In addition to collection catalogues, the museum maintains archival records useful for academic research. These include curatorial files on every accessioned object and exhibition, an electronic collections database, and the Eva Hesse Archives.

Collection database

The Allen’s collection of more than 15,000 objects is accessible via a searchable, online database called eMuseum.

Publications

The following are catalogues of works in the permanent collection:

• Eva Hesse: Oberlin Drawings, edited by Barry Rosen with contributions by Manuela Ammer, Helen Hesse Charash, Jörg Daur, Andria Derstine, Briony Fer, Andrea Gyorody, and Gioia Timpanelli, Hauser & Wirth Publishers, New York, 2019
• Ukiyo-e Prints from the Mary Ainsworth Collection, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, edited by Masako Tanabe with contributions by Tatsuya Akita, Andria Derstine, Kevin Greenwood, Yasuko Kikuchi Marie Matsuoka, Helen Mitsu Nagata, Saori Oishi, Hiromi Sone, Masako Tanabe, and Eri Yoshida, Mangosteen, Inc., Tokyo, 2019
• Latin American Art at the Allen Memorial Art Museum, by Denise Birkhofer, with contributions by Andria Derstine and Steven S. Volk Marquand Books, Seattle, 2014, with publication management by Megan Harding, Allen Memorial Art Museum
• Allen Memorial Art Museum: Highlights from the Collection, by Andria Derstine, Charles Mason, and Stephanie Wiles, publication management by Melissa Duffes, Allen Memorial Art Museum with Marquand Books, Seattle, 2011
• Prints in the Allen Memorial Art Museum: Catalog, by John Chvostal, 1988, unpublished and available for consultation in the Oberlin College Art Library only
• Japanese Woodblock Prints: A Catalogue of the Mary A. Ainsworth Collection, by Roger S. Keyes, Oberlin College, 1984
• Catalogue of Drawings and Watercolors in the Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, by Wolfgang Stechow, Oberlin College, 1976
• Catalogue of European and American Paintings and Sculpture in the Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, by Wolfgang Stechow with an introduction by John R. Spencer, Oberlin College, 1967

Other recent publications that relate to special exhibitions or projects and include information on works in the permanent collection are:

• FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art: An American City: Eleven Cultural Exercises, edited by Michelle Grabner; includes  contributions by Andrea Gyorody (vol. 1) and by Juan Araujo/Michelle Grabner and Dawoud Bey/Johnny Coleman (vol. 2), FRONT Exhibition Company, Cleveland, 2018
• Lines of Inquiry: Learning from Rembrandt’s Etchings, by Andaleeb Badiee Banta and Andrew C. Weislogel, with contributions by Andria Derstine, Erik Hinterding, C. Richard Johnson, Jr., Brittany R. R. Rubin, and Stephanie Wiles, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, 2017
• Fred Wilson at Oberlin, by Denise Birkhofer and Andria Derstine, with Fred Wilson, publication management by Megan Harding, Allen Memorial Art Museum with Lucia/Marquand, Seattle, 2017
• Judit Reigl: Body of Music, edited by Janos Gat, with contributions by Denise Birkhofer, Andria Derstine, and Benjamin Perl, Allen Memorial Art Museum in association with the Fonds de Dotation Judit Reigl, 2016
• Eva Hesse: Diaries, edited by Barry Rosen with the assistance of Tamara Bloomberg, Hauser & Wirth in association with Yale University Press, 2016
• Eva Hesse: Datebooks 1964/65, introduction by Sabine Folie, transcription and annotation by Georgia Holz and Eva Kernbauer, Yale University Press in association with the Allen Memorial Art Museum, 2007

Most catalogues are available for purchase from the museum.

The museum’s scholarly journal, the Bulletin, contains articles related to exhibitions and works in the collection. Past issues are available in full-text.

For further guidance about conducting research on the collection, see the digital guide that is available through the Oberlin College Libraries.

Viewing works in the collection

Researchers who wish to view museum files and objects should make an appointment by emailing us here or calling 440-775-8645. Appointments take place in the Print Study Room from Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and are subject to availability (when classes are not scheduled to use the room).

• Object viewings: Independent object viewing sessions for works on paper take place primarily during the lunch period, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Up to three works on paper may be requested. Appointments must be scheduled at least one week in advance. As appropriate, longer viewing sessions with more objects may be arranged.

• Curatorial files: Curatorial files often contain information about provenance, previous attributions, and conservation data, in addition to general research notes. Appointments to view files must be made at least 1 business day in advance and are limited to one hour. A maximum of 10 files can be pulled per visit. Please note that many of the files contain historical letters and documents that must be handled carefully and only when necessary.

• Eva Hesse Archive: The museum houses the archives of American artist Eva Hesse (1936–70), which include artist’s notebooks, diaries, photographs, and letters. Appointments must be made at least one week in advance. Two of the datebooks in the archive have been published in a facsimile edition, which is available for purchase from the museum.