UNTITLED
Having the responsibility of putting out into the world something by which a person will be remembered is a daunting task. Something I have been avoiding for over 9 years. Having initially decided not to use his name, unsure I have the right too, has defeated the objective; to bring attention to his work. It is his work that will speak for him, not me. I need to honour my promise to protect and share his work.
In 2001, I took a studio in Woodend Mill, Mossley. My neighbour was Barry White, the artist not the singer. I loved to mooch round his studio pulling out pieces and talking about his practice. He liked to be left alone to work and indulged me briefly, but firmly showed me the door in gentle good humour when he saw fit. However I initially meet Barry some 20 years earlier; my sister studied fine art at Manchester Polytechnic, MMU as it now is, and Barry White was one of her tutors. So my first meeting with him was at the Medlock building while visiting my sister. I remember it as a vibrant, chaotic and energy-filled space with large white surfaces and noise. Where anarchy, though perhaps not on the curriculum, seemed not discouraged. Barry was not obtuse, but not always a direct answerer of questions. Perhaps borne of a life in teaching, where encouraging students to find their own answers was the objective. The twinkle in his eye, hinted at an air of thumbing his nose at rules and regulations. Adamant not to label his work, he left them simply ‘Untitled’.
FORGOTTEN
In 2015 Barry had a solo exhibition at Stockport Art Gallery, there was the usual flurry of getting the large canvases out of his studio, via an external hoist, into the waiting transport. This involved several tenants and was always fun, with both encouraging and disparaging comments ignored by the artist. This was Barry’s final exhibition. In 2010, when composing his biography for a book of his work ‘UNTITLED’, Barry listed his first ‘one man’ exhibition as - Avegarde Gallery Manchester 1959. A full 56 years before his final solo exhibition; his enthusiasm was undimmed.
Although he was unwilling to add narrative to his work, he warmly welcomed the opportunity to put it in front of people for them to form their own relationship with it. For the most Barry did not give his work names, for the same reason, I am familiar with many of his works and aware of just three with a title. The remaining body of work was by his design ‘Untitled’.
Not long after his Stockport Gallery exhibition, Barry began to experience memory loss. Within 12 months he had forgotten he was an artist, forgotten his work, his studio and gallery. He was cognisant and able to say what he wanted, but conversations were quickly forgotten and eventually he was unable to remember or deal with these matters. It was in 2016, following a conversation that the future care of his work fell to me. At that time I thought it would be a temporary responsibility, it was rather daunting. Barry died in September 2020 after a cruel illness. Now, over 6 years since I promised to take care of his works, I remain the custodian of a large body of work produced over sixty years of practice. I remain true to my word and commitment; to bring the work to the attention of others that it may be enjoyed, respected and remembered.
A SON OF MANCHESTER
Barry was not provincial, he had broad horizons and encouraged his students to travel and explore to inform their practice. However Barry had his roots firmly in Manchester. He was of the place and was proud of his deep association with the vibrant and exciting city. As a respected educator Barry had the privilege to share his depth of knowledge and experience with many generations of artists. Barry work, I believe, would not be out of place in the art world echo chamber, but he never courted the system. He spent time in the south of England, with similar young artistic souls in the seismic early 1960’s. When art, eccentricity and exploration of new freedoms were de rigueur. There is evidence of an anarchic and experimental period. From his friendship with, among others, Ian Dury and the production of straight-out-of-left-field 1962 movie ‘The Great Tortoise Hunt’ filmed on a second-hand Bolex 8mm cine camera acquired by Gordon Law. Gordon suggested Ian and his friends make a movie. Filming took place on Sundays in the garden of Ian’s home in Upminster, and in fields close to Barry White’s house in Wood End, Brentwood. The troupe consisted of Ian and his girlfriend Pat Few, Barry and Barbara White, Gordon and Ann Law, and Mike Price. At various points in the film Ian’s mimicry of silent movies legends such as Charlie Chaplin and Oliver Hardy is effortless. Barry had the original version of this movie on tape, when Will Birch was researching Ian Dury he tracked Barry down and was able to convert it into digital format. You can see a excerpt, trust me it is worth a few minutes of your time.
OVERLOOKED
Is it possible Barry White is an artist worthy of more respect than he currently enjoys? I do not know, I am not an expert. I am an art lover but knowing what art I like in my life is not the same as knowing what, in the opinion of the art world, is work deserving of recognition. Born in our wonderful capital city, we were fortunate from an early age to enjoy regular trips to galleries. Although I no longer live in London, I visit once a month and remain a member of many galleries so visit them regularly.
I find viewing art in settings like the National, Tate, V&A or Royal Academy is special, the large rooms, the space and breath round a piece allows for an intimacy between the viewer and the work. My first experience of a piece of work actually speaking to me was when I visited the Tate, many years ago, I sat in front of a beautiful Rothko and spent about half an hour just sitting looking at it. Wandering into it and allowing it to encompass me. Sometimes when I am observe some of Barry’s work, they have that power, they talk to me. Bid me stop and look, wander, explore and breath with them.
I know I know nothing about what the established art world deem worthy of attention. All I know is I made a promise to take care of the work, to get it out into the world so people could enjoy it and eventually to sell it and use the money to support artists in memory of Barry White. The first step of the journey is to care for the work, to save it. I achieved that. The next is to exhibit it. Getting the right people interested, finding the people who influence these things, when you are not in the art world, is not proving easy. I am confident some curator will see how fantastic an exhibition these works will present and welcome the opportunity to host a retrospective. I just need to find them.
WHAT’S IN A NAME
It is almost irresistible not to allude to the well known distinctive singer Barry White, I remember someone referring to him as ‘the lesser known’ Barry White in a review and that seems to accurately represent Barry White the painter.
Much of Barry’s life was pre internet and his inclination to manage his own life as an artist, not to court notoriety and to be comfortable administering is own affairs means he has never really come to the attention of those beyond the spheres he chose to occupy.
With my tiny experience of the established art world, it is easy to see why Barry was not interested in engaging in the game of art, as it sometimes seems. That, however, means while his work is fabulous it is not recorded, exchanged or commented upon in the circles where these things occur nor are there record of sales, resales etc. No matter how good the art, no matter how worthy of attention it is, the established forums are interested only in what is known and show little regard for what is not. Not being part of these established systems of gallery sales, auction listings, exhibitions of note and comments from voices that carry weight is to be unworthy in terms of your artist currency. Ultimately because art in certain circles is quantified in terms of cash, if your work is not proven to carry a premium it is not of interest. Depressing; but true. If you want the art to be taken seriously you must first promote it, build its reputation to a point it becomes of interest to the few with the power to acknowledge it as worthy of their attention.
One thing in the works favour is that Barry is no longer producing it! Yes, that is what I was told. Over time, if the work can be established to be accomplished, the fact it is no longer being made will enhance its value and desirability. The thing working against it is that no-one of any note is remotely interested in it other than to say it is interesting, has merit and could one day be recognised as possibly being by an artist who, may have been overlooked.
To better understand if the work is of any real value, to do it justice I have been advised not to sell it at this moment. To take time getting it exhibited, to build the profile of the work and to see if over time I can get the recognition I believe it deserves. That is great but not what I had in mind. Holding on to the work, getting prestigious exhibitions, building the works profile; seriously difficult, costly and a full time job. I have been told
that to sell it now would be to undervalue it, you would get several thousands for a piece from someone with a large farmhouse who was looking for a piece for the kitchen. The work is better than that, but without the profile it will not attract the attention of established avenues. They are not interested in ‘making’ reputations, just profiting from them.
WHERE TO START
Having established that I am not able to get any ‘expert’ to provide me with fair market valuations, where do I start. It seems logical, I want to sell the work and to ensure I understand what I should sell them for I need to understand their value in todays art market. But rather than being able to do that I have established the work is accomplished, it could be very interesting and worth of the attention of the established art world. That said, without any history on the art market it is not possible either to know the value or to get any established art dealer interested. Even a local auction house of good repute in the reseller art market would be unlikely to be interested. It would be costly for them to catalogue and promote an artist with no established market. They may not be likely to recover their costs if the pieces were not well received. So in order to even get someone to take the works for sale I need to build the profile of the artist and the work. To establish a presence sufficient to get someone to give me an opinion of the work. So whose opinion matters when it comes to art? It is difficult because Barry sold his work for figures I am unlikely to achieve. So do I spend the time and discover if the market does place a value on them that equates to or surpasses that Barry achieved from direct sales or do I sell them to people who love them for a price they can afford. Does it matter if I sell a piece for £100 or £10,000?
I have the objective of selling the work a using the profits to support artists, not to realise the best possible price for the work. But it just seems wrong to sell it for less that it can achieve, in under valuing the work I feel I would be undervaluing the artist and that is not an option. But I do not have 20 years to do this, I am 60 years old and I have my own life! I am confident I will find a path through, honour Barry and fulfil my promise to him without drowning in the process. As a consumer of art, I know the joy a piece of work can bring and the price paid is not a reflection of the value I place on the work. It is cost verse value and how I balance the equation.
RETROSPECTIVE
A location for a celebration of Barry’s life and work was top of the list of things to find. It still is. Knowing what we needed was easy, Manchester, large enough to house a reasonable number of his large canvases and accessible so many people can visit.
On paper, easy. In reality, thus far, impossible.
When I look at the best of Barry White’s work, it would not be out of place in many art galleries I have visited over my life. It is accomplished, it has the power to communicate, it has that quality that holds your attention, bids you stop, take notice, observe the layers within and allows you to indulge in it as it reveals depth to you over minutes.
It is abstract, it harbours dark tones, but it is beautiful, this is the work of someone who know what they were doing, who’s make-making betrays intent, who’s colour-punctuations present questions and answers. An artist whose work dances to the jazz soundtrack present though its making. The work has a confidence that allows you, the viewer, to relax with it, no need to overthink it, your are safe to just let it be and to be with it for a time. There are moments in certain pieces that, if you know the artist, you see his hand, his mind, his unspoken message. Barry White dedicated his life to not only the pursuit of his own creative endeavour but to the education and stimulation of generations of artists who studied under him at MMU, in Chicago and any other place he shared his love of art, art history and practice. He was generous with his time and knowledge, opening up his studio to other artists, creating opportunities for fellow artists to promote their work. It is an indictment of the art community, particularly that in Manchester, that it has not opened its arms and its door to provide a fitting location to pay thanks and tribute to one of its own, to hold a retrospective for an artist, who because he did not court the mainstream art world, may be underestimated, overlooked and is yet to have his day. It is not for the want to trying and I hope one day soon to announce the date, time and venue for what would be an exhibition worthy of acclaim, a rare opportunity to celebrate Barry White, the artist, the painter, the educator and son of Manchester. It will be an exhibition that will live long in the memory.
ART, JAZZ, MATHS & AUDREY
We all have themes that inform our lives, for Barry his life as an artist was an extension of him. I know him to be a dedicated, hard working artist, he had routines he followed and whenever I distracted him in conversation long enough to interrupt his practice, I know there were certain things he loved to talk about, art history, jazz music, mathematics and Audrey Hepburn. When I had overstayed my welcome, I know I could engage him a little longer if I invited these in. I would ask about a grid pattern, or about some fresh chalk marks, the track playing in the background or his ever-present Audrey Hepburn calendar. I will never fully understand how these important themes in his life informed his work, when they crept in and when they were invited but when I look at certain works, I can hear the music, his explanation of a formula, a colour and it is there, in the paint, the marks, the scribble, the geometry.
CONTRIBUTE
In order to create a record of the work and life of Barry White, the artist, the painter we seek to invite as many contributions as possible. Perhaps you were a personal friend, a student, a fellow educator, a collector or admirer of his work. You may have good quality image of works now sold and not recorded. To ensure Barry White is remembered we would love to hear from anyone who feels they have something that will contribute to the record we will create. It is difficult because Barry experienced sever memory loss towards the end of his life, it denied him the opportunity to make final decisions about his work, to discuss how he would like to be remembered or his work recorded. This is now our challenge to represent Barry White and his body of work in a way that reflects the man and ensures his work is remembered. Barry forgot he was an artist, he forgot those large canvases within a studio he worked in for thousands of hours. We do not want the rest of the world to forget his work.
To contribute contact us via the site, Email hello@woodendmillstudios.co.uk or telephone +44 7583 457849.
We also need more tangible contributions of exhibition opportunities and finance to ensure this project is completed and a permanent record of the works are available for future generations to enjoy.
Abstract painting with geometric shapes, textured surfaces, and a color palette of muted coral, gray, black, white, and hints of yellow and blue.
Abstract painting with geometric shapes and brushstrokes in muted earth tones, black, white, and hints of orange.
Abstract painting with geometric shapes and muted colors, including black, green, yellow, and red accents.