Bob O’Connell ’82 Turns Passion for Art into Support for Student Creatives at USD

At age 13, Bob O’Connell ’82 bought a watercolor by Native American painter Pete Peterson. That first step, in a lifetime of collecting art, led to a career investigating theft of artworks for clients — including other collectors, museums and the famed insurance market Lloyd’s of London. His enthusiasm as a champion of the arts has only grown stronger through the years.

“The arts have historically gotten a black eye. Art and writing are my passion, and when you’re passionate you want to protect [the arts] and be an advocate,” says O’Connell, president of O’Connell International Advisors, Inc., which handles insurance for artwork.

O’Connell and his wife Darci put their advocacy into action through the Robert E. and Darci M. O'Connell Endowment for the Arts, designed to fund opportunities for two University of San Diego College of Arts and Sciences students majoring in art each year. Established in 2019, this endowment makes it possible for recipients to visit and conduct research at museums internationally and domestically, providing an important boost in their burgeoning careers.

This year’s recipients include Audrey Gingras ’25, who creates experimental glass artwork and J. Angelo Pezzini ’25, who works in multiple mediums including print, sculpture and photography. Gingras plans to travel this summer to the Portland Art Museum to study traditional craft techniques on display there, and Pezzini will visit the Tate Modern in London to study work by Korean artist Do Ho Suh, who creates large-scale installations, sculptures, drawings and videos.

While supporting artist development is one key aspect of the endowment, the O’Connells also see it as an opportunity to underscore the role of relationships in creating and selling art. During a recent conversation with both artists and Matt Rich, associate professor in USD’s Department of Art, Architecture + Art History, O’Connell talked about how much it means to him as a collector to know who created the art he buys.

“It’s about relationship building and … setting up a network,” he said.  He further emphasized the importance of surrounding oneself with great people. “Art [means] having a village.”

Relationships made the difference for O’Connell, who majored in English and history at USD. After graduation, while he was working in a restaurant and considering different opportunities, he was approached by a classmate who suggested joining him in the insurance business as a claims adjuster. While he knew nothing about insurance, the writing part of it appealed to him. He soon found a way to connect it to his long-standing love for art.

“My job was to write reports and become bilingual – I speak insurance and art,” he says. “I have to link the insurance company to a collector or museum. I investigate it [the issue], I tell them in artists’ words what happened and explain that to [the] insurance industry.”

As his career progressed, O’Connell traveled around the globe– to Russia, Italy, France and Cuba– investigating art theft and damage to art via catastrophes including Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans as well as earthquakes and wildfires in California. He brings together teams of conservators, appraisers and art handlers to investigate claims – another example of the significance of assembling a network.

A solid network can also help artists manage the business end of their career. Darci O’Connell, whose background is in business marketing, design and fashion, emphasizes how essential business knowledge is to artists.

“Successful [artists] approach [their career] as a business, and not just art,” she says. “Bob has been talking about a class on the business of art for aspiring artists, or even if you’re going [to work in a] gallery or museum. With funding as precarious as it is, you need to be self-sustaining.”

O’Connell’s family relationship with USD includes his father – an alumnus and cartoonist who he says worked for the CIA – as well as his sister and two brothers, who also graduated from USD. His youngest brother Michael ’87 and wife Julie ’88 established the Kyle O’Connell Memorial Scholarship in 2008 in honor of their late son to support students working to fight cancer through the medical field.

When not traveling for work, O’Connell spends time reading, researching and writing, including a series of novels — The Art of Spies — based on his career as an international art detective. When he retires, he plans to return to teaching – he has lectured on collection insurance and claims at universities and would like to mentor students in their career choices in the arts.

O’Connell hopes the endowment opens doors for young artists as they pursue their creative interests.

“I think this [endowment] is a perfect fit, to be able to gift money so artists can travel and be influenced by other artists,” he says. “There is no substitute for seeing a work of art face-to-face.”

— By Leslie Ridgeway