A selection of work by William J. Thompson, a prolific Georgia sculptor and former University of Georgia art professor, is currently on exhibit at Brenau University’s Presidents Gallery.
A reception celebrating the exhibit Gestures of Faith will be held in September; details will be forthcoming.
The estate of his wife, Claire Thompson, donated an extensive collection of work by her late husband to Brenau University Galleries in 2022. The Thompson collection consists of 68 works by the sculptor and printmaker that span the artist’s career from the 1950s to his death in 1995.
The sculptures in the collection represent a variety of media, including stone, wood, bronze and polyester resin. Most of his works carry religious and spiritual themes influenced by his Catholic faith.
“Brenau is honored to be the recipient of this significant collection to its permanent collection, the second-largest in the state of Georgia,” Galleries Director Lybi Cucurullo said. “This acquisition fulfills Claire Thompson’s vision for preserving and presenting her husband’s artistic legacy. The collection is an invaluable resource, offering students and art historians unparalleled access to the profound ‘language of vision and volume’ that defined William J. Thompson’s celebrated career.”
In conjunction with the exhibit, Brenau Galleries will hold an interactive demonstration of printmaking processes used by Thompson including etching, drypoint, and aquatint. Participants will also have an opportunity to create a unique drypoint print. From Concept to Creation: A Printmaking Experience is set for 5:30 p.m. on July 15 in the John S. Burd Center for the Performing Arts. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required via this link. Participants are encouraged to explore the exhibit before or after the demonstration.
Thompson studied art at the Rhode Island School of Design and earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Cranbrook Academy of Arts in Michigan. His influences included Auguste Rodin, Georges Rouault, Ernst Barlach and Jacob Epstein. In 1964, Thompson joined the art staff at the University of Georgia at the invitation of then-professor and director Lamar Dodd. The school’s sculpture studio was later named in Thompson’s honor.
Though Thompson was primarily a sculptor, the collection includes several etchings, lithographs, watercolors and plaster casts. A large number of archival materials of photographic enlargements and architectural commissions depict his artistic process and commissions — a record invaluable to art students and historians.
The collection also includes seven portrait plaster casts used in commissions to commemorate luminaries such as Robert W. Woodruff, Lamar Dodd, Hubert Owen, Eugene Odum, Sam Kauffman, Louis Griffith and Gudmund Vigtel for their contributions to UGA or the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.
Several Thompson sculptures are on public display across Georgia and, therefore, not included in the collection acquired by Brenau. The best-known is a nine-foot-tall bronze sculpture at Andersonville National Park dedicated on Memorial Day in 1976.
