David Barnett Gallery

"Galerie Maeght" lithograph poster by Jean Rene Bazaine. This poster holds Bazine's name in harsh orange lines near the top of the piece. Diagonally bisecting the b and a in Bazaine is a teal line. Bellow this horizontally against the white backgrounds are two lines, one painted yellow and the other blue. Image: 29 x 21 in Jean Bazaine was a French painter, designer of stained glass windows, and writer. He was the great great grandson of the English Court portraitist Sir George Hayter. In 1949/1950 he had his first major one man show at the Galerie Maeght, who remained his art dealer thenceforth. From then on it was a steady progress of major exhibitions: Bern, Hanover, Zürich, Oslo... 1987 a retrospective exhibition in Galerie Maeght, 1988 a retrospective of his drawings in the Musée Matisse and finally in 1990 the Exposition Bazaine in the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris., which was accompanied by the reissue of his major texts on painting in art theory as Le temps de la peinture (Paris, Aubier 1990). "The motley crowds of international tourists and souvenir-shoppers who fill the ancient streets of the Latin Quarter in Paris spend most of their time admiring the open-air displays of seafood outside the Greek restaurants in the rue de la Huchette. They ignore the beautiful church of St Severin in the same street, for have they not already "done" Notre Dame? So they miss one of the most wonderful series of stained-glass windows in France: Jean Bazaine's vivid, dynamic works irradiating the sombre ambulatory and apsidal chapels. These windows represent the seven sacraments of the Church, portrayed as essential forms from nature in all its glory and symbolising Water, Fire and Light, sacred emblems of Divine Grace. An appropriate biblical verse is inscribed beneath each. Only Pierre Soulages with his "luminous black" windows at l'Abbaye de Conques (1998) can stand comparison with the majesty of these contemporary works by Bazaine, created between 1965 and 1970. Bazaine was fortunate in his friends. He received at an early stage in his student career support and advice from another master colourist, Pierre Bonnard. In his youth he knew Leger, Braque, James Joyce and Marcel Proust. One of his great personal friends was Jean Fautrier, with whom he shared his first exhibition in 1930. His work gradually developed as a form of bold tachisme - brilliantly composed but well-controlled "splashes" of sumptuous colour. He rejected the term "abstract" which he considered a denial of the essentially intimate relationships between art and reality. He quoted his friend Braque: "The canvas must efface the idea behind it." In 1941, during the Nazi occupation, at a time when Hitler was destroying many works of modern art, Bazaine had the courage to organise in Paris a first "avant-garde" exhibition of 20 French artists. In 1948, he wrote his first book, an unpedantic, unacademic view of contemporary painting, Notes sur la peinture d'aujourd'hui. He quotes Braque on Cezanne: "He's a painters' painter - other people think it's unfinished." Bazaine, too, reverenced Cezanne: Three lines drawn by Cezanne overturn our whole concept of the world, proclaim the liberty of man, his courage. The great painters have never had any other aims. The painter says: "I exist, therefore you exist. I am free, therefore you are free. Or at least he tries to. It's his one aim in life." After the Second World War, Bazaine produced vast compositions with virtuoso colour structures, mostly with references to nature, like the breathtaking Vent de mer (1949, now in the Museum of Modern Art, Paris) and Orage au jardin (1952, now in the Van Abbemuseum at Eindhoven). His Earth and Sky (1950) is in the Maeght Foundation at Saint Paul de Vence. One of his greatest works, L'Arbre tenebreux (1962), was sold to the Sonja Henie...

"Grey Pitcher" is a pastel still life by American artist Warren Brandt created in 1986. Warren Brandt is known for his still-life paintings being especial...

"Bobo Mask Burkina Fasso-Upper Volta" is a wood carved sculpture with painted details. It features the image of an abstracted face with a large almost elepha...

"Senufo (Gbon) Statute of Royalty" is a sculpture by thr Senufo peoples of Gabon. It is wood, mixed fiber, textiles, and cowry shells. 14" x 8" x 3" The...

"Mossi Head dress Mas ceremonies Rep Upper Volta" is a wood sculpture that includes various other materials such as fabric, and fibers. An abstracted animal with a hump and a bird on it's back make up the top of the headdress. 27" x 6" x 1" The Mossi states were created about 1500 A.D., when bands of horsemen rode north from what is now northern Ghana into the basin of the Volta River and conquered several less powerful peoples, including Dogon, Lela, Nuna, and Kurumba. These were integrated into a new society call Mossi, with the invaders as chiefs and the conquered as commoners. The Mossi make both political art and spiritual art. Figures are used by the ruling class to validate political power, and masks are used by the conquered peoples to control the forces of nature. The several mask styles reflect the diversity of the population before the 15th century invasion. Long tall masks...

"Bobo Mask of Dance" is a wood sculpture with painted accents. A human face with two protruding shapes make up the mask, while a long structure sit atop. 37...

"Bambara Queen, Rep. Mali" is a carved wood sculpture with abstracted human and animal figures. 20" x 6" x 3" The Bambara are a Mande ethnic group native to West Africa, primarily ...

"Dan Mask Ivory Coast" is a mask sculpted out of wood with hair and mud. Slit eyes and an opened mouth with a heart shaped face. 6" x 9" x 2" Da...

"Secret Society Mask-Sierra Leone W. Africa," is a wood sculpture of a woman's head. The hair has been sculpted with intricate detail, and metal hair adornments...

"Senufo Mask of Ceremonies (from Republic Ivory Coast)" is an carved wood artifact from the Senufo people of Africa, in the northeastern cote d'Ivoire. The...

"Orient Express" is a lithograph poster by Pierre Fix-Masseau. The artist signed his name in the lower right of the image. This piece depicts a fashionable woman smoking in one of the rooms of the Venice Simplon...

"Columbine Flower Double Sided" is an original ink and gouache painting on paper by Sylvia Spicuzza. The Columbine flower is known for attracting humm...

"Noel" is an original relief print by Sylvia Spicuzza. A holiday themed print, this features the image of the virgin Mary and baby Jesus. Image: 4" x 3" ...

"L'Estampe Moderne - David Barnett Gallery Exhibition, Feb. 18, 1978 - Mar. 25, 1978" is an offset poster limited edition, ed. 1/500. The poster...

'New Orleans Streetscape" is an original watercolor painting by William Collins. It features a view of a street in New Orleans,. Tall houses with large...

"White Calf" is an original lithograph print by Thomas Hart benton. It features the image of a man milking a cow while her calf lays down in front. Benton's breathtaking way of rende...

"Chamber Music" is an original wood engraving by Robert Franz von Neumann. It features a room full of men in the thralls of creating music together. A small audience stands outside their circle. Image: 5.5" x 7" Framed: 14" x 15.56" 1888 - 1976 Born in Rostock, Mecklenburg, Germany, Robert von Neumann...

"Farmer" is an original linoleum print by Schomer Lichtner, signed in the lower right hand corner. A side profile of a man in rendered in clear lines full of expression. Image: 6" x...

"Flood Waters" is an original wood engraving by Harold Wescott, It features a tree in the center, with its roots wrapping languidly over a form. High waters rise up from the back. Un...

"Squall is an original wood engraving by Lowell Merritt Lee. It features a rendition of a squall, a sudden violent gust of wind that often brings in rain, snow, or sleet. Image: 6.1...

"Swimmers" is an original linoleum print by Clarice George Logan. It features five figures enjoying a swim, jumping off from a small boat. Image: 4.94" x 6" Framed: 13.87" x 14.87" Clarice George Logan was born in Mayville, New York in 1909 but moved to Wisconsin in 1921. She attended the Milwaukee State Teachers College from 1927 to 1931 where she studied with Robert von Neumann...

"Rest" is an original linoleum print by Schomer Lichtner, signed in the lower right hand corner. It features a man in the act of resting on a stick in the middle of work. Image: 5.6...

"Brahma vs. Leghorn" is an original wood engraving by Howard Thomas. In front of an understated farm house, Brahma and Leghorn face off, ready to battle. An unidentified plant sits on the center. Unsigned. Image: 6" x 7.44" Framed: 13.75" x 15.18 Thomas Howard (1899-1971) born a Quaker in Ohio, trained in the Midwest at Ohio State University and the Chicago Art Institute. He taught in the Art Department of the Milwaukee State Teachers College (now University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) where he became good friends with Carl Holty, Edward Boerner, Robert von Neumann...

"Portrait of a Girl" is an original wood engraving by Barbara K. Warren Weisman. It features an an overhead view of a girl, with her arms crossed and eyes clothes. A plant sits on a ...

"Trees" is an original wood engraving print by Betsy Ritz Friebert. It features a man walking down a large path underneath tall barren trees. Unsig...

"Meditation" is an original linoleum print by Schomer Lichtner, signed in the lower right hand corner. It features a man in the middle of a project, in quiet meditation. Image: 6" x 8" Framed: 14.5" x 14.37" Lichtner and his wife, Ruth Grotenrath (1912-1988), are celebrated as Milwaukee’s first couple of painting and are regarded as major Wisconsin artists. Lichtner’s impressive production, perseverance, longevity, and positive approach to his life and art made him and his work distinctive and much loved by his many admirers. His work is currently represented in collections at the Milwaukee Art Museum, the John Michael Kohler Art Center, the West Bend Museum, and in the collections of many individuals. Books on the lives and art work of both Lichtner and Grotenrath are in progress and it is anticipated that they will be published next year. Recipient of the 2006 Wisconsin Visual Artist Lifetime Achievement Award The late Milwaukee artists, Schomer Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath, created original silkscreen prints as a part of their Christmas celebration starting in the 1940's. The subjects and colors varied from year to year but they laboriously printed these little gems themselves. Ruth Grotenrath, 1912-1988, and her husband, Schomer Lichtner, (1905-2006), are celebrated as Milwaukee’s first couple of painting and are regarded as major Wisconsin artists. From the outset, Lichtner and Grotenrath were determined to become full-time artists. Ruth Grotenrath and Schomer Lichtner began their careers by creating numerous murals for the WPA (Work Projects Administration), primarily post offices. A wonderful example can be seen in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin post office. Even during the Great Depression they worked producing Post Office murals under the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts (SFA). According to James Auer, former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel art critic, "As art and economic trends evolved, the couple’s palettes brightened and warmed. Both fell under the spell of the Mexican social realists, notably Diego Rivera, and modernists such as Matisse and Dufy. The couple’s perspective changed further after they became friends with philosopher Alan Watts...

"Angelika's Pets" is an original wood engraving by Robert Franz Von Neumann. It features a young woman sitting at a desk, working on a wood engraving. Two large cats sit near her and look out a window nearby. Image: 6" x 5" Framed: 13.43" x 12.43" 1888 - 1976 Born in Rostock, Mecklenburg, Germany, Robert von Neumann...

"White Horse" is an original wood engraving by Howard Thomas, signed in plate. A white horse trots past the foreground of the image, spirals in it's eyes and spots on its hide. A bla...

"Milwaukee Harbor" is an original woodcut print by Lowell Merritt Lee. Different aspects of the milwaukee harbor come together in a collage-like fashion. Image: 6" x 5" Frame: 14.31...

"Figure" is an original linoleum print by Gerrit Sinclair, signed in plate the lower left corner. It features a woman fixing her hair in front of a mirror, her nude body visible to the viewer from the back and front reflecting in the mirror. Image: 6" x 5" Framed: 13.37" x 12.43" Gerrit Sinclair brought the charming style of American Regionalism painting...

"Country Church" is an original linoleum print by Elsa E. Ulbricht. A front facing view of a country church is proudly replicated within this print. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Image:7" x 5" Framed: 15.25" x 13.25" Painter, Teacher When she directed The Milwaukee Handicraft Project, Elsa Ulbricht...

"Hotel Lobby" is a linoleum print by Alexander Tillotson. It features the view of a hotel lobby from the viewpoint of the back of two men. Thick lines and minimal negative space give...

"Road to Cripple Creek, Colo." is an original woodcut print by Gerhardt H. Bakker. Lines full of expression and shape make up every bit of this print, fr...

"Untitled (Girl Reading)" is an original wood engraving by the artist Stella Emma Harlos. A young girl rests on a large armchair, head resting on one hand as she reads a book. Image: 4" x 5" Frame: 12.12" x 13.18" Stella Harlos...

"Boats in Berlin Harbor" is an original pastel painting on cheesecloth. Small tugboats push across the Berlin harbor as a gauzy cityscape watches from behind. Image: 25" x 33" Frame...

"Horse Wrangler" is an original lithograph by the artist Lawrence Barrett signed in the lower right hand corner. Four beautifully drawn horses use a moment of commotion to escape a corral. Low hills and an expansive sky serve as a background. Image: 8.75" x 12.25" Framed: 11.9" x 16.5" Lawrence Barrett was an etcher, lithographer, teacher, illustrator, sculptor, writer, and painter. Born in Guthrie, Oklahoma, Barrett was a student at the Broadmoor Academy...

"Sur les Ponts de Paris" (Bridges of Paris) is an original color lithograph by Francois Batet, signed on the lower right corner. Three women in stylish 20's fashion cruise by in the ...

The Dan people of Liberia have a history of using masks like these for rituals pertaining to various aspects of their lives. This particular mask has a commanding, yet gentle presence. The carved wooden face...

"Promenade sous les Arbres (Walk under the Trees)" is an original color lithograph by Francois Batet, signed in the lower right and numbered in the lower left. At the center of the p...

"Tool Relief II" is an original sculptural stonework vase by David Barnett. It is signed and dated on the bottom. 13" H x 3.50 D David Barnett, an artist, collector, appraiser and ...

"What Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?" is an original watercolor and ink surrealist work by David Barnett, signed in the lower right corner. This piece pictures parts of the New...

"Mountain" is an original watercolor painting by David Barnett, signed int he lower right corner. The piece is composed of minimal brushstrokes in green, yellow, blue, and red, formi...

"Land, Sea & Sky" is an original watercolor painting by David Barnett, signed in the lower right. This gestural, abstract piece features two lightly washed color fields: yellow on th...

"Grand Display" is an original watercolor painting by David Barnett, signed in the lower right corner. The piece is composed of minimal brushstrokes in green, yellow, blue, and red, ...

"Les Artistes du Cirque" is an original painting in ink, watercolor, and gouache on paper by leading Fauvist artist Kees Van Dongen, signed in the lower right. In the piece, two circus performers stand against against a wall. On the left, a pale woman in a blue leotard with red flowers on the shoulder stands with her arms crossed, looking out at the viewer. The painter fills in her tights with delicate white brushstrokes, lending them an almost iridescent appearance. Her strawberry blond hair is piled on top of her hair according to the fashion of the period. On the right, an African man stands in a vivid orange toga, looking somewhere off to the left. His feet are clad in bright white shoes...

"Dolly" is an original color lithograph poster by The Clérice Frères (The Clérice Brothers), signed within the composition on the lower left edge, just ...

"Bird" is an original pencil drawing by David Barnett, signed along the bottom edge. The entire work is about the size of a postage stamp and includes an abstract representation of a...

"Landscape with Glasses" is an original watercolor painting by David Barnett, signed in the lower right. This piece is gestural and abstract, featuring free mark-making with the brus...

"Morph Dog Range Retreat" is an original watercolor by David Barnett, signed in the lower right. The painting features dark earth tones and washes of brown and dark blue. The titular...

"Dream Window" is an original watercolor painting by David Barnett, signed in the lower right corner. The picture plane is divided into four sections like a window pane, and each sec...

"Boton Tea Party Invites II" is an original watercolor and ink painting by David Barnett, signed in the lower left. This piece depicts tea bags falling into the water, splatter of co...

"Oriental Sunrise in the Mountains" and "Shooting Star" are two original watercolor paintings on opposite sides of a 300 lb piece of watercolor paper, created by David Barnett. In ad...

"Waterfall in the Forest" is an original acrylic painting on masonite by David Barnett, signed on the verso. The work breaks down the image of the title to its most basic colors and ...

"Coyotes Disguised as Christmas Cactus Tree" is an original watercolor by David Barnett, signed and dated in the lower center. Solid blocks of pastel red ...

"Lake Michigan Rocks" is an original watercolor painting by David Barnett, signed and dated in the lower right. The painting features an abstract representation of Lake Michgan's roc...

"Cow Jumping Over the Moon" is an original mixed media piece by David Barnett, signed in the lower right. It incorporates watercolor, marker, ...

"Orbiting the Earth" is an original watercolor painting by David Barnett, signed and dated in the lower right. This abstract piece is almost abstract expressionist in style with free...

"Ring Around the Rosy" is a slab-built ceramic sculpture collaboration between David Barnett and Joseph Rozman. This cylindrical sculpture features geometric designs in low relief t...

"Postcard Size Impression of Autumn at Star Lake, WI" is an original watercolor painting by David Barnett, signed in the lower center. The piece is an abstract representation of the ...

"Spacial Balance" is a series of four works by David Barnett in watercolor and pencil, all signed "David Barnett '68." Each is a different experiment in line, color, and balance. Sp...