William Clutz (March 19, 1933 – July 26, 2021) was an American artist known for urban paintings, pastels, and charcoal drawings of pedestrian scenes transformed by light. He was associated with a revival in figurative representation in American art during the 1950s and 1960s. Clutz was born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and he grew up in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. He attended Mercersburg Academy and University of Iowa. He moved to New York City in 1955 to begin his career as a professional artist, and lived there until 1996 when he moved to Rhinebeck, New York. Early life In 1933, Dr. and Mrs. Paul A. Clutz, moved from their parents' homes in Gettysburg, PA to Mercersburg, PA, only a few months after the birth of their second son, William. Dr. Clutz was a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. He enlisted in the navy in 1941, returning from the Pacific Theater in 1946. Mrs. Clutz received a B.A. in Art History from Barnard College, and was aware of the contemporary art world of the time. William Clutz indicated an early interest in the arts as a child. At age 11, it was suggested that he study art with a recent Mercersburg resident, Thomas Danaher. Danaher (1908–1975) and his wife, Ellen, had moved to Mercersburg in 1944, soon after Thomas had finished his tour of duty in the Navy. He was a New York City native, and had studied art at the Cooper Union and at the Art Students League. He had studied under Hans Hoffman and Rockwell Kent. Clutz continued to study with Danaher when the latter began teaching at the nearby Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. Clutz attended Mercersburg Academy from 1947 to 1951 and continued his studies with Danaher, as the academy offered no art courses at that time. Clutz attended the University of Iowa from 1951 to 1955. During this time, he began exhibiting his own paintings in local shows, winning 1st prize at the annual Washington County Museum Regional Cumberland Valley Artists Exhibition in 1952, 1953, 1957 and an honorable mention at the 1954 Iowa Annual in Des Moines, Iowa. Career In 1955, Clutz moved to New York City, and began his career as a professional artist. Situated in an area of other struggling artists, he lived on East 9th St. between Avenues B and C near Tompkins Square Park, the subject of several of