Rice, William

Learn about the artists we sell at John Moran Auctions

Within this section you may browse and research the many artists we have sold at auction.

Artists are listed by last name. Click the artist name for a complete background profile; click icon images for larger views. Search by name in the Search Box, or jump around by clicking on any of the letters below.

*The following search function may not work properly with all web browsers. If this is the case, you can use the alphabetical indeces below to narrow your search.

Search CalArt

Latest News

Who We Are

California Art Auction is a service of John Moran Auctioneers, the leading auction house specializing in California art.

Rice, William

William S. Rice, painter, printmaker, and craftsman, was born in Manheim, Pennsylvania.

After completing studies at the Pennsylvania School of Industrial Art and the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, a job offer brought him to California in 1900. At the age of twenty-seven, he accepted the position as Supervisor of Art in the Stockton Public Schools; a position he held until 1910. That same year, he moved to the Bay Area where, for the next thirty years, Rice taught in Alameda and Oakland, as well as at the University of California Extension and the California College of Arts and Crafts where he earned his BFA in 1929.

During the 1915 Panama Pacific Exhibition, Rice had a chance to study and absorb the techniques of the Japanese woodcuts which he was to incorporate into his own working knowledge of the medium. In 1918, the first major exhibition of his color woodcuts hung at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. Though he gained national recognition for his printmaking, Rice embodied the Craftsman spirit, painting with watercolor and oil, and working in ceramics, hammered copper, and woodworking.

Join the John Moran Auctioneers mailing list

Be first to find out what’s new!

Find out the latest in exclusive alerts and auction events, join our email list today! Be the first to be notified about new acquisitions or consignment opportunities. At John Moran Auctioneers, we consider your privacy to be our primary importance; we do not share your information or inquires with anyone, period.

At the bottom of each email you will be provided with the option to update your collecting interests, or unsubscribe from future mailings. You may also send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and request that your email address be changed or removed from our list.

Join the John Moran Auctioneers mailing list

Be first to find out what’s new!

Find out the latest in exclusive alerts and auction events, join our email list today! Be the first to be notified about new acquisitions or consignment opportunities. At John Moran Auctioneers, we consider your privacy to be our primary importance; we do not share your information or inquires with anyone, period.

At the bottom of each email you will be provided with the option to update your collecting interests, or unsubscribe from future mailings. You may also send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and request that your email address be changed or removed from our list.