John R. Eckel Jr. (October 22, 1951 – November 13, 2009) was an American businessman and art collector.
[1] Eckel was born on October 22, 1951, in Houston and graduated from Columbia University in 1973.
[2] After graduating, he worked for the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York and Lehman Brothers before joining the energy sector, working for various energy drilling, service and E&P companies.
He is the namesake of the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Gallery on the first floor of the newly opened Whitney Museum.
[5] His collection was the subject of a 2012 exhibition titled The Spirit of Modernism: The John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Gift to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, held at the MFAH.