William Faulkner bronze by William Beckwith in courtyard of Oxford City Hall. Photo by Nancy Jacobs
Sculptor whose most famous work is bronze sculpture of William Faulkner which sits in front of city hall on the square in Oxford; Beckwith has created sculptures of other Mississippi authors including Eudora Welty, Richard Wright, and Tennessee Williams.
Beckwith donated a bronze bust of world-renowned blues icon B.B. King he created to the University of Mississippi’s Blues Archive. He has produced public and private bronzes for more than 30 years and his work is in both public and private collections throughout the nation.
His commissioned work includes “Chucky Mullins” for the University of Mississippi; “Chief Piomingo” for the city of Tupelo; “B.B. King,” city of Indianola; “Flag Bearer, Mississippi 11th,” at Gettysburg National Military Park; “William Faulkner,” for the Oxford City Hall, and in 2010 Beckwith sculpted Q. C. Lamar, who was a Supreme Court Justice and secretary of the Interior after representing Mississippi in both U. S. Senate and House of Representatives before he died in 1893.
Beckwith was born in Greenville, Mississippi, but currently lives in Taylor. He was awarded the Governor’s Award of Excellence in the Arts in 2001. He teaches part-time at the University of Mississippi.