'Henry Faulkner: A Life in Color' on Display through Oct. 9 in Lindsey Wilson University Lucretia C. Begley Art Gallery
COLUMBIA, Ky. (08/21/2026) — Works by one of Kentucky's more eclectic artists are now on display through Oct. 9 in the Lindsey Wilson University Lucretia C. Begley Art Gallery.
"Henry Faulkner: A Life in Color" features 21 paintings by the late Henry Faulkner. A reception will be held from 2-4 p.m. CT on Friday, Aug. 28. John Stephen Hockensmith of Hockensmith Fine Art Editions Gallery and Press in Georgetown, Kentucky, will give a gallery talk at 3 p.m. CT.
Refreshments will be served, and the reception is free and open to the public.
The exhibit is presented by First Southern National Bank of Stanford, Kentucky.
Lindsey Wilson art instructor Kristyne Gilbert, who curated the show, said that Faulkner's work "deserves to be recognized as well as his artistic journey."
"Faulkner was a visual artist and poet," said Gilbert. "When an artist's composition intersects with their writing, it deepens the meaning of the work. Faulkner's work is vividly stylized with dreamlike figuration. The collection on view at Lindsey Wilson reveals associations with surrealism and lyrical abstraction."
Born in Holland in southeast Allen County, Kentucky, Faulkner lived from 1924-81. He began his artistic career in the 1950s, earning a following for his colorful, surrealist paintings of landscapes and fantasy scenes.
Gilbert said that Faulkner's inspiration came from sources and time spent in many spaces, from California to Italy. He was also known for his abstractions of scenery in his native Kentucky.
In addition to his whimsical artwork, Faulkner was known for bringing his pet goat, Alice, to his art openings. Faulkner also developed friendships with several well-known American artists, including Tennessee Williams and Ezra Pound.
Although Faulkner created most of his paintings while living in Lexington, Kentucky, during his lifetime his works were often better known in galleries in Florida, New York, Ohio and Paris, France, than they were in Kentucky.
That led Gilbert to wonder why Faulkner is not better known in his native Bluegrass State.
"Both the artist and his artwork are complicated and unique," said Gilbert. "The artwork invites the viewer for a deeper look at its meaning. The collection is intriguing because it is unusual, a little mysterious and dreamlike, and in some instances difficult to interpret. I find myself asking, 'Why don't more people know about him?'"
Today, Faulkner's works are in several collections, including the Morris Museum of Art in Morristown, New Jersey, and the Johnson Collection in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The Lucretia C. Begley Art Gallery is located in the W.W. Slider Humanities Center. Gallery hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. CT Monday-Friday and by special appointment. It is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Kristyne Gilbert at gilbertk@lindsey.edu 270-384-8007.
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