Benjamin Forrest Williams
Benjamin Forrest Williams was an American painter and art curator. He served as curator of the North Carolina Museum of Art from 1956 to 1979 and later as North Carolina State University’s first university art curator, helping establish the collection that became the Gregg Museum of Art & Design. His work Geanie is in the NCMA’s collection, and he received a Raleigh Medal of Honor for the Arts in 1989.
Early life and education
Williams was born in Lumberton, North Carolina on December 24, 1925, to Benjamin Forrest Williams Sr. and Mamie Britt Williams. He studied at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C., attended Black Mountain College, and earned a degree from the University of [North Carolina at Chapel Hill]. He also studied in France with Henri Matisse.Career
Williams returned to North Carolina in 1949 to join the North Carolina Museum of Art. He was appointed curator in 1956 and served until 1979; local reporting has described him as the museum’s first chief curator during this period.In 1979, North Carolina State University hired Williams as its first university art curator. He identified and cataloged hundreds of works on campus, establishing the institution’s initial art collection and laying groundwork for what became the Gregg Museum of Art & Design. He also helped start the Friends of the College series, led an art critique group for more than 30 years, and worked to document and preserve North Carolina’s arts and architecture, including Jugtown Pottery and the legacy of Black Mountain College.
Alongside his curatorial work, Williams painted throughout his life. His oil-on-canvas Geanie was shown at the "North Carolina Artists' Eleventh Annual Exhibition" and was purchased for the State Art Gallery/NCMA collection in 1947.
Personal life
Williams married Margaret Click in 1955, and the couple remained together for 62 years. They restored and later made their home at Clarendon Hall in Yanceyville, North Carolina.Williams died in Chapel Hill on November 24, 2017, at the age of 91. A celebration of life was held at the Gregg Museum in Raleigh on January 14, 2018.