George Ayers Cress (American/Tennessee, 1921-2008) oil on canvas portrait of a man with blonde hair in a collared shirt against a pale blue background. Unsigned. Museum acquisition numbers in pencil to lower left on stretcher en verso. Unframed: 24" H x 18" W. Biography: "George Cress was born in Anniston, Alabama and studied at Emory University, American University, and the University of Georgia, where he studied under fellow Southern contemporary artist Lamar Dodd. He was a central figure in Chattanooga's arts community and served as President of the Tennessee Arts Council. He sat on the board of the Hunter Museum of Art. From 1951-1984 he was painter in residence at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga. The Cress Gallery of Art at UTC is named in his honor." (Source: The Tennessee Historical Quarterly Vol. XLIV No. 2: "Landscape and Genre Painting in Tennessee 1810-1985"). Overall good condition. Errant streaks of paint to back of canvas, not visible from front.