With a painting hanging in an estimated 1 of every 20 American homes, Thomas Kinkade was one of America's most ubiquitous artists. No doubt, you passed a Kinkade dealer on your weekly trip to the mall, and perhaps even checked out his prints, famed for painted highlights, once or twice. The antithesis of the art world, Kinkade succeeded in bucking critics and bringing joy to millions of homes.
Thomas Kinkade died yesterday at age 54. [Mercury News]