Butler to exhibit works by SC painter

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

An exhibition of 20 paintings by well-known South Carolina painter Mary Whyte will open at the Butler Institute of American Art on Sept. 8 and run through Nov. 24.

The exhibition will be accompanied by Whyte’s recently released biography, “More Than a Likeness: The Enduring Art of Mary Whyte,” written by art historian Martha R. Severens. The 368-page hardcover book, which includes 200 color illustrations, is available for purchase ($75) in the gift shop of the Butler, 524 Wick Ave. Admission to the museum and the exhibition are free.

A free artist reception will take place on the opening day of the exhibition, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Whyte’s work is “nothing short of sensational,” according to Louis Zona, director of the Butler. “She’s one of the greatest artistic talents of her generation,” he said.

Whyte has gained national recognition for her figurative watercolors and is most noted for her depictions of the African-American Gullah women of Johns Island, S.C.

In recent years, Whyte has turned her attention to paintings of Southern laborers. Her exhibition of 50 paintings and drawings called “Working South” was the subject of a feature on CBS newsmagazine “Sunday Morning.”

Whyte has written several books about painting. Her work has been featured in periodicals and magazines and included in many national exhibitions, including the Butler’s Midyear Show, as well as exhibits by the American Watercolor Society and the Allied Artists of America.

Whyte is a faculty member of the Portrait Society of America and continues to teach painting workshops nationwide.