Knowlton to talk about art collection Thursday

Monday, August 20, 2012

 

 

 Knowlton to speak at Gardiner Gallery

Tulsa businessman Kelly Knowlton will talk about his private art collection at a reception set for Thursday, Aug. 30, from 5 - 7 p.m. at the Gardiner Gallery. Knowlton's collection features artwork created by faculty from universities in Oklahoma and is on display through Sept. 21.

The exhibit, titled "The Influence of Oklahoma: Modernism from the Collection of Kelly Knowlton," showcases the visual and personal connections that were forged between teaching artists in Oklahoma from the 1940s through the 1980s - the same decades that the influence of international modernism was at its peak.

Knowlton's collection strategy started when he realized how clearly the modernism in Oklahoma could be portrayed in the relationships between students and faculty over the course of the twentieth century.
Colleges and universities have been at the heart of Oklahoma's art scene from the beginning, and several times have brought the state to national- and international-attention. Oklahoma has been associated with the Native American avante-garde of the 1920s and '30s. The state's artistic claim to fame also developed during the Depression. A strong tradition of Regionalism cemented an image of rural Oklahoma in the national imagination.

Knowlton's collection tells a refreshingly new story about twentieth-century Oklahoma art. By mid-century, artists across the state were looking beyond questions of regional identity. Oklahoman artists became increasingly engaged in national and international movements that sought a more universal visual language of abstraction.

Some of the works in Knowlton's collection therefore come as a surprise: the psychedelic abstraction by Alexandre Hogue, for example, is far from the Depression-era landscapes for which he initially became famous. Other works in the collection introduce artists who are less well known, but no less innovative.

The Gardiner Gallery, which has its own history of innovation and education, is very pleased to be able to share Knowlton's collection. In that spirit, this exhibition also includes a selection of work from the collection of BJ Smith, longtime OSU Art Department faculty member and director of the Gardiner Gallery. Smith, who passed away earlier this year, was a friend, colleague, and collector of many of the artists in this exhibition. See a video of Knowlton offering some comments on the collection.

"The Influence of Oklahoma" is curated by Dr. Louise Siddons, assistant professor and curator of OSU Museum of Art and organized by the Gardiner Gallery.

The Gardiner Gallery is fully accessible and located on the first floor of the Bartlett Center for the Visual Arts. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. The gallery is closed on Sundays, university holidays, and for exhibit installation. For more information, please call 405-744-9069 or visit: museum.okstate.edu.About the Gardiner Gallery

First opened in 1965, the Gardiner Gallery has become the central place for Oklahoma State University students and faculty to experience the visual arts. It offers a range of exhibitions that stimulate active learning, research and teaching about art. The Gardiner Gallery is managed in close collaboration with the Department of Art. Each academic year, we organize a variety of programs, including artist talks, workshops and lectures by art historians and critics. All exhibitions and programs are offered free of charge to the community, designed for the education and enjoyment of all. The gallery serves as a gateway to the University experience and the vibrant cultural landscape of central Oklahoma.