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Graeme Moore collection of Ian Hamilton Finlay material

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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Call Number:
Ms. Coll. 1386
Repository:
University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
Extent:
  • 8 linear feet (10 boxes)
  • 492.1 megabytes
Preferred Citation:
Graeme Moore collection of Ian Hamilton Finlay material, 1972-2013, Ms. Coll. 1386, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania
Date:
1972-2013 (inclusive)
Creator:
Moore, Graeme
Form:
Artifacts (object genre), Scrapbooks, Poetry, Audiovisual materials, Photographs, Slides (photographs), Publications (documents), Correspondence, Computer source media, and Flash drives
Abstract:
Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006) was a Scottish poet, artist, and landscape and garden designer, best known for his prints and pamphlets and his iconic garden Little Sparta, a collaboration with his second wife, Sue MacDonald-Lockhart. Graeme Moore is an English landscape and garden designer and critic, and former head gardener of Little Sparta. This collection contains material collected by Graeme Moore related to his relationship with Ian Hamilton Finlay and Finlay's work.

Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006) was a Scottish poet, artist, and landscape and garden designer, best known for his iconic garden Little Sparta, a collaboration with his second wife, Sue MacDonald-Lockhart. Born in Nassau in the Bahamas, Finlay's family returned to Scotland soon after. Finlay left school at thirteen and briefly attended the Glasgow School of Art before the outbreak of World War II. During the war, Finlay served in the Royal Army Service Corps, which inspired a lifelong artistic interest in military iconography. After the war, he worked as a shepherd in Orkney, and began work on poetry which was not well-received in Scotland, but earned admirers in America, especially among the Black Mountain School, who helped influence Finlay's interest in concrete poetry.

During the 1960s and 1970s, he produced postcards, poster poems, and pamphlets through his own Wild Hawthorn Press; and in 1966, he purchased a five-acre farm ın Lanarkshire called Stonypath (later renamed Little Sparta). While his wife, Sue, was the principal gardener, Finlay dotted the garden with sculptures, temples, and ponds that epitomized a style he called Neoclassical. In the 1980s, Finlay's use of military (and sometimes Nazi) imagery in his garden plans earned him criticism from art critics and, on one occasion, the French government; however, Finlay resolutely denied any Fascist sympathies, and pursued a successful defamation suit. In addition to Little Sparta, Finlay designed gardens in Stockwood Park in Luton and at the Serpentine Gallery in London. He received an honorary doctorate from Aberdeen University in 1987 and the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2002. He died in Edinburgh on March 27, 2006.

Graeme Moore trained in horticulture at Cannington College, Somerset and Writtle College, Essex, and studied art history and literature at the University of Essex. After initiating a correspondence with Ian Hamilton Finlay and defending the artist during his battles with art critics and the National Trust, Moore became the head gardener of Finlay's garden Little Sparta for a brief period in 1990, before a falling-out with Finlay over terms of pay led to his termination. However, the two men repaired their relationship, and Moore later wrote pamphlets and scholarly articles on the garden and Finlay's work in general. In addition to his scholarly work, Moore is also a well-known landscape artist in his own right, producing works such as The New Orangery (1983, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington DC), Grass Snake (1987, Castle Park, Colchester, Essex), Lime Walk (1990, Hughson Gallery, Glasgow), and a permanent garden at Dunsyre, The Old School.

This collection contains material collected by Graeme Moore related to his relationship with Ian Hamilton Finlay. It is arranged in eight series: correspondence between Moore and various correspondents, including Finlay; Ian Hamilton Finlay material, including pamphlets, prints, and miscellanea, such as receipts for garden work and a tree tag from the garden at Little Sparta; Graeme Moore material, including his writings on Finlay's work and research material for these writings; articles and reviews of Finlay's work; exhibition catalogs and promotional material for Finlay's exhibitions; audiovisual material and computer files, including slides of Little Sparta and other gardens designed by Finlay, taped interviews with Finlay, photographs of Little Sparta, and digital images and text files regarding Little Sparta and other gardens; scrapbooks collected by Moore that detail the history of Little Sparta, Finlay's print work, and his battle with art critics, the National Trust and the French Ministry of Culture; and tools and miscellaneous objects, including metal garden implements, a reed basket, and an olive oil bottle.

Sold by Graeme Moore, 2012.

At Columbia University: Ian Hamilton Finlay manuscripts, 1958-1963.

At Getty Research Institute: Ian Hamilton Finlay papers, 1948-1992, 890144

At the Tate Archive: Correspondence concerning the disputes between Ian Hamilton Finlay and the Fulrum and Coracle Presses, 1974-1979, GB 70 TGA 824

People
Organization
Subject
Occupation

Publisher
University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
Finding Aid Author
Sam Allingham
Finding Aid Date
2019 April 8
Access Restrictions

The bulk of this collection is open for research use. However, use of the audio recordings in box 4, folder 8 is restricted. If the original does not already have a copy, it may be sent to an outside vendor for copying. Patrons are financially responsible for the cost. The turnaround time from request to delivery of digital items will depend on the nature of the material and is subject to review for condition. Please contact the Kislak Center (kislak@upenn.edu) for cost estimates and ordering. Researchers should be aware of specifics of copyright law and act accordingly.

Use of the flash drive in Box 4, Folder 10 is restricted. The computer files originally stored on the flash drive have been processed and are available for research use (see items described as "Digital Content (Reading Room Access Only)" along the right-hand side in the Collection Inventory). These computer files are reading-room access only on a dedicated computer in the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library.

Use Restrictions

Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Collection Inventory

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Scope and Contents

This series contains correspondence between Graeme Moore and Ian Hamilton Finlay, Sue Finlay, and various artists, critics, and cultural figures. The correspondence was organized by Moore according to subject, and every effort has been made to preserve this original order. Subjects include the fight between Finlay and the National Trust, discussions about what Finlay considered libelous statements concerning his work by art critics and the French Ministry of Culture, and Moore's time as head gardener at Little Sparta, including his concerns over lack of pay. When no subject delineation was apparent, the correspondence was grouped by recipient. The resulting folders are arranged chronologically.

Ian Hamilton Finlay, letters to Graeme Moore, 1985-1990.
Box 1 Folder 1
Ian Hamilton Finlay, stamped envelopes sent to Graeme Moore.
Box 1 Folder 2
Patrick Eyres, letters to Graeme Moore, 1987-1997.
Box 1 Folder 3
Graeme Moore, letters to Ian Hamilton Finlay before becoming head gardener of Little Sparta, 1987-1990.
Box 1 Folder 4
Controversy over libel against Little Sparta, correspondence and documents, 1986-1988.
Box 1 Folder 5
Controversy over libel against Little Sparta, correspondence and documents, 1988 January-February.
Box 1 Folder 6
Controversy over libel against Little Sparta, correspondence and documents, 1988 March-December.
Box 1 Folder 7
University Gallery artist books catalog slandering Finlay, correspondence, 1988.
Box 1 Folder 8
Controversy over libel against Little Sparta, controversy, 1989, undated.
Box 1 Folder 9
Sue Finlay, letters to and from Graeme Moore, 1989-2007.
Box 1 Folder 10
Ian Hamilton Finlay's landscape projects at Arne, Gateshead, Luton, and Noordhorn, correspondence and plans, 1989-1991.
Box 1 Folder 11
Graeme Moore's appointment as head gardener of Little Sparta, correspondence, 1990-1991.
Box 1 Folder 12
Graeme Moore, letters to and from, during his tenure as head gardener of Little Sparta, 1990-1991.
Box 1 Folder 13
Moore's battle with Ian Hamilton Finlay over pay as head gardener of Little Sparta, correspondence, 1991.
Box 1 Folder 14
Graeme Moore, miscellaneous letters to and from, 2011.
Box 1 Folder 15

Scope and Contents

This series contains material produced by Ian Hamilton Finlay and collected by Graeme Moore. It includes pamphlets, most of which were produced for propagandistic purposes, primarily against Finlay's artistic opponents, including the National Trust and various prominent critics; prints and chapbooks; and miscellaneous documents, including receipts for garden purchases and a tree tag from Little Sparta.

Pamphlets produced by Finlay to attack the National Trust, 1987-1989.
Box 1 Folder 16
Three Gates, a photo essay concerning the closing of Little Sparta, 1996.
Box 1 Folder 17
5 Signposts, 1989.
Box 1 Folder 18
After Bernini, undated.
Drawer 3 Folder unknown container
Apollinaire: a variation, 1997.
Box 8 Folder 1
Apollo and Daphne: after Bernin, undated.
Box 8 Folder 1
Arne, a proposal for, 1988-1989.
Box 1 Folder 18
Beautiful Kydippe, undated.
Box 8 Folder 1
The Bicentennial Proposal, the French War, the War of the Letter , 1989.
Box 8 Folder 1
Brailed, a collaboration with Grahame Jones, 1988.
Box 1 Folder 18
Carnation, 1987.
Box 1 Folder 18
Clay the Life, collaboration with Alexander Stoddart, undated.
Box 8 Folder 1
A Concise Classical Dictionary, 1988.
Box 1 Folder 18
A Country Lane with Stiles, a collaboration with Laurie Clark, 1988.
Box 1 Folder 18
Cythera, a collaboration with Peter Lyle, 1979.
Box 1 Folder 18
Detatched Sentences on Weather , collaboration with Jo Hincks, 1986.
Box 1 Folder 18
Eye Spy Trees, undated.
Box 1 Folder 19
Forest of Dean, a proposal for, a collaboration with Gary Hincks, 1988.
Box 8 Folder 1
Garden Poem (Urn), 1986.
Box 1 Folder 19
Garden of Pauline Karpidas, a proposal for, a collaboration with Andrew Townsend, 1989.
Box 1 Folder 19
Gateway to a Grove, a collaboration with Michael Harvey, 1985.
Box 8 Folder 1
Hirtenleid, a collaboration with Pia Maria Simig, 1999.
Box 1 Folder 19
Into the Forest, a collaboration with Andrew Townsend, 1989.
Box 1 Folder 19
Jacobin Definitions, a collaboration with Kathleen Lindsley, 1991.
Box 1 Folder 20
Un Jardin Revolutionnaire, a collaboration with Alexandre Chemetoff, 1988.
Box 1 Folder 20
Lasciate Ogni Speranza Voi Ch'entrate!, undated.
Box 8 Folder 1
The Leasowes, a proposal for, a collaboration with Nicholas Sloan, 1992.
Box 1 Folder 20
Little Sparta map, undated.
Box 8 Folder 1
Little Sparta gardens: revolutions dethrone kings and enthrone columns and watering cans, 1990.
Box 8 Folder 1
Little Sparta gardens: a map, undated.
Box 8 Folder 1
May Your Bark Bear the Words Beautiful Kydippe, undated.
Box 8 Folder 1
Mr. Aislabie's Garden , or A proposal for Lothian Estates, Monteviot , a collaboration with Nicholas Sloan, 1981.
Box 1 Folder 20
An Obelisk, a proposal, a collaboration with Annet Stirling, circa 1992.
Box 1 Folder 20
Oh, Parisians, 1989.
Box 8 Folder 1
A Pair of Gates Piers and Finials, a proposal , a collaboration with Robert Johnston, 1990.
Box 8 Folder 1
Personees Interessees, undated.
Box 8 Folder 1
Picabia posters , undated.
Box 8 Folder 1
Picturesque, 1991.
Box 8 Folder 1
Private garden in Germany, a proposal for, a collaboration with Robert Johnston, 1989.
Box 1 Folder 20
Prospects, undated.
Box 1 Folder 20
Projet Pour un Parc Republicain , a collaboration with Gary Hincks, 1988.
Box 8 Folder 1
Proverbs for Jacobins, a collaboration with Kathleen Lindsay, 1989.
Box 1 Folder 20
A Remembrance of Annette (Eine Erinnerung an Annette) , a collaboration with Gary Hincks, 1987.
Box 1 Folder 20
A Remembrance of R.L.S., a proposal for the Robert Louis Stevenson Club, 1987.
Box 1 Folder 20
Scud, 1991.
Box 1 Folder 21
Serpentine Gallery grounds, a proposal , a collaboration with Pia Maria Simig, 1997.
Box 1 Folder 21
Six Milestones: a proposal for Floriade, a collaboration with Michael Harvey, 1992.
Box 1 Folder 21
Six Proposals for the Improvement of Stockwood Park Nurseries in the Borough of Luton, a collaboration with Gary Hincks, 1985-1986.
Box 8 Folder 1
Six Tree-Column Bases, undated.
Box 8 Folder 1
Still-life, a collaboration with Carlo Rossi, 1989.
Box 1 Folder 21
Stonypath, Little Sparta, Dunsyre, 1984.
Box 8 Folder 1
Sundial, a collaboration with Kathleen Lindsley, 1989.
Box 1 Folder 21
Temple, a collaboration with Mark Stewart, 1983.
Box 8 Folder 1
Temple of Apollo/Saint-Just, a proposal for, collaboration with Mark Stewart, 1994.
Box 1 Folder 22
Terror is the Piety of the Revolution: a commentary, by Alexander Stoddart, 1986.
Box 1 Folder 22
Thermidor, a collaboration with Laurie Clark, 1989.
Box 1 Folder 22
Two Additions to the House at Horse Shoe Road, a wall sundial and a stile, a collaboration with Robert Johnston, 1989.
Box 1 Folder 22
Two Examples, undated.
Box 1 Folder 22
A Variation on Lines by Pope , 1986.
Box 8 Folder 1
What a Government it is, Planting Trees of Liberty on the Scaffold and Placing Death's Scythe in the Hands of the Law , undated.
Box 8 Folder 1
Woodpaths, a collaboration with Solveig Hill, 1990.
Box 8 Folder 1
Tree tag from Little Sparta, 1984.
Box 1 Folder 23
Receipts, 1991.
Box 1 Folder 24

Scope and Contents

This series contains material produced and collected by Graeme Moore, indcluding writings concerning Finlay's work, research material he consulted for his writings, including publications by other landscape critics; and miscellanea, including address lists, letterhead, and financial documents.

Writing by Graeme Moore regarding the work of Ian Hamilton Finlay, circa 2007.
Box 1 Folder 25
Clippings and photocopies of articles related to the work of Ian Hamilton Finlay used by Moore for research purposes, 1980-2009.
Box 1 Folder 26
Maps and diagrams by others collected by Moore, 1988-2005.
Box 1 Folder 27
Maps and diagrams by others collected by Moore, 2011.
Box 8 Folder 1
Publications by others collected by Moore, 1980-2000.
Box 1 Folder 28
Address lists kept by Moore, undated.
Box 1 Folder 29
Letterhead from the Little Sparta Garden Trust, undated.
Box 1 Folder 30
Financial documents, circa 2002.
Box 1 Folder 31

Scope and Contents

This series contains issues of periodicals, including newspapers and magazines, that contain reference to Finlay's work and/or memorialize his death. Periodicals can be located in box 2, folders 1-17, while newspapers can be located in box 5, folder 1. The series is arranged chronologically.

1981-1983.
Box 2 Folder 1
1984-1985.
Box 2 Folder 2
1986-1989.
Box 2 Folder 3
1990.
Box 2 Folder 4-5
1991.
Box 2 Folder 6
1992-1993.
Box 2 Folder 7
1995.
Box 2 Folder 8
1996.
Box 2 Folder 9
1997.
Box 2 Folder 10
1998.
Box 2 Folder 11
1999.
Box 2 Folder 12
2000.
Box 2 Folder 13
2003-2004.
Box 2 Folder 14
2005.
Box 2 Folder 15
2006.
Box 2 Folder 16
2006-2010, undated.
Box 2 Folder 17
Newspapers, 1985-2009.
Box 5 Folder 1

Scope and Contents

This series contains exhibition catalogs and promotional material for exhibitions of Finlay's work, as well as a small amount of catalogs and promotional material of work by related artists. Each subseries is arranged chronologically.

1972-1976.
Box 3 Folder 1
1977-1984.
Box 3 Folder 2
1985-1987.
Box 3 Folder 3
1988-1990.
Box 3 Folder 4
1989.
Drawer 3 Folder unknown container
1991-1993.
Box 3 Folder 5
1994-2001.
Box 3 Folder 6
2002-2004.
Box 3 Folder 7
2005.
Drawer 3 Folder unknown container
2005-2006.
Box 3 Folder 8
2006.
Box 3 Folder 9-10
2007-2013.
Box 3 Folder 11
undated.
Box 3 Folder 12
2011-2013.
Box 3 Folder 13

Scope and Contents

This series contains audiovisual material related to Finlay and his work. It consists of three subseries: slides of Moore's visits to Finlay's gardens, including Little Sparta, Luton, and the Serpentine Gallery; audio recordings of interviews with Finlay; and photos of Little Sparta.

Little Sparta, 1989-2000.
Box 3 Folder 14-17
Luton, 1991.
Box 4 Folder 1
Edinburgh (Princes Street Gardens and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art), 2005.
Box 4 Folder 2
Bristol Architecture Center, 1995.
Box 4 Folder 3
Livingston, 1996.
Box 4 Folder 4
Cherrybank (Perth, Australia), 1996.
Box 4 Folder 5
Hamilton (a location), undated.
Box 4 Folder 6
Kroller Muller, undated.
Box 4 Folder 7
Belgian interview with Finlay, audiocassette [RESTRICTED], 1988.
Box 4 Folder 8
BBC Scotland interview with Finlay, audiocassette [RESTRICTED], 2000.
Box 4 Folder 8
Little Sparta, undated.
Box 4 Folder 9
Little Sparta and other gardens, flash drive [RESTRICTED].
Box 4 Folder 10
Little Sparta and other gardens, digital images and text documents (492.1 megabytes), 2006-2013.
Digital Content (Reading Room Access Only) pusp-1386-001

Scope and Contents

This series contains scrapbooks of Finlay's work created by Moore. There are three scrapbooks, each arranged chronologically, and each scrapbook is intended to provide an overview and context for a specific aspect of Finlay's artistic career. The first scrapbook, entitled "The Garden is Open," describes the history of Stonybrook/Little Sparta from 1970-2005. The second, "War Art," describes Finlay's fight with the National Trust, the UK critical establishment, and the French Ministry of Culture over the worth of Little Sparta and accusations that Finlay's work evidenced Fascist sympathies. The third, untitled scrapbook is a collection of Finlay's prints. The scrapbooks contain penciled notes in Moore's hand that provide explanations and context for Finlay's work.

"The Garden is Open," a scrapbook of photographs, prints, and promotional leaflets collected by Moore, along with notes on the history and development of Little Sparta , 1970-2005.
Box 6 Item 1
"War Art," a scrapbook of prints and incendiary pamphlets protesting the treatment of Little Sparta by the National Trust, French Ministry of Culture, and the art press, 1985-1990.
Box 6 Item 2
Scrapbook collecting prints by Finlay, with notes from Moore, 1985-2005.
Box 6 Item 3

Scope and Contents

This series consists of objects from Finlay's gardens collected by Moore: a set of metal garden tools, a bottle of olive oil, and a reed basket.

Olive oil bottle, undated.
Box 7 Folder unknown container
Metal gardening tools, undated.
Box 9 Folder unknown container
Reed basket, undated.
Box 10 Folder unknown container

Print, Suggest