The Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies at San Jose State University is North America’s only museum and research institute devoted entirely to Ludwig van Beethoven and holds the largest collection of Beethoven works and memorabilia outside Europe. Established after Ira F. Brilliant donated his private collection in 1983, it opened in 1985 and expanded with the William S. Newman collection in 1987. Its holdings include thousands of books, articles, manuscripts, first and early editions, period instruments, and Beethoven’s death mask. Its best-known artifact is the Guevara Lock, a lock of Beethoven’s hair cut after his death that later figured in research on his final illness.

Photo: Wikipedia

Photo: Wikipedia