Galerie Darthea Speyer records
name: label: Creator
content: Galerie Darthea Speyer (Paris, France)
label: Names
content: Musée national d'art moderne (France)
label: Names
content: De Forest, Roy, 1930-2007
label: Names
content: Delany, Beauford, 1901-
label: Names
content: Foulkes, Llyn, 1934-
label: Names
content: Gilliam, Sam, Jr. (1933-2022)
label: Names
content: Golub, Leon, 1922-2004
label: Names
content: Luboski, Richard, 1934-
label: Names
content: Paschke, Ed
label: Names
content: Remington, Deborah
label: Names
content: Saul, Peter, 1934-
label: Names
content: Speyer, Darthea, 1919-2014
label: Names
content: Weiss, Hugh, 1925-
topic: label: Occupation
content: Art dealers -- France -- Paris
label: Topic
content: Women art dealers
label: Topic
content: Hard-edge
label: Topic
content: Pop art
label: Topic
content: Surrealism
label: Topic
content: Funk
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Records were donated in 2010 by Emmanuelle Gelzer, owner of Galerie Darthea Speyer.
creator: label: Creator
content: Galerie Darthea Speyer (Paris, France)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Galerie Darthea Speyer records
abstract: label: Summary
content: The records of Galerie Darthea Speyer measure 17.2 linear feet and 1.58 GB and date from 1953 to 2010. The majority of the collection consists of artists' files containing a wide variety of materials documenting the Paris gallery's relationship with American and European artists, as well as gallery exhibitions. Also found are scattered financial records, guestbooks, documentation on the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome art collection, exhibition announcements, posters, and additional photographs.
bioghist: label: Historical Note
content: Galerie Darthea Speyer was founded in 1968 by Darthea Speyer at 6, rue Jacques Callot, Paris, France. The gallery was notable for promoting American painting and sculpture in France until it closed in 2009.

Darthea Speyer (1919-2014) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and began collecting art at age fifteen. She studied art history at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and in 1950 went to Paris as a cultural attaché for the United States Information Services (USIS). In 1953 she helped organize the exhibition 12 Modern American Painters and Sculptors at the Musee National D'Art Moderne, a show that initiated a change in the way Europeans viewed American Art. While working for the USIS, Speyer founded the Centre Culturel Americain where she gave many American artists their first European exhibition. She continued to work for the USIS until 1965.

Speyer opened Galerie Darthea Speyer during the May 1968 riots in Paris with an inaugural show of works by Deborah Remington. The gallery was designed by her brother, A. James Speyer, and primarily exhibited sculpture and paintings by Americans, as well as works by some European artists. Over the next 40 years Darthea Speyer remained a powerful advocate for American artists in the European market.
function: label: Function
content: Art galleries, Commercial -- France
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 17.2 Linear Feet
label: Extent
content: 1.58 Gigabytes
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1953-2010
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.galedars
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Gigabytes
label: Type
content: Visitors' books
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 6 series:

Series 1: Artists' Files, 1955-2010 (Boxes 1-15; 14.8 linear feet, ER01-ER07; 1.58 GB)

Series 2: Financial Records, 2000-2002 (Box 15; 6 folders)

Series 3: Guestbooks, 1997-2009 (Box 16; 8 folders)

Series 4: Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome Art Collection, circa 1980s-2009 (Box 16; 4 folders)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1953-2008 (Boxes 16, 17, OV 19-22; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 6: Photographs, circa 1960s-1970s (Boxes 17-18; 0.7 linear feet)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed to an intermediate level and a finding aid prepared by Erin Kinhart in 2011. Born-digital materials were processed by Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner in 2019 with funding provided by Smithsonian Collection Care and Preservation Fund.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Visitors' books
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Content Note
content: The records of Galerie Darthea Speyer measure 17.2 linear feet and 1.58 GB and date from 1953 to 2010. The majority of the collection consists of artists' files containing a wide variety of materials documenting the Paris gallery's relationship with American and European artists, as well as gallery exhibitions. Also found are scattered financial records, guestbooks, documentation on the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome art collection, exhibition announcements, posters, and additional photographs.

Artists' files are varied but may contain biographical materials, correspondence and business records, printed materials, photographs, digital photographs, and slides. Correspondence is with artists and others primarily concerning the exhibition or sale of the artists' work. Also filed with the correspondence are other scattered business records regarding the artists' dealing with the gallery including exhibition documents and sales records. Photographs depict artists, artwork, exhibition installations and exhibition openings at Galerie Darthea Speyer. Printed material includes exhibition announcements, catalogs, and extensive press clippings. Files for prominent American artists such as Roy De Forest, Beauford Delaney, Llyn Foulkes, Leon Golub, Sam Gilliam, Richard Luboski, Ed Paschke, Peter Saul, Deborah Remington, and others, document a long relationship between the artist and the gallery.

This collection also includes scattered financial records from 2000 to 2002. Eight gallery guestbooks, and documentation on the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome art collection, which was organized by Darthea Speyer.

Printed material consists of posters and Galerie Darthea Speyer exhibition announcements. Included with the exhibition announcements are lists of exhibitions by year. Many of the posters advertise exhibitions organized by Darthea Speyer at the Musee National D'Art Moderne and Centre Culturel Americain, including 12 Modern American Painters and Sculptors (1953). Additional posters advertize exhibitions at Galerie Darthea Speyer and elsewhere for artists such as Leon Golub, Beauford Delaney, Ed Paschke, Peter Saul, Hugh Weiss, and several others.

Photographs include an unidentified exhibition opening, exhibition installations at Galerie Darthea Speyer, and artwork.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Material
content: Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Darthea Speyer conducted by Paul Cummings, June 28, 1976.