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As seen in Efflorescence, Barrett explores form in space with an elegant fluidity that belies the cold and rigid properties of metal. He composes his sculptures to be read simultaneously on multiple levels--calligraphic strokes become thick, intersecting metal planes that wend and fold into biomorphic forms captured at a moment of exacting, poised balance and presented in an orchestration of grace and harmony. Contributing to this harmony are the synergies formed by implied and arrested movement and by the interplay of positive and negative space.
A prolific artist and one whose career spans more than thirty five years, he has developed a personal philosophy that is as concerned with the harmony and balance of seemingly disparate qualities as are his artworks. Barrett has stated, "I feel that the artist's responsibility is to project his own happiness and good will--but not at the expense of the rawness, the incompleteness, the questioning that must be at the core of every true artist's work. This kind of self-disclosure--the very nakedness of which is universally discomfiting to many--is part of what's fun about art."
Barrett's exhibition history is quite extensive. In the past several years, he has shown at the Pier Walk annuals held at the Navy Pier in Chicago and has been given one-person shows in galleries across the country. Barrett is represented in corporate collections such as Neiman-Marcus, Dallas, TX and Hitachi Corporation in Japan, as well as in the museum collections of the Museum of Fine Art in Santa Fe, NM; the Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN; Runnymeade Sculpture Farm in San Francisco, CA; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA; the Utsukushi-ga-Hara Open Air Museum in Tokyo and more. Other sculptures can be seen at public sites in several American cities and on college campuses. His works have earned him awards--two from The Audubon Artists, plus others in earlier years and in 1999, Barrett was given a grant from the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation, New York. Barrett divides his time between New Mexico and New York.
More information about the artist can be found at http://www.billbarrettsculpture.com/. |
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Efflorescence, 1995
welded bronze
73" x 42" x 76"
Courtesy of The Sculpture Foundation, Inc.
Photo: Ricardo Barros.com |
