William Beckman: Five Decades of Self-Portraits
September 23 - November 6, 2021
WILLIAM BECKMAN: Five Decades of Self-Portraits
“Beckman...is an artist who expresses ‘aloneness’ in universal terms. In his work, he presents himself as a likeable enough protagonist, but without being manipulative or eliciting specific emotional responses from viewers. Each of his self-portraits may be considered as a meditative image, an imaginative contemplation of the passage of time, identity, and mortality. In addition, his self-images are steeped in art-historical allusions.”
-David Ebony
“I establish a ‘barrier’ between myself and whoever is viewing it...There is a certain defiance, and it all comes from wanting to keep my space apart from anyone else’s space...I am a loner, and I have always been that way. It’s not that I don’t like people, but I prefer to be by myself. I prefer total silence.”
- William Beckman
Self-Portrait, 1976
oil on panel
11 1/8 x 9 1/4 inches
Private Collection
Blue on Blue Self-Portrait, 2006
oil on panel
18 1/8 x 15 1/2 inches
Private Collection
Black on White Self-Portrait (Ducati Cap), 2004
oil on panel
38 1/2 x 49 1/4 x 3 inches
Collection of Rob and Marcie Orley, Franklin, MI
Self-Portrait, 1998
oil on panel
14 1/4 x 12 inches
Collection of Rob and Marcie Orley, Franklin, MI
Self Portrait with Hat, 1979-1980
oil on panel
21 1/8 x 16 3/4 inches
Private Collection, New York
Self-Portrait (orange shirt), 2003,
oil on panel
18 1/2 x 16 1/4 inches
Collection of J.S. Cole, Lake Forest, IL
Self-Portrait, 1980
oil on panel
15 1/4 x 13 1/4 inches
Private Collection
“If the job of the artist...is to illuminate his or her moment in time, and to communicate for future generations the experience of being alive today, then Beckman’s example is one that should be followed.”
