Acquisition Highlights

The O’Brien Art Foundation and The Marty O’Brien Collection of American Art sustain active acquisition programs. Each year, additions to the collections expand the stories of American art that build on our mission. These highlights of acquisitions made in recent years offer a view of the evolving range and depth of our holdings. A selection of works acquired in 2024 will be shared in early 2025.

2024

Tony Berlant (b. 1941). The French Seamstress. 1981. Metal collage with steel brads on wood in found artist’s frame. 19 x 14 x 4 in. O’Brien Art Foundation.

Fritz Bultman (1919-1985). The Ancestress. 1954. Oil and crayon on canvas. 72 x 36 in. O’Brien Art Foundation.

Stella Drabkin (1906-19760. Portrait of Man. 1929. Oil on canvas. The Marty O’Brien Collection of American Art.

Agnes Hart (1912–1979). Barbershop. c. 1941. Oil on canvas. 31 ¼ x 43 ¼ in. The Marty O’Brien Collection of American Art.

Tamara Melcher (b. 1939). untitled (August 1968). 1968. Gouache on paper. 14 x 17 in. O’Brien Art Foundation.

Kenneth Hayes Miller (1876-1952). Finishing Touches. 1926. Oil on canvas. 33 x 38 ½ in. The Marty O’Brien Collection of American Art.

Seong Moy (1921-2013). The Bathers. 1946. Sand and oil on canvas. 21 ¼  x 25 ¼  in. The Marty O’Brien Collection of American Art.

2023

Marianne Appel (1913–988). Roof Raising. 1945. Oil on canvas. 28 x 24 in. The Marty O’Brien Collection of American Art.

Charles Green Shaw (1892–1974). Bone Structure. 1936. Oil on canvas. 35 x 45 in. O’Brien Art Foundation.