Bill Barret

 American, b. 1934

Biography

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.