Thomas Kinkade

Thomas Kinkade was an American painter who became one of the most commercially successful artists in history by selling reproductions of his work to a mass audience. Born in California in 1958, he styled himself the Painter of Light and specialized in cozy, glowing scenes of cottages, gardens, small-town streets, and churches, usually lit by warm, radiant windows and soft skies.

His images were reproduced on prints, calendars, and countless household items and sold through a wide network of galleries, reaching millions of homes. Art critics were largely dismissive, seeing the work as sentimental and formulaic, while his many fans found comfort and warmth in it. That gap between huge popular success and critical scorn is a big part of his story. Kinkade died in 2012.