William R. Christopher
William R. Christopher | |
|---|---|
 Christopher in his studio, circa 1949 | |
| Born | March 4, 1924 Columbus, Ohio |
| Died | December 5, 1973 |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Painting |
William Rodolphus Christopher (March 4, 1924 – December 5, 1973) was an American artist and civil rights activist[1] known for his abstract imagery and collage.[2]
Early Life[edit]
During WWII, Christopher served as part of the US Naval Reserve. He was a Schmitz-Hille Foundation grantee for several years from 1946-1948.[citation needed] Most of Christopher's studies occurred in France. From 1946-1947, he as a student at the Sorbonne, Paris. From 1946-1948 he studied at the Academy Julian, Paris. In 1947 he was at the Ecole des Americaines, Fontainbleau, France.
Career[edit]
Christopher taught at Dartmouth College and served as a representative of the Dartmouth chapter of the NAACP.[3] He participated in the March 13–15, 1965 civil rights demonstrations marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.[3] His painting Dark Mirror was chosen by Martin Luther King, Jr. to hang in his office at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in Atlanta.[4]
Personal Life[edit]
His longtime partner was the artist George Tooker; the pair lived in New York City until 1960, when they moved to Hartland, Vermont; the couple spent winters in Spain, where Christopher died in December 1973.[1][5] His papers are held at the Archives of American Art.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Smee, Sebastian (1 March 2009). "Reappearing Act". The Boston Globe.
- ^ "William Christopher". askART. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ a b "William Christopher diary of march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama (1965 March 13-15)". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ Linden, Diana L. (Fall 2019). ""In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King": White Privilege and White Masks in William Christopher's Paintings of 1963". American Art. 33 (3): 56–73. doi:10.1086/707476. S2CID 213633908 – via UChicago Journals.
- ^ Grimes, William (2011-03-29). "George Tooker, Painter Capturing Modern Anxieties, Dies at 90". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ "A Finding Aid to the William Christopher papers, circa 1920s-circa 1973". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
External links[edit]
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