Tennessee Williams: The Playwright and the Painter

Exhibition Website

May 5 2017 - Jul 18 2017

The Saint Louis University Museum of Art is pleased to announce the opening of Tennessee Williams: The Playwright and the Painter, an exhibition of paintings by the renowned playwright. The exhibition includes seventeen paintings on loan from David Wolkowsky, one of Williams' closest friends, and one from the Key West Art and Historical Society. The subject matter of Williams' paintings includes friends, scenes from his plays, and visual interpretations of his deep personal feelings. He worked in an expressionist style, which was well suited for his temperament.

The exhibition also includes an audio recording lasting almost thirty minutes, which provides visitors the unique opportunity to hear the celebrated playwright read his poetry aloud. The recording was performed at a local radio station expressly for the use and benefit of the Key West Public Library. The audio recording was made available by the Monroe County Public Library and the Key West Literary Seminar. A 4:02 minutes long video, titled Tennessee Williams, The Playwright (Copyright 2016, A Richard Fendelman Film, produced by Charles Greenfield), is included in the exhibition. In it, David Wolkowsky talks about his friend, Tennessee Williams.

Born Thomas Lanier Williams on March 26, 1911, Tennessee Williams is considered one of the foremost playwrights of 20th-century American drama. His plays A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof are considered masterpieces of the American theatre. His plays are powerful depictions of the human condition. Williams' painting, for which he was less known, is garnering increasing attention for its poetic expression.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

  • Painting
  • American
  • 20th Century
  • Tennessee Williams

Exhibition Venues & Dates