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Collector and art patron George Kravis II received the Governor’s Arts Award, which recognizes individuals and organizations for their significant contributions to the arts in Oklahoma.

His contribution to the Philbrook Museum served as the foundation for the Museum’s 75,000 square-foot expansion that opened in 1990. In 2008 Kravis gifted the Philbrook with 250 significant modern and contemporary pieces from his iconic industrial design collection that he amassed over the past decade, enabling the museum to expand its focus to include design.

International in scope, the George Kravis Collection includes works from c.1900 to the present, with particular strengths in American industrial design of the 1930s and ‘40s. Comprised of furniture, ceramics, glass, metalwork and plastic objects created by central figures in the history of design, the George Kravis Collection lends an entirely new aspect to the Museum’s educational mission and to the visitor experience. Fifty selected works from this collection formed the core of the Philbrook’s 2009 exhibition “Better Living By Design,” curated by David Hanks and designed by Wendy Evans Joseph Architecture.

As a trustee for the Raymond and Bessie Kravis Foundation Kravis has provided scholarships for 100 Tulsa Public School teachers to attend the Fall Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain and has created the Kravis Discovery Center at the Gilcrease Museum. Additionally, Kravis has been a committed supporter of the Tulsa Symphony, the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa, Tulsa Ballet, Tulsa Symphony, and Living Arts of Tulsa.

First awarded in 1975, this year’s 35th Annual Governor’s Arts Award ceremony, sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council, took place at the Capitol in Oklahoma City. Kravis, was honored on November 10th.