Artists & Playwrights

The asterisk (*) symbol next to a name means that the individual was not born in Kentucky.

John James Audubon* (1785-1851) Ornithologist, artist; began his work on the famous “Birds of America” in Kentucky.

Frank Duveneck (1848-1919) Painter, sculptor and educator; one of the most influential artists of the American Realist movement.

Joel Tanner Hart (1810-1877) Acclaimed as the greatest sculptor of his time. One of his greatest works was of fellow Kentuckian, Henry Clay.

Isaac Scott Hathaway (1872-1967) The first African American to be commissioned to design a coin; sculptor designer for the Smithsonian Institute.

Matthew Harris Jouett (1787-1827) Painted more than 300 portraits. One of the most significant antebellum portraitists of the south.

Shirley Ardell Mason* (1923-1998) The model for the movie and book entitled Sybil, a famous depiction of multiple personality disorder.

Paul Marvin Rudolph (1918-1997) Designed the School of Art and Architecture at Yale University in 1964. One of the most prominent Modernist architects in the United States. 

Paul Sawyier (1865-1917) American Impressionist landscape artist known for his watercolor views of Frankfort and the Kentucky River.

Gideon Shryock (1802-1880) Designed many prominent Kentucky buildings including the current State Capitol of Kentucky, Morrison Hall at Transylvania University, and the Franklin and Jefferson County courthouses.

Moneta J. Sleet, Jr. (1926-1996) First black American to win the Pulitzer Prize in photography.

Ellis Wilson (1899-1977) A pioneer of African American art