University Of Delaware: In Memoriam: Peter Williams

Press release from the University of Delaware:

Article by Ann Manser

August 27, 2021

Prolific artist and educator created bold paintings with a passion for social justice

Peter Williams, 69, professor of painting at the University of Delaware and a prolific artist whose work over a half century explored issues of African American identity and experience and earned him wide recognition and numerous awards, passed away Aug. 19, 2021, at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, after a long illness.

His bold and colorful paintings used caricature and narrative to confront such dark subjects as slavery, lynching and other acts of violence against African Americans, war and mass incarceration. In an interview in 2019, he said that he had “always believed in the idea of bearing witness to the times in which you live.”

Colleagues at UD, former students and admirers from across the U.S. reflected on Prof. Williams’ long career and his many contributions as an artist, educator and mentor. He was praised for his role as a painter who transcended genres and took a fearless look at difficult subjects while still maintaining a sense of humor and a wide smile.

“Peter Williams was a larger-than-life individual with a strong voice and a unique and much-needed perspective,” said Gregory Shelnutt, chair of UD’s Department of Art and Design. “A hugely talented and visionary artist, a generous and thoughtful teacher, his loss is deeply felt.”

Prof. Williams has said that his work always reflected themes of Black identity but that it became even more focused in recent years as he became aware of the Black Lives Matter movement and delved more deeply into the history of racial injustice in America. He said that galleries sometimes urged him to tone down his depictions of racial cruelty but that he believed most people were moved by the powerful images.

Some of his recent work depicted the arrest of George Floyd and others who died at the hands of police, as well as a series he began in 2014 called “The N-Word,” in which an African American superhero uses the power of the racial epithet to fight hate and oppression.

“I teach his work in my classes at UD every semester because of the ways it forces viewers to reckon with the history of race, disability and police brutality in this country, and my students are always so intrigued by it,” said Tiffany Barber, assistant professor of Africana studies and art history. “They can't make sense of it, but they want to. I love how confounding and generative Peter's work is, how he unflinchingly confronted society's ills on the canvas while also innovating painting itself. I know his art will continue to impact our world.”

In announcing Prof. Williams’ death, the Luis De Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles said that he “was devoted to his craft and lived each day to paint. He painted until his last hours and was exploring ways of integrating sculpture and installation into his painting practice.”

Prof. Williams earned honors throughout his career, from his first solo show at age 17 to a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2021. In 2018, he was inducted into the National Academy of Design and in 2020 received the Artists’ Legacy Foundation’s Artist Award. His many other honors included the Whitney Biennial in 2002, Djerassi Resident Artists Program in 2018, Joan Mitchell Award in 2004 and 2007, a Ford Foundation Fellowship in 1985-87 and the Wynn Newhouse Award in 2012.

In 2020, he had two solo exhibitions, in Detroit and Los Angeles, featuring his recent “Black Exodus” paintings that explored the idea of space travel and a post-racial world.

Prof. Williams has had exhibitions throughout the U.S., and his work is included in such permanent collections as the Detroit Institute of Arts, Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Whitney Museum of American Art, Delaware Art Museum and Howard University. In 2019, the Smithsonian American Art Museum acquired his 2018 painting “A Foolish Trick,” making him only the third Delaware artist listed in the museum’s collection.

Tributes and remembrances

Following are some of the many thoughts that have been shared about Prof. Williams.

This press release was produced by the University of Delaware. The views expressed here are the author’s own.