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ART AUCTION CATALOGS:
A Finding Guide for Library of Congress Researchers

Compiled by Lois Korzendorfer,
Reference Specialist,
Arts and Humanities Team,
Humanities and Social Sciences Division

Research Guides No. 7


Contents

Introduction

Bibliographies and Indexes of Art Auction Catalogs

Auction Catalogs in the General Collections

Washington D.C. Resources

INTRODUCTION


Auction catalogs represent an important source for various types of
information on works of art and artists. They can provide
provenance information or a "genealogy" of a work of art. Detailed
illustrations and descriptions of a work of art are usually
available. They can also help to identify a particular object sold
at auction. As a group they can help to trace trends and taste of
a particular time period or collector.

This guide was designed to assist researchers in identifying and
locating auction catalogs at the Library of Congress. The first
section lists reference books which identify particular sales; the
second section gives call numbers and brief holdings information
for the major art auction catalogs held by the Library of Congress.
Researchers should always check the online and card catalogs for
auction houses that are not listed here. This guide does not
attempt to list all of the various price guides, both current and
retrospective, which are also available at the Library.

The Library of Congress collects art auction catalogs primarily
from major auction houses, especially those that offer materials
that the Library might consider adding to its collections (e.g.
rare books, prints). Because of this use for collection
development, there is often a lag time of over a year before the
catalogs actually are available to readers for research purposes.



BIBLIOGRAPHIES AND INDEXES OF ART AUCTION CATALOGS

Duplessis, Georges.
Les ventes de tableaux, dessins, estampes et objects d'art aux
XVIIe et XVIIIIe siecles (1611-1800) : essai de bibliographie / par
Georges Duplessis. -- Paris : Rapilly, 1874 -- 122 p.
     Z5939. A1 D8  MRR Alc
     Chronologically arranged; index p. 113-122.


Harvard University. Fine Arts Library.
Card catalogs of the Harvard University Fine Arts Library
[Microform] / Harvard University Fine Arts Library, editor. --
Munchen ; New York : K. G. Saur, 1984. -- 520 microfiches.
     Microfiche 85/160 
     Guide No. 99 MRR Ref Desk
Catalog of auction sales catalogs, titles cataloged through Dec.
1983. 


Harvard University. Fine Arts Library. Fogg Art Museum.
Catalogue. -- Boston : G.K. Hall, 1971 --15 v.
     Z5939.H35
     Vol. 15: Catalogue of Auction Sales Catalogues.
Lists more than 25,000 catalogs arranged alphabetically by dealer,
subdivided chronologically by date of sale. This collection
includes catalogs dating back to mid-nineteenth century sales.


Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum. Libraries.
The Winterthur Museum Libraries collection of printed books and
periodicals / introduction by Frank H. Sommer, III. -- Wilmington,
Del.: Scholarly Resources, c1974 -- 9 v. 
     Z5939. H46 1974 MRR ALC
     Vol. 9 Auction catalogues(p. 501-729) is arranged by auction
     house and then chronologically by date. 


Index of art sales catalogs, 1981-1985 : a union list from the
SCIPIO database. -- Boston, Mass. : G. K. Hall, c1987 -- 2 v.
     Z5956.A66I54 1987 MRR ALC
Lists holdings of the following institutions : Art Institute of
Chicago, Cleveland Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the
Library of the Getty Center for the History of Art and the
Humanities, and the National Gallery of Art. The database version
is available on RLIN.



Lancour, Harold.
American art auction catalogues, 1785-1942 : a union list. -- New
York : New York Public Library, 1944. -- p.
     Z5939. A1L3 MRR Alc
Lists over seven thousand catalogs and their locations for sales
held in the United States. Objects sold include fine and decorative
arts plus some musical instruments. There is a list of American
auction houses (p. 11-28) and an index of owners (p. 321-377). No
subject index or index by type of object is included.


Lugt, Frits.
Repertoire des catalogues de ventes publiques : interessant l'art
on la curiosite, tableaux, dessins, estampes, miniatures,
sculptures, bronzes, emaux, vitraux, tapisseries, ceramiques,
objects d'art, meubles, antiquites, monnaies medailles, camees
intailles, armes, instruments, curiosites naturelles, etc. / Frits
Lugt. -- La Haye : M. Nijhoff, 1938-1964. -- <1-3 v.  >. 
     N8650.L8 MRR Alc
Contents: Vol. 1. [catalogs for the period] 1600-1825 -- Vol. 2.
1826-1860 --  Vol. 3. 1861-1900 -- Vol. 4 1901-1925.
 (As of 9/4/92 LC has not received Vol. 4). Each volume is a
chronological union list of catalogs; there are also indexes of
names of collections for each volume and lists of libraries owning
particular catalogs for each volume. The Repertoire is supplemented
by the Bibliotheque Forney catalog.


Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.). Library.
Library catalog of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. -- 2nd
ed., rev. and enl. -- Boston, Mass. : G.K. Hall, 1980. -- 48 v.
     Z881.N6624 1980 MRR Alc
Vols. 46-48, Sales lists over 45,000 sales catalogs arranged by
auction house, subdivided by date of sale.


Paris. Bibliotheque Forney.
Catalogue des catalogues de ventes d'art. -- Boston : G.K. Hall,
1972. -- 2 v. 
     Z5939.P224 MRR Alc
Supplementing Lugt's Repertoire, this catalog is divided into three
parts--collectors, places of auction, and dates of auction.
Catalogs are international in scope covering the years 1778-1971,
with emphasis on the 20th century. An indication is made when
prices appear in the catalog.



AUCTION CATALOGS IN THE GENERAL COLLECTIONS

Listed here are SELECTED catalogs from the larger houses. Other
houses should be searched in the online or card catalogs.

American Art Association. New York.
Catalogues of sales, chiefly of private collections. -- New York :
Feb. 1898-Dec. 1929.
     Z999.A48


Catalogues of sales, chiefly of private collections : no. 3776 -
4459. -- Oct. 1929-1939.
     Z999.A552

(See also following section for microform collection)


Anderson Galleries. New York.
Catalogues of sales, chiefly of private libraries. -- New York :
Sept. 1902-May 1929.
     Z999.A55

CHRISTIES

Christie, Manson & Woods, Ltd. London.
Catalogue. -- London, 1886-
     N8660.C5A3
Many issues, May 1902-July 1938, bound with catalogues of other
firms, chiefly Sotheby.


Christie, Manson & Woods International Inc. [New   York].
Catalogue. -- New York : Christie, Manson & Woods International
Inc. -- May 1977- 
     N8640.C52C48a

Reviews of the season:

Auction news from Christie's. -- New York : Christie, Manson &
Woods International, Inc., 1983-
     Current Issues Only in N&CPR

Christie, Manson and Woods, Ltd. London. 
Christie's forthcoming sales. -- 1961- 
     N8640.C53C45a (incomplete)

Christie's review of the season. -- London, New York, 1972-
     N8640.C52C49

Christie, Manson and Woods, Ltd. London.
Christie's review of the year. -- London, 1959-1971.
     N8660.C5 A36


DOROTHEUM KUNSTABTEILUNG

Dorotheum Kunstabteilung. Kunstauktion. -- Wien, 1955-1980.
     N8640.D64 subser 
scattered issues after 1980.

DR. ERNEST HAUSWEDELL & ERNEST NOLTE
See HAUSWEDELL & NOLTE

GALERIE GERDA BASSENGE

Galerie Gerde Bassenge. Auktion [Katalog]. -- Berlin, 1965-
     N8640.G233 A48

GALERIE KORNFELD
See KORNFELD UND KLIPSTEIN

HAUSWEDELL & NOLTE

Hauswedell (Ernest) G.m.b.H. Hamburg. Auktion [Katalog]. --
Hamburg, 1958- 
     N8640.H37


HOTEL DROUOT

Hotel Drouot. Paris. [Catalogues de ventes]. -- [Paris], 1897-1985.
     N8640.H67A33

Hotel Drouot. Paris. Gazette. -- Paris, 1968- 
     N8610.H67


KORNFELD UND KLIPSTEIN

Kornfeld und Klipstein. Auktion. -- Bern, 1949-
     N8640.K64


KUNSTHAUS LEMPERTZ

Kunsthaus Lempertz. Alte Kunst. -- Koln, 1963-
     N8650.K86K86a

PARKE-BERNET

Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc. New York. Catalogues of sales. -- New
York, 1938-1972.
     Z999.P23
also a "priced" set, 1938-1971
     N8650.P25



PHILLIPS

Phillips. New York (Auctioneers). Phillips : catalogue of sale. --
New York, Oct. 30, 1978-
     N8640.P48P47


SOTHEBYS

Sotheby, Firm, Auctioneers. London. Catalogues of sales. [chiefly
of private libraries] which will be sold by auction by Messrs.
Sotheby & co. -- London, 1810-
     Z999.S7
(incomplete). "Some of the catalogues have prices and purchasers
noted in manuscript, many issues May 1902-July 1938 bound with
catalogues of Christie, Manson and Woods, Ltd."

(See also following section for microform collection)

Sotheby, Parke-Bernet. Los Angeles. Sale. -- 1971-1982. 
     N8640.S64S65a

[Sotheby], Parke-Bernet. New York. [Catalogues of sales]. -- New
York, 1972-
     Z999.P23

Reviews of the season

Art at auction : the year at Sotheby's & Parke-Bernet. -- New York
: Viking Press, 1967-1975.
     N8640.A7

Art at auction : the year at Sotheby's and Parke-Bernet. -- London,
1969-
     N8640.S62A7

Sotheby, firm, auctioneers. London.
Ivory hammer : the year at Sotheby's. -- New York : Holt, Rinehart,
and Winston, 1962-1966.
     N8610.S6

Sotheby's annual review. -- London ; New York: Sotheby, 1959-1963.
     N8640.S6

STUTTGARTER KUNSTKABINETT ROMAN NORBERT KETTERER

Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett Roman Norbert Ketterer. Kunst. --
Stuttgart, 1952-1962.
     N8640.S8

VILLA GRISEBACH

Villa Grisebach Auktionen. Kunstauktion. -- Berlin, 1986-
     N6447.K87 
(Unbound in N&CPR as of 9/4/92)



MICROFORM COLLECTIONS OF AUCTION CATALOGS

Auction catalogues on microfiche / The Knoedler Library. -- New
York : M. Knoedler, c1973. -- 2,000 microfiches.
Microfiche 86/20 
 Contents: Group I. American Auctions: 1. American Art Association,
1884-1939 -- 2. American Art Galleries, 1886-1929 -- 3. Anderson
Art Galleries, 1911-1939.
 This collection supplements and enhances the printed copies in the
Library of Congress general collections. These catalogs contain
annotations about prices and buyers names obtained by the Knoedler
Library staff members who were present at the auctions. Newspaper
clippings relating to the artist, collector or the sale itself have
been placed in many catalogs. The catalogs are grouped by country,
and then chronologically by date of sale. These catalogs are
primarily American and French from the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries.

New York Public Library. 
The artists file. -- Alexandria, Va. : Chadwyck Healey Inc. --
11,000 microfiches.
Microfiche 90/7068 
 Index on fiche in binder and Guide No. 248 .
 Selected parts of auction catalogs relating to particular artists
are included in this collection.

Sotheby & Co. 
London catalogues of sales. -- Ann Arbor, Mich. : Xerox University
Microfilms, c1972. -- 611 microfilm reels + guides (4 v.)
Microfilm 06019  
 Guide No. 5 
 This collection of 10,000 auction catalogs, filmed in 5 sections,
contains the continuous record for this company (1734-1980). A
contents card precedes each catalog, giving owner, date, contents
of sale, number of pages and the location of the filmed copy. There
is a printed reel guide.
 




 WASHINGTON D.C. RESOURCES 



Archives of American Art 
National Museum of American Art 
Smithsonian Institution
9th & G St. NW, Washington, DC 20560
 The collection includes almost all of the entries from Harold
Lancour's union list (see bibliography above) on film. In addition
there are several thousand other auction catalogs relating to
American art. 


National Gallery of Art Library 
4th & Constitution Ave., N.W. 
Washington, D.C. 20565
 Maintains a large collection of auction catalogs, owns
approximately 1/3 of those listed in Lancour's union list, plus
several large microform collections and extensive holdings from all
major auction houses.


University of Maryland Art Library 
College Park, MD 20742.
Maintains a large collection of catalogs, including Sotheby's (U.S.
and European houses), Christies (New York) and many European
auction houses.

Washington, D.C.
March, 1993

***(input 8/8/94)lk***
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