Barbican Art Gallery Opens Largest UK Robert Ryman Show in Over 30 Years
The Barbican Art Gallery in London is hosting "Robert Ryman: The Real Thing," marking the first significant UK exhibition of the renowned American artist in over thirty years, running until 28 February 2027. Curated by Wells Fray-Smith, this exhibition showcases Ryman's works spanning from the mid-1950s to the early 2010s, with the goal of familiarizing British viewers with his art. Ryman, who was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1930, relocated to New York in the early 1950s, where he worked at MoMA and became a self-taught painter. Notable pieces include Untitled (Orange Painting) (1955 and 1959) and Surface Veil II (circa 1970). Fray-Smith highlights Ryman's emphasis on the importance of direct experience and observation in his work.
Key facts
- Robert Ryman: The Real Thing is at Barbican Art Gallery, London, until 28 February 2027.
- It is Ryman’s first major UK exhibition in more than 30 years.
- The show spans works from the mid-1950s to the early 2010s and is curated by Wells Fray-Smith.
- Ryman was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1930 and died in 2019.
- He moved to New York in the early 1950s to pursue jazz saxophone and worked as a guard at the Museum of Modern Art.
- Untitled (Orange Painting) (1955 and 1959) was considered by Ryman his first “professional” painting and was often excluded from his own exhibitions.
- Surface Veil II (around 1970) is a 12ft by 12ft work that rarely travels due to its size.
- One section displays works without wall texts or interpretation, with contextual information provided in a handout.
Entities
Artists
- Robert Ryman
- Wells Fray-Smith
- Susan Dunne
- Thomas Adank
- Matt Connors
- Darby English
- Erica Cooke
- Peter Osborne
- Caleb Azumah Nelson
- Adam Caruso
- Roni Horn
- Richard Tuttle
- Howardena Pindell
- Amber Li
- Studio Mathias Clottu
Institutions
- Barbican Art Gallery
- Barbican
- Museum of Modern Art
- MoMA
- David Zwirner
- DACS
- Barbican Centre
- Frieze Week
- Pre-Echo Press
- Courtauld Institute of Art
- Research Forum at the Courtauld Institute of Art
- Serious
- Take Five
- Dannheisser Foundation
- FAD Magazine
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Nashville
- Tennessee
- United States
- New York