LARGEST COLLECTION OF AMERICAN INDIAN ART:
ONE MAN'S LIFE-LONG OBSESSION
With Creek Indian in his blood,
Thomas Gilcrease was entitled to 160-acres of land in 1900
in a settlement between the U.S. and other native Americans.
As fate and good luck would have it,
his land (near Tulsa, Oklahoma) was situated
on one of the richest sites of crude oil,
discovered by drillers in 1905.
This made Gilcrease a multi-millionaire by age 20.
He invested his money in more land
and began buying and collecting American Indian art.
By the 1950s, Gilcrease had accumulated the
largest collection of native American art and artifacts,
along with important paintings of the American west.
That collection is now owned by the city of Tulsa,
and housed in the fabulous Gilcrease Museum.
Virtually every important Indian and Western artist
is represented at the museum, along with priceless
historical manuscripts and documents.
(More art on tomorrow's blog,
including fabulous Navajo rugs!)
