THE PROVINCETOWN ETCHERS
July 3, 2020

William Bicknell - Self Portrait Sketching

This is William Bicknell's Self Portrait Sketching.

Known locally as 'The Etcher' William Bicknell's Provincetown prints have become part of the town's historical record.   Works in the gallery include a view of the first Provincetown Playhouse (at Race Point), portraits of artists at work on the dunes, and a scene of men cutting ice at Shank Painter Pond.   - Julie Heller

When the iconic restaurateur and Provincetown art collector, Napi, recently past away, we combed through videos of his walkthroughs of his collection and came away feeling a tad empty. Though his collection is diverse to the point of envy, his personal go-to when reminiscing about his days youth relied heavily on the oils of Arthur Diehl and the ilk. "This is the corner where this house once stood." It had a serene feeling of the slide show of the neighbors Cape Cod vacation. Julie suggested we drill down into the etcher's collection to see if we might find the essence we were looking for residing there.