The records of G. Cramer Oude Kunst in The Hague in the Netherlands document the gallery's business since the early 1920s until the late 1990s, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1938 to 1998. Of particular research value are Gustav Cramer's WWII correspondence and sales receipts regarding his dealings with Nazi agents for Adolf Hitler's museum in Linz. The archive may be the only uncensored dealer archive documenting the international art market in Nazi-occupied Europe. It comprises sixty years of the gallery's correspondence and financial records. Also present is a portion of the photographic archive, including circa 500 glass plate negatives, and sales catalogs. At this time, only the correspondence from 1936 through 1967 is processed and available for access. The remainder of the collection is still in process and will be made available for research upon completion.

The gallery of the art dealers Gustav Cramer (1881-1961) and his son Hans Max Cramer (b. 1920) was one of the most renowned and influential galleries dealing in old master paintings during the 20th century in Europe. The gallery was founded in Kassel in the late 19th century by Gustav Cramer's grandfather, Max Cramer. In 1914 Gustav Cramer inherited the gallery. After World War I Gustav Cramer moved to Berlin where for many years he worked at the renowned Van Diemen gallery, in charge of the old masters section, or Alte Kunst. In 1933 he opened his own gallery in the Lennéstrasse in Berlin. In 1936, he was expelled from the official artists' organization Reichskammer der Bildenden Künste (Reich Chamber of Visual Art). In 1938, in order to escape the Nazi regime, the family moved to the Netherlands and opened the G. Cramer Oude Kunst gallery in Javastraat 38 in The Hague. Under the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands Gustav Cramer's son Hans Max Cramer became the official owner of the gallery. While the son officially represented the gallery, the father continued to be in charge of business. After Gustav Cramer's death in 1961, Hans Max Cramer continued his father's business.

387.81 linear feet (930 boxes)

Contact Library Reproductions and Permissions.

A portion of the collection is open for access by qualified researchers. The rest of the collection is in process and will be made available for research as processing and cataloging of each series are completed. At this time, access is available only to correspondence in Series I from 1936 through 1967.