When you think of new acquisitions at a Museum, you generally think of art, right? Well, I found out that the Spencer Art Reference Library has acquired some pretty interesting items over the years.
One of the recent items is an original catalogue for Entartete Kunst, an exhibition organized by the Nazis in Munich in 1937 containing art that had been deemed "degenerate." The exhibition consisted of modern works of art hung in a haphazard manner accompanied by text labels explaining why the art was considered unacceptable. A list of the artst in the exhibition include many artists that are important to the Nelson-Atkins collection such as Emile Nolde, Wassily Kandinsky and Max Ernst.
The acquisition of this rare remaining catalogue of Nazi propaganda adds to the depth of the Library's resources. In addition to art, it connects to history, politics and Germany. It also connects the library to other resources in the community including the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Midwest Research Center for Holocaust Studies.
Another interesting recent acquisition is an illustrated book by Nathaniel Hawthorne called A Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales. The book dates to the early 1900s and is similar to another fairly recent acquisition called Drums.
Tanglewood Tales is a volume of greek myths that have been retold (and whitewashed) for young adults. What intrigued me most about this book is that it was illustrated by noted American illustrator Maxfield Parrish.
Both of these items are in the Library's special collections so you must make an appointment to see them. The staff hopes to install a display case in the Reading Room where items may be exhibited with additional materials. I'll be sure to let you know when that happens.