The Gitter-Yelen Art Study Center, an initiative of the Gitter-Yelen Foundation, is dedicated to the research and study of Japanese art and American Self-Taught art. Conceived as an institution where interested visitors, students, and scholars can learn about these art forms in an inviting atmosphere, this private nonprofit foundation was established in 1997 by Dr. Kurt A. Gitter and Alice Rae Yelen.
The Study Center promotes appreciation and knowledge of the two art traditions through exhibitions and public programs drawn from the Gitter-Yelen collections of both Japanese Art and Contemporary American Self-Taught Art.
The Gitter-Yelen Art Study Center welcomes students and scholars from around the world to explore particular aspects of the collections. Visitors have access to computerized databases of related information and an extensive library of English and Japanese language materials pertaining to Japanese art. The Study Center also periodically invites distinguished lecturers to speak to invited guests.
The Gitter-Yelen Art Study Center is open by appointment only.
Selections from the Japanese collection are shown in rotating quarterly exhibitions at the New Orleans Museum of Art. The Manyo’an Collection has loaned many of its masterpieces to regional, national and international exhibitions over the past thirty years. In addition, numerous exhibitions and publications of our collections have traveled throughout the US and abroad (see Exhibitions and Publications). Major works of art from the Manyo’an Collection and the Gitter-Yelen Foundation have been gifted to many museums, including:
