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In the Library: The Art of Sleuthing—Evidence of Collectors Who Made their Mark

Past Exhibition

July 5 – September 23, 2022
East Building, Ground Level - Library

Works of art can pass through many hands after leaving the artist’s studio. This history of ownership, referred to as provenance, often includes a transfer of the artwork between the artist, dealers, collectors, and institutions. Gaps in provenance frequently occur due to a lack of records, but they can also indicate something more nefarious, such as theft or hidden property.

Discover some of the fascinating stories of collectors, including actress Greta Garbo, who left evidence of ownership and the curators, dealers, and scholars who traced the origins of works. Photographs, prints, albums, and handwritten notes reveal intriguing details about works of art and the people who once owned them.

The Art of Sleuthing: Evidence of Collectors Who Made Their Mark draws from resources and documents in the Department of Image Collections in the National Gallery of Art Library.

Features

In Depth

The Art of Sleuthing

Explore some of the documents, records, and stories behind works in the National Gallery’s collection.

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Blog

Sam Salz

Art Dealer to the Stars

Salz knew everyone from Diego Rivera, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse to Edward G. Robinson and Greta Garbo—and his inventory book documents some of the most important art sales of the day.

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Selected Works

In the Library: The Art of Sleuthing—Evidence of Collectors Who Made their Mark

Lida Moser (1920–2014), photographer, John Koch with His Painting Dora at Setauket and Jan Steen’s Painting Rich Man and Lazarus, gelatin silver print, November 22, 1969 (printed 1986) © Lida Moser Archive, Department of Image Collections
In the Library: The Art of Sleuthing—Evidence of Collectors Who Made their Mark

Munich Central Collecting Point photo of Jan Steen’s Rich Man and Lazarus brought to the National Gallery of Art by Ardelia Hall, Cultural Affairs Office at the US Department of State, specializing in the restitution of Nazi-looted art (1946–1964) and Monument’s Woman (MFAA Officer) in Europe (1945), Department of Image Collections
In the Library: The Art of Sleuthing—Evidence of Collectors Who Made their Mark

American Art Association, Art Collection Formed by the Late Mrs. Mary J. Morgan (New York, 1886), National Gallery of Art Library
In the Library: The Art of Sleuthing—Evidence of Collectors Who Made their Mark

Unknown photographer, Diego Rivera, Edward G. Robinson, and Sam Salz in Rivera’s San Francisco Studio, digital print from negative, 1940, printed 2022, Gift of Marc Salz in memory of his father Sam Salz, Sam Salz Archive, Department of Image Collections
In the Library: The Art of Sleuthing—Evidence of Collectors Who Made their Mark

Sam Salz Inventory Book, 1939–1945, detail from page 121, Gift of Marc Salz in memory of his father Sam Salz, Sam Salz Archive, Department of Image Collections
In the Library: The Art of Sleuthing—Evidence of Collectors Who Made their Mark

Reproduction of Clarence Sinclair Bull (1896–1979), photographer, But There Was a Day When One Woman Was Enough; Her Name Was Garbo. She Didn’t Have to Take Her Clothes Off, gelatin silver print with applied color, 1931 (inked 1932), National Gallery of Art, Gift of Mary and Dan Solomon, 2018.177.291
In the Library: The Art of Sleuthing—Evidence of Collectors Who Made their Mark

Detail from verso of Jean Dubout, 20th century, photographer, Wassily Kandinsky Painting Murnau: Houses on the Obermarkt with Notation by His Wife, Nina Kandinsky, gelatin silver print, 1975, Department of Image Collections
In the Library: The Art of Sleuthing—Evidence of Collectors Who Made their Mark

Rembrandt Tentoonstelling (Rembrandt Exhibition), 1898, View of Room 27 with Portrait of a Gentleman with a Tall Hat and Gloves and Portrait of a Lady with an Ostrich-Feather Fan, silver collodion print on board, Department of Image Collections

Organization
Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington

 

 

The exhibition is curated by Molli Kuenstner, image specialist for northern and central European art, National Gallery of Art.

Passes
Admission is always free and passes are not required

Banner detail: Lida Moser (1920–2014), photographer, John Koch with His Painting Dora at Setauket and Jan Steen’s Painting Rich Man and Lazarus, gelatin silver print, November 22, 1969 (printed 1986) © Lida Moser Archive, Department of Image Collections