Wagstaff, Samuel J.

Samuel J. Wagstaff, Jr. (Nov. 4, 1921-Jan. 14, 1987) was Curator of Contemporary Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts from September, 1968 through October, 1971. Prior to serving in this position he had been Senior Curator at the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut from February 20, 1967 through June, 1968, and Curator of Paintings, Prints and Drawings there from October 1, 1961 through February 20, 1967. He was part-time instructor at George Washington University (18th C. art), and received the David Finley Fellowship from the National Gallery (c. 1959-61). Prior to this he had studied at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University for an M.A. in Art History, and served a three month internship in the paintings department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where he helped prepare a catalog of paintings and sculpture for a Gauguin exhibition. His earlier academic background and professional experience consist of a B.A. in English Literature, from Yale University; service during World War II (1943-45) as a Lt. JG, Executive Officer, LST Bureau of Navel Personnel, Washington, D.C., and Assistant Account Executive, Benton and Bowles, New York City; Palm Beach Company; and Account Executive at John Robert Powers Cosmetic Company (1945-55). Mr. Wagstaff was a well-known collector in various areas, and an authority on Gauguin ceramics, prints, and sculpture; the history of photography (particularly lesser known individuals); and 18th c. American silver and silver-plate. He was responsible for the first museum showing of Pop Art in the U.S. (American Paintings and Sculpture from Connecticut Collections, Wadsworth Atheneum, July 24-Sept. 9, 1962). He was the first museum curator to give prominent minimalist constructivist sculptor Tony Smith a retrospective museum show at the Wadsworth Atheneum (Nov. 8-Dec. 31, 1966). At The Detroit Institute of Arts, he was responsible for many important, and one literally ground-breaking, exhibitions of artists on the cutting edge of modern American art. He was a tireless advocate of minimalist, conceptual, and performance art (cf. Exhibition Series). Mr. Wagstaff resigned in October, 1971, to pursue personal collecting and research goals after an inheritance made him economically independent. Thereafter, he returned to New York City, and in late 1971 with the help of his friend and future executor of his estate, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe (1947-1989), amassed one of the largest private photographic collections in the United States, which was sold to the J. Paul Getty Foundation in 1984 for a reputed $4.5 million. In the last years of his life Mr. Wagstaff devoted much of his time to collecting mid-19th to early 20th c. American silver and silver-plate.

From the description of The Samuel J. Wagstaff, Jr. records, 1956-1978 (predominantly 1968-1971). 1956-1978 (predominantly 1968-1971) (Detroit Institute of Arts Research Library & Archives). WorldCat record id: 422767042

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