Will Barnet's Centennial Retrospective at National Academy Museum Features Family Memories

A retrospective exhibition celebrating Will Barnet's 100th birthday opens at the National Academy Museum on September 16, 2011, coinciding with the institution's reopening after a year-long renovation. Barnet's sons Peter, Richard, and Todd shared childhood memories in interviews with Roslyn Bernstein. The artist maintained a strong work ethic throughout his life, painting daily and teaching at institutions like Cooper Union and the Art Students League. His early family life in a cramped Manhattan apartment on 106th Street and Manhattan Avenue involved creating art together on the living room rug. Barnet's social circle included notable artists like Louise Nevelson, Louise Bourgeois, Stuart Davis, Romare Bearden, and Bob Blackburn. His artistic influences ranged from Northwest Native American cultures, reflected in his 1940s-50s Indian Space paintings, to European cinema favorites like Jacques Tati and Sergei Eisenstein. Despite health challenges in his later years, Barnet remained mentally sharp and continued painting daily, often visiting museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art where he encountered former students including Chuck Close. The exhibition runs through December 31, 2011, at the National Academy Museum's location at 1089 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street.