Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff papers, 1922-1954

Collection context

Creator:
Gurdjieff, Georges Ivanovitch, 1872-1949, Wright, Olgivanna Lloyd, Uspenskiĭ, P. D. (Petr Demʹi︠a︡novich), 1878-1947, Orage, A. R. (Alfred Richard), 1873-1934 , Solano, Solita, 1888-1975 , Djilas, Milovan, Milovan, 1911-1995 , and Bennett, John G. (John Godolphin), 1897-1974
Abstract:
Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff (d. 1949) was a Greek-Armenian philosopher who lived and taught his "fourth way" in France. He was born sometime between 1866 and 1877 in Alexandropol, Armenia, which was then a governorate of the Russian Empire. After 1912, he began to instruct a group of students on esoteric knowledge (the source of which he never revealed but which he allegedly garnered after extensive travel throughout Asia), turning these into a type of philosophical system that today could be described as "self-help." After relocating to France, he established the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man, began writing his manuscripts, and engaged students in sacred music and "movements." He gathered a significant following of writers, artists, and other members of the intelligentsia from the 1920s-1940s, including this collection's co-creators, namely P.D. Ouspensky, Alfred R. Orage, and Solita Solano. Gurdjieff wrote three volumes explaining his system, which were published posthumously. Applicable to architectural researchers are Gurdjieff and Olgivanna Lloyd Wright's life-long relationship. Olgivanna lived and studied at the Institute for a number of years before immigrating to the United States. She structured much of the life at Taliesin around Gurdjieff's philosophy, and the group often performed his "movements."
Extent:
6 manuscript boxes
Language:
English .
Scope and content:

The collection is rich in material related to Gurdjieff's teachings. It is mostly composed of manuscripts and typed lectures. It is unlikely that Gurdjieff wrote any of this material directly as his students were responsible for translating his work. Most notable is Solita Solano's notebook, which records daily life with Gurdjieff during the 1930s. There are manuscripts of each of Gurdjieff's three books, published posthumously, as well as a manuscript of P.D. Ousepneky's Fragments of an Unknown Teaching, which documents his complicated relationship with Gurdjieff. Alfred R. Orage's lectures on Gurdjieff's methods, given in New York, are included. The majority of the material are complete or partial lectures and notes, most likely recorded by his students. A long series of Q&A sessions records his methods, pedagogy, and beliefs. There is minimal material on the sacred dances.

Gurdjieff never revealed the sources of his ancient Eastern knowledge, and much of his writing can be summed up as science fiction, but he is best remembered as initiating the self-help movement. The content is primarily arranged typologically (manuscript, lectures, etc.) and secondarily by author. Series IV deviates from this arrangement as it encompasses the lectures, notes, and sacred dance material from the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man. Finally, Series V includes work by Olgivanna Lloyd Wright, mostly from the 1950s. Due to the array of material present, it is very likely that this material comprised Olgivanna Lloyd Wright's personal collection on material related to her beloved teacher.

Biographical / historical:

Gurdjieff was born between 1866 and 1877 to a family of Armenian-Greeks in Alexandropol. He grew up in Kars, the ethnically and religiously diverse Transcaucasus region. He became fluent in Armenian, Pontic Greek, Russian and Osmanli Turkish, and later developed some minimal working knowledge of French and English. Little is known about his early life besides what he notes in his own writings. Though, he was supposedly close to his father and a local priest. Gurdjieff allegedly traveled widely across Central Asia, Tibet, Iran, and India to learn ancient and esoteric knowledge. He states that he joined various ancient and secret brotherhoods, lived in monasteries, and encountered various other learned individuals. However, Gurdjieff never revealed his actual sources, and students like J.G. Bennett claimed his writings were metaphorical.

After returning to Russia in 1912, he transformed his learning into a philosophical system and began to gather a group of students in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Following the Bolshevik Revolution, Gurdjieff fled to Turkey, Germany, and England, the latter of which refused him residence, before settling in France. In 1922, he purchased a large property, Le Prieuré, near Fontainebleau. It was here that he formally established the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man. Students lived, worked, and learned together in an almost communal environment, though he did maintain different degrees of relationships between his pupils. It is very likely that life at Le Prieuré influenced the Wrights' pedagogy at Taliesin. Within his closest circle were the de Hartmanns (Thomas de Hartmann composed his music) and the de Salzmanns (who, after his death, founded the Gurdjieff Institute). Gurdjieff gave lectures and readings from his manuscripts and students practiced the "sacred movements" that he had imported from the East. Students also worked on building projects to create a studio space for the movements.

Gurdjieff had fraught relationships with some of his students. Ouspensky, who was amongst the first to join him in Russia, later traveled to England to teach. However, Ouspensky grew disillusioned with the Institute and Gurdjieff's teachings and eventually began to separate himself, though he still maintained some connection. Gurdieff sent Alfred R. Orage, who he had met through Ouspensky, to teach in New York in 1924. However, after Gurdjieff's visit in 1930, he ousted Orage for inaccurately teaching his concepts of "self-observation" and "self-remembering" and disbanded the group.

Gurdjieff made multiple trips to the United States, mostly on fundraising campaigns. During one trip, he visited the Wrights at Taliesin. His most successful trip was in 1924 when his students performed the sacred movements to an astonished audience at the Neighborhood Playhouse. These movements were developed by Olgivanna and Iovanna Llyod Wright as part of Taliesin's performance program.

In 1926, Gurdjieff suffered a near fatal car accident and another in 1948, both from which he miraculously recovered.

In 1932, short on funds, Gurdjieff disbanded the Institute and sold Le Prieuré. He continued to live in an apartment in Paris and frequented cafes where he wrote and met students like Solita Solano who formed part of "The Rope," though this group only lasted until 1937. During World War II, he hosted more intimate meetings with a smaller number of pupils until his death on 29 October 1949 at the American Hospital.

Gurdjieff's writings verge on science fiction and his pedagogical techniques could be abrasive. Nonetheless, he developed a contingent of loyal students, amongst them Olgivanna Lloyd Wright, who would perpetuate his philosophy. After his death, his students organized and published his manuscripts as All and Everything.

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is available for use by appointment in the Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. For further information, please email avery-drawings@library.columbia.edu.

Terms of access:

In addition to permission from Columbia University, permission of the copyright owner (if not Columbia University) and/or any holder of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) may also be required for reproduction, publication, distributions, and other uses. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of any item and securing any necessary permissions rests with the persons desiring to publish the item. Columbia University makes no warranties as to the accuracy of the materials or their fitness for a particular purpose.

Location of this collection:
300 Avery Hall
1172 Amsterdam Ave.
New York, NY 10027, USA
Before you visit:
Researchers are encouraged to request materials at least one month in advance. You will receive an email from the department within 2-3 business days confirming your request and currently available appointment times. Requests are limited to 8 boxes per day (or equivalent), with a maximum of 5 boxes for off-site materials, 5 folders of drawings, or 5 rolls or tube boxes.
Contact:
avery-drawings@columbia.edu