William Pajaud

William Pajaud, born in New Orleans, LA, was an accomplished watercolorist who painted musicians and street scenes inspired by the musical heritage and contemporary culture of the Crescent City. He earned a BFA from Xavier University, New Orleans.

Pajaud spent time in Chicago before moving in 1948 to Los Angeles, where he enrolled at Chouinard Art Institute. He participated in the short-lived Eleven Associated Artists Gallery, Los Angeles, which included Beulah Woodard, Alice Gafford, and Tyrus Wong. In 1957, Pajaud was appointed art director at Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company, Los Angeles, one of the largest Black-owned insurance firms in the country. As a curator and collector for the company, he facilitated the collecting and support of Los Angeles’ Black artists. Pajaud was the first Black member of the American Watercolor Society and served as its president from 1974 to 1975.

Pajaud was a close friend of Los Angeles artist and art historian Samella Lewis, PhD. He lived in Los Angeles from 1948 to his death in 2015.
_{—From Brandywine Workshop and Archives records}