Collection Overview

An Oklahoma native, Leon Polk Smith (1906-1996), pioneered the pared-down abstraction that became known as Hard-edge painting. In 2015, the Leon Polk Smith Foundation in New York City brought the artist back home. Its gift of 756 works on paper has enabled the OSU Museum of Art to join this community of revived interest. As the Foundation’s designated archive, the Museum shares this collection with institutions across the state and nation, organizes exhibitions, maintains a collection of research materials, and supports much-needed research and scholarship on Smith.