Building a permanent art collection that serves the teaching needs of a large university is no small feat. The DePaul University Art Museum is proudly presenting the fruits of this labor in its fall exhibition, “Collection Under Construction: Building a Teaching Museum,” which opened Sept. 13 and runs through Nov. 21, at 2350 N. Kenmore Ave.

According to Louise Lincoln, director of the museum, an advisory board composed of faculty from a wide range of academic areas assisted in building a collection that is diverse enough to support and enrich study in a variety of disciplines. “Ideally, a good teaching collection reflects and supports the evolving nature of a university itself,” explained Lincoln.

The category of African-American art represents one of the strongest areas of growth in DePaul’s collection. According to Lincoln, many of these artists have been long overlooked, yet are increasingly the subjects of study and research. Newly acquired works include prints by Romare Bearden and Martin Puryear.

The university’s classical and modern African art holdings include an excellent collection of traditional sub-Saharan sculpture, masks and religious and decorative arts objects. A recent gift of African art included a full masquerader’s costume, as well as works by contemporary African artists.

DePaul’s strong collection of mid-20th century photography is now complemented by a growing collection of earlier images from Latin America, which includes 19th century Mexican albumen prints and a cyanotype—important pieces in the history of photography. Masterworks by the great artist Manuel Alvarez Bravo are complemented by images from the contemporary photographer Mario Algaze.

The university received an impressive gift of Old Master prints—Rembrandt, Hogarth and others—earlier this year from Thomas Brown, late professor emeritus of music. “Works such as these form the cornerstone of any teaching collection,” said Lincoln. “They are so integral to the art and history of the West that a single image might be studied for printmaking techniques, artist’s biography, historical content, literary allusion or gender issues—the list is infinite.”

DePaul’s identity is closely intertwined with that of the City of Chicago, and the university’s collection of works by Chicago artists enhances that connection. In building its collection, the museum has gravitated toward works that illuminate the turbulent, complex and relatively unknown history of Chicago art—from streetscapes to the pop images of Ed Paschke.

Finally, each year a juried exhibition of studio art students’ work is shown at DePaul. Through the Donald and Christine Casey Purchase Prize, the museum is able to add one of these works to the permanent collection, annually. Donald Casey is the dean of DePaul’s music school. Thus far, the student works in the DePaul collection are notable for their diversity and emphasis on new technologies and media.

A small endowment funded some of the recent purchases, but the bulk of new acquisitions have come through generous gifts, primarily from individual donors. The museum also was the recipient of a 2007 Judith Rothschild Foundation grant that will allow for the purchase of up to four paintings by Christina Ramberg, whose work, from the late sixties to the eighties, made her a central figure among contemporary, feminist artists in Chicago.

“These past few years have seen a dramatic increase in our acquisitions,” said Lincoln. “Such gifts contribute every day to the knowledge and enjoyment of our students and visitors, and we are deeply grateful for the support of our donors.”

The DePaul Art Museum is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.; Friday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from noon until 5 p.m. For more information about “Collection Under Construction” or other museum programs and exhibitions, please call 773/325-7506 or visit the Web site at http://museums.depaul.edu/artwebsite/.