Barry McGee b. 1966
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Biography
Born in 1966, Barry McGee is arguably the most well-known and influential of the recent surge of artists from the Bay Area to have international success. He was raised in San Francisco, studied painting and printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute (graduating in 1991), and continues to live and work in the city. McGee’s boldly graphic, colorful work incorporates a multitude of influences (including, for example, graffiti, American folk art, and Op Art), but is most immediately evocative of the urban street culture from which he hails. Engaging the ways in which the city’s unique vernacular translates into artistic imagery, McGee celebrates the diversity, distinctive characters (one of his well-known motifs is a crawling, sad-sack bum), and neighborhood communities of the inner-city. His work critiques consumerist culture and the constant backdrop of commercialism in everyday interactions; rejecting the billboard and chain store, McGee instead finds inspiration in the seeming randomness of graffiti, the endless uploading of images on the internet, and the creative styling of misfits. McGee’s work succeeds in its sensitive balance between anarchy and collaboration, resulting in environments which immerse the viewer in his singular, yet inclusive, vision.
His work has been the subject of exhibitions at the Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley, California; the Modern Art Museum Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas; UCLA Hammer, Los Angeles; the Prada Foundation, Milan; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; the Butler Gallery, Kilkenny Castle, Ireland; and The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, among others.
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WorksExhibitions
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Art Basel Miami Beach
29 Nov - 3 Dec 2022Cheim & Read is pleased to participate in Art Basel Miami Beach 2022 with a presentation of works by Donald Baechler, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lynda Benglis, Louise Bourgeois, Louise Fishman, Ron...Read more -
Art Basel Miami Beach
30 Nov - 14 Feb 2021Cheim & Read is delighted to particiapte in this year's Art Basel Miami Beach with a presenation of works by Lynda Benglis, Louise Bourgeois, William Eggleston, Ron Gorchov, Al Held,...Read more -
Barry McGee
4 Jan - 17 Feb 2018Cheim & Read is pleased to announce an exhibition of new work by Barry McGee, which will open on January 4, 2018, and run through February 17, accompanied by a...Read more -
Frieze New York
5 - 7 May 2017Cheim & Read is pleased to particpate in the 2017 edition of Frieze New York with a presentation of works by Ghada Amer, Donald Baechler, Lynda Benglis, Louise Bourgeois, William...Read more -
Frieze New York
5 - 8 May 2016Cheim & Read is pleased to participate in Frieze New York with a presentation of works by Ghada Amer, Donald Baechler, Lynda Benglis, Louise Bourgeois, Louise Fishman, Adam Fuss, Ron...Read more -
Art Basel Miami Beach
3 - 6 Dec 2015Cheim & Read is pleased to participate in the 2015 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach with a presenation of works by Donald Baechler, Lynda Benglis, Louise Bourgeois, William Eggleston,...Read more -
Frieze New York
14 - 17 May 2015Cheim & Read is pleased to participate in the 2015 edition of Frieze New York with a presentation of works by Ghada Amer, Donald Baechler, Lynda Benglis, Louise Bourgeois, Louise...Read more -
Frieze New York
9 - 12 May 2014Cheim & Read is pleased to participate in Frieze New York with a presentation of works by Ghada Amer, Lynda Benglis, Louise Bourgeois, William Eggleston, Louise Fishman, Adam Fuss, Al...Read more -
Barry McGee
12 Sep - 26 Oct 2013Cheim & Read is pleased to announce an exhibition of new work by Barry McGee. This is the artist’s first solo show with the gallery. It will also be his...Read more