Jonathan Green at the South Carolina Arts Gala. Image courtesy of SCPRT.
Meet historical and contemporary painters, folk artists, architects, and other artists who have worked and lived in South Carolina.
Be sure to also check out the Art page for more about art styles and folk art.
Meet artists who are working today on both traditional forms of art and new styles.
Jasper Johns (1930- )
Jasper Johns continues to be an influential contemporary artist in the genres of Abstract Expressionism and Pop art.
Willard Hirsch (1905-1982)
Williard Hirsch was a sculptor from Charleston, SC who worked with clay, metal, and wood. The South Carolina Army National Guard created the video below highlighting his work on the National Guard armory panels.
Video courtesy of the SC Army National Guard via Youtube.
South Carolina Artists by Era
Colonization & Revolution
- Thomas Coram (1756-1811)
18th century landscape artist - Henrietta de Beaulieu Dering Johnston (1670-1729)
The first female professional artist in America
Expansion & Reform
- Maria Martin Bachman (1796-1863)
19th century natural history painter who worked with John Audubon - Henry Brintnell Bounetheau (1797-1877)
19th century Charleston miniaturist - Charles Fraser (1782-1860)
Charleston artist who created over 500 miniature portrait paintings - Charlotte Scarbrough Taylor (1806-1861)
Naturalist and entomologist who grew up in Savannah, GA and South Carolina
Civil War through WWI
- Edwin Augustus Harleston (1882-1931)
African-American portrait painter and businessman from Charleston - Elise Forrest Harleston (1891-1970)
South Carolina’s first African-American female photographer - Alfred Hutty (1878-1958)
Painter during the Charleston Renaissance who worked in etching, oil, and watercolor - Alice Ravenel Huger Smith (1876-1958)
Artist during the Charleston Renaissance known for her watercolors and woodblock prints - Anna Heyward Taylor (1879-1956)
Artist active in the Charleston Renaissance who became well-known for her woodblock prints - Elizabeth O’Neill Verner (1883-1979)
Major figure of the Charleston Renaissance - William Aiken Walker (1838-1921)
Painter who featured rural farm and plantation scenes - Bayard Wootten (1875-1959)
Pioneer woman photographer from North Carolina who also worked in South Carolina
Depression & WWII
- William Melton Halsey (1915-1999)
Modernist painter and sculpture who also was an influential art teacher in the state - William H. Johnson (1901-1970)
Artist of “primitive” or “folk” style from Florence, SC - Anna Hyatt Huntington
A sculpturist from New England who co-founded Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, SC with her husband.
Post-WWII & Contemporary
- Blue Sky (1938-)
Contemporary painter and sculptor known for his large murals and public sculptures - Tarleton Blackwell (1956-)
Native of Manning, SC who creates lively scenes of Southern rural life - Jonathan Green (1955- )
Contemporary African-American painter and printmaker - Merton Simpson (1928-)
African-American artist from Charleston who has also become a preeminent dealer of African art - Keeper of the Gate: Philip Simmons Ironwork in Charleston, South Carolina
This online exhibition from the Lowcountry Digital History Initiative outlines the history and work of Philip Simmons.
