Bill Barrett, one of today's foremost sculptors, was born in Los Angeles, CA. He earned a B.S. and M.S. in Design from the University of Michigan, and later an M.F.A. from the same institution. Since the mid 1960's Barrett has been exhibiting his unique metal sculptures and abstract paintings in numerous solo and group exhibitions in such places as the U.S., Switzerland, Bulgaria and Japan.
Barrett's sculptures of fabricated aluminum, bronze or steel address the interplay between positive and negative space with grace, elegance and exquisite balance. His works call to mind the fluid effortlessness of calligraphic strokes, and betray a positivism to which many viewers feel drawn. Others have said that Barrett's sculptures are distinctly American in their directness and lightness. His sophisticated constructions, through a delicate balance of form and content, transcend the starker aesthetics of minimalism with a warmth and humanity.
Barrett, who divides his time between New York City and Santa Fe, is represented in numerous private and public collections nationwide. Museum collections include the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, CT; the Cleveland Museum of Art, OH; the Knoxville Museum of Art, TN; the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe, NM; the Harwood Museum, NM; the Fine Arts Museum of Oklahoma City, OK; the International Foundation Art Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria; the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, VA; the Utsukushi-ga-Hara Open Air Museum, Tokyo, Japan; and Runnymede Sculpture Farm, CA. His works have been installed on many university campuses, and he is frequently called upon to produce large public sculpture by commission.
2 diverse sculptors, 1 must-see show
Richard Nilsen
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 25, 2007
Monti shares the exhibit space at Bentley Projects in downtown Phoenix with the sculpture of Bill Barrett, a much more traditional abstract sculptor whose work in bronze and steel mixes Modernist imagery in a Postmodern way.
Each of his human-size abstractions mixes slabs of metal with more-organic shapes; they seem to be Richard Serras with Henry Moores shot through them.
"I think of them as walls or obstacles," said the artist, visiting the gallery. "And as humans, we all face obstacles and we have to find our way either through them, over them or around them. Or maybe we can't get past them."
So, the curvy forms, often in bronze, swirl around and interpenetrate the slabs, often stainless steel, and dance above or encircle them or seem to pass through them like ghosts through walls.
The forms that swirl always seem to be vaguely human, the way Moore's organic shapes were human - deformed and abstracted, but somehow recognizable as human. And in their particular tallness, curviness and danciness, the forms remind one of the dancing fauns in late Picassos. Not a quote, just a hint.
Barrett's work also passes one of the most important tests for sculpture: They remain interesting as you walk around them. They don't have a single face, but rather take up space and can be seen changing like a hologram as you move around them.
Stargate 6
Bill Barrett’s welded sculptures evolve through distinct phases. Each phase is a place to be explored, each producing a series of works unified by a clear concept of form and technique. And then, motivated by a sense of completion – or more often by the spark of a new sculptural idea - he leaps to another sculptural plane, another space to be explored.
The full evolution of Bill’s artistic creation reveals that several formal ideas recur: the arch, the bridge and the virile, celebratory thrust of Don Quixote’s lance. Underlying it all is the grand theme of Bill’s search for an almost impossible synthesis between the tactile process of free modeling, the expressive gesture and the craft of welding sheets of metal.The power of the calligraphic gesture derives from two qualities. One is the immediacy of drawing, the hand responding to both the mind’s intent and to the graceful continuity of a cursive line. But calligraphy’s primary intent is to convey meaning. Even when adopted by an artist such as Jackson Pollock, it retains some of that referential quality, a suggestion of cryptic communication.
For Bill, both aspects are important. From his earliest work he has aspired to the free expressive gesture. He has also felt deeply the need to communicate with people, and his pleasure is obvious when he feels that he as done so.
The Sculpture Forum on the Plaza
Westchester County Courthouse Plaza
April 2006
TWYLA
This is certainly a fine example of the value of public sculpture and how it can enhance the experience of the space and campus. Enjoy!
Dr. Susan J. Bandes
Director, The Art Museum at MSU
Lansing, MI
I just wanted to say thank you for the beautiful sculpture between the new parking ramp on Grand River and the Human Ecology building! Peopl love to sit and look at it, and talk about it with others. I find that looking at the piece from different angles gives me a whole new perspective. Thank you for making campus a beautiful place-people notice! Have a great day!
Karen Mills
