Printmaker and painter William Hicks was born in Brooklyn, New York around August 24, 1895. Hicks was a WPA artist in New York from 1935-1941, studying under Henri LeRoy. He exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Society of American Etchers, and the Federal Art Gallery. His in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress, the Baltimore Museum of Art (MD), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY), the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PA), and Cambridge University's Fitzwilliam Museum (NH).

Very little is found on Hicks' life or career at this time, despite a prolific body of work from the 1930s and '40s. A large collection of his prints from the WPA is housed in the U.S. General Service's Fine Arts Collection. He was a member of the Society of Independent Artists, New York. It appears that he died in 1950, though a major museum lists his death as 1995, at 100 years old. If you have any biographical information you'd like to share with us, you can reach us through our contact form at left, or call us at (707) 546-7352.