The library has over 190 art works on exhibit.
There are four named galleries in the library. Art is also displayed in several other areas on first and second floor.
The Winnifred M. Cone GalleryNamed in honor of the wife of the artist, this gallery contains a comprehensive collection of paintings and drawings by Marvin Cone, class of 1914.
Composed of more than 60 pieces at this time, the Cone holdings are particularly noteworthy in that the majority of the pieces were personally selected by Marvin Cone himself, as representative of major stylistic watersheds in his career. As such, they possess particular significance for both the scholar and the layperson. Also noteworthy are the earliest and last pieces in the collection. Lamellibranchiata (Unio) (Clam) was drawn in 1912 while Marvin was a student at Coe. Remembered Light, both the study in graphite and the final oil were some of the last pieces executed by the artist.
Two works by other artists hang in the gallery. Malnutrition, an early portrait of Marvin, by his life long friend Grant Wood, has been graciously lent by the Cone Family Trust. Reflections, by George Henry, is a photograph of both Marvin and Winnifred in the artist's studio of their Cedar Rapids home.
Winnifred M. Cone Gallery, East
| Malnutrition (Grant Wood) | 1919 | oil on panel |
| Strange to Me Now | 1948 | oil on canvas |
| Roadside Farm | 1941 | oil on board |
| Shapes on Shapes No.4 | 1963 | oil on canvas |
| Three Doorways | 1951 | oil on canvas |
| Intervals No. 2 | 1958 | oil on canvas |
| Shadowed Door No.2 | 1961 | oil on canvas |
| Thunderhead No.3 | @1941 | oil on canvas |
| Uncle Ben | 1942 | oil on canvas |
| Dark Design | 1949 | oil on canvas |
| The Tapestry of the Jilted Lover | 1931 | oil on canvas |
| Plant with Nude | @1930 | oil on canvas |
| Lilies for a God | 1945 | oil on board |
| The Old Red Barn | @1942 | oil on masonite |
| Roof Pattern | 1929 | oil on board |
| Taxco | 1939 | oil on canvas board |
| Melodrama | 1937 | oil on canvas |
| Maestro | @1940 | oil on canvas |
| Mask | 1935 | oil on masonite |
| Washing's Out | @1946 | oil on board |
| Old Things (chair from the painting Old Things on display) | @1930 | oil on canvas |
| Pink Silo | 1961 | oil on masonite |
| Brown Pears | @1963 | oil on masonite |
| Blue Pears | @1963 | oil on masonite |
| Two Pears | 1954 | oil on masonite |
| Three Pears | 1961 | oil on masonite |
| House and Wall | 1926 | oil on board |
| Hot Day | 1938-39 | oil on masonite |
| Lamellibranchiata (Unio) (Clam) | 1912 | ink drawing |
| Studio Demonstration | 1935 | oil on board |
| Untitled (rural landscape) | @1930 | oil on canvas |
| Grove | 1952 | oil on canvas |
| Clouds | n.d. | oil on canvas |
The East gallery includes a display case containing subjects from Marvin Cone's paintings, a bust made by Marvin Cone, and the insignia designed by Marvin Cone for the 34th division of the United States Army, along with some programs from Cone's art openings.
Winnifred M. Cone Gallery, West
| Riverbend No. 7 | 1940 | oil on canvas |
| Road to Waubeek | 1941 | oil on canvas |
| Old Quarry Stone City | 1932 | oil on canvas |
| Reflections (George Henry) | n.d. | photograph |
| Stone Fruit (lent by Georgeanne Louise Smith and Betsy Gage Nielson) | @1935 | oil on canvas |
| Stone Fruit | 1930 | charcoal on paper |
| Singular Abode | 1963 | oil on canvas |
| Blueprint for Fishermen | 1956 | oil on masonite |
| Blue Areas | 1954 | oil on canvas |
| Triptych/Panorama | 1938 | oil on canvas |
| Shadowed Door No. 3 | 1962 | oil on canvas |
| The Big Top | 1941 | oil on canvas |
| Under the Arch of Triumph, Paris | 1929 | oil on board |
| Elizabeth Street, Toronto, Canada | 1930 | oil on board |
| Blue and Gray Patterns No. 2 | 1957 | oil on canvas |
| Promenade, Luxembourg Gardens Paris | 1929 | oil on masonite |
| Educational Exhibit | 1939 | oil on canvas |
| Jean Hedberg Selder | 1940 | charcoal on paper |
| Reimer Rhode | @1930 | pencil |
| Strange Vigil | 1947 | oil on canvas |
| Night Shapes No. 2 | 1955 | oil on canvas |
| Housing Problem No. 3 | 1959 | oil on canvas |
| River Farm | 1938-39 | oil on canvas |
| Little Bohemia Tavern | 1944-45 | oil on canvas |
| Landmark | 1949 | oil on canvas |
| Golden Segments | 1962 | oil on canvas |
| Space Pattern No. 2 | 1956 | oil on canvas |
| Remembered Light | 1963 | graphite on paper |
| Remembered Light | 1963 | oil on canvas |
| Portrait of Winnifred | n.d. | oil on canvas |
Richter Room
| Totem Pole | Hodaka Yoshida | 1958 | lithograph |
| Festivities in a Town Square | Schoevaerdts/Bout | @1710 | oil on board |
| Missal Leaf: Genesis (French) | Anon. | 1150 | ink |
| Latin Bible Leaf (German) | Anon. | 1450 | ink |
| Hymn Book Page (Latin) | Anon. | n.d. | ink |
| Missal Leaf: (English) | Anon. | 1440 | ink, gold |
| Tapestry | Anon. | n.d. | woven fabric |
| Winter | Ansei Uchima | 1959 | woodblock |
| Summer | Ansei Uchima | 1959 | woodblock |
| Old Quarry, Stone City | Marvin Cone | 1936 | oil on canvas |
Reference Area
| R.W. Stewart | Anon. | n.d. | oil on canvas |
| Fields and Water | Zora Du Vall | 1961 | oil on canvas |
| Professor Kocher (at Coe Studio) | David Gorman | 2003 | oil on canvas |
| Einstein | Mauricio Lasansky | 1985 | etching |
| Still Life | James Lechay | 1945 | oil on canvas |
| Mr. President: study of Lincoln | Mauricio Lasansky | n.d. | intaglio |
| Witness | Ben Frank Moss | 1993 | oil on print |
| Atlantic Coast, Seabrook Is, S.C. | Robert Kocher | 1984 | watercolor |
| Plupersephone | Robert Kocher | 1971 | mixed media on canvas |
| Winter: Iowa | Robert Kocher | 1987-1990 | acrylic on canvas |
Whipple Browsing Area
| Old Red Barn | Marvin Cone | 1956 | oil on canvas |
| Fourth Flight | Marvin Cone | 1954 | oil on canvas |
| Ballet Class | Richard Pinney | n.d. | mixed media sculpture |
| Traffic on "B" Avenue | George Henry | 1965 | photograph |
| Mrs. Betty Fisher | George Henry | 1964 | photograph |
| Library, Expanded | George Henry | 1987 | photograph |
| Student in Library Stacks | George Henry | n.d. | photograph |
| Miss Gayle Schroeder Coe Beauty | Joan Thaler | 2003 | pastel on paper |
Pochobradsky Reading Room
Daphne et Chloe (set of 3) |
Aristide Maillol | n.d. | woodcuts |
| La Marchande DíOiseaux | Fernard Leger | 1958 | lithograph |
| Sirene | Raoul Dufy | @1925 | etching |
| M. Button | Thomas Nast | 1890 | |
| What the Wild West is Saying | Thomas Nast | 1892 | pen and ink |
| U.S., English and Irish | Thomas Nast | @1905 | pen and ink |
| Colourbloc | Karen Appel | 1961 | lithograph |
| Love Me, Love My Dog | Leonard Baskin | @1956 | engraving |
| La Revue Blanche | Pierre Bonnard | 1894 | lithograph |
| May Milton | Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec | 1895 | lithograph |
| Le Deuxieme volume de Bruant | Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec | 1890 | lithograph |
| Frightened Boy with Tea Towel | Stephen Cone Weeks | 1985 | mixed media |
| Cream of Mushroom | Andy Warhol | 1968 | silkscreen on paper |
| Gladioli in Pineapple Pitcher | Eugene Speicher | @1930 | oil on canvas |
| Le Voyage | Nicolai Kuvshinoff | @1960 | oil on canvas |
| Trap For the Moon IV | Trap For the Moon IV | n.d. | oil on wood and canvas |
| Untitled | Billy Al Bengston | @1965 | oil, lacquer, and wood |
| Gnomon | Alfred Jenson | 1960 | lithograph |
| Night Cry No. 1 | John Schulze | 1969 | photograph |
| Auntie Billie Series No. 8 (triptych) | Stephen Cone Weeks | 1979 | mixed media ink wash |
| Platonic Agreement | W. Quirt | 1940 | oil on canvas |
| Nymph | Emil-Othon Friesz | n.d. | lithograph |
| Magic | Byron Burford | 1988 | encaustic on board |
The Knapp Study Room contains a set of fifteen photographs by Iowa photographer John W. Barry of scenes from the summer art colony conducted by Grant Wood and Marvin Cone during the summers of 1932-33 in Stone City.
The Perrine Gallery (second floor)
Twelve of the fourteen works of Grant Wood owned by the College are on display in this gallery.
The six large farm murals on the east and west walls and the smaller mural, Fruit Basket, constitute the heart of this important regionalist portion of Coe's collection. Collectively they are known as The Fruits of Iowa and were commissioned by Eugene C. Eppley for the Coffee Shop of his Cedar Rapids Montrose Hotel. When the hotel changed ownership in 1956, the murals were lent to the College where they were prominently displayed in the Library. They have remained here ever since. In 1976, the Eppley Foundation graciously donated the murals to the College.
| Fruit Basket | 1932 | oil on canvas: mural |
| Farmer with Pigs and Corn | 1932 | oil on canvas: mural |
| Iowa Farm Landscape | 1932 | oil on canvas: mural |
| Farmer's Wife with Chickens | 1932 | oil on canvas: mural |
| Farmer's Daughter with Vegetables | 1932 | oil on canvas: mural |
| Boy Milking Cow | 1932 | oil on canvas: mural |
| Farmer's Son with Watermelon | 1932 | oil on canvas: mural |
Five smaller, yet significant works by Wood supplement these murals, including the charcoal on paper study of Daughters of Revolution, and some of his high school pieces.
| Two Drawings for the Pulse (Easter and May) | @1907 | lithograph |
| Stork | 1910 | watercolor on window shade |
| Midsummer (Indian Creek) | 1926 | oil on board |
| Two Drawings for the Pulse (Yule Tide and February) | @1908 | lithograph |
| Daughters of Revolution | 1932 | charcoal |
Coe College has also acquired a distinguished collection of works by Conger Metcalf, a 1936 graduate of the College. Although he studied under Marvin Cone at Coe, he actually graduated with a degree in music with the hopes of becoming a concert pianist. Instead, he built a wide reputation in the art world, especially in Boston where he worked for 50 years. The collection now totals forty-five works housed in and outside two galleries on the second floor.
Conger Metcalf Gallery
This gallery honoring the memory of the artist contains some of his finest drawings of children, as well as the largest piece executed by the artist, Sienese Shadow Patterns. The 1991 portrait of the artist by Warren and Lucia Prosperi hangs outside the gallery.
| Drawing on 18th Century Paper IV | 1990 | ink and graphite |
| Drawing on 17th Century Paper | n.d. | ink and wash |
| Studio Interior | 1989 | oil and graphite on clay-coated paper |
| Tavola | 1990 | oil and graphite on clay-coated paper |
| Harlequin | 1951 | ink and wash |
| Little Reader | 1973 | wash and graphite |
| The Paper Fan | 1975 | oil and graphite |
| The Cardinal's Villa | 1974 | wash on paper |
| Sienese Shadow Patterns | 1976 | oil on board |
| Miki Reading | n.d. | wash and graphite |
| Incised Drawing Page in Antwerp Blue | 1973 | oil on clay-coated paper |
| La Famiglia Venezianna | 1965 | oil on board |
| Michael at the Easel | 1972 | chalk on wash |
| Spanish Model | 1978 | oil on clay-coated paper |
| Boy in Playroom | @ 1960 | graphite and wash |
| Conger Metcalf (Warren & Lucia Prosperi) | 1991 | oil on canvas |
| Cantane | 1977 | conte crayon |
| Study Page at Antwerp Blue | 1980 | oil on coated paper |
| The Sentinels | 1994 | oil on coated paper |
| Manuela | 1980 | oil on coated paper |
| Still Life (Venetian collage) | 1976 | oil on coated paper |
| Summer Still Life | 1968 | oil on graphite |
Reva and John Pashgian Gallery
This gallery, both inside and out, continues the Metcalf collection and was named the Reva and John Pashgian Gallery at the request of their son, Gordon J. Pashgian, class of 1971. The gallery contains some of Metcalf’s best technical drawings and highlights his superb draftsmanship. A recent addition is Metcalf’s remembered image of his mother, Medora. This piece is on permanent loan from the Washington County Historical Society where it hung for many years. Also of importance in this gallery are early works from high school while others were completed when Metcalf was a student at the College.
| Requiem | 1979 | oil and graphite on clay-coated paper |
| Study for a Painting | 1974 | wash and graphite |
| Homage a Picasso | 1974 | oil and wash |
| Head Studies | 1973 | ink and wash |
| Ancient Wall | 1976 | oil and graphite |
| Piazza Di Spagna, Roma: Sleeping Figure | 1973 | pen and ink |
| Figure | ||
| Standing Figure | 1973 | oil on board |
| Still Life Venetian Red | 1974 | oil and wash |
| Somber Still Life | 1979 | oil and graphite on clay-coated paper |
| Summer Concert | 1980 | ink and wash |
| Eggs on Matisse | 1940 | oil and graphite on clay-coated paper |
| Technical Study: Eggs on a Matisse | n.d. | oil and graphite on clay-coated paper |
| Incised Drawing | 1975 | mixed media |
| Medora (on loan from Washington county historic society) | 1974 | oil and graphite on clay-coated paper |
| Study for Medora | 1974 | oil and graphite on clay-coated paper |
| Alexandra's Chair | 1982 | oil on gessoed paper |
| Study of Aged Ballerina | 1950 | conte crayon on paper |
| Preparatory Sketch for 2 Otis Place | 1964 | ink on paper |
| Preparatory Sketch for 2 Otis Place No. 2 | 1964 | ink on paper |
| Interior: 2 Otis Place | 1964 | oil and graphite on clay-coated paper |
| Untitled (Woman's Head) | 1930 | colored pencil |
| Ruth Isabel Nehls | 1931 | drawing |
| Mary Elizabeth Bailey (on loan from Marvin Bailey) | 1932 | drawing |
| Painting for an XVIII Century Frame | 1976 | oil and graphite on clay-coated paper |
Upper Reading Room
| Buildings in Far Rochaway | Benjamin Kopman | 1940 | oil on canvas |
| Torero | Ludwig Bemelmans | 1950 | ink drawing |
| La Petite Afrique | Graham Sutherland | 1953 | lithograph |
| Notre Dame | Henri Matisse | 1925 | etching |
| Vallauris Exposition | Pablo Picasso | 1952 | litho-graph poster |
| Mme. De Pompadour | Henri Matisse | 1951 | colored lithograph |
| Composition: Lighthouse | Raymond Guerrier | 1935 | oil |
| Space Construction | Fred Ottenson | 1963 | collage |
| Untitled | Fillipe Orlando | n.d. | gouache on paper |
| The Satellite | Charles Campbell | 1962 | oil on board |
| Gray Net | Howard Thomas | 1969 | polymer on board |
| New York | Abraham Walkowitz | 1913 | watercolor |
| Improvisation | Abraham Walkowitz | 1913 | watercolor |
| Untitled | Carlos Merida | 1940 | lithograph |
| Saddle | n.d. | ||
| Motorcycles | Joseph Hirsch | 1960 | oil on canvas |
| Femmes | Charles Levier | 1945 | oil on canvas |
| Auras Alpha Xe NH S-1 | Lemmy | 1962 | resin and acrylic |
| Grandpa Trujillo | Ramon Kelley | 1972 | oil on board |