Portfolio Review: Barry McGee

A full look at Twist's amazing work from the last 2 years.

October 13, 2011

Image via Complex Original

intro

Born in 1966, San Francisco native Barry McGee has progressed from tagging the streets as Twist to regularly showing in major museums. He attended the San Francisco Art Institute, concentrating in painting and printmaking, and through the course of his career has refined a mixed-media approach to large scale installation. McGee's big break came in 2001, where he exhibited at the Venice Biennial.

Despite this, McGee remained somewhat elusive and resistant to museum exhibition. He cracked eventually, showing at both the Walker Art Center and at the Rose Museum of Art at Brandeis University in 2004.

A decade after his Venice debut, McGee's position in the art world is certainly solidified. Still, he's not lost his street born graphic sensibility. Working under his given name and through a slew of pseudonyms (including Ray and Lydia Fong), McGee's shown around the world and was included in the groundbreaking Art in the Streets at MOCA. Without a doubt, he's a central figure in the renaissance of street art to fine art transition.

In this portfolio review, we look at McGee's most recent gallery and museum installations. Indicative of where he's at now, these show a refinement of his distinct style and provide a clear sense of his winning humor.

Images courtesy of the artist, Ratio 3, San Francisco, Cheim and Read, New York, and Modern Art, London.

Check out Barry McGee's most outstanding work of the last two years.

15

Barry McGee
Leave It Alone, 2010
Installation View
Bolinas Museum, CA

Located in Marin County, the Bolinas Museum presented "Leave It Alone" from June 19 to August 2, 2010.

1

Barry McGee
Untitled, 2010
Mixed Media
76 Elements
97 x 158 inches

McGee often works with multiple panels. Influenced by trips to Catholic churches and the tight hanging of paintings within, these works mix graphic elements and often include his signature caricatured male figure.

6

Barry McGee
Installation view, 2010
Oakland Museum of California

The Oakland Museum of California brings together collections of art, history, and natural science to tell the story of the Golden State's ever-evolving culture. In 2010, McGee took part in a group showing of local Bay Area artists. Here is a shot of the installation.

5

Barry McGee
Untitled, 2010
Acrylic on panel
28 x 13 inches

4

Barry McGee
Untitled, 2010
Installation view
Transfer, Brazilian Cultural Pavilion, Ibirapuera Park, Sao Paulo, Brazil

TRANSFER, a biennial exhibition of contemporary visual culture, street art, and skateboarding, included McGee as part of the Beautiful Losers space in 2010. The event was held in Sao Paulo and the trip to Brazil was influential in McGee's thinking about the use of multiple paneled artworks.

3

Barry McGee
Untitled, 2010
Acrylic on panel
14 x 23 inches

2

Barry McGee
Untitled, 2011
Acrylic on wood panel
9 elements
41.5 x 40 inches

Another example of McGee's use of multiple panels. Here, however, he works strictly in acrylic paint rather than mixed-media.

7

Barry McGee
New Work, 2011
Installation View
Stuart Shave / Modern Art, London, UK

This past summer, McGee held his first solo show in London since 2005. Exhibiting new works, the artist proved his continued progression in patterning and in his exciting multiple panel work. Mixed media, lettering, and photographs all mix in dynamic form.

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Barry McGee
New Work, 2011
Installation View
Stuart Shave / Modern Art, London, UK

9

Barry McGee
New Work, 2011
Installation View
Stuart Shave / Modern Art, London, UK

10

Barry McGee
Installation View
Art In The Streets, MOCA, Los Angeles, 2011

Art In The Streets, the most talked about show of 2011, featured a massive installation of works by McGee. In immersive space, he managed to articulate all his various pseudonyms and present fine art in a street setting within a fine art institution (whoa). One of the highlights of the exhibition.