Columbia, SC - The largest and most significant collection of South Carolina art ever acquired by the South Carolina State Museum has Curator of Art Paul Matheny almost beside himself with excitement.  The collection of 104 pieces, assembled over about 20 years by noted art enthusiast Mark Coplan, fits the museum's mission perfectly, Matheny says :

"We want to preserve and promote South Carolina artists and their work, and increase the museum's collection of contemporary South Carolina art.  This collection is primarily the work of living, working South Carolina artists, and represents some of their best work, as Mark was not only an enthusiastic collector, but also very discriminating."

The pieces in the acquisition include pottery, paintings, wood carvings, drawings, photography, printmaking, sculpture and more by artists such as Leo Twiggs, Corrie McCallum, Alfred Hutty, Ed Lewandowski, Carl Blair, Preston Orr, Cecil Williams, Robert Courtright and more.

Coplan began collecting art in the 1970s and passed away in 2002, and eventually his large collection was divided among his family.  The State Museum's acquisition, which represents more than 25 percent of the total collection, was purchased from his sister Lana Coplan Schlossberg and her husband Michael.  Two pieces of the collection already have been on exhibit.  They are early paintings on paper by Brian Rutenberg, seen until recently in a show of his work in the Lipscomb Gallery.  They now remain with the museum.