Walter Henry Williams Jr. was an American-born artist, painter, printmaker, and sculptor. His earlier works focused on the harsh urban environment of Harlem where he spent his childhood, though he is most notable for his dreamlike, nostalgic images that took place in a rural Southern childhood. Williams made a number of trips to Denmark, where he felt he could reach his full potential. Later in 1979, he became a Danish citizen at the expense of losing his American citizenship.
Early life
Williams was born on August 11, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York. He spent the majority of his youth in Harlem, by attending "jukebox joints, the local pool halls, and the few nightclubs that catered to black clientele." There, he met many artists of various fields. With their influence, and his "early artistic talent" he decided to become a painter. His mother, compassionate and also an artist, died from pneumonia when Williams was five. His strict, authoritative father then took custody of him and his younger sister. Due to the death of his mother, and a non-nurturing father, he became withdrawn from others, preferring to live in his own dream world.
Personal life
Williams had three children by two wives. His first two children, Ronald and Larry, were birthed by his wife Shirley. Shirley did not approve of him becoming a painter because of the lack of security and stability, so Williams left her and his two children to pursue his passion. His second wife, Marlena, whom he met in Denmark at one of his exhibitions birthed his last child, Darius. Born in 1973, he also became an artist, following in his father's footsteps. In his adulthood, Williams continued to be shy and was described as "reserved." He often suffered from depression and struggled with alcoholism. During his time in Mexico, he was treated for his depression and was given medication.
Career
WWII -> Education (1942–1955)
Williams was drafted into the army from 1942 to 1945. His assignment was to an all-black unit in France. His job was to dig soldier's graves. His son Darius reports that Walter witnessed the burial of an alive soldier. Grim and dreary, it "haunted him the rest of life." Under the G.I. Bill, he enrolled at the Brooklyn Museum Art School in 1951. Despite being a poor high school student, Williams was scholarly and paid close attention to his lessons. In the summer of 1953, under a scholarship he studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. That same year, he participated in his first major group show, the Whitney's 1953 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting. He graduated in 1955.
Education -> Denmark (1955–1959)
After graduating, Williams won the award for the John Hay Whitney Foundation fellowship, amounting him $2,400. His grandfather, who was from the Danish West Indies, spoke well of the country; thus, Williams used the money to travel to Denmark. The direction of his art changed significantly—it previously reflected isolation in the city, and now, the beauty of the countryside. Bornholm, a small Danish island with "fantastic nature" awestruck Williams, influencing this change. In February 1966, his newer works were exhibited at the Noa Noa Gallery in Copenhagen, Denmark. Out of 19 paintings, 12 were sold and remain in Danish collections.
Denmark -> Mexico -> United States (1959–1964)
Williams spent four years in Mexico from 1959 to 1963. He had his work shown in various exhibitions, such as the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. He traveled back and forth to the United States as he had shows there as well. He explained to a Mexican reporter that the way of living was more "pleasant" than in the United States, leading to him to stay longer than he expected. He felt that by living in a racially liberal Mexico, that "the freedom from racial prejudice was essential" for his personal and artistic development. In 1963, he returned to the United States, but only for a year due to the racial climate.
In 1965, Williams returned to New York as his woodcut, Girl with Butterflies #2, was purchased by the National Collection of Fine Arts of the Smithsonian Institution for the Executive Wing of the White House during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. Proud to have a piece in the White House, he attended a special reception in commemoration. The racial climate didn't improve; Williams was often anxious and depressed due to discrimination against interracial marriage. After a year, Williams couldn't take it any longer and told his wife to take him "home," meaning Denmark. He had left the United States to never come back again.
Final years (1966–1998)
Williams spent his final years in Copenhagen. In 1979, he had lived there for 14 years; his wife urged him to become a Danish citizen and he did so. In 1980, his studio was completely destroyed by fire, losing all of his paintings and prints. Depressed, he was unable to work for several months. In 1983, he stopped making art altogether, as he's said everything he wants with his art. His health started to decline and he began to withdraw from friends. His last exhibition was in 1985, at the InternationalArt Fair in Tokyo, Japan, representing Denmark. His health worsening, he died in 1998 due to liver cancer. He was 77 years old.
