Slideshow: the art of business education

“Painting Number 538 (Movado Watch)” (1994), by Sally Davies. Acrylic on canvas. The essence of Harvard Business School's Schwartz Collection lies in a belief in the power of provocative art to prompt creative thinking. According to the artist, the purpose of Painting Number 538 is “to question our sense of value, our obsession with consumerism and what initiates our desires”. By permission of the artist and Harvard Business School, Schwartz Art Collection.

“Grand Tetons, Driggs Idaho” (2007), by Kevin Cooley. Harvard's Schwartz Collection seeks to prompt personal reflection among MBA students. Kevin Cooley’s image of a distress signal in the twilight wilderness signifies the individual’s search for discovery and solace. By permission of the artist and Harvard Business School, Schwartz Art Collection.

“Rogers Town Anti Boredom Center! Non-Tourist Dune Shacks – Greece c. 2012” (2006), by Angela Dufresne. Oil on canvas. The Harvard Business School student Art Appreciation Society has become one of the largest clubs on campus. The club’s co-presidents accompany collection benefactor, Gerald Schwartz, on his annual acquisitions trip. By permission of the artist and Harvard Business School, Schwartz Art Collection. Photo courtesy of Monya Rowe Gallery, New York.

Untitled (1777), (2006), by Daniel Hessidence. Oil on canvas. The abstract and contemporary collection at Chicago University's Booth School of Business reflects its mission to embrace conceptual challenges. An eclectic selection of work has been procured as a visual medium to encourage creative problem solving. By permission of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Photo courtesy of D’Amelio Terras Gallery.

“Between Bridges, Istanbul” (2006), by Wolfgang Tillmans. Renowned photographer Wolfgang Tillmans captures evocative, if ordinary, moments that compel reflection. Professor Canice Prendergast of the Chicago Booth school says “In a world where most people are chasing the next hot thing, the beauty of everyday life is a useful lesson.” © Wolfgang Tillmans. Courtesy of the artist and Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York.

“Monument to Change as it Changes” (2011), by Peter Wegner. Steel, polycarbonate. Peter Wegner’s work is a contribution to Stanford Graduate School of Business's new Knight Management Center. More than 2,000 computer-controlled “flip digit” modules – each with multiple coloured cards – rotate on an eight-hour cycle, creating ever-evolving patterns intended to reflect the school’s ethos of change. Photo courtesy of Stanford Graduate School of Business.

“Figure découpée” (1963/1975), by Pablo Picasso, fabricated by Carl Nesjar. Cast concrete with aggregate interior, engraved by sandblasting. Among more than 200 artworks permanently sited at MIT's Sloan School of Management are eight major public pieces, including this Picasso sculpture. Since 1968, MIT’s Percent-for-Art programme has set aside up to $250,000 from each new capital investment for the procurement of public art. Photo: MIT List Visual Arts Center.

“Ring Stone” (2010), by Cai Guo-Qiang. Granite and seven Japanese pines. An MIT Percent-for-Art commission, "Ring Stone", was selected for its elegant design and its metaphorical embodiment of strong cultural relations between Sloan and China. The artist is best known for his role as director of visual and special effects for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Made possible through the generosity of the Robert D. and Sara-Ann Sanders family and the Annie Wong Art Foundation. Photo: MIT List Visual Arts Center.

“Bled” (2007), by Leon Zakrajšek. Watercolour on paper. The surroundings of IEDC-Bled School of Management, on the banks of Lake Bled in Alpine Slovenia, are reflected in the school’s artwork. “One needs a creative environment to inspire creative leadership,” says dean Danica Purg. By permission of IEDC-Bled School of Management.

“In the Joyous Rhythm of Summer” (1998), by Andrej Jemec. Oil on canvas. IEDC-Bled’s gallery of more than 200 artworks has been assembled to provoke reflection among students about society and themselves. “Students’ assumptions must be challenged before they can become leaders,” says dean Danica Purg. By permission of IEDC-Bled School of Management.

“Cloud” (2008), by Miguel Angelo Rocha. Wood and paint. Aesthetic merit is the fundamental principle behind the eclectic art collection at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. “Cloud” conveys the sense of the artist drawing in a three-dimensional space. Gift of Kathleen J. Crispell and Thomas S. Porter. Photo courtesy of the Michigan Ross School of Business and Steve Kuzma.

“With the Current and Forgetting the Other” (2002), by Deborah Butterfield. Found steel, welded. For Deborah Butterfield horses serve as a metaphorical self-representation. This pair, made from the same scrap metal, are intended to prompt students at Michigan’s Ross school to pause for self-reflection. Gift of Jeanne and Sanford Robertson with the support of Greg Kucera Gallery. Photo courtesy of the Michigan Ross School of Business and Steve Kuzma.

“Apollo in his Chariot preceded by Dawn (Aurora)” (1850s/1860s). Unknown Artist. (Copy of Guido Reni, 1624, in Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi, Rome.) Ashridge House, is the Hertfordshire home of the UK's Ashridge School of Business. It was built in the early 18th century in the neo-Gothic style, and hosts a large collection of paintings and statues that are displayed throughout the buildings and landscaped gardens.

“Manhattan Panorama” (2006), by Harris Amortiwz. Multimedia. The art collection of the Mason School of Business at the College of William and Mary in Virginia reflects its self-proclaimed identity as a home of “revolutionary” thinking. The school intends the collection at its new Miller Hall to encourage a creative, entrepreneurial spirit and an awareness of history. Gift of Bob and Sally Mooney. By permission of the Mason School of Business, College of William and Mary.

“In Class 4” (2009), by Kathy Durdin. Watercolour on paper. “One cannot underestimate the importance of MBA students being interesting people,” says Bob Mooney, a 1966 alumnus, of the Mason school's collection. Gift of the artist. By permission of the Mason School of Business, College of William and Mary.