Harald Szeemann

Optimizing scholarly access to the Harald Szeemann Archive and Library

Project Details

Photograph of bookshelf filled with household items, fireplace, and wall with printed fashion wallpaper in background. A fabric sculpture in shape of a figure stands on a stool in foreground.

Installation view of Harald Szeemann's 1974 exhibition Grandfather: A Pioneer Like Us, reinstalled at his former apartment in Bern, Switzerland in 2018.

About

Goal

This project developed out of a need to programatically organize the vast archive of Harald Szeemann in order to make its contents clear to researchers. As demand for access to the collection increased, this project proved integral for identifying logistical methods to optimize archival use. Accordingly, it not only supported research related to the collection but also developed models for interdepartmental collaborations between Getty Research Institute staff working in collection development, cataloging, digital services, and publications.