Art Collecting on a Global Scale: Non-European Objects from the William Randolph Hearst Archive

摘要

This article explores a lesser known aspect of art collecting by American newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) and documents a considerable range of his non-European objects, particularly works from ancient Egypt, Central and South America, and Native American cultures. Hearst's enthusiasm for collecting in these areas was undoubtedly inspired by his mother Phoebe Apperson Hearst (1842-1919) whose legacy includes one of the largest and most important art collections of anthropological objects. Non-European and tribal objects, especially those entering collections in the early twentieth century, were less regarded as significant carriers of cultural history, or valued as works of art. In terms of Hearst's objects, colossal sales of his holdings in the late 1930s and early 1940s only added to the dilemma. Compounded by the scope and volume of his larger-than-life style, scholars attempting to define Hearst's art collecting activities are frustrated by contradictions and prejudices surrounding his life and the lack of practical information concerning the manner in which much of his collection was disbanded. Art provenance research, or creating a sequence of ownership, has been an important component of this study. The investigation would have been nearly impossible without access to the William Randolph Hearst Archive at Long Island University. With these records, many with notations written by Hearst and his staff, original objects from Hearst's former holdings can be traced to significant museum collections today. This research also provides entry into this uncharted chapter of Hearst's unique approach to amassing objects on a global scale.