December 16, 2025
ART SHOW RECEPTION AT VANDERBILT FEATURES PHILIP DUER BATTLE OF NASHVILLE PAINTINGS ON 161st ANNIVERSARY OF BATTLE
The paintings of Nashvillian Philip Duer depicting the Battle of Nashville – the only known collection of its kind — will be featured in a special art exhibition to be held at the Jean and Alexander Heard Central Library on the Vanderbilt Campus on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 – the 161st anniversary of the Battle of Nashville.
The exhibit will be kicked off by a reception on that date to be held in the 4th Floor Gallery of the Central Library at Vanderbilt from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public and will feature remarks by the artist as well as by its curator, Brandon Hulette, a Vanderbilt professor and member of the board of the Battle of Nashville Trust. Those interested in attending the reception are asked to send an email to susan.grider@vanderbilt.edu to be added to the invitation list.
Duer, a former president of the Trust and long-time board member, is a serious student of the Battle of Nashville and the battlefield environment. A retired lawyer and Vietnam combat veteran (his combat awards include the Purple Heart and Combat Infantry Badge), Duer is also an artist who has used his deep knowledge of the Battle and his considerable artistic talent to help others visualize the men and terrain of the Nashville battlefield.
The Battle of Nashville, the last major battle in the “Western Theater” of the Civil War, was fought on Dec. 15 – 16, 1864, over hundreds of acres of farmland now comprised of commercial and residential development in south and west Nashville. Visualization of the Battle is difficult due to that development, along with the complete absence of photographs of the battlefield, and the lack of work by artists with comprehensive knowledge of the Battle. The battle was known for a number of key pivotal conflicts which Duer has depicted in his art and brought to life for others to envision – Redoubt No. 1, Peach Orchard Hill, and Shy’s Hill, to name a few.
The Exhibition is being sponsored by The Curb Center at Vanderbilt, a creative hub where artists, students, and community members use the arts to analyze and explore real-world issues. It supports projects, exhibitions, and public programs that connect creativity with social impact.