Robert
Barry

Robert
Barry

American, born in 1936


Since the end of the 1960s, Robert Barry has explored the limits of materiality and visibility of a work of art. His multidisciplinary practice consists mostly of installations of electric wires and nylon threads, shows that use inert gases, and films in which images and text alternate. He also works with intangible media, like ultrasounds, noises or even magnetism.

A first generation conceptual artist alongside Lawrence Weiner, Joseph Kosuth and Douglas Huebler, Barry questions the existence of a work of art in space and time. His reflection on the dematerialisation of the work culminates in a famous episode in 1969, when the galleries selected to display three of his exhibits announced their closure, on the artist’s request.

The work of Robert Barry was first displayed by the Pinault Collection at the “Prima Materia” (“Raw Material”) exhibition at the Punta della Dogana.
Robert Barry's artwork