Wilson was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1930. Without having completed primary school, he briefly spent time at the painting studio at the end of 1946. His output quickly attracted attention for its aesthetic quality and his works were displayed in an exhibition organized by the Ministry of Education and Health in its headquarters, where it won a prize from the Brazilian Press Association. He also participated in other exhibitions, among them 9 Artistas de Engenho de Dentro (9 Artists from Engenho de Dentro) at the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo – MAM SP, in 1949.