Scope and Contents
The collection consists of the writings and personal papers of Piet Mondrian, in addition to writings about him and the De Stijl movement. Most of Mondrian's writings were arranged and annotated by Harry Holtzman and Martin S. James for their volume The New Art, the New Life: the Complete Writings of Piet Mondrian (Boston: G. K. Hall, 1986). Some of the writings also were annotated by Mondrian's colleagues Michel Seuphor and Georges Vantongerloo. Personal papers include items such as Mondrian's birth certifications and passport, leases for his studios in Paris and New York, his United States war ration books, and his will. Also present are a few autograph and typed letters, signed, from friends and colleagues in the arts, and an undated drawing by Mondrian. Along with the papers are publications by others that were owned by Mondrian, some with his autograph annotations, and issues of the journal De Stijl.
Dates
- 1881-1945
Creator
Language of Materials
In English, Dutch, German, and French.
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Existence and Location of Copies
Portions of the collection were microfilmed and appear on Beinecke Library Vault Films 889 and 2598.
Conditions Governing Use
The Piet Mondrian Papers is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Harry Holtzman, 1983-1985.
Arrangement
Organized into two series: I. Writings, 1917-1945. II. Personal Papers, 1881-1944.
Extent
2.54 Linear Feet (8 boxes)
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
The collection consists of the writings and personal papers of Piet Mondrian, in addition to writings about him and the DeStijl movement. Most of Mondrian's writings were arranged and annotated by Harry Holtzman and Martin S. James for their volume The New Art, the New Life: the Complete Writings of Piet Mondrian (Boston: G. K. Hall, 1986). Some of the writings also were annotated by Mondrian's colleagues Michel Seuphor and Georges Vantongerloo. Personal papers include items such as Mondrian's birth certifications and passports, leases for his studios in Paris and New York, his United States war ration books, his will, and an undated drawing by Mondrian. Also present are a few autograph and typed letters, signed, from friends and colleagues in the arts.
Piet Mondrian (1872-1944)
Dutch artist, immigrated to the United States in 1940 and died in New York in 1944.
Processing Information
Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, competing priorities, and whether or not further accruals are expected. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections, and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.
The papers were arranged by Harry Holtzman and Martin S. James in preparation for their volume The New Art, the New Life: the Complete Writings of Piet Mondrian (Boston: G. K. Hall, 1986). English translations of essay titles and numbers indicated in each entry refer to an inventory provided by Holtzman when he deposited the material at the library. Not all of the numbers have associated entries as some of the folders were empty when they arrived at the library. In addition, Holtzman 38 was returned to the donor on April 2, 1985.
This collection includes materials previously identified by the following call number: Uncat MS Vault 710.
The papers were arranged by Harry Holtzman and Martin S. James in preparation for their volume The New Art, the New Life: the Complete Writings of Piet Mondrian (Boston: G. K. Hall, 1986). English translations of essay titles and numbers indicated in each entry refer to an inventory provided by Holtzman when he deposited the material at the library. Not all of the numbers have associated entries as some of the folders were empty when they arrived at the library. In addition, Holtzman 38 was returned to the donor on April 2, 1985.
This collection includes materials previously identified by the following call number: Uncat MS Vault 710.
- Artists -- Netherlands
- Artists -- Netherlands -- 20th Century
- Artists -- Netherlands -- Archives
- Austin, Arthur Everett, 1900-1957
- Authors, Dutch
- Authors, Dutch -- 20th Century
- Authors, Dutch -- Archives
- Cercle et carré (Group)
- Davis, Stuart, 1892-1964
- De Stijl (Art movement)
- Doesburg, Theo van, 1883-1931
- Drawings (visual works) -- Netherlands -- 20th Century
- Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968
- Eesteren, Cornelis van, 1897-1988
- Holtzman, Harry, 1912-1987
- James, Martin S.
- Legal documents -- United States -- 20th Century
- Mondrian, Piet, 1872-1944
- Museum Folkwang Essen
- Neoplasticism
- Seuphor, Michel, 1901-1999
- Société théosophique de France
- Steiner, Rudolf, 1861-1925 (Verslag van de voordrachten)
- Vantongerloo, Georges, 1886-1965
- Zethraeus, Agatha, 1872-1966
- Title
- Guide to the Piet Mondrian Papers
- Author
- by Beinecke Staff
- Date
- 2014
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.