What is art provenance? A Getty Research Institute case study
Getty Museum
[{'start': '0.010', 'end': '9.180', 'text': 'Dr. Steven Zucker: At the top of a hill overlooking Los Angeles'}, {'start': '9.210', 'end': '13.120', 'text': 'is the Getty Center. And one of the buildings is the Getty Research'}, {'start': '13.220', 'end': '17.270', 'text': "Institute. It's an amazing place because not only does it hold works of"}, {'start': '17.300', 'end': '22.710', 'text': 'art, but it holds extensive archives. And one of the most interesting projects'}, {'start': '22.780', 'end': '27.156', 'text': 'is the Getty Provenance Index. So the question then is, what is provenance?'}, {'start': '27.182', 'end': '30.280', 'text': 'Dr. Sandra van Ginhoven: Provenance is the history of objects.'}, {'start': '30.360', 'end': '35.510', 'text': 'So provenance researchers investigate how objects move, change hands, change'}, {'start': '35.560', 'end': '39.520', 'text': "ownership from the moment they're created, all the stops of the artwork"}, {'start': '39.570', 'end': '42.450', 'text': 'along the way, until its present location. Dr. Steven Zucker: So'}, {'start': '42.480', 'end': '46.620', 'text': 'we thought we would trace one particular painting that is now in the'}, {'start': '46.640', 'end': '51.570', 'text': 'Cleveland Museum of Art. This is by an extremely famous 19th century French'}, {'start': '51.640', 'end': '57.920', 'text': 'artist, Jean Léon Gérôme, Lion on the Watch. It shows this enormous African'}, {'start': '57.970', 'end': '61.940', 'text': "lion standing on a rock, his haunch is up, and he's looking out"}, {'start': '61.980', 'end': '66.820', 'text': 'as if looking out at his domain. And Gérôme, who was an academic'}, {'start': '66.850', 'end': '71.260', 'text': 'artist in the 19th century, has a long history of painting African animals.'}, {'start': '71.310', 'end': '76.260', 'text': 'In fact, he traveled to Africa and sketched animals like this. Gérôme was'}, {'start': '76.330', 'end': '79.560', 'text': 'one of the elite artists of the 19th century. That is,'}, {'start': '79.580', 'end': '83.740', 'text': 'he became very wealthy as a result of his art, which was extremely'}, {'start': '83.750', 'end': '86.860', 'text': 'popular. Dr. Sandra van Ginhoven: He taught at the Académie, exhibited'}, {'start': '86.910', 'end': '91.680', 'text': 'his paintings at the Salon, which was the primary place for exhibiting paintings'}, {'start': '91.760', 'end': '96.050', 'text': 'by painters recognized by France as the preeminent painters. And he had'}, {'start': '96.050', 'end': '98.340', 'text': 'a huge following. Dr. Steven Zucker: And so the question is,'}, {'start': '98.400', 'end': '101.880', 'text': "how does it get from the artist's studio to where it is now"}, {'start': '101.970', 'end': '104.430', 'text': 'in the Cleveland Museum of Art? Dr. Sandra van Ginhoven: Behind'}, {'start': '104.480', 'end': '109.160', 'text': 'that story is a relationship between Gérôme, the painter, and a preeminent'}, {'start': '109.210', 'end': '114.450', 'text': 'art dealer and publisher, Adolphe Goupil. Goupil established profitable'}, {'start': '114.570', 'end': '118.960', 'text': 'relationships with painters. They acquired the rights to reproduce paintings'}, {'start': '118.990', 'end': '121.320', 'text': 'that they acquired. Dr. Steven Zucker: If we visited the Cleveland'}, {'start': '121.370', 'end': '124.140', 'text': 'Museum of Art, and if this painting was up on the wall,'}, {'start': '124.220', 'end': '127.490', 'text': 'there would be a small label next to it, and it would likely'}, {'start': '127.500', 'end': '131.700', 'text': "have the artist, the title, its date, that it's an oil on wood"}, {'start': '131.750', 'end': '136.290', 'text': 'panel. And it might also say how the painting got to the museum.'}, {'start': '136.330', 'end': '140.390', 'text': 'And in this case, it would say, gift of Mrs. F. W. Gehring, in'}, {'start': '140.420', 'end': '144.480', 'text': 'memory of her husband, F. W. Gehring, and that it was acquired in'}, {'start': '144.490', 'end': '147.410', 'text': '1945. Dr. Sandra van Ginhoven: We know how this painting arrived'}, {'start': '147.530', 'end': '151.380', 'text': 'in the United States, and it was through a dealership house called Michael'}, {'start': '151.430', 'end': '155.105', 'text': 'Knoedler & Company. They were the successors of Maison Goupil. Dr.'}, {'start': '155.137', 'end': '157.640', 'text': "Steven Zucker: So we've opened up one of the stock books,"}, {'start': '157.730', 'end': '162.008', 'text': "and I'm seeing this beautiful 19th century handwriting. Dr. Sandra"}, {'start': '162.010', 'end': '166.290', 'text': 'van Ginhoven: At the top, you see New York, February 1st, 1901, and'}, {'start': '166.380', 'end': '172.050', 'text': 'you see the number 1327 MK & Co, so that would be Michael Knoedler &'}, {'start': '172.060', 'end': '179.110', 'text': 'Company, Paris February 7, I believe, 01, so 1901. And just underneath,'}, {'start': '179.190', 'end': '185.170', 'text': 'you see the number 9379, J. L. Gérôme. Another number, 2645.'}, {'start': '185.260', 'end': '190.070', 'text': "Lion on the Watch. That's our painting. The 9379 is a stock number"}, {'start': '190.140', 'end': '195.440', 'text': 'assigned by Knoedler when they received the painting from their branch in'}, {'start': '195.470', 'end': '201.140', 'text': 'Paris. And they acquired it for 4,000 francs directly from the painter Gérôme.'}, {'start': '201.230', 'end': '206.280', 'text': 'And just before that, you see in small notation, $920. That would have'}, {'start': '206.280', 'end': '208.530', 'text': 'been the equivalent. Dr. Steven Zucker: So the Paris office has'}, {'start': '208.570', 'end': '211.840', 'text': "purchased the painting directly from the artist's studio, and then the New"}, {'start': '211.870', 'end': '214.900', 'text': 'York office has taken over the painting from the Paris office.'}, {'start': '214.950', 'end': '218.670', 'text': "It's now in New York, and it is sitting in their inventory."}, {'start': '218.770', 'end': '221.620', 'text': 'Michael Knoedler now wants to sell this. Dr. Sandra van Ginhoven:'}, {'start': '221.630', 'end': '224.650', 'text': "So in this case, we don't have a buyer next to this entry"}, {'start': '224.680', 'end': '228.150', 'text': "for the Gérôme painting. And that's because they retake inventory a few"}, {'start': '228.190', 'end': '233.420', 'text': 'months later in April 30th of 1901. Gérôme J. L., Lion on the'}, {'start': '233.420', 'end': '239.220', 'text': 'Watch. And here they record $920 as the value. And we can read'}, {'start': '239.250', 'end': '244.410', 'text': 'that in May 1904, F. W. Gehring from Cleveland purchased the painting for'}, {'start': '244.420', 'end': '247.770', 'text': '$2,500. Dr. Steven Zucker: So Knoedler held onto the painting for'}, {'start': '247.800', 'end': '251.880', 'text': 'three years until he found the right buyer and the man who stepped'}, {'start': '251.890', 'end': '257.900', 'text': 'forward, F. W. Gehring, was the son of a beer entrepreneur in Cleveland.'}, {'start': '257.980', 'end': '261.260', 'text': 'He had been a German immigrant, had come and established a brewery,'}, {'start': '261.340', 'end': '265.580', 'text': 'which grew and prospered and allowed his son ultimately to become an art'}, {'start': '265.620', 'end': '269.390', 'text': 'collector. And so we see that Knoedler, within only three years,'}, {'start': '269.440', 'end': '274.010', 'text': 'has made a very handsome profit. Knoedler would have been aware that the'}, {'start': '274.040', 'end': '279.190', 'text': "market was weakening for Gérôme's work. 2,500 wasn't much for a Gérôme,"}, {'start': '279.200', 'end': '282.300', 'text': 'whose work had fetched as much as 10,000. Dr. Sandra van Ginhoven:'}, {'start': '282.310', 'end': '286.656', 'text': 'That kind of information was probably only known by dealers such as Knoedler.'}, {'start': '286.682', 'end': '289.570', 'text': 'Dr. Steven Zucker: In addition to the ledgers, the Getty Research'}, {'start': '289.620', 'end': '293.300', 'text': 'Institute also has correspondence that the Knoedler Gallery kept. Dr.'}, {'start': '293.320', 'end': '298.240', 'text': 'Sandra van Ginhoven: In this letter, dated April 19th to Gehring from Knoedler.'}, {'start': '298.320', 'end': '302.840', 'text': 'This is a letter where you can see how Knoedler is approaching Gehring,'}, {'start': '302.980', 'end': '308.100', 'text': 'proposing paintings, including the painting by Gérôme, offering these paintings'}, {'start': '308.220', 'end': '312.210', 'text': 'and explaining that these prices were very reasonable. And as a matter of'}, {'start': '312.230', 'end': '315.480', 'text': 'fact, if you buy one of these paintings, and between now and in'}, {'start': '315.510', 'end': '318.110', 'text': "five years, if you don't like them, you can always return them."}, {'start': '318.180', 'end': '321.960', 'text': "What's also interesting is that they are saying that the price they want"}, {'start': '321.990', 'end': '325.880', 'text': 'for the Gérôme painting is not only reasonable, but they actually would'}, {'start': '325.910', 'end': '329.780', 'text': 'like to charge even more, because, as they say, the death of Gérôme, which'}, {'start': '329.860', 'end': '334.560', 'text': 'happened earlier that year, would be perfectly justified for them in raising'}, {'start': '334.630', 'end': '337.510', 'text': 'the price for it. And you can see in blue pen,'}, {'start': '337.620', 'end': '341.570', 'text': "there's a 0, a slash, and an 83. That means that there's no"}, {'start': '341.610', 'end': '346.900', 'text': 'earlier letter in this book connected to Gehring. And the next folio 83,'}, {'start': '346.950', 'end': '349.190', 'text': 'is the next letter to Gehring. Dr. Steven Zucker: The next letter'}, {'start': '349.220', 'end': '351.750', 'text': 'that we see is April. And here we have Knoedler offering to ship'}, {'start': '351.780', 'end': '356.480', 'text': 'the paintings at no cost and even offering to send an employee to'}, {'start': '356.510', 'end': '359.790', 'text': 'show where the painting could be hung to best advantage and how the'}, {'start': '359.800', 'end': '364.110', 'text': 'lighting could be best handled. So really wonderful customer service. And'}, {'start': '364.150', 'end': '367.926', 'text': 'clearly this worked because the purchase was completed. Dr. Sandra'}, {'start': '367.949', 'end': '373.240', 'text': 'van Ginhoven: So the next letter is when Knoedler writes with delight that'}, {'start': '373.320', 'end': '378.380', 'text': 'Gehring has actually chosen to purchase the Gérôme painting. And this is'}, {'start': '378.410', 'end': '380.730', 'text': 'really the beginning of that relationship. Dr. Steven Zucker: And'}, {'start': '380.740', 'end': '385.500', 'text': 'then in a letter dated May 10, 1904, Knoedler writes to Gehring that'}, {'start': '385.530', 'end': '389.280', 'text': 'he hopes that the Gérôme has reached him safely. But then I love'}, {'start': '389.330', 'end': '394.240', 'text': 'the second sentence, "We think you made a very wise decision in purchasing'}, {'start': '394.300', 'end': '398.560', 'text': 'this work, as aside from its artistic merit and attractiveness, it is a'}, {'start': '398.580', 'end': '403.260', 'text': 'first class investment, and this picture should increase materially in value'}, {'start': '403.330', 'end': '406.790', 'text': 'in the next few years." Dr. Sandra van Ginhoven: May 12th is when'}, {'start': '406.900', 'end': '411.540', 'text': 'they concluded the transaction. The check came after, and that completely'}, {'start': '411.590', 'end': '413.950', 'text': 'sealed the whole deal. Dr. Steven Zucker: And so we have the complete'}, {'start': '413.990', 'end': '417.930', 'text': "arc of this transaction from the purchase, first from the artist's studio"}, {'start': '417.960', 'end': '421.590', 'text': 'in Paris through to the receipt of the check that had been sent'}, {'start': '421.630', 'end': '425.420', 'text': 'from Cleveland to the New York office. Mr. Gehring passed away,'}, {'start': '425.500', 'end': '431.000', 'text': 'and his widow hung onto the painting until 1945, when she donated it'}, {'start': '431.050', 'end': '435.430', 'text': 'to the Cleveland Museum of Art. It is such an incredible window into'}, {'start': '435.470', 'end': '439.380', 'text': 'an aspect of art history that we too often overlook. And I just'}, {'start': '439.410', 'end': '443.190', 'text': 'want to thank you for walking us through these pages that may look'}, {'start': '443.230', 'end': '447.160', 'text': 'a little cryptic to our 21st century eyes, but open up the art'}, {'start': '447.210', 'end': '449.350', 'text': 'world in really remarkable ways.'}]