Dr. Stephen J. Bury

One Hundred Years at the Library: Monuments Men and Women

Stephen J. Bury, Andrew W. Mellon Chief Librarian, explores one of the most fascinating eras in the Frick Art Reference Library’s hundred-year history. A photograph from the 1940s sheds light on the creation of maps at the library during World War II, which were made to prevent the destruction of at-risk cultural sites and works of art in war areas.

One Hundred Years at the Library: Surrealism in Print

As we continue celebrating the centennial of the Frick Art Reference Library, Stephen J. Bury, Andrew W. Mellon Chief Librarian, explores an unexpected strength of the library’s collections: materials on modern art. In this post, Stephen discusses a sample of the library’s exhibition catalogs from the Surrealist movement, which began in Paris in 1924, the same year the Frick Art Reference Library opened its first dedicated building.

"Technological Revolutions and Art History": The Ethical Challenges of Digitization

The 2020–21 symposium “Technological Revolutions and Art History” explores current topics in digital art history. For a deeper dive into the major themes of access and bias, Ellen Prokop, former Digital Art History Lead, interviews Luciano Johnson, Associate Chief Librarian for Preservation, Imaging, and Creative Services, and Dr. Stephen Bury, Andrew W. Mellon Chief Librarian.

One Hundred Years at the Library: The Telautograph

video still of Stephen Bury in library looking closely at telautograph

In the 1930s, how did librarians communicate across the nine stories of the Frick Art Reference Library’s building? In this episode, Stephen J. Bury, Andrew W. Mellon Chief Librarian, introduces the telautograph, an innovative technology installed in the library’s original East 71st Street home. The machine allowed for handwritten notes to be transmitted from the reading room to the stacks and offices above. Used in tandem with dumbwaiters, the telautograph is an early example of the cutting-edge technology employed at the library since its founding.

One Hundred Years at the Library: Monuments Men and Women

video still of Stephen Bury pulling book item out of bag

Stephen J. Bury, Andrew W. Mellon Chief Librarian, presents a group of maps, guides, photos, and other objects related to the Frick Art Reference Library’s involvement in cultural preservation during World War II. From July 1943 to January 1944, the institution closed to the public to serve as the headquarters of the Committee on the Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas, part of the so-called Monuments Men program—a rare but pivotal time the library’s century-long history intersected with major world events.

One Hundred Years at the Library: The Realm of the Surreal

video still of hands holding booklet open with photograph of man included

The avant-garde Surrealist movement began in Paris in 1924, the same year the Frick Art Reference Library’s first dedicated building opened. In this episode of One Hundred Years at the Library, join Stephen J. Bury, Andrew W. Mellon Chief Librarian, for a look at two original Surrealist catalogs available for consultation in the reading room. The catalogs provide tantalizing evidence for the dramatic upheavals within the Surrealist movement and exemplify the rich objects added to the library’s collections over the past century.

Searching Through Seeing: Optimizing Computer Vision Technology for the Arts

Welcome and opening remarks delivered by Stephen J. Bury, Andrew W. Mellon Chief Librarian, Frick Art Reference Library and Louisa Wood Ruby, Head of Research, Frick Art Reference Library. This video introduces a series of lectures from the symposium 'SEARCHING THROUGH SEEING: OPTIMIZING COMPUTER VISION TECHNOLOGY FOR THE ARTS' presented by The Frick Collection and the Frick Art Reference Library on Thursday and Friday, April 12-13, 2018.

Welcome and Opening Remarks, Stephen Bury and Esmée Quodbach

Link to video of Stephen Bury and Esmee Quodbach welcoming remarks

Welcome and opening remarks from Stephen Bury, Andrew W. Mellon Chief Librarian, Frick Art Reference Library, and Esmée Quodbach, Assistant Director, Center for the History of Collecting, Frick Art Reference Library. This video introduces a series of lectures from the symposium 'America and the Art of Flanders: Collecting Paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck, and Their Circles' presented by the Center for the History of Collecting at The Frick Collection on Friday and Saturday, May 13-14, 2016.

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