CHICAGO, IL.- Intuit Art Museum, recognized worldwide as one of the few institutions dedicated solely to championing the work of self-taught artists, announced the expansion of its collection with two major gifts from the collections of Chicago art collector, curator and advocate Jan Petry and of Los Angeles-based advocate, scholar and collector Gordon W. Bailey. The combined 61 total new acquisitions extend IAM’s ability to welcome both new and familiar audiences to the diverse worldviews and experiences of self-taught artists.
President and CEO Debra Kerr says, “Jan Petry and Gordon Bailey are two of the most influential collectors in the country. Jan was involved with IAM from its earliest days and was a key force in bringing the newly expanded museum to reality. Gordon has gifted hundreds of artworks to prominent museums and organized and curated important exhibitions, including co-curating—with Jan—IAM ’s 2001 Sam Doyle exhibition. His gift recognizes IAM’s expansion, renovation and heightened presence in the art world. Their gifts, which bring new artists’ stories into our galleries, strengthen our ability to serve and inspire the many communities who rely on our museum as a place of connection, creativity and discovery.”
Bailey’s gift includes 14 works made from the mid-1960s to the present, ranging from works on paper to mixed media on wood, including exceptional works by Sam Doyle, Sybil Gibson and Roy Ferdinand. Other artists whose artworks have been gifted by Bailey to IAM include Leroy Almon Sr., Alpha Andrews, Hope Atkinson, Brenda Davis, William Dawson, Robert Hamblin, Daniel Johnston, Harry Lieberman, Samuel Pace, Herbert Singleton and Mose Tolliver.
The 47 objects gifted by Jan Petry date as far back as 1880 and as recent as 2020, featuring paintings, drawings and sculptures by major figures in American self-taught art. These artists include Emery Blagdon, James Castle, Ulysses Davis, Charles Dellschau, William Hawkins, Martín Ramírez, Günther Schützenhöfer and Leopold Strobl, alongside works that reflect Petry’s passion for design, furniture and maritime themes by anonymous creators. A selection of these works will be on view in the exhibition Life is an Art: The Collection of Jan Petry from April 9, 2026, to March 21, 2027, curated by IAM Chief Curator Alison Amick.
