Bocca Sofa, designed 1971, Franco Audrito, designer; Studio 65, Gufram, Barolo, Italy, manufacturer, stretch jersey fabric over polyurethane foam, 36 x 83 x 32 inches. Oklahoma State University Museum of Art, George R. Kravis II Collection, 2018.016.135.

OSU Museum of Art receives major gift from George R. Kravis II Collection

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

The Oklahoma State University Museum of Art has received more than 600 works of fine art and design from the George R. Kravis II collection. The collection ranges from video art to pop art, and 1930s to 21st-century design with an international representation of artists. It includes works from Roy Lichtenstein, Brian Bress, Henry Moore, Charles and Ray Eames, Philippe Starck and Oklahoman Otto Duecker.

The OSU Museum of Art exhibition Oklahoma and Beyond, held in 2017, featured a selection from the Kravis fine art and design collection. Through the dissemination of Kravis’ estate, the OSU Museum of Art was selected to receive a majority of his fine arts collection, as well as a selection of design objects, including a Frank Lloyd Wright armchair and Norman Bel Geddes Soda King Siphon Bottle.

“This gift is a game-changer for OSU,” said Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis. “Thanks to the generosity of George Kravis, we are now home to fine art and design objects more commonly found in prominent, metropolitan museums. It is an honor to be selected from among several institutions considered for this unique and diverse collection.”

Selections from the Kravis collection will be on view in the OSU Museum of Art lobby starting in April. In January, the museum will debut the George R. Kravis II Gallery that will display an ongoing series of exhibitions featuring the Kravis collection.

“The Kravis collection will greatly enrich the museum’s exhibitions and programs in modern and contemporary art,” said Arlette Klaric, OSU Museum of Art associate chief curator and curator of collections. “This extraordinary gift will support his aspirations of advancing public art education, and help continue his remarkable legacy.”

Kravis, a lifetime resident of Tulsa, supported many local initiatives through the Raymond and Bessie Kravis Foundation. Kravis contributed to several Oklahoma cultural institutions and was honored with the Oklahoma Governor's Arts Award in 2010 as a leader and significant contributor to the arts.

Learn more about the George R. Kravis II collection at bit.ly/2FpyGaC.