Willson, Margaret, 1919-
Biography
Margaret Bosshardt Pace Willson (1919-2006) was born in San Antonio, TX to prominent San Antonio businessman, Frank J. Brosshardt, and German-born Hettie Koehler, the niece of the famous Pearl Brewery Koehlers. Pace majored in Fine Arts at the Newcomb College of Tulane University, and undertook postgraduate study in Architecture and Business Administration at the University of Texas, San Antonio. In her early years, she was influenced by European art and by meeting Marion Koogler McNay as a child. Later in life, she split her time between Italy and the United States, and at the start of her career, she worked with renowned San Antonio architect, O’Neil Ford.
Pace was an art teacher for many years at San Antonio College, the Hill Country Arts Foundation, and the University of the Incarnate Word, in addition to eventually taking over her family’s business, Pace Foods. She was also a founder and member of the Executive Board of the Southwest School of Arts and Crafts, as well as a charter and signature member of the Board of the Texas Watercolor Society, and she served on the board of several art institutions, including the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Hill Country Arts Foundation, and the Witte Museum. Pace worked in a number of mediums as a painter, muralist, jeweler, sculptor, and a graphic designer, but was best known for her watercolor paintings. At various times throughout her career she studied under well-known artists such as Rico LeBrun, Xavier Gonzales, Etienne Ret, Fletcher Martin and Peter Lanyon, and her work was often influenced by her interest in architecture and landscapes.
Sources:
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Margaret Bosshardt Pace papers
A birth certificate and resumes; correspondence; clippings, newsletters, exhibition catalogs and announcements; a scrapbook containing clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs; a sketchbook of Italy; and photographs of Pace and her work.