The Charles Olney collection came into Oberlin College’s possession in early 1904, but it was not brought to campus until spring 1908 when it was installed in the third floor of the Carnegie Library. In 1917, the AMAM was built to house the College’s growing collection of art, and the works from the Olney Collection joined other gifts of art and plaster casts of famous sculptures.
Oberlin College accepted Olney’s gift with the understanding that many of the works would be sold, with the proceeds used to purchase objects of superior quality, to which Olney’s name would be attached. These proceeds were added to an endowment that Olney left as part of his bequest to the College. Today, the Charles Olney Fund is generally used to acquire works on paper, such as the print shown above.
See this work and find out more about the formation of the AMAM collection in the current exhibit, “A Museum for Oberlin.”
Image:
Peter Behrens (German, 1868–1940)
Kopfe (Kussende), 1898
Color woodcut
Overall: 10 3/4 x 8 7/16 in. (273 x 214 mm)
Charles F. Olney Fund, AMAM 1959.107
