Anthony Petullo Collection Archive

Archives

Scottie Wilson, Orange and Purple Swans (detail), ca. 1955–65.

Ink and crayon on board. 10 7/16 × 15 in. Gift of Anthony Petullo, M2012.245 Photo by Larry Sanders.

Overview

The Anthony Petullo Collection greatly enhances the Milwaukee Art Museum’s holdings of self-taught material. Petullo, a retired Milwaukee businessman, built his collection over a span of three decades, acquiring works by the most important European and American artists in the genre. The Petullo Collection’s strength is in European self-taught art and represents the most extensive grouping of this work in any American museum or private collection. Petullo’s intention from the outset was to build a personal collection that would complement the Museum’s holdings, and his gift now firmly establishes the Milwaukee Art Museum as a leading American institution for self-taught material.