“Look Again: Encountering the Art of Otto Duecker” explores more than six decades of work by celebrated Tulsa hyperrealist artist and Oklahoma State University alumnus Otto Duecker.

The OSU Museum of Art presents the first museum retrospective dedicated to Duecker’s career, bringing together more than 130 paintings and drawings borrowed from two dozen collections that trace the evolution of his artistic practice.

On view Aug. 12, 2026, through Jan. 23, 2027, the exhibition features works from every major period of Duecker’s career, from his early portraits and groundbreaking “Drifters” series to his iconic “floating fruit,” trompe l’oeil paintings and astonishingly realistic depictions of everyday objects. It allows viewers to see connections among what, at first glance, could seem to be very disparate subject matter.

Born in Milwaukee and raised in the Netherlands, Turkey and Germany before his family settled in Oklahoma, Duecker earned his Bachelor of Arts in Art Education from OSU. He went on to receive national recognition in the 1970s for his paintings of everyday people and became widely known for works that challenge viewers' perceptions of reality.

"Otto Duecker's work is a celebration of the possibilities of oil painting and his immense talent for capturing a stunning likeness of objects and people," said Dr. Kirsten Olds, associate provost for the arts, Marilynn & Carl Thoma Professor of the Arts and director of the OSU Museum of Art.

Working almost exclusively in oil paint, Duecker achieved extraordinary levels of realism that often leave viewers questioning what they are seeing. His paintings depict everything from photographs of celebrities and cultural figures and handwritten notes to clothing and fruit with astonishing precision, inviting audiences to pause, look closer and discover the extraordinary in the ordinary.

"When people first encounter a painting by Otto Duecker, they marvel at his incredible skill in illusionism," said Olds, who is curator of the exhibition. "They notice tiny droplets of water or cracks in a surface and wonder, 'Is that real?' They realize it's all fictive and gasp, 'How did he paint that?!' Then they continue to look and realize how a cutout of a maid reminds us of labor that's often invisible, or how a fool-the-eye painting of a note conveys family bonds. There's humanity and humor and delight in his work that I know visitors will enjoy.”

Visitors are invited to celebrate “Look Again: Encountering the Art of Otto Duecker” during a public reception from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1. The evening will offer an opportunity to experience Duecker’s remarkable career and to explore the exhibition alongside community members. The event is free and open to the public.