Dorothy C. Miller papers, 1853-2013, bulk 1920-1996

Found here is signficant documentation of Miller's private curatorial and consulting work for Nelson Rockfeller, including building his private collection, compiling the extensive catalog, The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection: Masterpieces of Modern Art (New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1981), and furnishing modern art work in public offices associated with Rockefeller.

There is general correspondence between Miller and Rockefeller concerning building the collection, often including Miller's handwritten notes, printed material related to artists and occasional photographs of artwork. Personal correspondence consists primarily of letters from Rockefeller to Miller thanking her for advice, assistance and gifts. Additional correspondence documents Miller's difficulties in securing payment for her years of work on the published catalog because Rockefeller died before the book was completed without having signed a formal contract with Miller.

Additional files document federal government projects Miller completed for Rockefeller, including offering a selection of paintings to the Shah of Iran; a loan of artwork from the Museum of Modern Art to display in Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's State Department office; and providing artwork to furnish the nation's first official Vice-Presidential residence at the Admiral's House in Washington D.C. during Rockefeller's tenure as Vice President. Additionally, files document Miller's work with the Curatorial Committee for the Rockefeller collection at Kykuit and the family's home in Tarrytown, New York.

There are files related to the 1969 exhibitions of Rockefeller collections at the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Primitive Art, and Rockefeller gifts to the Museum of Modern Art. Records relating to sculpture by Frederick Kiesler and tapestries by Joan Miró and Alexander Calder which Rockefeller considered for purchase are also included here.

Most of the files in this subseries document Miller's work writing, compiling, and publishing The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection: Masterpieces of Modern Art, which grew from the catalog she compiled for the exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1969. Records include correspondence, printed material, photos and photocopies of artwork, detailed information about individual works of art, meeting notes, drafts of the foreword and preface by Miller, and book copy text by John Russell, Alfred Barr, and Rockefeller. Additional files concern copy layout and illustrations for the book.