Three Major Los Angeles Art Institutions Celebrate Paul R. Williams

(Los Angeles, CA—February 18, 2026) From August 2026 through July 2027, three major Los Angeles art institutions—Getty, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and USC Fisher Museum of Art—will present a coordinated series of exhibitions celebrating the life and work of groundbreaking architect Paul R. Williams (1894–1980).

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 nationwide, and the first Black architect to be awarded the AIA's highest honor, the Gold Medal, in 2017. 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.