While working on the sale of works by artist George Tooker, (1920-2011), Debra Force Fine Art director, Bethany Dobson, stumbled upon a large body of work by the civil rights activist and painter, William R. Christopher—Tooker’s romantic partner and contemporary. After more research, the New York gallery came to realize how overlooked and forgotten the artist had become, despite his many achievements and contributions to his era.
William R. Christopher (1924-1973), Basin (No. 5 - In Honor of Martin Luther King), 1963. Mixed media on board, 445⁄8 x 42½ in.
For the aptly titled show of 17 works titled A Rediscovery, Dobson explains that the show is divided into several categories, spanning Christopher’s artistic career and interests. “His paintings from the 1950s are primarily magic realist in style; he was part of the group that included Tooker, Paul Cadmus, Jared French and others,” Dobson says. “Paintings like Side Show and Happy Jenny were inspired by Coney Island. His Brooklyn Heights neighborhood also provided subject matter, particularly in Shoe Parlor, 1956, an example of his urban realist work from the period.”
Moving into the 1960s, Christopher’s work reflected his passion and resolve for the civil rights movement. “In addition to being an accomplished artist who trained in Paris at the Sorbonne, Académie Julian, École des Beaux-Arts and in New York with Hans Hofmann, it is Christopher’s dedication to civil rights in both his life and his art that define his legacy,” shares Dobson.
William R. Christopher (1924-1973), Shoe Parlor, 1956. Mixed media on Masonite, 27¾ x 32 in.
William R. Christopher (1924-1973), Underland, 1968. Oil on Masonite, 32¼ x 28¹/8 in.
The paintings from this period include a trio of works “depicting Black female figures against a gold leaf background in Benin, Ife and Iso Ekpo, the titles of which are drawn from African cultural references,” Dobson continues. “In 1963, he devoted a series of paintings to Martin Luther King, Jr., and Basin is a prominent example from the King series. More interpretive than documentary, the artist chose to represent anonymous African American figures in nondescript settings and used props including masks and mirrors in order to convey narratives of oppression and resistance. King and Christopher met in 1964, when the Reverend donated his papers to Boston University and the paintings were on view at the University’s library. The two met again the following year when Christopher and Tooker participated in the March for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery.”
William R. Christopher (1924-1973), Benin, 1961. Mixed media on Masonite, 42 x 48 in.
Lastly, the show will include works inspired by Christopher’s faith. Dobson notes that the artist was raised as a Southern Baptist and remained a deeply religious man and devout Christian throughout his life. In pieces like Underland, 1968, the artist depicts his interpretation of hell. “The sinuous figures also appear in the Mammon Altarpiece at Dartmouth College, where the artist taught after [he and Tooker] moved to Vermont in 1960,” Dobson adds.
William R. Christopher (1924-1973), Happy Jenny, 1956. Oil on canvas, 50½ x 35¼ in.
For the show, currently on view through December 1, the hope of Debra Force Fine Art is that viewers come away with a deeper interest in Christopher’s art and life. A Rediscovery aims to take this devoted artist out of the periphery and put him back where he belongs—center stage.
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