The Oklahoma City Museum of Art (OKCMOA) announces a receipt of a major gift of over 100 important works from the “Golden Age” of studio glass from the Jerome V. and Judith G. Rose Family Glass Collection. The collection includes works by pioneers of the studio glass movement and many other artists prominent in U.S. and international museum and private collections, among them Harvey K. Littleton, Dale Chihuly, Paul Marioni, Flora Mace and Joey Kirkpatrick, William Morris, Lino Tagliapietra, Jaroslava Brychtova and Stanislav Libensky, and Ginny Ruffner.
Jerome and Judith Rose, known to their family and friends as Jerry and Judy, began collecting glass in 1977. The Roses traveled frequently to Seattle where they became friendly with Dale Chihuly and many of the other artists represented in the collection. After 40 years of thoughtful acquisitions, the Rose Collection grew into one of the most impressive private studio glass collections in the world comprising 179 works by 83 artists.
OKCMOA will become the new, public home for this collection thanks to the generosity of the Rose’s children, Lisa Rose and her husband Dr. Ken Koenig of Santa Cruz, California and Sara Jane Rose and husband Jay Shanker of Oklahoma City.
“The Rose Family Glass Collection traces the history of contemporary studio glass and shows the versatility of the medium in exploring and expressing a wide range of ideas in art,” said Michael J. Anderson, Ph.D., OKCMOA president and CEO. “This important acquisition provides context for our extraordinary Dale Chihuly collection, enabling us to tell a richer story of what glass scholar and curator Tina Oldknow calls the ‘Golden Age’ of studio glass.”
The collection built by Jerry and Judy Rose is similar, in many ways, to The Heinemann Collection at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, as well as the Dorothy and George Saxe Collection of Contemporary Craft at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco. Both of these represent foundational collections of studio glass at their respective institutions, with a number of significant artists appearing in all three of these collections. The Rose Collection will perform a similar function at OKCMOA.
“During their years of glass collecting, my parents encouraged and fostered the careers of many young glass artists by acquiring or commissioning works directly from them,” said Lisa Rose. “Building and exhibiting this collection was their own work of art. Family, friends, visiting artists and tours were overwhelmed by the collection’s beauty and diversity.”
“We are extremely appreciative of this generous gift from the Rose family and would like to thank Lisa, Sara Jane, Jay and Ken for their trust and support,” said Anderson. “We are honored to be part of preserving Jerry and Judy’s legacy.”
Visitors to OKCMOA will be introduced to highlights of the collection beginning Labor Day weekend 2022.
