Architect Paul R. Williams honored with exhibitions at 3 LA museums

Three major Los Angeles art institutions will present a coordinated exhibition series celebrating the life and work of pioneering architect Paul R. Williams, organizers announced Wednesday.

The Getty, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the USC Fisher Museum of Art will host exhibitions from August 2026 through July 2027 highlighting Williams’ architectural legacy and influence on the city and beyond, organizers said.

“A pivotal yet long-underrecognized figure in twentieth-century architecture and civil rights advocacy, Williams was the first Black architect licensed west of the Mississippi, the first Black member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) nationwide, and the first Black architect to be awarded the AIA’s highest honor, the Gold Medal, in 2017,” officials said in a statement. “Over a career spanning nearly six decades, he designed more than 3,000 projects, making him one of the most prolific and influential architects of his time.”

The exhibitions will draw from the Paul R. Williams Archive, jointly acquired in 2020 by the Getty Research Institute and the USC School of Architecture, and will feature architectural drawings, photographs and plans, many of which will be displayed publicly for the first time, organizers said.

Williams, who died at age 85 in 1980, helped shape Los Angeles during a period of rapid growth, designing projects that ranged from luxury residences and landmark hotels to civic buildings and churches. Among his best-known works are contributions to the Beverly Hills Hotel, LAX and homes for Hollywood figures including Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball, officials said.

He also designed prominent buildings serving Los Angeles’ Black community, including First African Methodist Episcopal Church, Second Baptist Church and the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company.

Williams’ work earned him the NAACP’s prestigious Spingarn Medal, as well as honorary doctorates from Howard University and Tuskegee Institute and USC’s Alumni Award, organizers said.

The USC Fisher Museum of Art will present “Paul R. Williams: An Architect Considered,” from Aug. 18, 2026, through March 13, 2027.

LACMA will host “Paul R. Williams: Architect for Living,” from Nov. 15, 2026, through May 23, 2027.

The Getty Research Institute will present “Paul R. Williams: Architecture Across the Color Line,” from Dec. 15, 2026, through July 18, 2027.

Organizers said the coordinated exhibitions represent the first major museum presentations devoted to Williams and will be accompanied by a scholarly catalog, digital exhibitions and public programming.