Barry Ra: Homecoming

Opening Reception: Sunday, February 14
Exhibition Dates: February 14 - 20
Barry Ra in Context - Talk by Martin Paz: February 19th at 6pm

For one special week, Rochester Contemporary Art Center presents a retrospective exhibition honoring the life and work of Barry Ra (Robert Ainsworth Barry, 1923–2014), a Rochester artist whose singular vision was shaped by a lifetime of creativity, curiosity, and compassion. Barry exhibited at RoCo (called Pyramid at that time) in group exhibitions and a solo exhibition at "The Lincoln Building" at 100 East Ave., making this exhibition both a look back and a homecoming. This is also a special opportunity for longtime admirers to reconnect with his work while introducing a new generation of Rochester audiences to his remarkable artistic legacy

A veteran, photographer, author, dancer with the José Limón Dance Company, and graduate of East High School and the Rochester Institute of Technology, Barry created art for more than four decades under the pseudonym "Barry Ra," inspired by the Egyptian sun god. Influenced by Erté, Aubrey Beardsley, and Salvador Dalí, his elegant linework and stylized compositions were unmistakably his own, exploring themes of nature, spirituality, and our responsibility to one another and the natural world.

Organized by Martin Paz, Barry's longtime family friend and manager of the Barry Ra Collection, the exhibition brings together works drawn from the collection he has carefully preserved. All artwork is available for purchase, with a portion of sales benefiting Rochester Contemporary Art Center's endowment, helping sustain RoCo's mission and support future generations of artists and audiences, as it supported Barry many years ago.

On February 19th Martin will give a talk about the artist and about the efforts to preserve and bring Barry's work to light.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Robert Ainsworth Barry "Barry Ra" (b. Rochester, 1923) was a graduate of East High School and Rochester Institute of Technology where he majored in Design and Illustration. Barry served in the US Army and was stationed in the Philippines during world war two. He studied dance under Martha Graham and was a cage dancer in Greenwich Village, New York during the 1950’s. Barry also spent segments of his life at the Trappist Monastery in Kentucky. He found special insights in the writings of the theologian, Thomas Merton. His work has been displayed in various cities, including Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Miami. His work has been described as marginal and stylized design and decoration. Barry had a photographic memory and a remarkable ability to capture the movement of animals in his artwork. He used simple lines to detail his subjects, which gave his art a unique simplicity and sophistication. Barry produced much of his best work during the mid 1980s through the late 1990s. Into his old age he continued to draw, and he resided in Rochester, NY until 2014, when he passed away. It was always his dream to share his art and creativity with the world.