Omaha’s Joslyn Art Museum’s transformational redo capped by massive new collection reveal

That epic endeavor coincides with the creation of the Rhonda & Howard Hawks Pavilion, a 40,000-square-foot addition to the museum, which was recently rebranded as The Joslyn.

It also encompasses the long-anticipated unveiling of the Phillip G. Schrager Collection, 52 pieces of 20th- and 21st-century art that were promised to the museum in 2016.

The new reinstallation, the pavilion and the display of the massive new collection will all be on display for visitors Sept. 10, when The Joslyn reopens after a nearly two-year, $100 million renovation. The combination, museum officials and others have said, will be transformational for attendees this year and for generations to come.

Chief Curator Taylor Acosto says excitement at the museum is palpable, and she’s thrilled to be part of the action.

“To say that it’s kind of a once-in-a-career opportunity is kind of an understatement,” she said in a recent interview.

Work on the Schrager installation is especially compelling. Acosto and Joslyn Executive Director Jack Becker both say its artwork — donated by Schrager’s widow, Terri — is a game-changer for the museum.

“The Schrager collection will help raise visibility and (give us) national stature,” Becker said. “I think it is one of the most important gifts in the history of the museum.”

The collection features noted artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Mark di Suvero, Morris Louis, Brice Marden, Richard Diebenkorn and Omaha native Ed Ruscha. It encompasses everything from large-scale oil paintings and sculptures to works using unusual media like buttons and glue. One piece, Robert Geber’s “Small Bathroom Sink” (1984), is exactly what it sounds like.

Phillip Schrager was an Omaha businessman and philanthropist who helped underserved populations, especially young people. He founded the Pacesetter Corp., a national leader in the direct-sales home improvement industry.

In a 2008 World-Herald interview, he said his interest in art began on a trip to Europe after his sophomore year in college. He saw Rembrandt’s masterpiece “The Night Watch” in Amsterdam and was impressed by its size.

When he started collecting, he leaned toward big abstract paintings with texture from layers of paint or other materials, according to a World-Herald story about the gift to Joslyn in 2016. He bought not only from established artists but also from many people who were just starting out.

A 2012 article in Artland magazine by The Joslyn’s Janet Farber said he had collected about 500 works of art in his lifetime. He died in 2010 at age 72.

His younger brother Harley Schrager, a current member of the Joslyn board of governors, says his brother’s collection was not based on a desire to be an investor.

“He never planned on selling it in whole or in large part just to make a capital gain,” Harley Schrager said in a recent interview. “He was an art collector because he loved it. He had a passion for it. Most were worth a fraction of what they are today when they were bought. He was buying them because he loved the chase, he loved the work and he loved living with it surrounding him.”

Phillip Schrager displayed many of the pieces at his home and others at galleries in the Pacesetter Corp.

Harley said his sister-in-law, Terri, gave a great deal of thought and self-examination to her decision to present some of her husband’s acquisitions to The Joslyn in 2016.

And, he said, the artwork included in the gift was “by and large, the most consequential of the collection.”

As the Schrager family and museum officials began discussing the gift, both Becker and Harley Schrager said the talks were fruitful but not easy. Schrager said they discussed such things as deaccession (removing a piece from a collection), how long the art would hang in the initial installation and whether works could be loaned.

“And that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “It was as complex as any negotiation over a valuable asset would be.”

The new building was part of the discussion from Day 1, Schrager said, because before the gift was offered, the museum did not have a large enough postwar collection to display in a new structure. He said he thinks the building was built because of the collection.

Becker acknowledged that the Schrager collection was a major reason for the pavilion but said the growth of collections in general, a desire for more gallery space, a more visitor-friendly entrance and the desire to increase programming were also precipitating factors.

Acosto said the installation balances honoring Phil Schrager’s vision and attending to specific works of art.

“How to put them in dialogue, and how to put them in a space so visitors can engage with them and make connections between them,” she said. “People will pick up on themes, such as the fact that he gravitated toward large-scale abstract paintings. He also embraced shifting ideas about the (human) figure since the 20th century.”

Both the curator and Becker said they think the result will be something people will visit again and again.

Pieces in the Schrager collection, Acosto said, could very well become touchstones for regular Joslyn visitors, much as its works by well-known artists Edgar Degas and Grant Wood have been.

Becker said he thinks visitors will find the collection accessible, no matter what they know — or don’t know — about art, especially contemporary works.

“I think when you come to a museum, you just sort of look and you’re always surprised with what you gravitate toward,” he said. “You might gravitate toward something else the next time you come.”

For his part, Harley Schrager was eager to see the art on the Joslyn walls. He was to get that chance a few days after the interview at an event for his family and major donors.

“Personally, I’ve been waiting with bated breath for eight years,” he said. “I think it’s a wonderful tribute to my brother. He was my mentor, my best friend. This puts The Joslyn on the map. This is transformational for the museum and the city.”