William Christenberry, Grave II, 1963, Oil on canvas, 90 x 123 in. Courtesy of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation.
William Christenberry: Tracing Time
November 6, 2020 - July 2, 2021
at Belger Arts Center
2100 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
Belger Arts Center presents William Christenberry: Tracing Time, opening Friday, November 6, 6 pm – 9 pm at 2100 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64108. The exhibition will remain on view through April 2, 2021.
“This is and always will be where my heart is. It is what I care about.” - William Christenberry
Over the course of many decades contemporary art icon William Christenberry made annual pilgrimages to Hale County, Alabama, documenting the landscape, its architecture and its transformation. Tracing Time offers an examination of Christenberry’s relationship to Hale County, where he spent his summers as a child, its influence on his conceptual approach and artistic vision, and the psychology of place and memory.
The exhibition includes photographs, drawings, paintings and sculptures from the Belger Collection, some never before seen in Kansas City. The evolution of Christenberry’s experimental, creative process is also presented in displays of source material pages from his sketchbooks, photographs that served as foundations for drawings and structures, and rare early constructions from the early 1960s. The artist’s father, a woodworker and a strong early influence on the artist, would create models of buildings that were important to him out of simple, sometimes unrefined materials. One of these buildings is included in the exhibition.
Christenberry’s deep affection for Hale County, his curiosity about the effects of mankind and nature on the landscape, reveal a poignant perspective on the passage of time and chronicle the life cycle of place. Although profoundly personal and geographically specific, the themes of William Christenberry’s work are universal and remain relevant.
SAFETY MEASURES:
Belger Arts is committed to maintaining a safe place for our visitors, studio members, and staff. To ensure this, we require that visitors wear a mask. Disposable masks and hand sanitizer are available.