Douglas Drake (courtesy of Elisabeth Kirsch)
A groundbreaking force for contemporary art in Kansas City
Douglas Drake, a contemporary art specialist who helped steer the course of Kansas City culture for more than 60 years, passed away June 22, 2025.
Born in Chicago in 1943 while his father was stationed in the Pacific, Drake, his parents and two older sisters moved to Kansas City in 1947. An avid student and athlete, he was the 1961 valedictorian of what is now Pembroke Hill School. Doug won many athletic and scholarship awards. He attended Williams College in Massachusetts, becoming class president and Junior Phi Beta Kappa. He then graduated from Stanford Business School.
After training to be a medic in the National Guard at Fort Hood, Texas, Drake returned to Kansas City. He fulfilled his military obligations serving once a month for eight years as a medic at Western Missouri Mental Health. He also worked for five years as an executive at Hallmark Cards. He married Judith McGuire and had two children, Jennifer and David. Jennifer, autistic and developmentally disabled, was the focus of Doug’s support and advocacy throughout her life.
During this time Drake became increasingly involved with contemporary art. He, along with friend, collector and Southern California gallerist Jack Glenn, began making trips around the country to various artist studios. After becoming friends with Ted Coe, the chief curator (and later director) at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Drake helped establish the Friends of Art while advising the board on purchases. Coe is credited with organizing the first museum exhibit of Pop Art in the country, and Kansas City seemed poised to look at and collect the newest American art.
In 1974 Drake converted an old dry cleaning building at 4500 State Line into a gallery space: Douglas Drake Fine Art. The gallery’s first exhibit was “Selected Modern Masters,” with paintings, drawings and sculpture by 51 artists including Edgar Degas, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, Joseph Cornell, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg.
At this time auction houses refused art dated later than 1960. Art history courses rarely included anything newer than Cubism in their curricula. In this environment Drake promoted video and performance art. He curated exhibits of Minimalist and Conceptual art including works by Brice Marden, Donald Judd, Virginia Jaramillo, Allan McCollum and Duane Michals. Douglas Drake Fine Art became a base of support for the work of seminal women artists such as Lynda Benglis, Miriam Schapiro, Vivian Torrence and Cindy Sherman. I remember clearly seeing Virginia Jaramillo’s paintings and large handmade paper pieces at the gallery. It was where I saw Ed Paschke’s work for the first time.
Drake exhibited sculpture by post-minimalists such as Gary Kuehn. The Color Field artists Jules Olitski, Larry Poons, Helen Frankenthaler and Dan Christensen were staples at the gallery. Christensen, who was valedictorian of his class at the Kansas City Art Institute, became a lifelong friend, as did many of the artists Drake worked with and knew. Drake showed sculptures by New York artist R.M. Fischer nearly a decade before Fischer received the One Percent for Art Commission to design the Bartle Hall Sky Stations.
Why did Drake become an art dealer and curator? I think he was a kind of artist. He valued curiosity and cultivated that trait in himself. He had a special love and expertise for Indigenous art from Africa, Asia and the Americas. Art is a synonym for love and curiosity. Both lead us to surprising destinations.
According to Kansas City artist Sherry Cromwell-Lacy, “Doug Drake Gallery came at a time when many young art collectors started to seriously look at cutting-edge contemporary art. Doug knew who and what to bring to the city. Gallery openings were packed; the work excited one’s intellect and challenged one’s understanding of contemporary art. Doug was a powerhouse of knowledge, and he represented the arts of other cultures too; he had it all. He is truly part of history and the composition of culture. His legacy will be written about and spoken of for generations.”
Drake represented many of the same artists throughout his career. He never worried about their current status in the art world. Artist Vivian Torrence wrote of Drake: “I was so fortunate to meet Doug in Kansas City almost 50 years ago. I was just starting to exhibit my work; he looked with deep interest, insight, and appreciation. He was a trusted and true art friend; his encouragement meant the world to me. I will miss his enthusiasm, but I’m grateful that his inquisitive spirit will always remain bright in my memory.”
Meeting with artists and talking to them about their work was a personal mission for Drake. Sculptor Will Nettleship wrote: “Doug was a help to all the artists he got to know. For a young artist it is vital to have someone knowledgeable look at the work. His encouragement was important to me at a time when I needed it most.” I met Nettleship through the gallery in the late 1970s and we remain friends.
In 1983, during a recession in the Midwest, seven galleries closed in Kansas City, including Douglas Drake Fine Art. Collectors in New York encouraged him to move there and establish a gallery, which he did in 1985 at 50 W. 57th Street. His wife, art historian Elisabeth Kirsch took a position in New York as curator of collections for Continental Insurance Corporation.
Drake continued to exhibit his roster of artists, including those from Kansas City. Book artists such as Sandra Jackman and sculptor Charles Hinman joined the gallery roster. Drake also curated major exhibits of Indigenous American art. His appraisal service was the “go to” choice for many museums and private collections.
Drake returned to Kansas City after Kirsch underwent major surgery and could not work. He was asked to take the position of development director at the at the State Ballet of Missouri (now the Kansas City Ballet), as the company was struggling for survival. He raised $700,000 his first year there and recruited new and prominent board members for the ballet. As was typical of Drake, he wrote the obituary for the custodian of the Westport Allen Center, where the ballet was once located. They had become dear friends.
In later years while maintaining an online gallery Drake continued to curate exhibits of African and Tibetan art. His and Kirsch’s home contains the work of more than 40 artists from, or with ties to, Kansas City.
Jennifer, his daughter, predeceased Drake by four months. He leaves behind his wife Elisabeth, son David Drake (Tasha) and two beloved grandsons, Henry and James.
– Garry Noland
Excellent tribute to a good guy. Nice work Garry. Condolences to Elisabeth and all family and friends.