Baskett, John, John Baskett papers, 1915-2021
- CallNumber:
- S022
- Creator:
- Baskett, John
- Title(s):
- John Baskett papers
- Date:
- 1915-2021
- Extent:
- 8.6 linear feet
- Classification:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Abstract:
- Collection material pertains to correspondence, exhibition catalogs, art-related publications, brochures, and loose-leaf notebooks of art reproductions that document the life and career of John Baskett, art dealer and close friend of Paul Mellon.
- Provenance:
- Gift of John Baskett, 2019.
- AccessRestrict:
- Access to Series I folder 1, Paul Mellon correspondence with Basil Taylor, is restricted. Access to series VII, Paul Mellon's funeral and obituaries, requires permission. Please contact the Yale Center for British Art Archives for more information.
- BiogHist:
- John Baskett (b. 1930) is a former art dealer and advisor to Paul Mellon who was instrumental in forming Mellon’s collection of British art. His father, Thomas Baskett, was a dealer at the art dealership firm Colnaghi. Prior to founding his own art dealership, John Baskett was employed by the British Museum, where he worked in the department of prints and drawings; he also assisted his father as a dealer at Colnaghi. In 1961, Baskett took a two-year leave of absence from Colnaghi to assist Paul Mellon at his home in Virginia as curator of Mellon's growing collection of British art. Baskett served as Paul Mellon’s first curator at the Brick House in Virginia (1961–63), where he also managed, with Willis Van Devanter, the creation of an art reference library. In 1967 Baskett received a loan from Paul Mellon, allowing him to found John Baskett Ltd., which was in operation until 1990. Throughout these years he was an influential art advisor to Paul Mellon. John Baskett served as co-author of Paul Mellon’s memoir, <i>Reflections in a Silver Spoon</i> (1992), and maintained a close friendship with Paul Mellon until Mellon’s death in 1999.
- Arrangement:
- This collection is arranged into seven series: Series I. Correspondence, 1962 - 2019; Series II. John Baskett, Limited, 1967 - 1990; Series III. Notebooks, undated; Series IV. Photographs, 1961 - 2007; Series V. Publications, 1915 - 2011; Series VI. Subject files, undated, 1995-2005; Series VII. Paul Mellon's funeral and obituaries [restricted], undated, 1999.
- Subject Terms:
- Art dealersArt, British
- Associated People/Groups:
- Mellon, PaulMellon, Rachel LambertNational Gallery of Art (U.S.)Taylor, BasilYale Center for British Art
- FindingAidTitle:
- John Baskett papers
- Archival Object:
- https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/3/resources/11403
- Metadata Cloud URL:
- https://metadata-api.library.yale.edu/metadatacloud/api/aspace/repositories/3/resources/11403?mediaType=json&include-notes=1&include-all-subjects=1