William Allan (b. 1936) is a painter, printmaker and experimental artist whose work combines close observation of nature with humor and unconventional approaches to representation. Born in Everett, Washington, he grew up in Richland alongside fellow artists William T. Wiley and Robert Hudson. All three attended the San Francisco Art Institute in the late 1950s, becoming part of a generation that challenged distinctions between abstraction, figuration and conceptual art. Allan developed a diverse practice encompassing painting, drawing, printmaking, photography and experimental film, frequently drawing inspiration from natural history, animals and everyday objects. Closely connected to UC Davis' influential art community through his friendships with Wiley and Bruce Nauman, Allan was an instructor in painting at UC Davis from 1965-67 and joined the California State University, Sacramento faculty in 1968. His work was featured in the 1973 Whitney Biennial and the exhibition Collaboration: William Allan, Robert Hudson, and William T. Wiley (1998). His work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.