William Earl Singer

William Earl Singer, born in Chicago July 10, 1910, established himself as an internationally recognized artist, noted for his portraits of men and women of importance. From prime ministers to authors, artists and movie stars, Singer, known for his hand-mixed pigments, painted visual biographies of his subjects. When painting portraits Singer was able to get a composite of moods during six one hour sittings, while the subject was made comfortable reading, listening to music or discussing philosophy and politics. William Earl Singer captured the essence within each portrait discovering the unique qualities of each sitter. When painting landscapes Singer was known to gather pigment from the local terrain, later studying it, crushing it into pigment and mixing it into paint.

Singer realized his passion for painting at the age of 10. His talent was discovered and sponsored by Jane Adams of the Hull House at the University of Chicago. As a result of this early support Singer pursued the study of art and art history at the University of Chicago and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. After completing his studies in America Singer traveled overseas and studied in Paris with Andre L’Hote and found many mentors throughout Europe. This in-depth and rigorous formal training is the foundation from which his work became known and respected for the keen insight in portraiture as well as the richness of color that he used in his still lives, landscapes and portraits. During his career Singer and his work traveled around the world; the work was exhibited in embassies, museums, universities and official residences.


Singer abided by the rule of the old masters that “posterity requires knowledge of permanency.” He worked under the rubric that talent must be matched with an expert knowledge of materials as well as talent. He always mixed his own paints, often times experimenting with pigments that he found during his travels. As a result, his expertise in researching pigments for painting elevated Singer as one of the foremost colorists in the world. He lectured on the subject at the Sorbonne and at the Beaux-Artes and was the first American to receive a grant from the Swiss-French foundation Internationale des Artes for outstanding achievement in the field of creative painting and color research.


In 1940 William Earl Singer moved to Brentwood, CA where he remained for many years while also having a residence in Paris, France. A traveler by nature, Singer traveled around the world and was considered to be an artist/ambassador to Western Europe and South America. He was known for his charisma diplomacy and charm by artists, musicians, filmmakers and politicians; all circles in which he and his wife Elsa moved in.

In 1960 he was elected to a lifetime fellowship by the Institute of Arts and Letters, Geneva, along with Jean Cocteau, Marc Chagall, Andre Dunoyer de Segoznac of Paris, Gustav Menthe of Stockholm, Andre Maurois of Paris and Heinz Hajeck Halke of Germany.

Davis Award, Chicago 1932; Beaux Arts, Paris 1934; Rosenfeld Awards, Chicago 1940; Denver Art Museum, 1938; National Schools 1949; Santa Cruz, 1948; Fondation International Geneva, 1962; A Knight of Mark Twain for outstanding contribution to modern art ,1971.

Honors and Medals: Monument of van Gogh in Jardin Public in City of Arles; Knighted by France: Chevalier d‚Ordre des Arts et Letters 1969; Medal of Honor 1968; Honorary citizen of France, 1968; Honored by Andre Malraux, minister of culture at the Palais Royale; Honored by Netherlands Govt. 1969.

Exhibitions/Collections: Illinois State Museum, Scopus College, Melbourne Australia, Baltimore Art Museum, Presidential Palace, Columbia, Israeli Govt, Belles Artes, Buenos Aries, Argentina; American Embassy, Paris; World‚s Fair, NYC; Pennsylvania Academy, Philadelphia; Golden Gate Exposition;, San Francisco; Palace Legion of Honor, Cleveland Art Museum; University of Texas, Austin Texas; Albright Art Gallery; Art Institute of Chicago; Joslyn Art Museum, University of Minnesota; Library of Congress, D.C.; NY Museum; MOMA; Neward Museum, U of Illinois; Osaka Museum, Japan; St. Mary‚s College, Winnipeg, Canada; Reattu Museum Arles, FR.; Bernhein-Jeune Galleries, Paris.; Toronto Art Museum; Haarlem Museum, Netherlands; Royal Academy, Brussels; Sao Paulo, Brazil;

Private Collections: George Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein, Lucille Ball, Maurice Chevallier