Now entering its second year of a nine-year project, the Carl Rungius catalogue raisonné has crossed an important threshold as private collectors are encouraged to submit their Rungius works to the recently created database. The project will catalog nearly every painting the German-born wildlife artist created over his long career.
Carl Rungius (1869-1959), In His Prime, ca. 1940, oil on canvas, 30 x 40". JKM Collection, National Museum of Wildlife Art. © Estate of Carl Rungius.
The project, started by the National Museum of Wildlife Art, is being spearheaded by Adam Duncan Harris, the museum’s former curator who now holds the title of Grainger/Kerr Director of the Carl Rungius Catalogue Raisonné. “One of the things we had to decide before we even started was what our reasonable goal would be for the focus of the project. Rungius did many field studies, so we came to this position that the catalogue would include all of his finished paintings, of which there is estimated to be 1,000 to 1,500 works,” Harris says, adding that other projects have already catalogued his drypoint etchings and prints. “Some catalogues attempt to cover it all, but Rungius did thousands of small paintings up on the Wind River in Wyoming or in Banff, so we decided to focus on the finished paintings and then circle back to those wilderness and landscape studies if there is time.”
Carl Rungius, wildlife artist, in his studio, Green Point, Long Island, New York, 1902.
While many museums have Rungius paintings, the large majority of his work is in private collections, so collectors are asked to submit their pieces to the project so his work can be properly documented and recorded for future generations. The museum has made the procedure simple with a website where collectors can go and input their painting’s information. The information provided will remain as confidential as the collector wishes, Harris says. “Of course we think it would be great if collectors would allow their names to be attached to the provenance history, but we also understand that some collectors wish to remain anonymous,” he adds.
The project will culminate in 2027, the museum’s 40th anniversary, with the online Rungius database and a major masterworks publication.
For information about the Carl Rungius catalogue raisonné, and to submit your Rungius artwork, visit, www.wildlifeart.org/art/carl-rungius-catalogue-raisonne.
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