DAVID OWSLEY

OWSLEY--David T. David T. Owsley, distinguished art historian, curator, and philanthropist, passed away on August 23, 2025 in New York City. He was 96. Mr. Owsley transformed his lifelong passion for art - ignited during childhood years in Europe - into a legacy of cultural preservation and education. Born on August 20, 1929, in Dallas, Texas, Mr. Owsley was the son of Lucina (Lucy) Ball Owsley - daughter of Elizabeth Brady Ball and Frank C. Ball, President of Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company (now Ball Corporation) - and Lt. Col. Alvin M. Owsley, a Texas lawyer, World War I veteran, and former National Commander of the American Legion (1922-23). In the 1930's, under F.D.R., his father held diplomatic roles as U.S. minister to Romania, the Irish Free State, and Denmark, exposing young David to Europe's historic treasures, fostering his early love for art and artifacts. With World War II approaching, the family returned to the United States in 1939, settling in Indiana and summering on the shore of Lake Michigan. Mr. Owsley attended preparatory school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. He earned a B.A. in English literature from Harvard University in 1951. Bowing to family expectations of a career in industry, he enrolled in Harvard Business School, but he left after one year. Drafted into military service, he served two years in Air Force Intelligence, achieving the rank of first lieutenant. Post-service, he spent a year attending Stanford Law School prior to working in public relations at McCann Erickson in New York City. During this period, he began frequenting galleries and museums, discovering his true calling in art. In 1961, Mr. Owsley pursued his passion formally, enrolling at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts, studying under prominent art historians and earning a master's degree in Medieval and Renaissance art in 1964. He was awarded a fellowship to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and worked there in the American Art Dept., followed by a position as assistant curator of Decorative Arts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 1965. From 1966 to 1968, he served as a visiting curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Returning stateside in 1968, he became the curator of Antiquities, Oriental Art, and Decorative Arts for the Carnegie Institute (now the Carnegie Museum of Art) in Pittsburgh, holding the role for a decade. In 1978, he returned to his beloved Manhattan, where he remained for the rest of his life, serving as a fine arts appraiser, consultant, and philanthropist. He continued supporting institutions including the Asia Society, the Frick Collection, and the Met, while deepening his ties to both the Dallas Museum of Art and Ball State University in his hometowns of Dallas and Muncie. At Ball State University, Mr. Owsley donated approximately 3,000 works - paintings, sculptures, and objects - comprising a quarter of the university's collection and spanning global cultures. His contributions led to the creation of the David T. Owsley Ethnographic Gallery in 1978, the President's Medal of Distinction in 1989, and an honorary Doctor of Humanities in 2005. In 2010, the university's museum was renamed as the David Owsley Museum of Art (DOMA). In 2024, he established the David T. Owsley Fund, ensuring the museum's collections would thrive for future generations. Mr. Owsley honored his family's Texas roots by assembling a significant collection of Southeast Asian sculpture, Himalayan art, and Indian miniature paintings, enhancing the Asian art holdings for the Dallas Museum of Art. The DMA dedicated the David T. Owsley Galleries to showcase his contributions. Mr. Owsley left substantial endowments to both DOMA and the DMA. To us, his family, David Owsley was the most colorful uncle a child could hope for, a genie from another world in our everyday existence, taking us to museums at home and abroad. On our trips to historic sites, as we wandered, a crowd would invariably gather, listening discreetly but intently to his fascinating descriptions of every object or painting, bringing them to life, detailing their purpose and meaning. He never let a moment pass in his life that was not filled with celebrating life, art, and culture, and his legacy will continue to inspire and educate for years to come. Mr. Owsley is survived by his beloved nieces and nephew, Carol Owsley McFadden, Sophia Owsley Garrett, Steven Owsley and his wife, Cabrina, and Gloria Perkins Garrett, as well as numerous grandnieces, grandnephews, cousins, and members of the extended Ball family. A private funeral service for the family was held in Dallas. In keeping with Mr. Owsley's wishes, a celebration will be held at a later date in New York City. In lieu of customary remembrances, should you wish to make a donation in David Owsley's memory, we encourage you to contribute to: * The David Owsley Museum of Art: https://bsu.edu/doma/give * The Dallas Museum of Art: https://support.dma.org/ secure/annual-fund