the art market, and the exhibition catalog itself, in American art. The collection is arranged alphabetically by sponsoring gallery, or if no gallery is listed, by the name of the club or organization. Under these headings, the catalogs are arranged chronologically, with undated material first.
Many catalogs are undated, list only a year, or are annotated with a date.
No attempt has been made to date or verify these at this time. Catalogs which are annotated with a date are filed chronologically, and are indicated with brackets around the date. The catalogs were microfilmed in 1991 and are on reels 4858-4859. These can be requested through AAA's Interlibrary Loan program . Researchers may find duplicate or related items in galleries' records held at the Archives of American Art.