Modfellows Gallery Presents a Retrospective of Dr. William Doak’s Artistic Journey
(March 21, 1930 – April 20, 2024)
Modfellows Gallery is proud to present a retrospective exhibition honoring the extraordinary life and work of Dr. William Doak-a Nashville native whose dual careers in medicine and the arts left an indelible mark on his community. The exhibition opens on August 30th at 6:00 PM and will run through October 4th, featuring a powerful selection of his bronze sculptures and oil paintings.
A lifelong pediatrician and educator, Dr. Doak completed his residency at Vanderbilt University Medical School before joining a practice with the late Drs. Luther Beazley and William Wadlington. He served as president of the Davidson County Pediatric Association and was an active member of the Tennessee Medical Association. For nearly five decades, he taught at Vanderbilt as a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, receiving the James C. Overall Award for Teaching in 1980.
Alongside his medical career, Dr. Doak quietly nurtured a deep passion for art. In 1968, he built his first foundry for casting bronze and soon created the Bluefield Foundry in Donelson, TN, and included artists Tom Griscom and Lonnie Highley. Using the lost-wax process, the foundry became both a collaborative studio and a hub for regional sculptors. Today, several of his bronze sculptures can be seen in the sculpture garden at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. His first exhibition was held at Vanderbilt’s University Club in 1970.
In his later years, Dr. Doak explored oil painting, creating colorful portraits of everyday people he encountered on the streets of Nashville. These works, filled with empathy and insight, mirror the same attentive spirit he brought to his medical practice.
His artwork has been featured at Cheekwood, Cumberland Gallery, the Hunter Museum of American Art, Vanderbilt University Hospital, The Parthenon Galleries, Nashville Heath Department (Joseph Lentz) and more. His collectors include William Vanderbilt, Kathy Estes, Shirley Lord (Vogue), Dr. Ben Caldwell, Anton Weiss, Christine De France, Dr. Bryce and Rachel Dixon, Dr. William and Darleen Dutton.
Dr. Doak passed away in April 2024 at the age of 94. This exhibition serves as both a tribute and a celebration-offering a rare opportunity to witness the full scope of a life lived with compassion, intellect, and creative purpose.
Curated by Modfellows and Andy Harding.
