Ronald Ollie, ME’73, and his wife, Monique, added depth and breadth to the Saint Louis Art Museum’s holdings by providing 81 works by contemporary African-American artists.

Ollie’s parents were frequent visitors to the museum and instilled in him and his siblings a deep appreciation of art. His childhood fascination with abstract art grew into a passion when, as an adult, he began to acquire abstract works by artists he admired and, often, befriended.

“My wife and I share the Saint Louis Art Museum’s commitment of advancing knowledge while introducing art to people of all ages and backgrounds,” said Ollie, who retired from a 30-year career in business development that included leadership positions at Fortune 500 firms and top architecture and engineering firms across the country. “The museum’s collection helped ignite my passion — we are delighted to know works we have stewarded might do the same for future generations.”

The Thelma and Bert Ollie Memorial Art Collection includes 81 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and sculpture, including significant works by African-American artists.

The Ollies also gave an extensive collection of related resources — including a library of relevant books and an archive of ephemera and other research materials — that will support the study of the collection and provide a basis for future scholarship.