Sales and Rental Gallery Records, 1943-1989, bulk 1955-1989, undated
Scope and Contents
This series documents the administrative and financial management of the gallery, organizing the gallery’s exhibits or shows, consignments from artists and dealers, and the sales and rental of art. They include correspondence, reports, volunteer applications, shipping information, press releases, photographs and slides, newspaper clippings, artist biographical sketches and correspondence, consignment agreements, contracts, catalogues, purchase orders, insurance records, bills and ledgers, exhibition and sales lists, ephemera, and show books. It spans five subseries.
Dates
- Creation: 1943-1989, bulk 1955-1989, undated
Conditions on Access
This collection is open for research. Appointments are necessary for the use of manuscript and archival collections.
Administrative History/Biographical Sketch
The Sales and Rental Gallery was another project of the Friends of Art. Established in 1958 and led by Karen D. (or K. D.) Bunting, this group of volunteers organized art exhibitions at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art that were separate from those organized by the museum itself. These exhibitions allowed artists who had won a prize in a juried exhibition (like the Mid-America Annual), and consignors to show and sell their artwork and supported art collecting in the Kansas City area. The Mid-America Annual was an invitational juried show, led by the Junior League of Kansas City, that gave artists in a designated eight-state area an opportunity to win purchase prizes and sell their works. The Sales and Rental Gallery and its office were located on the southwest mezzanine until 1982 when it moved to the south corridor of the ground floor (then known as the Garden Room Corridor) of the Museum.
A Selections Committee voted on whether to accept or decline any artwork from a new, eligible artist (at least three out of nine had to agree). The Sales and Rental Gallery also offered artwork available to rent on a monthly basis. Works of art available for ‘rent only’ were purchase prize winners from the Mid-America Annual, that belonged to the gallery but for which the gallery did not have wall space to hang it. Art by regional artists and dealers could also be rented on a ‘rent-to-own’ basis, if desired. Similar to an installment plan, renters payed $5 to $20 a month (depending on the overall price), which could go towards the total cost of the artwork
The Sales and Rental Gallery operated until November 1986, when the Friends of Art ceased to be an independent organization and came under the management of the Nelson-Atkins as the museum’s membership organization. It continues in this capacity to the present time.
Extent
17.1 Linear Feet (in 16 boxes and 1 document case)
Language of Materials
From the Record Group: English
Repository Details
Part of the The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Archives Repository