Sharing the Gift - 405 Magazine

Sharing the Gift

In 1964, James T. Bialac bought a painting. Over 40 years later, the Arizona lawyer’s private collection of Native American art was among the greatest in existence.

Through December 30, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave, Norman, 325.3272, ou.edu/fjjma

In 1964, James T. Bialac bought a painting. Over 40 years later, the Arizona lawyer’s private collection of Native American art was among the greatest in existence, containing thousands of exceptional pieces and valued in the millions of dollars… and then he gave it to OU. Immense in quantity and also scope – curator Mark White raves that “every artist of influence or importance from the beginning of the century onward is included” – the Bialac Collection is eminently worth showing off, and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is happy, and honored, to oblige.