Pink Palace Museum Murals – Memphis TN

Description

The building contains three murals by artist Burton Callicott in 1934, commissioned under the CWA’s Public Works of Art Project. The murals are titled “Conflict with the Indians” (left panel), “Coming of De Soto” (center panel), and “The Discovery of the Mississippi River” (right panel).

“For over fifty years, few visitors to the original building of the Memphis Pink Palace Museum have failed to notice the three large murals over the staircase in the lobby. There, in bold oranges and greens and in a dramatic style, is depicted the coming of Hernando De Soto to West Tennessee. The first mural…is filled with fighting figures of Indians and Spaniards. The second…shows the march of De Soto’s band through the Southeast, and the third…depicts the sighting of the Mississippi River. The murals have impressed some, distressed others, and even frightened small children…”