A. James Speyer Collection

Speyer (1913-1986) was in the first graduate-level class taught by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe at the Armour Institute in Chicago. While maintaining a private practice, designing in the Miesian style, Speyer taught at the Illinois Institute of Technology and then served as curator of Twentieth-Century Paintings and Sculpture at The Art Institute of Chicago (1961-1986). Speyer was best known for the innovative, contemporary design of his museum installations. His architectural projects and his museum exhibition designs are documented in architectural drawings, photographs, and published and unpublished articles. There is also a small collection of personal papers and photographs. The exhibition and its accompanying catalog A. James Speyer: architect, curator, exhibition designer (1997) drew heavily from this collection. View finding aid.View selected images from this collection.A. James Speyer Oral History. Collection access:Collections may be accessed in the Franke Reading Room of the Research Center at The Art Institute of Chicago, by appointment only. For further information, consult the FAQ. Finding aids by subjectBrowse all finding aidsBrowse images and mediaOral histories Contact the Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives:archives@artic.edu