About the Library and its Collections
The holdings of the Art Research Library at Hillwood reflect the museum’s collection of imperial Russian and 18th-century French decorative arts within a broad historical and social context. The Library contributes to the Museum’s mission.
The library now encompasses a dynamic research collection of over 30,000 volumes, which includes over 14,000 monographs, the holdings of 40+ current serial subscriptions, and nearly 13,000 auction-house catalogues. Rare French titles include L'art du dix-huitième siècle by E. de Goncourt; La Porcelaine tendre de Sèvres; Mobilier tisse a la manufacture des Gobelins; and Traité de la coupe des bois. Among the library's rare Russian materials are all but two of the de luxe Coronation volumes commemorating the coronations of the Russian emperors and empresses; D. A. Rovinskii's Podrobnyi slovar' russkikh gravirovannykh portretov; Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich's Russkie portrety XVIII-XIX stoletii; and complete runs of the Russian art journals Khudozhestvennye sokrovishcha Rossii, Starye gody, and Sredi kollektsionerov.
The library received the Edward Kasinec collection of Russian and East European Art Research Materials in 2004. Consisting of over 2,300 volumes from his personal research library, Kasinec's gift deepens Hillwood's library of imperial Russian culture by filling out gaps in current holdings and by broadening its scope towards Eastern European avant-garde art, Soviet decorative arts, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the art and culture of Slavic books, and relationships between Russia and world cultures in general.
The library also houses the Avinoff-Shoumatoff collection of rare books. Providing an historic overview of religious art as well as decorative arts in imperial Russian culture, the collection is an important complement to Hillwood’s collection of imperial Russian art.
The library can be visited by appointment only Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Please direct email inquiries to the Assistant Librarian, plynagh@hillwoodmuseum.org or call 202.243.3953 for more information about the library or to make an appointment.
Researchers may also submit a reference question at library@hillwoodmuseum.org. We will send you a brief answer to your query, if we have the resources to do so, or we will refer you to a specialist who may be able to help you. Please keep in mind that some questions can be answered quickly, while it may take us considerably longer to answer others. Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens does not provide monetary evaluations of works of art or collectibles.
The holdings of the Art Research Library at Hillwood reflect the museum’s collection of imperial Russian and 18th-century French decorative arts within a broad historical and social context.