Through Oct. 7, a rare collection of paintings by playwright Thomas Lanier “Tennessee” Williams will be at the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU in Miami Beach. Besides authoring world-acclaimed plays including A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie, Sweet Bird of Youth, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Night of the Iguana, Williams was also a prolific painter. Though rarely seen outside of Key West, his works feature subjects from his life on the Florida island during the 1970s, many of which explore deeply personal themes.

Citizen of World III, by Tennessee Williams (1970s), oil on canvas board. On loan from David Wolkowsky. The young man depicted in this painting is symbolic of Williams’ acceptance about becoming a target due to his sexuality © Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU

David Wolkowsky, longtime friend of Williams and a developer in Key West, owns many of the author’s original paintings. Williams spent a great deal of time painting on Ballast Key, Wolkowsky’s private island located nine miles from Key West, applying color to his canvases to a soundtrack of Billie Holiday songs.

Williams and Wolkowsky were known for hosting parties attended by film stars, stage actors, heads of state and society mavens from the Rockefeller, Mellon and Vanderbilt families.

According to many reports, the menu at the Ballast Key parties was usually a humble, unadorned hot dog served with potato chips and white wine.

The exhibition, titled “Tennessee Williams: Playwright and Painter,” features selections from Wolkowsky’s private collection, and explores a number of themes including the playwright’s struggles with sexuality, loneliness and being gay amidst societal prejudices.