La Wilson

La Wilson (May 26, 1926 – March 30, 2018) was an American artist known for her box sculptures. Working in the tradition of assemblage art, she created pieces using ordinary, found objects such as dominoes, blocks, and crayons.

Personal life Wilson was born Mary Alice Purcell to Justin and Alice Purcell in Corning, New York. Her older brother Tom had trouble pronouncing her name; hence the name "La."

Wilson attended Smith College before dropping out and marrying David Wilson. David worked as a lawyer, and La was a homemaker who took care of their three children. Their marriage ended in divorce. Shortly after, she began taking weekly painting classes at the Akron Art Institute (now Akron Art Museum). It was during the class that she began working with found objects, adding them directly to her canvases.

In the 1980s, Wilson began to gain national recognition. She partnered with John Davis, an Akron art collector, in 1983. Three years later, her work showed in New York for the first time at his gallery in Hudson. Wilson continued to work with Davis throughout her life.

Opening on her 90th birthday, the Akron Art Museum hosted a retrospective of Wilson's work in 2014.

Death Wilson died on March 30, 2018, at her home in Hudson. According to her daughter, the death was likely caused by complications from recent strokes.