William Wilson papers
name: label: Creator
content: Wilson, William, 1934-2013
topic: label: Occupation
content: Actors -- California -- Los Angeles
label: Occupation
content: Art critics -- California -- Los Angeles
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated 2014 and 2022 by Diane Leslie, William Wilson's friend and executor.
creator: label: Creator
content: Wilson, William, 1934-2013
setName: label: See more items in
content: William Wilson papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: 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.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: William Wilson (1934-2013) was an actor and art critic for the Los Angeles Times in Los Angeles, California.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.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 3.7 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1942-2013
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.wilswilla
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Diaries
label: Type
content: Sketchbooks
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: 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)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Ricky Gomez in 2022.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Diaries
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketchbooks
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: 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.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Also found in the Archives of American Art is the Jonathan Katz Interview with William Wilson, 2012.