A. Hyatt Mayor
Encyclopedia
A. Hyatt Mayor was an American art historian and curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, a leading figure in the study of prints, both old master prints and popular prints.
A. Hyatt Mayor's father was marine biologist Alfred Goldsborough Mayor (1868-1922) and his mother was sculptor Harriet Hyatt Mayor. Mayor came from an artistic family; his mother's sister was the well-known sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington
, and her husband was art patron Archer Milton Huntington, founder of the Hispanic Society of America in 1904.
Mayor received his B.A. from Princeton University
(1922) and then received a Rhodes scholarship
, which he used to earn his second bachelor's degree at Christ Church College at Oxford in 1926. The next few years he spent in Florence, Italy and at the American School of Classical Studies. Upon returning to the United States he embarked on a literary career, working on Hound & Horn
.
He married Virginia Sluder in 1932 and then joined the Department of Prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, becoming curator
of the department in 1946. He had to follow the massive figure of William Ivins, Jr.
, whose curatorship had lasted 30 years.
His tenure was marked by significant acquisitions of engraving
s, woodcut
s, and other printed material, some by then-unknown artists who proved later to be eminently collectible. Many European collections became available after World War II, and there were notable acquisitions, especially from the collection of the Prince of Lichtenstein
. He also expanded the concept of collectible prints to include wine labels and cigarette cards. In 1952 he published Prints and People: A Social History of Printed Pictures, which has remained continuously in print.
In 1966 he retired from the Museum as curator emeritus
and directed his efforts to various art-related projects and writings, in particular his translation and updating of the catalogues of Max Lehrs and the initiation, with Anthony Blunt
and others, of the massive and still ongoing Illustrated Bartsch
series of print catalogues. In 1955 he had succeeded his uncle Archer as president of the Hispanic Society and he continued to serve until 1980. He also served as a trustee of the American Federation of Arts
and of Brookgreen Gardens
in South Carolina
. He was awarded a Boston Museum Award in 1971.
Among other accolades he received, French poet St. John Perse once said that "Hyatt Mayor was the only American who spoke classic French in such a way that Diderot or Voltaire could have taken him for a Frenchman," and New York Times columnist John Russell called him "one of the most remarkable men who ever held a curatorial post."
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, a leading figure in the study of prints, both old master prints and popular prints.
A. Hyatt Mayor's father was marine biologist Alfred Goldsborough Mayor (1868-1922) and his mother was sculptor Harriet Hyatt Mayor. Mayor came from an artistic family; his mother's sister was the well-known sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington
Anna Hyatt Huntington
Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington was an American sculptor.-Life and career:Huntington was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her father, Alpheus Hyatt, was a professor of paleontology and zoology at Harvard University and MIT, and served as a contributing factor to her early interest in animals and...
, and her husband was art patron Archer Milton Huntington, founder of the Hispanic Society of America in 1904.
Mayor received his B.A. from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
(1922) and then received a Rhodes scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
, which he used to earn his second bachelor's degree at Christ Church College at Oxford in 1926. The next few years he spent in Florence, Italy and at the American School of Classical Studies. Upon returning to the United States he embarked on a literary career, working on Hound & Horn
Hound & Horn
Hound & Horn, originally subtitled "a Harvard Miscellany", was a literary quarterly founded by Harvard undergrads Lincoln Kirstein and Varian Fry in 1927...
.
He married Virginia Sluder in 1932 and then joined the Department of Prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, becoming curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
of the department in 1946. He had to follow the massive figure of William Ivins, Jr.
William Ivins, Jr.
William Mills Ivins, Jr. was curator of the department of prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, from its founding in 1916 until 1946, when he was succeeded by A. Hyatt Mayor.The son of William Mills Ivins, Sr...
, whose curatorship had lasted 30 years.
His tenure was marked by significant acquisitions of engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
s, woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s, and other printed material, some by then-unknown artists who proved later to be eminently collectible. Many European collections became available after World War II, and there were notable acquisitions, especially from the collection of the Prince of Lichtenstein
Princely Family of Liechtenstein
The Liechtenstein dynasty, from which the principality takes its name, is the family which reigns by constitutional, hereditary right over the nation of Liechtenstein...
. He also expanded the concept of collectible prints to include wine labels and cigarette cards. In 1952 he published Prints and People: A Social History of Printed Pictures, which has remained continuously in print.
In 1966 he retired from the Museum as curator emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
and directed his efforts to various art-related projects and writings, in particular his translation and updating of the catalogues of Max Lehrs and the initiation, with Anthony Blunt
Anthony Blunt
Anthony Frederick Blunt , was a British art historian who was exposed as a Soviet spy late in his life.Blunt was Professor of the History of Art at the University of London, director of the Courtauld Institute of Art, Surveyor of the King's Pictures and London...
and others, of the massive and still ongoing Illustrated Bartsch
Adam Bartsch
Johann Adam Bernhard von Bartsch was an Austrian scholar and artist. His catalogue of Old master prints is the foundation of the Art History of printmaking, and he was himself a printmaker in engraving and etching....
series of print catalogues. In 1955 he had succeeded his uncle Archer as president of the Hispanic Society and he continued to serve until 1980. He also served as a trustee of the American Federation of Arts
American Federation of Arts
The American Federation of Arts is an organization in the United States of museums and other entities involved in the arts. It was established in 1909 at a convention held in Washington, D. C. from May 11–13 of that year called by the National Academy of Art. The concept for the organization was...
and of Brookgreen Gardens
Brookgreen Gardens
Brookgreen Gardens is a sculpture garden and wildlife preserve, located just south of Murrells Inlet, in South Carolina. The property includes several themed gardens with American figurative sculptures placed in them, the Lowcountry Zoo, and trails through several ecosystems in nature reserves on...
in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. He was awarded a Boston Museum Award in 1971.
Among other accolades he received, French poet St. John Perse once said that "Hyatt Mayor was the only American who spoke classic French in such a way that Diderot or Voltaire could have taken him for a Frenchman," and New York Times columnist John Russell called him "one of the most remarkable men who ever held a curatorial post."
Sources
- A. Hyatt Mayor in Dictionary of Art Historians
- Cummings, Paul. "An Interview with A. Hyatt Mayor." Archives of American Art Journal 18, no. 4 (1978): 2-19. Transcript available here.
- Russell, John. "An Ideal Curator Needs More than Just Expertise." New York Times, August 14, 1983. Available online here.
External links
- A. Hyatt Mayor Papers at Syracuse University - primary source material