Elmhurst University Art Collection, A.C. Buehler Library

Focusing on artists working in Chicago between 1950 and the present, the collection displays a broad range of artistic ideas and influences.

The collection dates to 1971, when Elmhurst University received federal funding to purchase art for the newly built A.C. Buehler Library. The University focused its collection on works by a group of emerging and affordable Chicago artists—a group that would later be known as the Chicago Imagists.

The first 10 pieces included Jim Nutt’s Toot Toot Woo Woo, Roger Brown’s Performance, Christina Ramberg’s Glimpsed, and Miyoko Ito’s Chinoiserie.

Over the years, the University has added many more works to the collection, thanks to matching grants from the Illinois Arts Council, gifts from artists, and generous donors. Today, the University’s professional collection comprises more than 150 works of art, including many important works by major Imagists and Abstractionists.

Access to the Library is free.