William M. Hekking records, 1925-1931.

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William M. Hekking records, 1925-1931.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/660830843

Consists of the office records and correspondence of William M. Hekking, director of the Albright Art Gallery from March 1925 to October 1, 1931. Also includes correspondence of his successor, Gordon Bailey Washburn, from October 1-December 31, 1931. Hekking's resignation on October 1, 1931 coincided with Washburn's assumption of the office of directory. Because the majority of the directors' correspondence from 1931 is attributable in origin to Hekking, the archivist maintained the original order and included Washburn's material from October 1, 1931-December 31, 1931 in this series rather than the next. Washburn's correspondence from October 1 to December 31, 193 includes significant exchanges with his mentor, Professor Paul Sachs of Harvard University, outlining Washburn's initial impressions of the state of the Albright Art Gallery from a professional viewpoint. This correspondence also assesses the collection and outlines Washburn's future plans for developing the educational resources and the collection of the Gallery. The majority of correspondence in Series 4 reflects the many duties of a museum director, including working with New York City art dealers to arrange exhibitions and the purchase of works of art. Another major category of correspondence is correspondence with other art museum directors concerning the shipping of exhibitions and loans, and the administrative functions common to directors. After 1928, an increasing number of private collectors seem to have written to Hekking anxiously seeking to sell their artworks. Of special interest are lecture brochures sent by bureaus. Other correspondence documents the director's and the Gallery's involvement with local art societies such as the Buffalo Society of Artists. Of significance for the history of the Gallery during this period are press releases, which seem to have been written regularly from about 1926 on. These are an important source of information about many different Gallery activities, lectures, and exhibitions. In 1931, the Gallery hired its first publicity assistant to coordinate that function. William Hekking was responsible for the first large scale attempt to reach the younger museum audience in the public schools. He initiated several short-lived educational programs, usually involving lectures at schools rather than school tours of the Gallery. Hekking also spoke before various societies and ladies' clubs in the Western New York region. With Colonel Charles Clifton, then president of the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Hekking participated in the Buffalo Educational Council, a consortium of educators, museum personnel and influential citizens led by Samuel Capen, Chancellor of the University of Buffalo. Records of the Educational Council, including minutes, notices, surveys, and correspondence are included in Record Group 2, as early education projects. The director's correspondence with Board members, documenting purchases and executive decisions is included in Record Group 1. Principal curatorial correspondence will be found in Record Group 3. Hekking's correspondence with a variety of American artists will be found in Record Group 2, Series 1, Artists' Letters, 1905-1931. Correspondence with his predecessor, Cornelia Bentley Sage Quinton, which continued sporadically until 1931, is filed under "S." Personal and social correspondence will be found under the name Hekking.

15 boxes (7 linear ft.)

Albright-Knox Art Gallery, G. Robert Strauss, Jr. Memorial Library

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 7952556

Albright-Knox Art Gallery, G. Robert Strauss, Jr. Memorial Library

Related Entities

There are 8 Entities related to this resource.

Buffalo Fine Arts Academy

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6c57kw9 (corporateBody)

On November 11, 1862, a group of prominent Buffalo citizens met to adopt a constitution and by-laws for the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy. At this initial meeting, it was agreed to establish and maintain a permanent art gallery in Buffalo. Until this was accomplished in 1905, the Academy held exhibitions in several locations in downtown Buffalo. In 1905, the Academy moved to its current location on Elmwood Avenue. The 1905 building, gifted by Buffalo entrepreneur and philanthropist John...

Dreier, Katherine Sophie, 1877-1952

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6m90f0w (person)

Painter and co-founder/president of the Société Anonyme, Inc. From the description of Correspondence, 1928-1929. (Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)). WorldCat record id: 122577860 Katherine S. Dreier, artist, promoter of modern art, and co-founder of the Société Anonyme. Société Anonyme, organization founded in 1920 by Katherine S. Dreier, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray to promote modern art among the public. From the description of Katherin...

Sachs, Paul J. (Paul Joseph), 1878-1965

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63n23f4 (person)

Harvard Professor of Museology. From the description of Lecture notes and related manuscripts, 1926-1955. (Getty Research Institute). WorldCat record id: 80369439 Professor of fine arts. From the description of Reminiscences of Paul Joseph Sachs : oral history, 1958. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 309726511 Paul Joseph Sachs, the first associate director of the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University and a Harvard profes...

Hekking, William M. (American painter and professor, 1885-1970)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62r3wv4 (person)

William Mathews Hekking (1885-1970) was born in Wisconsin and later moved with his family to Syracuse, New York. In 1908 he graduated from the University of Syracuse with a Bachelor of Painting degree. He studied in Paris before returning to New York City to work as a commercial artist. In 1911, he was appointed instructor of painting at Syracuse University. Subsequently, his career in art education led to other universities in the Midwest. In about 1922 he became director of the Co...

Société anonyme.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6449mwz (corporateBody)

Washburn, Gordon B. (Gordon Bailey), 1904-

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6bc43z1 (person)

Gordon Bailey Washburn (1904-1983) was an art museum director from New York, N.Y. Director of Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo, N.Y., 1931-1942. Director of Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, 1942-1949. Director of the Department of Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, Penn., 1950-1962. Director, Asia House Gallery, New York, N.Y., 1961-1974. From the description of Oral history interview with Gordon Bailey Washburn, 1970 Mar. 4-18 [sound recor...

Sage, Cornelia Bentley

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62v2mmb (person)

Cornelia Bentley Sage Quinton (1876 or 1880-1936) was a painter, administrator, and promoter of the arts in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A native of Buffalo, New York, she began work at the Albright Art Gallery as assistant to the Director, Charles M. Kurtz, in May 1905. Her responsibilities included payroll, accounting, and general secretarial duties. After Kurtz's premature death in March 1909, Sage Quinton was named acting director of the Galle...

Albright Art Gallery (Buffalo, N.Y.)

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