Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Barth, Frances |
Title |
Akai |
Date |
1986 |
Medium |
acrylic on canvas |
Culture |
American |
Object ID |
1995.246 |
Collection |
Contemporary Art (1970-present) |
Object Name |
Painting |
Credit line |
Gift of Martin and Nancy Melzer |
Didactic Information |
Frances Barth's paintings have been considered to appear like imaginary landscapes that are both confounding and sublime. Using saturated contrasting colors in abstract configurations, she focuses on the potential for abstraction to hold meaning and act metaphorically. Barth studied painting at Hunter College in the 1960s. In the 1970s, she began to work on large horizontal abstract paintings that address ideas of gravity, slow painting time, indeterminate color, and shifting colors that appear as both atmosphere and object. In 1972, impressed with Barth's new work, noted curator Marcia Tucker included her in the Annual exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. In the 1980s, Barth's paintings included referential marks with apparent landscapes and mapped spaces with a geological narrative, inspired by Maori creation stories. Barth was a professor of painting, drawing, and critical issues at Yale University from 1986 to 2004. Her paintings are included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Dallas Art Museum, among others. Currently, Barth is involved in animation and video works. |