O. Gail Poole’s Sideshow Exhibition Honors Artist’s Legacy By Carleigh Foutch
O. Gail Poole (U.S. 1935-2013), Strong Man, ca. 2000, oil on Masonite, 22” x 16 1/2”, courtesy of The O. Gail Poole Collection
When you think of O. Gail Poole (1935-2013), words like eclectic, masterful, and influential come to mind. In fact, they’re hard not to when admiring the caricatures of culture that so often appeared in his work. To honor Poole’s legacy, the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma will be showcasing the talented Oklahoma native from January 24 to May 10, 2020, for all to appreciate and enjoy. For Mark White, director at the FJJMoA, bringing Poole’s work to the museum was an easy choice.
6
re v i e w
“In 2019, I approached Nicole [Poole’s daughter] with the idea of an exhibition focused on the last two decades of her father’s career,” he said. “He encouraged people to question and think for themselves... He wasn’t interested in forcing viewers to decode his paintings, but to consider carefully and arrive at their own meaning.” Audiences can expect plenty of absurdism and satire when perusing O. Gail Poole’s Sideshow. The exhibition is the perfect blend of Poole’s plurality and technique, a spectacle of the odd and unusual, which brings nothing but pride and honor to Nicole Poole.