Five paintings and 20 prints by renowned abstract expressionist Harold Garde are now part of the University of Wyoming Art Museum’s permanent collection.
Garde studied at the University of Wyoming during the 1940s under the G.I. Bill, where he learned from professors like George McNeil, Leon Kelly, and Ilya Bolotowsky. UW Art Museum Director Susan Moldenhauer said Garde is now in his 90s but is still painting.
As part of the permanent collection, UW faculty can use Garde’s work as a classroom resource. Moldenhauer said an extensive permanent collection expands the way teachers and students can talk about art.
“What can we do with our collection?” Moldenhauer asked. “How does our collection fit in with academic conversation and curriculum? What connections can we make between really any artist’s work and the conversations that happen in the classroom?”
A sampling of Garde’s work will be on display next summer at the UW Art Museum.