West's Galleries Limited fonds: Finding Aid

West's Galleries Limited was established in January 1937 at 43 Duke Street, St. James's, London. The first directors of the gallery were Hedwig Stern, Cornelis J.W. van de Wetering, and John P. Halpin. Stern and van de Wetering had moved to London from Düsseldorf, Germany in 1936 and served as managing directors of the gallery. Hedwig Stern's brother, Max Stern, previously the owner of the Galerie Stern in Düsseldorf, became the gallery's third managing director after his arrival in London in early 1938. West's Galleries mainly specialized in works by 16th and 17th century Flemish and Dutch artists, including Jan Brueghel (1568-1625), Jan Gossaert (ca. 1478-1532), Pieter de Hooch (1629-1684), Adriaen van Ostade (1610-1685), Joos de Momper (1564-1635), and others. The first of four exhibitions at West's, Dutch and Flemish Landscape: Patinier - Ruisdael, was held in the summer of 1938. The last exhibition at the gallery, Dutch and Flemish Masters of the 16th and 17th Centuries, took place in the spring of 1940. Several of the works exhibited at West's Galleries had previously been shown in the Galerie Stern in Düsseldorf. A few of these paintings, along with several works from West's Galleries, were transferred to the Dominion Gallery, Montreal in the late 1940s. West's Galleries was closed in 1940 with the onset of the Second World War.

Scope and Content

The fonds consists of correspondence, including copies of outgoing letters, and other printed matter chronicling the day-to-day business activities of West's Galleries. A large portion of the material, including letters to and from American and European clients, relates to paintings exhibited and sold at the gallery. A file of miscellaneous items contains a cashbook with entries dating from 1939 and 1940, a balance sheet from 1939, and various documents related to insurance.

Immediate source of acquisition: Donated to the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives by the estate of Max Stern in 2000.

Terms governing use and reproduction: Permission to reproduce or publish material from the West's Galleries Limited fonds must be obtained from the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives.

Related groups of records: Other records related to West's Galleries can by found in the Dominion Gallery fonds, the Max Stern fonds, and the Siegfried Thalheimer Family fonds.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Use

Access to records is subject to the Federal Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

Administrative Information

Custodial History

The records were in the custody of the Dominion Gallery until it closed in 2000 and were then transferred to the National Gallery of Canada.

Processing Information

Preferred Citation

[Title of item], West's Galleries Limited fonds, National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives.

Contact Information

Reference Services
Library and Archives
National Gallery of Canada
380 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 9N4

T 613-714-6000 ext. 6323

[email protected]

TABLE OF CONTENTS