Oscar Brousse Jacobson (May 16, 1882 – September 15, 1966) was a Swedish-born American painter and museum curator. From 1915 to 1945, he was the director of the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

's School of Art, later known as the

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is an art museum on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, Oklahoma. Overview The University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art holds over 20,000 objects in its permanent collection. The museum c ...

. He curated exhibitions and wrote books about Native American art.

Early life

Anders Oskar Jacobsson was born on May 16, 1882, on Västra Eknö, an island off the coast of

Kalmar County Kalmar County () is a county or '' län'' in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Kronoberg, Jönköping, Blekinge and Östergötland. To the east in the Baltic Sea is the island Gotland. The counties are mainly administrative units. Geo ...

Småland Småland () is a historical province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means ''Small Lands''. The Latinized fo ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

.Fur, ''Painting Culture, Painting Nature'', 37. His mother was Anna Lena Olofsdotter, and his father was Nils Petter Jacobsson. With his parents and siblings, he emigrated to the United States in 1890 and settled in Kansas.Fur, ''Painting Culture, Painting Nature'', 47. In 1908, Jacobson graduated from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. He earned a master's degree at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

and returned to Bethany College, where he earned a doctoral degree. Jacobson Hall

Career

Jacobson directed

's School of Art from 1915 to 1945. He became curator of the University of Oklahoma Museum of Art (now the

) in 1936. With Professor

Edith Mahier Edith Mahier (1892 – 1967) was an American artist and art instructor who was instrumental in helping develop the talent of the Kiowa Six during their studies at the University of Oklahoma. In 1941, she won the commission to complete the post o ...

, he supported Native American artists known as the

Kiowa Six The Kiowa Six, previously known as the Kiowa Five, is a group of six Kiowa artists from Oklahoma in the early 20th century, working in the "Kiowa style". The artists were Spencer Asah, James Auchiah, Jack Hokeah, Stephen Mopope, Monroe Tsatoke and L ...

. Jacobson was an important figure in the development of Southern Plains, Oklahoma, or Kiowa Flatstyle painting. His notable students included Kiowa Six artists (

Stephen Mopope Stephen Mopope (1898–1974) was a Kiowa painter, dancer, and Native American flute player from Oklahoma. He was the most prolific member of the group of artists known as the Kiowa Six.Watson, Mary JoMopope, Stephen (1898-1974). ''Oklahoma Histori ...

, Lois Smoky Kaulaity, Jack Hokeah,

Monroe Tsatoke Monroe Tsatoke (1904–1937) was a Kiowa painter and a member of the Kiowa Six from Oklahoma.Watson, Mary JoTsatoke, Monroe (1904-1937) ''Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.'' (29 April 2009) Early life Mon ...

Spencer Asah Spencer Asah (c. 1908–1954) was a Kiowa painter and a member of the Kiowa Six from Oklahoma. Early life Spencer Asah was born in 1908 in Carnegie, Oklahoma. His Kiowa name was Lallo (Little Boy). His father was a buffalo medicine man. Asah's ...

James Auchiah James Auchiah (1906–1974) was a Kiowa painter and one of the Kiowa Six from Oklahoma.Watson, Mary JoAuchiah, James (1906-1974) ''Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.'' (28 April 2009) Early life James Auc ...

) as well as

Acee Blue Eagle Acee Blue Eagle (17 August 1907 – 18 June 1959) was a Native American artist, educator, dancer, and Native American flute player,Wyckoff, 92 who directed the art program at Bacone College. His birth name was Alexander C. McIntosh, he also we ...

Woody Crumbo Woodrow Wilson Crumbo (January 21, 1912—April 4, 1989) ( Potawatomi) was an artist, Native American flute player, and dancer who lived and worked mostly in the West of the United States. A transcript of his daughter's interview shows that Mr. ...

, and William Standing. Jacobson retired as a research professor

emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

of art in 1952. A nationally known landscape painter and portraiturist, Jacobson completed more than 500 paintings during the course of his career. Most of these sold to private collectors. His artworks were also acquired by the

, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, and the

Woolaroc Museum Woolaroc is a museum and wildlife preserve located in the Osage Hills of Northeastern Oklahoma on Oklahoma State Highway 123 about southwest of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and north of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Woolaroc was established in 1925 as the ranch ...

. Jacobson founded Association of Oklahoma Artists. The Oklahoma Hall of Fame inducted him in 1949.

Personal life

Jacobson married Sophie Brousse, a French-born art historian, whose pen name was Jeanne d'Ucel. They had a son and two daughters. They resided at the

Oscar B. Jacobson House Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the Oklahoma C ...

, now listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Death and legacy

In 1952, Jacobson Hall on the University of Oklahoma campus was named in his honor. Jacobson died on September 15, 1966, in Norman. His funeral was held at the First Presbyterian Church in Norman. The University of Oklahoma's art museum was renamed the

in 1992. Jacobson's work was featured at "The Art of Oklahoma" exhibition at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art in 2017.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobson, Oscar 1882 births 1966 deaths American art curators Swedish emigrants to the United States People from Kalmar County People from Norman, Oklahoma Bethany College (Kansas) alumni Yale University alumni University of Oklahoma faculty Directors of museums in the United States Painters from Oklahoma 20th-century American painters American male painters 20th-century American male artists