Born on November 5, 1936 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, William Christenberry began his artistic career with the painting of large abstract expressionist paintings before exploring different mediums such as painting, drawing, photography and sculpture. Ghost Form, a sculptural work by Christenberry in the Ogden Museum’s Permanent Collection, was created in 1994 and is composed of balsa wood, cardboard and soil from Hale County, Alabama, where he was known to create paintings, drawings and photographs from. Based off one of Christenberry’s photographs titled House in Abandoned Field, this sculpture is a great example of how his works influenced one another.

Happy Birthday, William Christenberry!