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Art Historian Restores Southern Artists' Legacy
18 Dec, 2025
Summary
- He championed Southern and Kentucky artists, bringing overlooked talent to light.
- His seminal book redefined understanding of American portraiture beyond the East Coast.
- He argued for the centrality of regional art in the national narrative.
Estill "Buck" Pennington, a pivotal art historian who championed Southern and Kentucky artists, died on December 16th at the age of 75 in Paris, Kentucky. For decades, Pennington challenged the notion that significant art originated solely from major East Coast cities. He meticulously documented and advocated for artists from the Ohio River Valley and the broader South, arguing for their integral role in the national art historical narrative.
His most significant contribution, "Lessons in Likeness: Portrait Painters in Kentucky and the Ohio River Valley, 1802-1920," published in 2010, remains a foundational text. This work, along with "Kentucky: The Master Painters" (2008), "Look Away: Reality and Sentiment in Southern Art" (1989), and "Downriver: Currents of Style in Louisiana Painting, 1800-1950" (1991), reshaped scholarly understanding of regional art movements.
