Robert Barry
Robert Barry
Robert Barryis an American artist. Since 1967, Barry has produced non-material works of art, installations, and performance art using a variety of otherwise invisible media. In 1968, Robert Barry is quoted as saying "Nothing seems to me the most potent thing in the world."...
ProfessionPerformance Artist
Date of Birth9 March 1936
believe people mind
I certainly don't believe that people can read other people's minds.
ideas
The idea of words and photos was something that appealed to me.
tree way photograph
I always took photographs. I photographed a lot of trees, by the way, which is another image I used often in my work, the tree image.
ideas certain basic-things
And after a while, you just pare things down more and more and more, until you get to certain basic things which just - basic ideas which just seem to work for you over and over again.
color shapes size
Words are objects of a color and a size and a form and a shape.
style wanted
I wanted my style to be very recognizable.
thinking mind looks
I think you say the word in your mind anyway, you know. When you look at a word, you say it.
trying bigs big-things
The big thing is I try not to repeat.
roots drawing tree
After I did the drawings of trees combining them with words, I started doing - I did that for a very short time. Then it kind of - that sort of evolved into just showing the branches of a tree coming down into the trunk and then going into the root system. So I showed both the branches and the roots of a tree, which were about equal. There is as much going on under the ground as is going on above the ground, which you can see.
competition lost has-beens
I have been in competitions for commissions. I've won most and lost some. Mostly, I've won.
past drawing want
And yes, there are things I want to keep, that I like around me - especially when there's very little left. I just want to keep those little bits of reminders of my past. There are certain drawings from the '60s; certain little paintings from the '60s that I keep.
gone gallery fortunate
I'm fortunate in one respect; that I don't have a lot of work in my studio. Most of it's out, gone; either sold or in galleries. I work with a lot of galleries.
wall ideas drawing
I do make some drawings for wall pieces. I do work out some ideas for large-scale wall pieces where I have to organize words or get proportions right. I do keep them in my files. Not an exhibit or a show; just as part of my records, my archives.
art ideas drawing
I consider drawings finished works of art, first of all. However, the ideas can be something that can be developed into something larger. I don't make so many drawings anymore since I'm working with language. I used to make more when I worked with sculptural things, especially the wire pieces.