John Updike was a prolific American novelist, poet, and critic best known for the Rabbit series. A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, he published more than sixty books and was widely regarded as one of America’s leading writers.
Pieter Vanderlyn was a Dutch-born American painter associated with the mysterious “Gansevoort Limner.” Active in the Hudson Valley during the mid-18th century, his unsigned portraits are preserved in several major American museums.
Carl Van Vechten was an American writer, critic, and photographer associated with the Harlem Renaissance. He gained fame for his novel Nigger Heaven and later became a celebrated portrait photographer of major cultural figures.
Don Van Vliet (1941–2010), known as Captain Beefheart, was an American experimental rock musician and visual artist who led The Magic Band. After a prolific recording career from 1965–1982, he retired from music to pursue painting.
