Founded in 1936, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston has always been focused on the importance of the present and the future, establishing itself as a laboratory for new art and ideas. Among the ICA’s early landmark presentations are Picasso’s iconic Guernica in 1940, just three years after its creation, Modern Mexican Painters including Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in 1941, African American artists in New England in 1943, a major Edvard Munch career survey including The Scream in 1950, an exhibition of women painters in 1950 contesting their underrepresentation, early American exhibitions of Wassily Kandinsky and Egon Schiele in 1952 and 1960, and the second museum exhibition dedicated to the work of Andy Warhol in 1966.
As longtime leaders in the field of contemporary art, creating access to our history — a significant part of global contemporary art history — for students, scholars, and the public alike is a crucial step in expanding both the understanding and future of the field. The ICA archive holds important stories about art, culture, politics, and power through the twentieth century and into today. Sharing these stories is vital to building a more accurate record of contemporary art’s development in the U.S. and globally, enriching and expanding the art historical canon.
To that end, the ICA is undertaking a major project of processing its archival materials to make them accessible. The project involves reviewing, organizing, describing, preserving (if necessary), and inventorying archival materials—including documents, posters, catalogues, artwork, recordings, photography, and more—spanning the ICA’s nearly 90-year history. With more than 550 linear feet of material (an archival form of measurement meaning the length of materials if you were to lay them out side-by-side), this work is a significant undertaking, projected to continue through 2026. Over time, materials will be arranged into logical collections, finding aids will be created, and digitization efforts will enhance accessibility. Initial processing and organization will soon allow researchers to begin engaging with the ICA’s archives, offering new insights into the institution’s legacy and contemporary art’s evolving narrative.
If you have more specific questions about the archive, please email archives@icaboston.org.
This project is supported by the Barr Foundation and Judi Kaufman and Arthur Rubin.
