A Look Back at the Pioneering Photographer William Christenberry, Who Died This Week at 80
In the pantheon of American photographers, William Christenberry will be remembered for his pioneering color photos that captured the Deep South, of which he was a native son. Often chronicling rural Alabama, Christenberry exposed the beauty and horror in the banal via Kodachrome film, including the activities of the Ku Klux Klan, which he found repulsive yet fascinating as a subject. His more than 50-year career came to a close on Monday when he passed away at age 80. Here is a selection of his work, many of which are on view currently at Pace/MacGill gallery in New York.
1
Church, Sprott, Alabama, 1971. © William Christenberry; courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York and Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, DC.
2
Coleman’s Café, Greensboro, Alabama, 1971. © William Christenberry; courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York and Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, DC.
3
Double Cola Sign, Beale Street, Memphis, Tennessee, 1966. © William Christenberry; courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York and Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, DC.
4
Side of Palmist Building, Havana Junction, Alabama, 1973. © William Christenberry; courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York and Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, DC.
5
Taylor’s Place, near Greensboro, Alabama, 1974. © William Christenberry; courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York and Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, DC.
6
House and Car, near Akron, Alabama, 1981. © William Christenberry; courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York and Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, DC.
7
Red Building in Forest, Hale County, Alabama, 1983. © William Christenberry; courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York and Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, DC.
8
5 Cent, Demopolis, Alabama, 1978. © William Christenberry; courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York and Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, DC.
9
Green Warehouse, Newbern, Alabama, 1978. © William Christenberry; courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York and Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, DC
10
Corn Sign with Storm Cloud, near Greensboro, Alabama, 1977. © William Christenberry; courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York and Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, DC
11
Kudzu with Storm Cloud, near Akron, Alabama, 1981. © William Christenberry; courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York and Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, DC.
