Will Barnet

(American, 1911–2012)

Will Barnet was a 20th-century American artist best known for his paintings and prints created in his distinctively flat, stylized aesthetic. Throughout his classically elegant depictions of both everyday life and dreams, Barnet tinged his work with symbolic meaning. His paintings often feature solitary figures with birds set amidst an ominous interior or landscape. With a career spanning over 80 years, the artist once remarked, “Painting is almost like a religious experience, which should go on and on. Age just gives you the freedom to do some things you've never done before. Great work can come at any stage of your life.” Born on May 25, 1911 in Beverly, MA, Barnet went on to study at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and later at the Art Student’s League of New York, where met the influential artist Stuart Davis. Today, Barnet’s work is in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, among others. He died on November 13, 2012 in New York, NY at the age of 101.

Related Categories

Contemporary Realism, Drawings and Works on Paper, Prints and Multiples

Related Artists

Stuart Davis, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Charles Wheeler Locke, José Clemente Orozco, Richard Pousette-Dart

Will Barnet Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Will Barnet (1,038 results)
Ariadne (from the American Portfolio), 1980

Will Barnet

Ariadne (from the American Portfolio), 1980

Sale Date: October 7, 2021

Auction Closed

The White Stairway, 1974, 1974

Will Barnet

The White Stairway, 1974, 1974

Sale Date: October 23, 2021

Auction Closed

Widow's Walk, 1970

Will Barnet

Widow's Walk, 1970

Sale Date: September 29, 2021

Auction Closed

Compression Spokane, 1967

Will Barnet

Compression Spokane, 1967

Sale Date: August 17, 2021

Auction Closed

Woman Seated on Porch Watching An..., 1976

Will Barnet

Woman Seated on Porch Watching An..., 1976

Sale Date: August 14, 2021

Auction Closed

Untitled (Abstract), 2012

Will Barnet

Untitled (Abstract), 2012

Sale Date: July 20, 2021

Auction Closed

Moonlight Scene

Will Barnet

Moonlight Scene

Sale Date: July 15, 2021

Auction Closed

WOMAN AND CATS (SZOKE 128), 1962

Will Barnet

WOMAN AND CATS (SZOKE 128), 1962

Sale Date: July 15, 2021

Auction Closed

Ariadne (from the American Portfolio), 1980

Will Barnet

Ariadne (from the American Portfolio), 1980

Sale Date: June 16, 2021

Auction Closed

The Caller, Circle Gallery, 1983

Will Barnet

The Caller, Circle Gallery, 1983

Sale Date: May 28, 2021

Auction Closed

WILL BARNET - SOLILOQUY, 1972

Will Barnet

WILL BARNET - SOLILOQUY, 1972

Sale Date: April 29, 2021

Auction Closed

Study for

Will Barnet

Study for "Twilight"

Sale Date: May 2, 2021

Auction Closed

CIRCE II, 1980

Will Barnet

CIRCE II, 1980

Sale Date: April 14, 2021

Auction Closed

Between Life and Life, 1998

Will Barnet

Between Life and Life, 1998

Sale Date: April 13, 2021

Auction Closed

Ariadne from the American Portfolio, 1980

Will Barnet

Ariadne from the American Portfolio, 1980

Sale Date: March 23, 2021

Auction Closed

Way to The Sea, 1980

Will Barnet

Way to The Sea, 1980

Sale Date: March 20, 2021

Auction Closed

Widow's Walk, 1970

Will Barnet

Widow's Walk, 1970

Sale Date: March 11, 2021

Auction Closed

Waiting from the Kent Bicentennial Portfolio, 1975

Will Barnet

Waiting from the Kent Bicentennial Portfolio, 1975

Sale Date: March 6, 2021

Auction Closed

The Book from the 1776 USA 1976:..., 1975

Will Barnet

The Book from the 1776 USA 1976:..., 1975

Sale Date: February 17, 2021

Auction Closed

Two woodcuts. (Irish Kids. * Child Reaching.), 1938

Will Barnet

Two woodcuts. (Irish Kids. * Child Reaching.), 1938

Sale Date: February 4, 2021

Auction Closed

Three etchings. (The Book. * Sleeping..., 1938–1940

Will Barnet

Three etchings. (The Book. * Sleeping..., 1938–1940

Sale Date: February 4, 2021

Auction Closed

Swing Shift., 1928–1930

Will Barnet

Swing Shift., 1928–1930

Sale Date: February 4, 2021

Auction Closed

Labor., 1928–1930

Will Barnet

Labor., 1928–1930

Sale Date: February 4, 2021

Auction Closed

Group of 3 prints. (Mary Sewing. * ..., 1928–1930

Will Barnet

Group of 3 prints. (Mary Sewing. * ..., 1928–1930

Sale Date: February 4, 2021

Auction Closed

English (US)

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