Artist

William Dawson

born Huntsville, AL 1901-died Chicago, IL 1990
Media - portrait_image_113807.jpg - 90438
Kenneth C. Burkhart and Russell B. Phillips
Also known as
  • William R. Dawson
Born
Huntsville, Alabama, United States
Died
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Biography

William Dawson grew up on a farm in Huntsville, Alabama. In 1923 he moved to Chicago, where he worked in a wholesale food market for almost forty years. After he retired, he took painting and ceramics classes at a Chicago senior center. He was bored, however, and started carving figures, animals, and totems from discarded pieces of furniture. He got up at five in the morning to work on his sculptures, and would make a new piece every day. Eventually, his wife persuaded him to move some of his pieces out of the house and he took them to a local library. The library agreed to exhibit his work, and the entire show sold out.

Works by this artist (6 items)

William Dawson, Untitled (Family Tree Totem), 1977, painted wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Orren and Marilyn Bradley and Kohler Foundation, Inc., 2015.58.7
Untitled (Family Tree Totem)
Date1977
painted wood
On view
William Dawson, Self-Portrait, ca. 1970 - 1980, painted wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Orren and Marilyn Bradley and Kohler Foundation, Inc., 2015.58.6
Self-Portrait
Dateca. 1970 - 1980
painted wood
On view
William Dawson, Untitled (Lady), ca. 1970 - 1980, painted wood and hair, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Orren and Marilyn Bradley and Kohler Foundation, Inc., 2015.58.8
Untitled (Lady)
Dateca. 1970 - 1980
painted wood and hair
On view
William Dawson, Man and Woman, 1982, painted and carved wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.56A-B
Man and Woman
Date1982
painted and carved wood
On view