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The Graduate Theological Union library was envisioned as a facility that would be more than just a library/office building: it would be open to the public for lectures, events and for the display of art, sculpture, rare books and historical materials. The exhibits were selected to show how art reflected the spiritual in humanity
While GTU was founded in 1962, it took almost 20 years before a separate common library building was completed. Constructed in two phases, the basement and first level were available for use in 1981. Due to limited space, the exhibits tended to be small. Usually they featured paintings and prints that were for sale.
The second phase added the second and third level in 1987. With the addition of a gallery wall and a rotunda of exhibit cases on the second floor, more extensive displays could be shown.
The exhibits showcased many differrent artists, ranging from local and relatively unknown artists to famous figures in the art and architectural world, such as Christo and Richard Meier. While the exhibits usually featured a single artist, occasionally exhibits were based on a Bay Area collector (Steven Pattie) or a religious theme (Evil). And while the exhibits usually featured Western artists, several featured the work of Japanese artists, such as Keiko Nelson and Kazuaki Tanahashi.
This page contains many of the flyers and cards that were used to announce the exhibits. For more information, see the online Finding Aid,
Additional material on many of these artists and exhibits can be found in the archival collection in the library.