Biography

Irving Barrett has been making art since the mid 1970s when he began to take an interest in drawing while a student at Columbia University. Forsaking an academic degree in favor of art, he studied painting and life drawing at the Art Students League until gaining a B.F.A. at Parsons in 1983 and later an M.F.A. at Pratt Institute in 1991. His first entry in a group show was at the Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, Long Island in 1978. Since then he has had numerous entries in various group exhibits as well as a one man show at LaGrange College, Georgia in 1998. Among the group show galleries have been the Elaine Benson Gallery in Bridgehampton, Long Island and the Arras Gallery, 57th Street, NYC. Irving Barrett has been a member of Noho Gallery since 1994 and will have his ninth solo exhibit there in September 2022.

Artist Statement

Irving Barrett has always been interested in both montage and collage as effective approaches and techniques for the making of art. The acrylic painting “Kestrel and Sparrow” (2005) is an example of the use of montage to create an imaginary scene. “Sharpshin” (2009), on the other hand, is done with an intricate collage technique to create a surreal setting with imaginary figurations emerging from the foliage. The work is usually a blend of realism and surrealism with a hint of Dada or pop art in places. Intrigue and illusionism are given frequent voice. In recent years, he has concentrated on the depiction of birds as his favorite content, using the environs of Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island as a source of inspiration for his art.

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