About

The nude human form has been depicted in art since humans first figured out that mud could leave a lasting mark on a wall. Throughout the ages artists have used the nude figure to represent strength, innocence, the ideal human, triumph, fertility, and passion. In this grand tradition, the Lexington Art League has hosted The Nude for most of the past 37 years. It has grown to be one of the most anticipated exhibitions in Lexington. With the redefining and a return to its founding mission, to ‘create opportunities for Lexington area artists and those who appreciate their work,’ the Lexington Art League is proud to present The Nude as a biennial showcasing contemporary nude figurative art by Kentucky artists.

Come see this year's award winners in person!

Best in show - Aware Dignity  by Dan Farnsworth
People's Choice - Joy  by Chris Huestis
Honorable Mentions - The Hunt  by Katie Widzowski,  Windshield  by Toy Adams,   and Hung (Accusative)  by David Marquez

Guest Jurors

Kim Comstock is a decorative artist and portrait painter now living in Winchester, Kentucky. She has been a decorative artist for twenty five years, following her education at Transylvania University and the New York Academy of Art. When in New York, she took a job making hand painted wallpaper, which sparked her interest in the decorative arts. She moved to Lexington Kentucky in 1999 and began doing faux finishes and murals. Over the years she has built a reputation working for up market interior designers both locally and internationally. She has done projects at many notable Lexington horse farms and estates, and her decorative work has been featured in publications such as Southern Living, Veranda, House and Garden, and Garden and Gun. Her hand painted wallpaper business, Zembrod House, won Garden and Gun’s “Best in South” award in 2020.  She has renovated more than 45 historic houses and is well acquainted with the construction industry, but her real interest has always been in fine art portrait painting. In 2016 she decided to seriously pursue this endeavor. She began to take workshops in Rome with Sean Cheatham, who has become her mentor, but she has also studied with Steven Assael, Hollis Dunlap, Mia Bergeron, and Dale Zinkowski.

Kevin Nance is a writer and photographer in Lexington. He is the former art and architecture critic of the Chicago Sun-Times and has written about the visual arts for the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and other publications. His photographs have been shown in solo and group shows in Chicago, Portland, Danville and Lexington, including at the Lexington Art League, the Lexington Public Library, the University of Kentucky Hospital and Arts Connect’s Mobile Gallery. 
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Brandon C. Smith is an artist and Senior Lecturer of Art at the University of Kentucky where he teaches painting and drawing. Smith earned a Bachelors of Arts degree from Eastern Kentucky University in 2000, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati in 2004. Brandon C. Smith has presented work in over 70 solo and group exhibitions nationwide (including the 2023 Nude exhibition at the Lexington Art League) and has been the recipient of the Al Smith Individual Artist grant. Smith lives and works on a small farm in KY.