Harald Szeemann papers, 1836 - 2010, bulk 1957 - 2005

Title: Harald Szeemann papers Dates: 1836-2010, bulk 1957-2005 Number: 2011.M.30 Creator/Collector: Szeemann,Harald Extent: 1400.0 linear feet Abstract: Swiss art curator Harald Szeemann (1933-2005) organized more than 150 exhibitions during a career that spanned almost five decades. An advocate of movements such as conceptualism, land art, happenings, Fluxus and performance, and of artists such as Joseph Beuys, Richard Serra, Cy Twombly and Mario Merz, Szeemann developed a new form of exhibition-making that centered on close collaborative relationships with artists and a sweeping global vision of contemporary visual culture. He organized vast international surveys such as documenta 5, as well as retrospectives of individual artists including Sigmar Polke, Bruce Nauman, Wolfgang Laib, James Ensor, and Eugène Delacroix, and thematic exhibitions on such provocative topics as utopia, disaster, and the "Plateau of Humankind." His papers thoroughly document his curatorial practice, including preliminary notes for many projects, written descriptions and proposals for exhibitions, installation sketches, photographic documentation, research files, and extensive correspondence with colleagues, artists and collaborators. At this time, only Series I. Project files, Series II. Artist files and Series IV. Photographs are available for research. The remainder of the archive is unprocessed. Each series will be opened for use as processing is completed. Request Materials:Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog record for this collection. Language:Collection material is primarily in German with some material in Italian, French, English and other languages. Repository: The Getty Research Institute Special Collections 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100 Los Angeles, California, 90049-1688 (310) 440-7390 Author: Finding aid prepared by Alexis Adkins, Heather Courtney, Holly Deakyne, B. Karenina Karyadi, Medria Martin, Emmabeth Nanol, Alice Poulalion, Pietro Rigolo, Elena Salza, Laura Schroffel, Melanie Tran and Isabella Zuralski Read box: 1446 17 | Messen-Jaschin, Youri, 1997-1998