Pevsner (Nikolaus) Miscellaneous Papers, 1957-1979

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Summary

Title:

Nikolaus Pevsner miscellaneous papers

Dates:

1957-1979

Creators:

Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1902-1983

Abstract:

This collection of papers relates primarily to the work of German-born art and architecture historian Nikolaus Pevsner during the 1960s and 1970s, including publications and speaking engagements, pedagogical research, and his membership on boards and committees, such as the Council of Bauhaus.

Extent:

14.5 linear feet (26 boxes)

Language:

Collection material is in English and German.

Preferred citation:

Nikolaus Pevsner miscellaneous papers, circa 1957-1979, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2003.M.34

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2003m34

Background

Scope and content:

This collection of papers relates primarily to Nikolaus Pevsner's work during the 1960s and 1970s, including publications and speaking engagements, pedagogical research on art and architecture education, and his membership on boards and committees, such as the Council of Bauhaus. Material includes correspondence, typescripts, manuscripts, ephemera, photocopies, clippings, study photographs, negatives, and slides.

Extensive correspondence in Series I includes letters to and from many well-known scholars from the worlds of art and architectural history, such as Anthony Blunt, John Coolidge and John Pope-Hennessy. Series II contains correspondence, typescripts and other documents related to Pevsner's writing in the 1960s and 1970s, including the following books: A Dictionary of Architecture (1966), Studies in Art, Architecture and Design (1968) and A History of Building Types (1976). Also included are manuscripts for articles and lectures, and related correspondence. In Series III are research files pertaining to specific buildings and other architectural topics, study photographs, and pedagogical research. Pevsner's professional files in Series IV document his involvement with the Council of Bauhaus from 1960 to 1972, and also contain assorted general correspondence, invitations to give lectures and write reviews, and honorary degrees. Assorted administrative and personal files in Series V document basic office management, such as hiring typists and ordering supplies, as well as personal business such as ordering Christmas cards and arranging a dinner party.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into five series: Series I. Correspondence, 1962-1977; Series II. Writings and lectures, 1958-1978; Series III. Research, 1958-1977; Series IV. Professional activities, 1957-1977; Series V. Administrative and personal, 1960-1979.

Biographical / historical:

Art and architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner was born in Germany in 1902. He worked with the Dresden Gallery (1924-1928) and taught at Göttingen University (1929-1933) before emigrating to England in 1933. In England Pevsner taught at Birkbeck College (University of London) and the Courtauld Institute, and lectured as the Slade Professor of Art at Cambridge (1949-1955) and Oxford (1969) Universities.

Pevsner was a scholar of Italian baroque painting, German sculpture and 19th- and 20th-century architecture of England and Europe. It is as an architectural historian that he is best remembered, partly because he was quite prolific, and also because of his strong point of view. His polemical view is evident in his 1936 book Pioneers of the Modern Movement (later re-titled Pioneers of Modern Design), in which he first tried to persuade England to accept the Modern movement. He remained a persistent advocate for modern design and for historical preservation.

Among Pevsner's many publications are the following books: An Outline of European Architecture, A History of Building Types, and the monumental Buildings of England in 46 volumes, of which 35 were researched and written by Pevsner. He was an editor of the influential journal Architectural Review and edited the Pelican History of Art series, which comprised 48 volumes. He received the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1967 and a knighthood in 1969. Pevsner died in 1983.

Acquisition information:

Acquired in 2003.

Processing information:

Preliminary processing was done by the Registrar's Office in 2003. In September 2010 Holly Larson partially processed and inventoried Series I. Linda Kleiger completed the processing and finished writing the finding aid in 2011 under the supervision of Andra Darlington.

Physical location:

Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog record for this collection. Click here for the access policy.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:: Architectural historians--Correspondence
Architecture--Great Britain
Architecture--Modern
Art historians--Correspondence
Correspondence--20th century
Manuscripts for publication
Photographic prints
Photographs, Original

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:: Finding aid prepared by Linda Kleiger and Holly Rose Larson
Date Encoded:: This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2015-08-11T16:41-0700

Access and use

Restrictions:: Open for use by qualified researchers.
Terms of access:: Contact Library Reproductions and Permissions.