Details

Title

Palmist Building

Artist/Maker

William Christenberry (American, 1936–2016)

Date

1961–1988, printed 2014

Medium

Pigmented inkjet print

Dimensions

Contact the museum for more information

Credit

Gift of the artist

Accession #

2014.111.7

Location

Currently not on view

The Palmist Building is one of the most iconic structures in Christenberry’s extensive body of work. When he was a child, the clapboard building was a general store operated by his great uncle, but it was later home to a palm reader. The inverted hand-painted sign that covers a broken window initially enticed him to photograph the building in 1961. His earliest photographs pinpoint the sign itself and the peeling whitewash around it. As he became more engrossed in the project, Christenberry carefully examined the relationship of the building to its surroundings, particularly the chinaberry tree that eventually engulfed it.

Image Copyright

© (c) William Christenberry