American Art Association
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Auction house, Art gallery |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Founder | James F. Sutton, R. Austin Robertson, Thomas Kirby |
| Defunct | 1929 (merged to form American Art Association-Anderson Galleries, Inc.) |
| Fate | Merged with Anderson Galleries in 1929; later acquired by Parke-Bernet Galleries in 1938 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | James F. Sutton (President), R. Austin Robertson, Thomas Kirby, Cortlandt F. Bishop |
| Products | Art auctions, exhibitions |
The American Art Association was an auction house and art gallery founded in 1883. Originally situated at 6 East 23rd Street in Manhattan, New York City, it moved to the intersection of Madison Avenue and 56th Street in 1922. Recognized as the first auction house in the United States, it held a prominent position during the Gilded Age, organizing significant art exhibitions and focusing on American paintings as well as maintaining an Oriental Art Department. Its primary objective was to advance American art through a distinguished auction venue.
History
The association was established in 1883 by James F. Sutton (President), R. Austin Robertson, and Thomas Kirby (1846–1924). AAA originated from Kirby’s prior involvement with New York auction firms and Sutton’s proposal to form a partnership in 1882. The founders and their team conducted sales of numerous collections, while Robertson was responsible for acquiring artworks from China and Japan for the Oriental Department. The first exhibition showcased Thomas B. Clarke's collection of American paintings as a fundraiser for the National Academy of Design, with the initial auction occurring in 1885.
Following Kirby’s retirement in 1923, aviator and bibliophile Cortlandt F. Bishop (1870–1935) purchased the association. In 1929, AAA combined with Anderson Galleries to create American Art Association-Anderson Galleries, Inc., which was subsequently acquired by Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc. in 1938. Later, Parke-Bernet became part of Sotheby's in 1964, which was then the leading fine art auctioneer in the country.
The majority of the American Art Association’s documentation is preserved at the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, with supplementary materials housed at the Frick Art Reference Library.
Publications
- American Art Association. 1910. A plan and interesting information concerning the American Art Association and the American Art Galleries, New York. New York City: American Art Association.
External links
- 1877-1924. The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives, Records of the American Art Association.
- 1853-1924. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution Records relating to the American Art Association.
- Numerous digitized auction catalogs from the American Art Association held by Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries
- Documentation on Gilded Age exhibitions in New York City around the early 20th century (NYARC)
- Digitized catalog of the "Annual exhibition of the Society of Landscape Painters" at AAA galleries
- Catalog listings for sales catalogs from the American Art Association
- Website titled "Gilding the Gilded Age: Interior Decoration Tastes & Trends in New York City"
- Catalogs from the American Art Association available on Worldcat