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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the William Wilson Papers, 1942-2013, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.wilswilla
- Creators:
-
Wilson, William, 1934-2013
- Dates:
-
1942-2013
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
3.7 Linear feet
- Repository:
The papers of art critic William Wilson measure 3.7 linear feet and date from 1942 to 2013. The papers document Wilson's career through correspondence; manuscripts, lectures, and other writings; research files, resumes, exhibition material, and other records relating to professional activities; clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs for researched artists, and other printed material; artwork consisting of sketches and sketchbooks; and photographs of Wilson, his family and friends, and some of his artwork.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The papers of art critic William Wilson measure 3.7 linear feet and date from 1942 to 2013. The papers document Wilson's career through correspondence; manuscripts, lectures, and other writings; research files, resumes, exhibition material, and other records relating to professional activities; clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs for researched artists, and other printed material; artwork consisting of sketches and sketchbooks; and photographs of Wilson, his family and friends, and some of his artwork.
Correspondence includes personal family letters and correspondence with friends, and professional correspondence related to articles Wilson wrote including from art institutions for which he wrote catalog essays and other content.
Writings consist of articles, manuscripts, some poetry, lectures, and a number of notebooks containing diary entries and notes on topics for articles Wilson was preparing to write. Also among the material are two binders of writings by Wilson.
Professional activity files consists of address books, a resume, a commission to write a museum guide to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and research files on artists Wilson was commissioned to write about.
Printed material consists of clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs for other artists, publications for Barn Stages Theater, and three binders primarily housing clippings.
Artwork consists of some sketches, prints, and a number of sketchbooks.
Photographic material consists of photographs of Wilson, Wilson with family and friends, and some of Wilson's artwork. Among the materials are a photo album and two binders of primarily personal photographs.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into six series.
- Series 1: Correspondence, 1953-2010 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)
- Series 2: Writings, 1970-1998 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
- Series 3: Professional Activity Files, 1952-2007 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 2-3)
- Series 4: Printed Material, 1953-2013 (0.2 linear feet; Box 3)
- Series 5: Artwork, 2001-2005 (0.5 linear feet; Box 3)
- Series 6: Photographic Material, 1942-2006 (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 4-5, OV 6)
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
William Wilson (1934-2013) was an actor and art critic for the Los Angeles Times in Los Angeles, California. For a time Wilson acted in plays directed by Los Angeles City College theater professor Norman Mennes. After earning a degree in design at UCLA in 1963 he continued with graduate studies in art history while working as an advertising designer and illustrator. After contributing pieces to Art Forum magazine, Wilson was invited by Henry Seldis to contribute to the Los Angeles Times. Wilson continued working for the newspaper for the duration of his career and retired as the Los Angeles Times art critic in 1998.
Administration
Author
Ricky Gomez
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated 2014 and 2022 by Diane Leslie, William Wilson's friend and executor.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Ricky Gomez in 2022.
Using the Collection
Terms of Use
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Preferred Citation
William Wilson Papers, 1942-2013. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Related Materials
Related Materials
Also found in the Archives of American Art is the Jonathan Katz Interview with William Wilson, 2012.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Actors -- California -- Los Angeles | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Art critics -- California -- Los Angeles | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Diaries | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Sketchbooks | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Archives of American Art
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