Collections : [University of Michigan History of Art Visual Resources Collection]

The Ağa-Oğlu collection is comprised of approximately 42 glass lantern slides and 648 slides, which depict Islamic and pre-Islamic art and architecture of the Middle East, Persia, the Caucasus, Western Asia, North Africa, and Southern Spain. The collection was compiled by Professor Mehmet Ağa-Oğlu and Professor Grabar during the 1930's.

The Mehmet Ağa-Oğlu Collection contains 42 4 x 5 glass lantern slides and 648 slides compiled by Professor Mehmet Ağa-Oğlu and Oleg Grabar. The glass lantern slides depict images of pre-Islamic and Islamic architecture and material culture. The buildings (mosques, tombs, fortresses, domestic spaces) and objects (illuminated manuscripts, metalware, glassware) represent a vast geographical range from the Middle East, Persia, the Caucasus, Western Asia, North Africa, and Southern Spain. The 648 slides contain original field photographs, official museum photographs, and photographs of printed reproductions published in scholarly texts. This collection offers insights into the early state of the field of Islamic art and therefore is of particular interest to specialists concerned with issues of historiography. Likewise, scholars interested in studying monuments over time will find these photographic images useful.

The American Council for Southern Asian Art (ACSAA) Slide Distribution Collection produced color slides of Southern Asian art and architecture for teaching art history. The ACSAA Color Slide Distribution Project created and distributed 166 sets of original and duplicate 35 mm slides between 1974 and 2006. The VRC holds copies of approximately 148 of these sets.

The American Council for Southern Asian Art (ACSAA) Slide Distribution Collection produced color slides of Southern Asian art and architecture for teaching art history. The ACSAA Color Distribution Project created and distributed 166 sets of original and duplicate 35 mm slides between 1974 and 2006. The VRC holds copies of approximately 148 of these complete sets. The sets contain about 100 slides each, with a total of more than 14,800 slides. The sets highlight various types of art, including Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Mughal, Himalayan, Baroque, Sri Lankan, and Southeast Asian. ACSAA and the University of Michigan partnered with ArtStor and approximately 12,000 images are now available online. Additional images are available through the VRC, as well.

[View items]

The Rudolf Arnheim collection is composed of over 6,000 35mm slides used by Dr. Arnheim during the course of his research and teaching. The collection includes slides of architecture throughout Europe and North America, as well as photography and artwork, both ancient and modern, including artists such as Michelangelo, Matisse, and Edgar Degas.

The Rudolf Arnheim collection is composed of over 6,000 35 mm slides, which Dr. Arnheim used during the course of his study and teaching. Many of the slides depict art objects which are now unavailable from commercial sources and Arnheim's slides are often superior quality than reproductions made obtainable through copy photography. Arnheim's research focused on the science behind how humans experience art and the sensory world. Much of his research focused on architecture, paintings, sculpture, film, and music. The collection contains slides that capture the architecture of Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Spain, England, Scotland, Sweden, Canada, and America, among others. Slides depicting photography and sculpture, both modern and ancient, make up a significant portion of the collection, as well. The works of artists such as Michelangelo, Matisse, and Edgar Degas are also included in the collection. The Arnheim slides were re-sorted into their current boxes by Dr. Rudolf Arnheim himself.

The Asian Art Photographic Distribution (AAPD) project was established at the University of Michigan in 1970 with excess funds left over from the Palace Museum Archive from the National Palace Museum in Taiwan. From 1971-2006, AAPD produced and sold sets of 35mm slides depicting Asian artworks from various museum collections and exhibitions.

Slides are grouped into sets based on the repository or exhibition of the artworks documented. The objects represented by this collection came from public and private collections as well as traveling exhibitions. Subjects cover a wide range of artistic media including painting, sculpture, calligraphy, etc. Geographic regions include China, Japan, and central Asia. Time periods covered range from ancient to twentieth century.

Supplementing the slides are two file folder cabinet drawers, approximately three linear feet in total, of documentation relating to the creation and sales of AAPD slide sets.

[View items]

The Berenson Fototeca is a collection of approximately 150,000 black-and-white photographs of Italian artwork, especially paintings and drawings from the 13th to the end of the 16th centuries. Berenson believed in capturing artwork in photograph form so as to enable the study of the creative process and the creation of artwork.

The Berenson Fototeca is a collection of approximately 150,000 black-and-white photographs of Italian artwork, especially paintings and drawings from the 13th to the end of the 16th centuries. Berenson believed in capturing artwork in photograph form in order to enable the study of the creative process and the creation of these works. The photographs are 3.9 x 5.9 inches and include the name of the artist, the subject, and the location of the original artwork, if known. The collection includes the works of artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo, as well as, Cavallini, Filippino Lippi, Parmigianino, Sodoma, and many others.

The Sinai Archives collection contains the negatives for black & white photographs taken of the Holy Monastery at Mount Sinai in Egypt, also known as St. Catherine's Monastery. The photographs were taken as part of a series of four expeditions between 1958 and 1965 to document the monastery and its holdings, they include details of the monastic buildings, the mosaics and frescoes, the liturgical objects, and the extensive collection of icons and manuscripts.

The Sinai Archives collection comprises a series of black & white negatives, which were taken during the expeditions to the Monastery of St. Catherine at Mount Sinai, undertaken by the Universities of Michigan and Princeton with courtesies extended by the University of Alexandria. Photography was under the direction of the University of Michigan. The negatives are the product of four campaigns in 1958, 1960, 1963, and 1965. They recorded every detail of the sixth century Justiniac Church of Saint Catherine, as well as the monastic buildings, the mosaics and frescoes of the church, the monastery's liturgical objects contained in the church's treasury, and the extensive collection of icons and manuscripts. The collection is arranged into five series based on the type of the photographed material, including icons, architecture, mosaics, manuscripts, and objects.

The Romanesque Archive is a collection of approximately 5,600 black-and-white photographs depicting Romanesque architecture and monuments primarily in France, but the archive does include photographs of monuments in Spain, Italy, and Israel, as well.

The Romanesque Archive is a collection of approximately 5,600 black-and-white photographs depicting Romanesque architecture and monuments primarily in France, but the archive does include photographs from Spain, Italy, and Israel. Each print is labeled with the city, the name of the monument, and the location of the specific feature on the monument, and the name of the photographer. The majority of the photographs in the collection were taken by James Austin, the photographer based in Cambridge, England, during the 1970's and 1980's. The collection concentrates on important but little studied monuments such as Cluny Abbey, Vezelay Abbey, Saint-Denis basilica, Moissac Abbey's cloisters, the cloisters of the Jacobin Church of Toulouse, and the church of Saint-Trophime in Arles, France. The collection is strong in the monuments of Burgundy and southwestern France.

[View items]

The Oleg Grabar collection is comprised of approximately 580 photographs, slides, and negatives compiled during Dr. Grabar's research and expeditions to Syria, Israel, and Jordan. Grabar specialized in the architecture of the seventh and eighth centuries of the Umayyad dynasty. Later his interests broadened to include the architecture of Jerusalem under Islamic rule, Arabic and Persian illustrated manuscripts and ornament, and contemporary Islamic architecture.

The Oleg Grabar collection is comprised of approximately 580 photographs, slides, and negatives compiled during Dr. Grabar's research and expeditions to Syria, Israel, and Jordan. Grabar specialized in the architecture of the seventh and eighth centuries of the Umayyad dynasty but later his interests broadened to include the architecture of Jerusalem under Islamic rule, Arabic and Persian illustrated manuscripts and ornament, and contemporary Islamic architecture. The collection is divided into three main series, the Photograph series, the Negatives series, and the Slides series. The Photograph and Negatives series contains photographs and negatives produced during the excavations of Qasr al-Hayr al-sharqi in Syria between 1964 and 1971. The Slides series is comprised of the slides created from Dr. Grabar's research and travel throughout Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, and Iran. The slides have been digitized and are available online.

Additional materials regarding Dr. Oleg Grabar and the excavation of Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi can be found at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. The Kelsey holds the excavation records from the site and correspondence regarding the dig (October 1962-September 1998), publications, maps, drawings, and more.

[View items]

The Breezewood collection is comprised of approximately 3,500 photographs depicting Thai art and architecture, as well as important examples of Burmese, Cambodian, Cham, Indian, and Indonesian art. The photographs were taken in the late 1940's and early 1950's.

The Breezewood collection is comprised of approximately 3,500 photographs depicting Thai art and architecture, as well as important examples of Burmese, Cambodian, Cham, Indian, and Indonesian art. The photographs were taken in the late 1940's and early 1950's. During the summer of 1972 Professor Walter Spink and Forest McGill launched an initiative with aid from the Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies. The initiative was to duplicate about 3,500 photographs from the Breezewood Foundation. Mr. Horst Schastok copied the photographs for the Department of the History of Art and the Southeast Asian Art Archive. The collection contains photographs of sculpture, decorative arts, ceramics, and paintings, many of which were never published as they are part of private or temple collections.

[View items]

The Saint George Image Collection of Cornelia Steketee Hulst contains one hundred fifty-four (154) pictures mounted on heavy gray cardboard. Cornelia Steketee Hulst collected images of Saint George while researching her book St. George of Cappadocia in Legend and History. Few of the pictures include attributions with the artwork’s title, date, or artist’s name.

The Saint George Image Collection of Cornelia Steketee Hulst is a compilation of approximately 154 images depicting Saint George through a variety of mediums, including statues, paintings, political cartoons, and others collected throughout the early 20th century. The collection contains photographs and ephemera that have been mounted on heavy cardboard.

The paintings series includes photographs of paintings, altar pieces, and frescoes. While the sculptures series contains photographs of free-standing statues depicting St. George.

The architecture series contains photographs of the facades of buildings into which Saint George is incorporated. A set of photographs depicting Saint George within stain glass windows is included in the architecture series. The prints series includes engravings and etchings found in books but also political cartoons. The realia series contains stamps and drawings of medallions upon which Saint George is depicted. A series of postcards depicting Saint George in statues, artwork, and architecture are included in the ephemera series.

[View items]