Life & Legacy of John Wilson

Edmund Barry Gaither, Executive Director of the Museum of the National Center of Afro- American Artists and special consultant at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, will speak about the life and legacy of world-renowned Brookline artist John Wilson.

John W. Wilson was born in Roxbury in 1922 and died in Brookline in 2015. In a time when few thought it was possible for an African American to have a career as a professional artist, he persevered to interpret the world from his perspective, producing powerful work that confronts injustice and is charged with emotion. His images of protest and struggle directly convey the truths of living in a race-conscious society. And as he grew older, his art depicted moments of deep human connection, causing viewers to reflect on how we interact with each other.

His portraits of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are evocative of the great leader’s moral force and his drawings and sculpture of his family and his neighbors capture a most moving portrait of a Brookline family. John Wilson's work is featured in museums and graces public spaces around the country. In 1986, the first national Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was marked by the installation of one of Wilson’s works, a bronze bust of Dr. King, in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

On January 27, 2019 Brookline celebrated the dedication of one of Wilson’s sculptures of Martin Luther King Jr. in the lobby of Town Hall.

This Historical Society event is co-sponsored by the Committee to Commemorate John Wilson and the Town of Brookline Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Relations. Space is limited. Doors open at 1:30. Refreshments will be served.