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William T. Wiley
MONUMENTAL, 7 September - 16 October 2021
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William T. Wiley: MONUMENTAL

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Overview
The entry way, on the right: a large painting by William T. Wiley with greens and blues, and in the center a large circular serpent with a fox-like head, devours its own tail.
William T. Wiley, T.S.W.O.M., 1992, mixed media on canvas, 63 x 117 1/2 inches

Enormous paintings comprise the heart of an exhibition honoring the colossus William T. Wiley, who died on April 25, 2021 at age 83.  An audacious visionary, Wiley was an oracle, combining imagery, symbols, and wordplay to articulate social and environmental angst.

 

For nearly sixty years, Wiley (who was referred to by this single-word moniker by his family, friends, and professionally) distinguished himself as a renegade American artist whose interests were rooted in liberal social and environmental concerns as well as philosophy and spirituality.  Though frequently political, his work adamantly resists classification into movements or stylistic trends. Wiley’s practice ranged from drawing, painting in watercolor and acrylic, sculpture, and assemblage to printmaking, filmmaking, and performance. Combining found objects, personal symbols, enigmatic texts, as well as references to art history, popular culture, and current events, he developed a distinctive visual vocabulary that allowed for variety, invention, and his own subtle mysticism.

 

But the defining hallmark of Wiley’s work is the text and wordplay that accompany nearly every piece he made.  From stream-of-consciousness rambles to pointed critiques, he used humor, puns, sarcasm, and double entendre to address the most consequential issues of our time.

 

Joann Moser, curator of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, wrote in a 2009 retrospective catalogue, “Wiley has created a body of work that anticipated such important developments as installation art, audience participation, a revival of interest in drawing, as well as the use of humor and language as significant aspects of contemporary art.”

 

In 1960, Wiley’s work was included in The Whitney Museum’s “Young America” show, then again in “Fifty California Artists” in 1962, and in Whitney Annual exhibitions in 1967, 1968, and the 1983 Biennial.  Other museum exhibitions include MoMA (New York); SFMOMA; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; LACMA; Corcoran Gallery of Art (Washington DC); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and many other museums in America and Europe.  His work was included in Documenta V in Kassel, Germany in 1972 and the Venice Biennales in 1972 and 1980.

 

In 1963, at the age of 26, Wiley was hired to teach at the newly formed art department at the University of California, Davis.  He and fellow artists Wayne Thiebaud, Robert Arneson, Roy De Forest and Manuel Neri transformed what was known only as an agricultural college into one of the leading art schools in America.  Among Wiley’s students were Deborah Butterfield, Richard Shaw, and Bruce Nauman, with whom Wiley collaborated on various projects.  Wiley retired from teaching in 1973 but continued to be a guest lecturer and visiting professor at many art schools and universities throughout the U.S.

 

In 1982, Wiley was the subject of his first retrospective, “Wiley Territory,” curated by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, which toured to the Dallas Art Museum, The Denver Art Museum, Des Moines Art Center, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Phoenix Art Museum.  In 2009, the Smithsonian American Art Museum organized the major retrospective, “What’s It All Mean: William T. Wiley in Retrospect,” which traveled to the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.  His work has been collected by nearly every museum in the United States as well as dozens of institutions internationally.

 

Concurrent and upcoming exhibitions of Wiley’s work in the Bay Area:

On view at the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in Napa through October 31 is “Fort Phooey: Wiley in the Studio,” an exhibition which recreates the sights and sounds of Wiley’s iconic studio.  “William T. Wiley and the Slant Step: All on the Line” opens at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis on January 11, 2022.

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Works
  • Painting of blackboard with wooden frame. Black board dread "Trust us for Just us" with large barrel that says "HOAX" with other phrases.
    William T. Wiley
    Trust Us For Just Us, 2008
    watercolor and ink on paper
    30 x 22 1/2 in
    76.2 x 57.1 cm
    Inquire
    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EWilliam%20T.%20Wiley%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3ETrust%20Us%20For%20Just%20Us%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E2008%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3Ewatercolor%20and%20ink%20on%20paper%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E30%20x%2022%201/2%20in%3Cbr/%3E%0A76.2%20x%2057.1%20cm%3C/div%3E
  • Square painting divided into two sides: one gray and one colorful. Each side features overdrawn features with Wiley's classic cast of iconography.
    William T. Wiley
    The Us Sigh Limb, 2008
    acrylic and charcoal on canvas
    66 x 61 1/2 in
    167.6 x 156.2 cm
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    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EWilliam%20T.%20Wiley%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EThe%20Us%20Sigh%20Limb%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E2008%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3Eacrylic%20and%20charcoal%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E66%20x%2061%201/2%20in%3Cbr/%3E%0A167.6%20x%20156.2%20cm%3C/div%3E
  • Watercolor of poster on plank in fair ground. Poster reads in symbols " & so Eye ASS Q, Is this Fair?" Watercolor has small blurb written underneath it.
    William T. Wiley
    Is This Fair?, 2000
    watercolor and ink on paper
    30 x 22 in
    76.2 x 55.88 cm
  • Watercolor of man in red with dog drinking water in desert with large aloe plant.
    William T. Wiley
    From Farming to Pharming, 2000
    watercolor and ink on paper
    22 x 30 in
    55.9 x 76.2 cm
    Inquire
    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EWilliam%20T.%20Wiley%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EFrom%20Farming%20to%20Pharming%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E2000%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3Ewatercolor%20and%20ink%20on%20paper%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E22%20x%2030%20in%3Cbr/%3E%0A55.9%20x%2076.2%20cm%3C/div%3E
  • Watercolor divided into two panels; left side is only neutral colors with classic Wiley phrases and iconography, the other is a colorful picnic scene.
    William T. Wiley
    Company Picnic, 2000
    watercolor and ink on paper
    22 1/4 x 30 in
    56.52 x 76.2 cm
    Inquire
    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EWilliam%20T.%20Wiley%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3ECompany%20Picnic%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E2000%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3Ewatercolor%20and%20ink%20on%20paper%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E22%201/4%20x%2030%20in%3Cbr/%3E%0A56.52%20x%2076.2%20cm%3C/div%3E
  • Large Globe with face and wings surrounded by phrases and iconography.
    William T. Wiley
    And So Foreigners Be Alert Are You One, 2000
    acrylic and charcoal on canvas
    31 1/2 x 38 1/4 in
    80 x 97.2 cm
    Inquire
    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EWilliam%20T.%20Wiley%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EAnd%20So%20Foreigners%20Be%20Alert%20Are%20You%20One%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E2000%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3Eacrylic%20and%20charcoal%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E31%201/2%20x%2038%201/4%20in%3Cbr/%3E%0A80%20x%2097.2%20cm%3C/div%3E
  • Large horizontal rectangle painting with multicolored abstract paint and three unpainted panels. The bottom left panel has the Angel Gabriel reading from a lecturn.
    William T. Wiley
    The Virtual Assumption, 1991
    mixed media on canvas
    76 x 148 in
    193 x 375.9 cm
    Inquire
    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EWilliam%20T.%20Wiley%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EThe%20Virtual%20Assumption%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E1991%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3Emixed%20media%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E76%20x%20148%20in%3Cbr/%3E%0A193%20x%20375.9%20cm%3C/div%3E
  • Tan painting with multicolored dots and large snake wand other Rune symbols.
    William T. Wiley
    Tan Trick Elements, 1999
    acrylic, charcoal and graphite on canvas
    59 1/4 x 71 1/2 in
    150.5 x 181.6 cm
    Inquire
    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EWilliam%20T.%20Wiley%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3ETan%20Trick%20Elements%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E1999%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3Eacrylic%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Echarcoal%20and%20graphite%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E59%201/4%20x%2071%201/2%20in%3Cbr/%3E%0A150.5%20x%20181.6%20cm%3C/div%3E
  • Large black and white circle depicting the inner rings of a tree with large Forte symbol.The circle is surrounded with multicolored paint and panels with various scenes in graphite.
    William T. Wiley
    T.S.W.O.M., 1992
    mixed media on canvas
    63 x 117 1/2 in
    160 x 298.4 cm
    Inquire
    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EWilliam%20T.%20Wiley%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3ET.S.W.O.M.%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E1992%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3Emixed%20media%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E63%20x%20117%201/2%20in%3Cbr/%3E%0A160%20x%20298.4%20cm%3C/div%3E
  • Rectangular unstretched canvas with alternating black and white Buddha stencils and large fat Monopoly Man.
    William T. Wiley
    Measuring Mirth, Girth and Worth, 1996
    mixed media on canvas
    51 x 178 1/2 in
    129.5 x 453.4 cm
  • Large gray painting with two large pillars, and Wiley's iconography and phrases.
    William T. Wiley
    IE, The Universe Web Sight Coming on Line, 1999
    acrylic, charcoal and graphite on canvas
    64 x 72 in
    162.6 x 182.9 cm
    Inquire
    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EWilliam%20T.%20Wiley%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EIE%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3EThe%20Universe%20Web%20Sight%20Coming%20on%20Line%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E1999%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3Eacrylic%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Echarcoal%20and%20graphite%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E64%20x%2072%20in%3Cbr/%3E%0A162.6%20x%20182.9%20cm%3C/div%3E
  • Large green and blue painting with large wolf/serpent in circle eating own tail.
    William T. Wiley
    Getting the Word Out, 1993
    acrylic and charcoal on canvas
    79 1/2 x 138 in
    201.9 x 350.5 cm
  • Large abstract painting in blues and purples with large unpainted crescent. There's a large Russian flag in corner with statue of Stalin being taken down.
    William T. Wiley
    Leviathan II in the Steppes, 1991
    acrylic and graphite on canvas
    74 x 123 in
    188 x 312.4 cm
    Inquire
    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EWilliam%20T.%20Wiley%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3ELeviathan%20II%20in%20the%20Steppes%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E1991%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3Eacrylic%20and%20graphite%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E74%20x%20123%20in%3Cbr/%3E%0A188%20x%20312.4%20cm%3C/div%3E
  • Large water scene with red sunset and unpainted corner panels depicting medieval sieges with mythical characters..
    William T. Wiley
    Salmon Season Ends Winter Ocean Begins, 1997
    acrylic and graphite on canvas
    64 x 114 in
    162.6 x 289.6 cm
    Inquire
    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EWilliam%20T.%20Wiley%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3ESalmon%20Season%20Ends%20Winter%20Ocean%20Begins%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E1997%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3Eacrylic%20and%20graphite%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E64%20x%20114%20in%3Cbr/%3E%0A162.6%20x%20289.6%20cm%3C/div%3E
  • Large rectangular abstract colorful painting with unpainted border depicting scenes in graphite.
    William T. Wiley
    Who Is Not a Slave, 1987
    acrylic, charcoal and graphite on canvas
    98 x 197 in
    248.9 x 500.4 cm
    accompanied by Who is Not a Slave (part b), 1987
    ink and pencil on paper
    14 x 11 in
    35.56 x 27.94 cm
  • Grey drawing with three circles in primary colors. This piece is about 9/11 attack,featuring smoke plumes and screaming burning head.
    William T. Wiley
    The Hearings & Abstraction with No Punch, 2004
    acrylic, graphite and mixed media on paper with wire, lead weights, twine, tape and carved slate
    64 1/2 x 44 x 10 1/2 in
    163.8 x 111.8 x 26.7 cm
  • Large unstretched painting with four quadrants in primary colors and black. This piece is about war veterans; featuring various scenes.
    William T. Wiley
    Rehabilitating the Savages, 2006
    mixed media on canvas
    128 x 145 in
    325.1 x 368.3 cm
  • Black board with wooden frame. Blackboard has art historical references.
    William T. Wiley
    D.E & the Black Board Boys, 2008
    acrylic and charcoal on canvas
    59 1/2 x 61 1/4 in
    151.1 x 155.6 cm
    Inquire
    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EWilliam%20T.%20Wiley%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3ED.E%20%26%20the%20Black%20Board%20Boys%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E2008%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3Eacrylic%20and%20charcoal%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E59%201/2%20x%2061%201/4%20in%3Cbr/%3E%0A151.1%20x%20155.6%20cm%3C/div%3E
Installation Views
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Installed Large green and blue painting with large wolf/serpent in circle eating own tail.
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Wall text with Large green and blue painting with large wolf/serpent in circle eating own tail.
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Gallery space with large green rectangular painting next to perpendicular wall with square painting.r
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Gallery space with large wall sized paintings.
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Woman standing with wall sized painting for scale.
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Perpendicular walls with wall sized paintings.
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Woman standing with three large paintings in west gallery for scale.
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Three massive paintings in east side of west gallery.
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Grey painting next to yellow/tan painting on perpendicular wall.
Press
  • William T. Wiley, "Rehabilitating the Savages," 2006, mixed media on canvas, 128 x 145 inches

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News
  • HG Magazine Issue no. 30

    HG Magazine Issue no. 30

    Celebrating William T. Wiley; plus African Butterfly Research Institute, THE SMALL MATTER exhibition review, bug brownie recipe May 18, 2021
    Celebrating the life of William T. Wiley (1937-2021) African Butterfly Research Institute Renny Pritikin reviews Isabella Kirkland's THE SMALL MATTER in SquareCylinder In the Shop:...
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