Petroleum Museum Drilling Rig
Tom Lovell

Tom Lovell

The Permian Basin Petroleum Museum holds the nation's largest collection of art work by famed western artist, Tom Lovell. The 14 paintings commissioned by the Abell-Hanger Foundation of Midland are dubbed "The Crown Jewels of the Museum" by many writers. The collection of paintings portrays the history of man in the Permian Basin and his effect upon this unique place in the world.
The subject of each painting is a story in itself. Lovell, a "storyteller with a brush," worked closely with the founder of the Museum, George T. Abell, and chose a moment in the history of the Permian Basin in which people are either doing something or reacting to something. Each draws the viewer into the scene to witness the event and share the emotions of the characters.

While there are no reproductions of the aforementioned Lovell paintings exhibited at the Museum, there are prints of some of his other paintings for sale. Also, the Museum Store sells notecards featuring the paintings and a 28-minute video of Tom Lovell describing his experiences in painting this collection, his friendship with George T. Abell, the history behind each painting and the creative process in depicting each “story.” Preview short (5mb) video clip .

In addition, “Tom Lovell: Storyteller with a Brush,” by Elmer Kelton, features the 14 Tom Lovell paintings displayed in the Museum, each with an original historical perspective written by the author. In addition to the paintings and Kelton’s writings, editor Ellen Hopkins has compiled the story of each painting’s history as revealed through correspondence between Tom Lovell and George T. Abell.