William Rayner

Mr. Rayner was born in Washington, D.C. He was educated at the Taft School in Watertown, Conn., and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He was introduced to art at an early age. His mother, Emily Rayner, was a director of the Worth Avenue Gallery, a Palm Beach fixture from the 1940s to the 1960s. His aunt was the celebrated New York art dealer Betty Parsons, with whom he spent many summers on Long Island. Through her, he met artists such as Barnett Newman, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still and Jackson Pollock. Rayner was the editorial business manager for Conde Nast for 30 years. His job provided him with a passport to exotic locales and vehicles for publishing the writing and paintings inspired by his many trips with his wife, Kathy, the daughter of Anne Cox Chambers of Cox Enterprises, the former parent company of the Palm Beach Daily News.