Gallery Showcases Acclaimed Oklahoma Artist, Professor OSU Foundation to display original works of art through March 3   Oklahoma State University Foundation announces the opening of Doel Reed: From Stillwater to Taos, a collection of original artwork by celebrated Southwestern artist and late OSU professor Doel Reed. The exhibit is on display in the Foundation’s Malinda Berry Fischer Gallery now through March 3.

Doel Reed

“Doel Reed is still widely regarded as one of the most successful and collectable printmakers in the Southwest,” said Dr. Mark White, OSU Art Historian. “He was one of the first artists in Oklahoma that really tried to capture the distinctive aspects of the state’s landscape.”

After studying at the Cincinnati Art Academy, Reed became the first art professor at then Oklahoma A&M University. He supervised the creation of an art department in 1930, serving as its first chairman for 29 years. While at OSU, Reed developed skills in printmaking and aquatints, eventually gaining national and international recognition for his art.

One of Reeds’ aquatints is located in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, France, and another is housed in Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England. Here in the U.S., his work is included in almost every major museum in the country, plus the Library of Congress.

“Doel Reed single-handedly built the art department from just himself to many faculty members,” OSU art professor Bob Parks said. “He had an enormous influence on future generations of artists at OSU. We owe our existence as a department to his work and inspiration.”

Reed’s collection includes paintings, drawings and aquatints of Southwestern landscapes. His early work focused on the Cimarron River area, often including Arcadian themes such as classical bathers in the Oklahoma countryside.

Although first acknowledged for Oklahoma artwork, Reed earned greater acclaim for his northern New Mexico landscapes. Annual visits to Taos, N.M. and the surrounding Sangre de Christo Mountains provided inspiration for Reed’s work. After retiring from OSU in 1959, Reed moved to Talpa, N.M. to continue painting and printmaking. He earned his greatest recognition for images of adobe ruins and mountain terrain of the northern Rio Grande area.

“In my opinion, Reed distinguished himself from many of his colleagues by focusing almost exclusively on the Hispanic presence in New Mexico,” White said. “Whereas many of his colleagues were interested in Native American life in New Mexico, Reed focused on the villages and ranching communities that had existed since Spanish and Mexican colonial occupation.”

Although Reed passed away in 1985, his artwork continues to gain notoriety in the 20 years since his death.

Named in honor of the Foundation’s former board chairman, the Malinda Berry Fischer Gallery showcases Oklahoma and OSU artists. The gallery serves to strengthen the connection between Oklahoma State University and the OSU Foundation. The gallery is open to the public and free-of-charge.

The Oklahoma State University Foundation serves as the private fundraising organization for OSU, as designated by the OSU Regents. Its mission is to unite donor and university passions and priorities to achieve excellence.

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