WHEREAS, Billy Dee Williams grew up in Harlem, New York, where he began to actively pursue his artistic abilities and fostering an enthusiasm for all forms of cultural expression; and
WHEREAS, Beginning his career at an early age helped Mr. Williams earn a scholarship to the National Academy of Fine Arts and Design in New York, where he studied classical principles of painting; and
WHEREAS, His paintings explore the architecture of dreams and emotions, the mysterious qualities of the human experience that move in subtle currents under the surface of everyday life, by depicting images rendered in a figurative style that bridge the visible world to the here and now with the invisible terrain of feelings and imagination; and
WHEREAS, His large scale works brim with tension of movement that is achieved through the use of dramatic perspective and a cinematically inspired flair of nuance that underscores the dreamy ambience of his compositions which stem from the people he has met, situations he has lived, and sometimes characters he doesn’t know, but whose peculiar appearance or behavior has caught his eye; and
WHEREAS, Working extensively in both television and film, Billy Dee Williams in 1988 renewed his enthusiasm for painting during an acting appearance which prompted him to participate in numerous solo art exhibitions across America and donating paintings to the
National Portrait Gallery
in Washington D.C.; and
WHEREAS, His return to the New York stage with
Fences
provided an opportunity for him to go back to his home and the center of the art scene, and awakened the painter in him causing him to travel to California with a new enthusiasm and a wealth of ideas for his original means or artistic expression, completing one-hundred and twenty works within two years; and
WHEREAS, His current use of both paintbrush and airbrush acrylics stems from his interest in Eastern philosophy which helps him record aspects of physical reality and through the application of light, color, and perspective; and
WHEREAS, For many years his life was dominated by the performing arts, and he achieved start status in film, theatre, and television being remembered for his roles in
Lady Sings the Blues, Mahogany, Star Wars,
television’s
Dynasty,
and his Emmy nominated role as Gale Sayers in the telefilm
Brian’s Song
; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby honor and welcome Mr. Billy Dee Williams to Philadelphia on the occasion of the nation’s largest African American Art Expo hosted by October Gallery and being held at Temple University (Liacouras Center) from November 10th -12th .
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. Billy Dee Williams and October Gallery as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.
End