Barnett Newman

Key facts

Lived

1905–1970^[1]

Works held in

12 museums

Wikipedia

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• What is Barnett Newman known for?+

  Barnett Newman is known for his monochromatic fields of colour interrupted by thin vertical bands he called 'zips'. He intended his paintings to be experienced at close range, their scale overwhelming the viewer's peripheral vision.
• What is Barnett Newman's most famous work?+

  Barnett Newman is best known for his large, abstract expressionist paintings characterised by fields of colour and vertical lines, which he called "zips". While it is difficult to identify a single "most famous" work, *Vir Heroicus Sublimis* (1950^[1]-1951^[1]) is often cited as one of his most important and recognisable pieces. This monumental painting, measuring approximately 2.4 by 5.4 metres, is predominantly red and features a few vertical "zip" lines. The title, Latin for "Man, heroic and sublime", reflects Newman's interest in conveying a sense of human presence and the sublime through abstract means. He aimed to evoke a direct, emotional response from the viewer, unmediated by traditional representational imagery. Another significant work is *Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue III* (1967), part of a series exploring primary colours. This painting became infamous when it was slashed in 1986 while on display in Amsterdam. The attack and subsequent restoration raised questions about the value and vulnerability of abstract art. Newman's works continue to be discussed and exhibited, solidifying his position as a major figure in abstract expressionism.
• What should I know about Barnett Newman's prints?+

  Barnett Newman's paintings gained attention in New York during the 1950s, attracting a dedicated group of admirers. His art moved away from gestural styles. Newman emphasised the holistic nature of painting; his works resist analysis based on individual components. There are no subdivisions; instead, the total field constitutes the unit of meaning. His even surfaces were brushed, but not ostentatiously so. Narrow canvases, which he painted in 1951^[1], prefigured the shaped canvas ten years later. Newman's writings offer insight into his artistic ideas. He saw Northwest Coast Indian paintings as ritualistic expressions of mythological beliefs, rather than mere decoration. He wrote that the Kwakiutl artist's abstract shapes were directed by a ritualistic will towards metaphysical understanding. Newman also explored abstract thought, rather than abstract disciplines. His exhibition, 'The Stations of the Cross', consists of black and white paintings on raw canvas.
• What style or movement did Barnett Newman belong to?+

  Barnett Newman (1905^[1]-1970^[1]) is generally categorised as an American Abstract Expressionist painter, although his work also anticipates both Colorist and Minimalist styles. He is particularly associated with colour field painting, creating large canvases dominated by single colours, often punctuated by vertical lines he termed "zips". Newman began as an art critic and advocate for Abstract Expressionism before becoming a painter himself. His paintings from 1950^[1] and 1951 gained a compact group of admirers in New York. Later in the decade, his work found a larger audience as sensibilities shifted away from gestural art. Newman sought to create a "pure tension" between asymmetrical blocks of colour. His "zips" became a trademark, encouraging viewers to focus on the spatial experience of colour. He aimed to evoke a sense of refined spirituality and mysticism through colour and scale. Despite initial scepticism, younger artists embraced his work as a move beyond the emotional intensity of other Abstract Expressionists.
• What techniques or materials did Barnett Newman use?+

  Barnett Newman is best known for his large-scale abstract expressionist paintings. He worked primarily in oil paint applied to canvas. His signature technique involved creating expansive fields of colour punctuated by vertical bands, which he termed "zips". Newman's approach to painting was methodical. He often began by priming the canvas with multiple layers of gesso to create a smooth surface. He then applied thin layers of oil paint, sometimes using a roller or knife to achieve an even distribution of colour. The zips were typically added last, often with a single, decisive stroke of the brush. While Newman is most recognised for his paintings, he also produced a small number of sculptures and prints. His sculpture, "Broken Obelisk" (1963^[1]-1967^[1]), is constructed from Cor-Ten steel, a material known for its rust-like appearance. He also experimented with lithography and etching, creating abstract compositions that echo the visual language of his paintings. These prints allowed him to explore the relationship between colour and form on a smaller scale.
• What was Barnett Newman known for?+

  Barnett Newman (1905^[1]-1970^[1]) was an American painter known for his advocacy of art's elemental power. He argued for an art grounded in pure sensation. Newman published essays in the late 1940s in *The Tiger's Eye*, a magazine that also featured work by Pollock, Rothko, and Still. A native New Yorker, Newman embraced controversy. He famously quipped that 'aesthetics is for the artists as ornithology is for the birds'. At a time when expressionist paint handling was common, Newman worked with solid planes of smoothly applied colour, interrupted by vertical bands he called 'zips'. He aimed for something 'real' and 'concrete'. His studies of Native American art, including totem poles and burial mounds, influenced his work. Although his paintings met with scepticism in the 1950s, a younger generation embraced them, seeking to move beyond the emotions of Abstract Expressionists like de Kooning and Kline. Newman asserted the holistic character of painting; his paintings could not be analysed in terms of small parts.
• When did Barnett Newman live and work?+

  Barnett Newman was born in 1905^[1] and died in 1970^[1]. A native of New York, he argued for art's elemental power in essays published during the late 1940s in *The Tiger's Eye*, a magazine that also featured work by Pollock, Rothko, and Still. Newman is considered, along with Rothko, to be one of the main exponents of colour field painting, which emerged during the 1950s as a reaction against abstract expressionism. He painted very large format works, often dividing the rectangular canvas horizontally or vertically. Newman was familiar with philosophical traditions, but he dismissed most philosophers. He worked with solid planes of smoothly applied colour, occasionally interrupted by vertical bands he called "zips". Newman aimed for something "real" and "concrete". His studies of Native American art, including totem poles and burial mounds, emboldened him. Although his paintings initially met with skepticism, a younger generation of artists, seeking to move beyond the emotions of abstract expressionists such as de Kooning and Kline, later embraced them.
• Where can I see Barnett Newman's work?+

  Barnett Newman's artworks are held in many public collections. In New York, you can find his pieces at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Museum of Modern Art. Other American museums with Newman's art include the Albright-Knox Art Gallery (Buffalo), the Art Institute of Chicago, the Krannert Art Museum (Champaign, Illinois), and the San Francisco Museum of Art. His work is also held by the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa). Newman's *Covenant* (1949^[1]) is in the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC. The Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh) also has examples. These museums have displayed Newman's work in group shows, such as the 1969 exhibition *New York Painting and Sculpture: 1940-1970^[1]* at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
• Where was Barnett Newman from?+

  Barnett Newman was born in New York City, where he spent most of his life. His parents, Abraham and Anna Newman, were Polish Jewish immigrants. He was born on 18 January 1905^[1]. Newman grew up in the Bronx. He attended the Art Students League in the 1920s. There, he studied with various instructors, including John Sloan. Early in his career, Newman worked in his father's clothing manufacturing business to support himself. Although associated with the New York School of artists, Newman's roots remained firmly in his birthplace. He lived and worked in New York until his death on 4 July 1970^[1]. His artistic career developed primarily within the New York art scene.
• Who did Barnett Newman influence?+

  Barnett Newman's art initially appealed to a small circle of admirers in New York around 1950^[1]. By the later 1950s, as tastes shifted away from gestural art, a larger audience began to appreciate his work. Even artists who had not directly viewed his pieces discussed and speculated about Newman's ideas. Newman's approach, which asserted the holistic character of painting, influenced younger artists seeking alternatives to Abstract Expressionists like de Kooning and Kline. His paintings resisted analysis based on subdivisions; instead, the entire field constituted the unit of meaning. The narrow canvases he painted in 1951, closely related in height to a person's size, prefigured the shaped canvas development ten years later. Critics such as Clement Greenberg observed that Newman's vertical bands acted as a 'parody' of the frame. This idea was later expanded by Michael Fried, who applied it to Frank Stella's paintings, where the stretcher defines the limits of the surface.
• Who influenced Barnett Newman?+

  Barnett Newman (1905^[1]-1970^[1]) argued for art based on pure sensation. He published essays in the late 1940s in *The Tiger’s Eye*, a magazine that also included work by Pollock, Rothko, and Still. Newman embraced the role of contrarian. He dismissed philosophers, declaring that "aesthetics is for the artists as ornithology is for the birds". At a time when expressionist paint handling was popular, he worked with solid planes of smoothly applied colour, interrupted by vertical bands he called “zips”. He aimed for something “real” and “concrete”. Newman studied Native American art and admired the totem poles of the Northwest and the burial mounds of the Midwest. Newman asserted the holistic character of painting. His paintings could not be analysed in terms of small parts; the total field is the unit of meaning. His even, brushed paint surface appealed to a new generation of artists. His narrow canvases, painted in 1951^[1], prefigure the development of the shaped canvas ten years later.
• Who was Barnett Newman?+

  Barnett Newman (1905^[1]-1970^[1]) was an American painter associated with colour field painting. Along with Mark Rothko, he is considered one of the style's main exponents. Colour field painting emerged in the 1950s as a reaction against abstract expressionism. Newman was a New Yorker who argued for art grounded in pure sensation. He published essays in the late 1940s in *The Tiger’s Eye*, a magazine that also featured work by Jackson Pollock, Rothko, and Clyfford Still. Newman embraced the role of contrarian; he famously quipped that "aesthetics is for the artists as ornithology is for the birds". Newman worked with solid planes of colour, interrupted by vertical bands he called "zips". He aimed for something "real" and "concrete", inspired by Native American art, such as Northwest totem poles and Midwestern burial mounds. Educated in the Jewish tradition, with its Bible, Talmudic teachings, and Kabbalah, Newman painted works with magical signs inspired by primitive cultures during the 1940s. From 1948^[1] onwards, he limited his expression to line and plane. He saw the line as a creative act, mirroring God's intervention in the void to separate light and darkness.