The University of Tulsa, which manages the world-renowned Gilcrease Museum, has acquired the C.M. Russell Research Collection that contains more than 13,000 objects that cover a full range of the artist’s life and work. Russell’s biographer, Homer Britzman, gathered the items with the assistance of Nancy Russell, the artist’s widow, following the artist’s death in 1926.
The collection was purchased in September from the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. The amount of the purchase is not being disclosed. Major donors supporting the acquisition were: The James A. Chapman and Leta M. Chapman Charitable Trust (represented by Sharon Bell and Greg Gray), Mr. and Mrs. Walter Helmerich III, Randi and Fred Wightman, and The Stuart Family Foundation.
“Our acquisition will allow Gilcrease to open new avenues of research into the life and works of one of the American West’s defining artists,” said TU President Steadman Upham. “Having these materials together under one roof will provide unparalleled opportunities for researchers to study the materials in the Russell Research Collection within the context of the masterworks at Gilcrease.”
Gilcrease Museum is one of the country’s best facilities for the preservation and study of American art and history. The museum houses the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of art and artifacts of the American West, including an unparalleled collection of Native American art and artifacts, as well as thousands of historical documents, maps and manuscripts. Gilcrease museum’s charm, beauty and art collections draw thousands of visitors from around the world to the Osage Hills just northwest of downtown Tulsa for a glimpse into America’s past.
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