William Christenberry - Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts

William Christenberry - Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts

William
Christenberry
Tracing a Line
Southern Tree IV, January 1999
Black gesso on paper
Lent by the artist
Drawing, 1964
Pencil and colored pencil on paper
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger
Family Foundation
Tree, February 5, 2003
Ink on paper
Lent by the artist
Above:
Untitled, August 28, 2006, ink and colored pencil on paper, Lent by the artist
Above:
Southern Mounument VI, 1980-1991, wood, gourds, metal,
paint, Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family
Foundation
Providence Church, 1976, mixed media construction, Lent by
the artist
Cover:
Palmist Hand, 1991–1996, mixed media on paper
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
William Christenberry
Tracing a Line
The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts presents William Christenberry:
Tracing a Line, the first significant exhibition to focus specifically on the
artist’s drawings and how they relate to his overall body of work. While
past exhibitions and publications have explored Christenberry’s (American,
born 1936) photographs and sculptures, this touring exhibition is the first to
elucidate the importance of drawing in the artist’s process illuminating his
varied approaches to his subjects and themes. He states, “My work as an
artist includes drawing, painting, sculpture, and photography. Each medium
is a part of the total expression of my deep feelings about where I’m from,
and about how I care about how we as human beings leave our touches,
positively and negatively, on the things around us.”
In 1960, William Christenberry chanced upon a copy of James Agee and
Walker Evans’ landmark study of rural life in the Great Depression, Let Us
Now Praise Famous Men (1941). Evans’ (1903–1975) photographs capture
a place Christenberry knew well, Hale County, Alabama near where both
sets of his grandparents lived. Although he moved to Washington D.C. in the
1960s he simultaneously began the practice of making yearly pilgrimages
back to his home state of Alabama. He recorded changes from year to year
while exploring the intersection of time and memory as a way to “expresses
my life, where I’m from and what I care about and react to.” To make his
photographs, sculptures, and paintings, Christenberry began with drawings
as a way to sketch his ideas before working with other processes. Drawing
is the only medium he has worked in consistently since the beginning of his
career, and his earliest memories include drawing.
Christenberry’s drawings incorporate immediacy unseen in his well-known
photographs. The gestural movement, spare lines, and sure strokes of ink
forms on paper made with pens, brushes, chopsticks convey the exploration
of time and memory that encompass all of his works. As seen in William
Christenberry: Tracing a Line, an examination of the role of Christenberry’s
drawings along with its ties to his work in photography, sculpture, and
painting allows for a compressive picture of Christenberry’s artistic process
to emerge.
Left, Top to Bottom:
Tree, August 2, 2005, German ink and colored pencil on pastel paper, Lent by Hemphill Gallery,
Washington, D.C.
Memory Form, January 1995, stick and ink on Amalfi paper, Lent by the artist
Grave Study, September 2, 1997, wax crayon and ink on paper, Collection of the John and Maxine
Belger Family Foundation
Side of Building with Palmist Sign—Havana, Alabama, Negative 1971, printed 1980, color
photograph on paper, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Association Purchase, 1980.1.1
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
Blount Cultural Park • One Museum Drive • Montgomery, AL 36117 • 334.240.4333 • www.mmfa.org
William Christenberry: Tracing a Line
William Christenberry: Tracing a Line, an exhibition organized by the Montgomery
Museum of Fine Arts, features the first comprehensive look at the how drawing formed
a major part of Christenberry's artistic process and a relatively unknown aspect of his
body of work.
Christenberry's drawings incorporate immediacy unseen in his well-known photographs. The
gestural movement, spare lines, and sure strokes of ink forms on paper made with pens,
brushes, and other implements such as chopsticks convey the exploration of time and memory
that encompass all of his works. As seen in William Christenberry: Tracing a Line, direct links tie
Christenberry's drawings to his work in photography, painting, and sculpture demonstrating his
desire to explore his themes through a variety of media.
Dates Available for tour
Venue 1
December 2015–February 2016
Venue 2
March–May 2016
Venue 3
June–August 2016
Participation Fee:
$18,000
Exhibition period: 10 weeks
Number of works: 65 Drawings, photographs, and sculptures
Shipping: Pro-rated
Brochure: A beautifully illustrated color publication will be published by the Montgomery
Museum of Fine Arts to accompany the exhibition, and will include an essay by Jennifer
Jankauskas, Curator of Art at MMFA. The participation fee includes 250 copies of this
publication.
To reserve your booking or to request additional information, contact either:
Jennifer Jankauskas
Curator of Art
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
334.240.4352 [email protected]
Sarah Puckitt
Collections Information Specialist
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
334.240.4355 [email protected]
William Christenberry: Tracing a Line
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
Working Checklist
Early Drawings
1.
Self Portrait, 1959
Pencil, ball point pen on paper
26 3/8 x 21 1/4 in. framed
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
2.
Drawing, 1961
Pencil, colored pencil on paper
26 1/2 x 21 1/4 in. framed
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
3.
Drawing, 1961
Pencil, ball point pen on paper
24 3/4 x 22 7/8 in. framed
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
4.
The Eye is a Spider, 1962
Pencil on paper
25 x 21 1/8 in. framed
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
5.
Sketch book, 1963
Pencil and colored pencil on paper
8 x 10 in. (open)
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
6.
Untitled, 1964
Pencil and oil pastel on paper
22 x 18 1/2 in.
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
7.
Drawing, 1964
Pencil and colored pencil on paper
22 x 18 7/16 in. framed
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
8.
Drawing, 1964
Pencil, colored pencil on paper
22 x 18 1/2 in. framed
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
9.
Drawing, 1964
Graphite on architectural print mounted on board
37 x 29 1/4 in. framed
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
10.
Working Drawing for Advertisement, 1967
Graphite on paper
Approximately 30 x 22 in.
Lent by the artist
Graves
11.
Study for "the Grave", 1963
Pencil on paper
25 3/8 x 31 1/4 in. framed
Lent by the John and Maxine Collection of the John and
Maxine Belger Family Foundation
12.
Grave with Stone Markers, 1988
Ink on paper
13 1/4 x 10 1/8 in.
Lent by the artist
13.
Grave, August 1994
Ink on paper
13 1/4 x 10 1/8 in.
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
14.
Grave Study, September 2, 1997
Wax crayon and ink on paper
10 1/4 x 13 3/4 in.
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
Landscape
Drawings
15.
Kudzu and Road, 1988
Ink on paper
10 x 13 1/4 in.
Lent by the artist
16.
Palmist Hand, 1991–1996
Mixed media on paper
37 1/2 x 47 7/8 in. framed
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
17.
TB Hicks' Store, 1994
Ink and graphite on paper
14 x 18 in.
Lent by the artist
18.
Silo in Landscape, August 1994
Ink on paper
14 x 18 in.
Lent by the artist
19.
Burned Tree in Landscape, February 1995
Ink on paper
15 1/4 x 17 1/4 in.
Lent by the artist
Memory Forms
20.
Memory Form, January 1995
Stick and ink on Amalfi paper
9 1/4 x 13 in.
Lent by the artist
21.
Memory Form, 1995
Ink on paper
16 x 20 in.
Lent by the artist
22.
Memory Form, 1997
Ink and graphite on paper
13 x 9 in.
Lent by Hemphill Gallery, Washington, D.C.
23.
Memory Form in Thicket, 1998
Sumi brush, black and blue ink, and graphite
20 1/2 x 16 3/4 in. (frame size, image size 10 x 8 1/2 in.)
Lent by the artist
24.
Untitled, 2004 (Memory Form)
Print
30 x 23 in.
Lent by the artist
Trees
25.
Tree, n.d.
Ink on paper
10 x 12 in.
Lent by the artist
26.
Night Tree, (February 25, no year)
Blue and yellow ink on sandpaper
20 x 16 in.
Lent by the artist
27.
Tree, n.d.
Blue and yellow ink on sandpaper
20 x 16 in.
Lent by the artist
28.
Gourd Tree, 1980
Watercolor and graphite
30 x 40 in.
29.
Southern Tree IV, January 1999
Black gesso on paper
45 x 37 in. (frame size, 40 x 32 in. paper)
Lent by the artist
30.
Southern Tree XI, March 1,1999
Ink on paper
40 x 32 in.
Lent by the artist
31.
Southern Tree, 2000
Ink on paper
12 x 14 in.
Lent by Hemphill Gallery, Washington, D.C.
32.
Untitled, January 17, 2000
Graphite on paper
40 x 32 in.
Lent by the artist
33.
Studio Gourd Tree II, May 22, 2000
Black ink on paper
40 x 32 in.
Lent by the artist
34.
Southern Tree, May 2001
Purple and tan ink on paper
13 x 14 3/4 in.
Lent by Hemphill Gallery, Washington, D.C.
35.
Winter Chinaberry Tree, February 2002
Black and white ink on paper
40 x 32 in.
Lent by the artist
36.
Southern Tree, July 25, 2002
Ink on paper
44 1/2 x 37 in.
Lent by the artist
37.
Dartmouth, January 18 (or 19?), 2003
Ink on paper
45 x 37 in.
Lent by the artist
38.
Untitled, January 30, 2003
Ink on paper
40 x 32 in.
Lent by the artist
39.
Untitled (Dartmouth), February 1, 2003
Ink on paper
49 x 41 in.
Lent by the artist
40.
Tree, February 5, 2003
Ink on paper
30 x 21 1/2 in.
Lent by the artist
41.
Tree, 2005
Ink on paper
14 x 11 in.
Lent by Hemphill Gallery, Washington, D.C.
42.
Tree, July 26, 2005
Ink and colored pencil on paper
14 x 11 in.
Lent by the artist
43.
Tree, August 2, 2005
German ink and colored pencil on pastel paper
28 x 20 in.
Lent by Hemphill Gallery, Washington, D.C.
44.
Night Tree, February 16, 2006
Yellow ink on sandpaper
20 x 16 in.
Lent by Hemphill Gallery, Washington, D.C.
45.
Tree, March 1, 2006
White ink on red paper
20 x 16 in.
Lent by the artist
46.
Untitled, August 28, 2006
Ink and colored pencil on paper
8 x 10 in.
Lent by the artist
47.
Untitled, February 2007
Ink on paper
40 x 32 in.
Lent by the artist
48.
Untitled, February 16, 2007
Black ink on paper
25 1/2 x 18 1/4 in.
Lent by the artist
49.
Southern Tree, March 13, 2008
Ink on paper
40 x 32 in.
Lent by the artist
Photographs
50.
Kudzu
Vintage dye transfer print
30 x 25 in.
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
51.
Tenant House, near Havana, Alabama, Negative 1961,
printed 2002
Color photograph on paper
3 1/4 in. x 5 in.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Friedlander, 2004.15.14
52.
Grave, Stewart, Alabama, Negative 1962, printed 1996
Color photograph on paper
3 1/4 in. x 3 3/8 in.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Friedlander, 2004.15.5
53.
Tenant House on Mills' Hill, near Moundville, Alabama,
Negative 1964, printed 2002
Color photograph on paper
3 1/8 in. x 5 in.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Friedlander, 2004.15.15
54.
Grave, Stewart, Alabama (Windy Day), Negative 1964,
printed 2003
Color photograph on paper
3 1/4 in. x 3 1/8 in.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Friedlander, 2004.15.6
55.
Side of Building with Palmist Sign—Havana, Alabama,
Negative 1971, printed 1980
Color photograph on paper
3 1/8 in. x 4 7/8 in.
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Association Purchase,
1980.1.1
56.
T.B. Hick's Store, Newbern, Alabama, Negative 1973, printed
1996
Color photograph on paper
3 1/8 in. x 4 7/8 in.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Friedlander, 2004.15.13
57.
Rebel Gas,
Color photograph on paper
Approximately 14 x 11 in.
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
58.
Gourd Tree, Near Akron, Alabama, 1981, printed 1981
Vintage dye transfer print
20 x 24 in.
Exhibition Print
Lent by Hemphill Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Sculpture
59.
Providence Church, 1976
Mixed-media construction
22 in. x 23 in. x 30 in.
Lent by the artist
60.
Southern Monument VI, 1980-1991
Wood, gourds, metal, paint
20 1/4 x 16 x 16 in.
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
61.
Rebel Gas, 1984
Balsa wood, Plexiglas, red soil, paint, metal, and paper
37 x 24 x 3 in.
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
62.
View of Southern Monument XXII, 1989
Steel, wood, paint, mixed media, red soil
Monument form: 22 x 12 x 12 in.; tray: 3 x 24 1/2 x 24 1/2
in.; pedestal 36 x 24 1/2 x 24 1/2 in.
Private Collection, Washington, D.C.
63.
Memory Form V, 1999
Construction board, encaustic, tacks, balsa wood, wood
12 1/4 x 33 x 11 in.
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
64.
Black & White Memory Form, 2000
Archival board, wood, encaustic, paint
8 1/4 x 22 1/2 x 7 1/2 in.
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation
65.
Sprott Church (Memory), 2005
Mixed-media assemblage
45 x 72 x 60 in.
Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation