Lemon Library Book Club: Chromophobia
December 3, 2025 | 6:30 pm
Location: The Amphitheater inside Phoenix Art Museum
TICKETS: Free event. Please reserve your ticket and check in at the Visitor Services Desk.
Chromophobia is a fascinating book by artist David Batchelor who theorizes “the fear of corruption or contamination through color” is a fundamental prejudice held by Western civilization since ancient times. This “chromophobia” is apparent in the many attempts to purge color from Western art, literature and architecture, either by framing vivid color as dangerous and foreign, or meaningless and inessential. In Chromophobia, Batchelor analyzes the history of, and motivations behind, chromophobia, from its beginnings through examples of nineteenth-century literature, twentieth-century architecture and film, to Pop art, minimalism and the art and architecture of the present day.
This program is intended for audiences 18 years and older.