Will Barnett - Works from the Jean Walters Collection

K Space Contemporary had the honor of exhibiting the collection of Jean Walters. Walters began collecting art at the young age of 20 and continued to collect for the next 70 years. Her favorite artist was the renowned Will Barnet. Owning over 60 pieces byBarnet, Walters held the largest collection of his work owned by an individual collector. Many of these works of art remain available for purchase. If interested, please contact us at 361-887-6834 or info@kspacecontemporary.org.

Will Barnet (1911-2012)was known for his paintings, watercolors, drawings, and prints depicting the human figure and animals, both in casual scenes of daily life and in transcendent dream-like worlds. Though personal in subject matter, his work carries universal themes of stillness, reflection, and solitude. Barnet’s work is included in the collections of The National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Modern Art (NYC), Philadelphia Museum of Art, and many others.

Barnet studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and at the Art Students League of New York with Stuart Davis and Charles Locke. Concentratingon painting and printmaking, he became the official printer for the Art Students League in 1936, remaining in that position 43 years. There, he printed for Mexican muralist Jose Clemente Orozco and instructed students in the graphic arts. As an instructor, he influenced a generation of artists, including James Rosenquist and Cy Twombly. Barnet continued his love of teaching with positions at the Cooper Union, at Yale University, and at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He was represented by various galleries in New York City through the years. In 2011, he was awarded a National Medal of Arts presented by President Obama in a White House ceremony.