The collection consists of files pertaining to art collector Ronald Ollie’s research on black artists. Spanning over fifty years (1966-present), the materials have an international scope, with an emphasis on themes such as abstraction, innovation, diaspora, collaboration, and education. Group exhibitions feature prominently, as do materials generated by important galleries in Detroit and New York. Ollie began to collect books prior to developing his art collection. He sought publications that documented historically significant art exhibitions highlighting the works of black artists, especially those whose works employed abstraction. Early friendships with Detroit gallerist and art educator George R. N’Namdi and artists Ed Clark, Herbert Gentry, Bill Hudson, Al Loving, and Frank Wimberley led to networking opportunities with a broad range of artists exhibiting works in the United States and abroad. As Ollie expanded his art collection, he increasingly sought supporting documentation about the artists whose works he purchased. Articles make up the bulk of the materials. Sources include both print and online publications. Such documents may be interfiled with correspondence, gallery announcements and other ephemera, DVDs, resumes, bibliographies, press kits, exhibition brochures, catalogues and gallery guides. For researchers interested in American abstraction; art education and mentoring; artists’ self-stated aims, exhibitions, and gallery representation; this collection will prove an especially beneficial resource. For those interested in knowing more about the Saint Louis Art Museum’s Thelma and Bert Ollie Memorial Art Collection, these files provide important information regarding Ollie’s collecting practices and his relationships with artists, gallerists, and curators.