Untitled / Robert Barry

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Record Details

Accession Number
2008/2.222
Title
Untitled
Artist
Robert Barry
Artist Nationality
American
Artist Life Dates
(1936 - )
Medium and Support
transfer type and ink on paper
Object Creation Date
1976
Object Creation Place
North America
American
Creation Place 1
North America
Creation Place 2
American
Style/Group/Movement
conceptual art
Dimensions
20.2 cm x 20.2 cm (7 15/16 in. x 7 15/16 in.)
Century
20th century
Primary Object Classification
Print
Primary Object Type
transfer lithograph
Physical Description
Transfer type on square sheet of paper. Four lines divide the sheet into quadrants. The lines do not intersect in the middle, and stop just short of the edge of the paper. On each line are two words, one right side up, the other upside down. The “pairs” are (from center out, clockwise from top): aged/ fair; mess/ change; lovely/ private; trap/ hope.
Subject Matter
Robert Barry was among the first wave of conceptual artists of the 1960s and early 1970s who made art that was primarily text- and language-based rather than the traditional pictorial orientation of the visual arts. Barry chose combinations of words that seem to be related in some way. For example “aged/ fair” might suggest to the viewer that they are opposing terms, but on second thought, although there is a vague associational relationship between the two words, they are not antonyms. As Anne Rorimer explained, “Words are used in Barry’s artwork to evoke the notion of open-ended space and open-ended meaning.... [T]he viewer is left free to bring their own meaning to the work. But the works also invite participation, allowing viewers to flex their imagination.” (cited in Benjamin Genocchio, “A Career Built on Exploring the Boundaries of Art,” NY Times, 30 Nov 2003)
Primary Keywords
conceptual
poetry
text
word
Rights
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Technical Details

Image Size
2582 x 2591
File Size
915 KB
Record
2008/2.222
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2008-sl-2.222/2008_2_222.jpg

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"Untitled; Robert Barry." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2008-sl-2.222/2008_2_222.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 29, 2024.
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