Ogden Museum of Southern Art
University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
504-539-9600
The Art of Family: The Christenberrys
October 8 - Novermber 22, 2000
The
Christenberry name is synonymous with the South. The family of artists,
trained and untrained, from Hale County Alabama has produced a body of work
over four generations that captures the spirit of the place and the people
of rural and small-town Alabama. A moving collection of their work and tools
is on display at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art temporary gallery.
(left: William A. Christenberry, Jr., Ghost Farm, 1994)
The Art of Family: The Christenberrys features works by Daniel K. Christenberry; husband and wife William A. Christenberry, Sr. and Willard Smith Christenberry; William A. Christenberry, Jr. and William A. Christenberry III. The works are saturated with stories of the South, from tenant homes and graveyards to quilts and calendars. From D.K. Christenberry's carved walking stick to W. A. Christenberry Jr.'s Abstract Expressionist paintings, the art portrays deep feeling and careful consideration.
W.A. Christenberry Jr. still returns to Alabama every summer "trying to get a grip on the landscape," he says. An original video production of his life and work entitled "House of Memories" was previewed the night of the opening. The exhibition is accompanied by a forthcoming publication, William Christenberry: Art and Family, written by Ogden Museum director J. Richard Gruber.
"We are delighted to have another family of Southern artists on exhibit in the gallery," says Gruber, "particularly one as important and inspirational as the Christenberrys." The first Art of Family exhibition featured the works of national artists Benny Andrews and Nene Humphrey and members of their families.
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