BARRY LE VA American, 1941-2021

Originally trained as an architect, Barry Le Va (1941-2021) was born in Long Beach, CA and attended California State University, Long Beach. However, his determination to “create work on my own terms” soon led him to the art department. He transferred to the Los Angeles College of Art and Design and then moved on to LA’s Otis Art Institute, where he received a BA and an MFA in 1964 and 1967 respectively. His art is often categorized as Scatter Art and Process Art, although his background in mathematics and architecture provided a strong foundation for his more structured tendencies. Le Va's drawings were central to his oeuvre in relation to his sculptures, serving as flexible blueprints, or what he called "plan views" for his sculptures. He strongly resisted the notion of a "finished" or "unfinished" piece, preferring instead to embrace the evolving nature of his work, as each realization introduced new dimensions of possibility.

Le Va has been included in numerous solo exhibitions in the United States and Europe, including his solo debut at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN, as well as landmark exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; documenta 5, 6, and 7, Kassel, Germany; and the Whitney Annual and Biennial, New York; among others. Le Va has also been included in major survey exhibitions at the New Museum, New York, Carnegie Mellon Art Gallery, Pittsburgh; Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia (curated by Ingrid Schaffner); and the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, Portugal. Recent group exhibitions include Museum of Modern Art PS1, New York; Yale University School of Art, New Haven, CT; and the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX; among others. Le Va was the subject of a scholarly book by Michael Maizels entitled Barry Le Va: The Aesthetic Aftermath, published by the University of Minnesota Press, 2015. Le Va was the subject of a retrospective at the Kunstmuseum, Liechtenstein in April of 2024. The show will then travel to the Museum Kurhaus Kleve, Germany, and the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh. 

Barry Le Va’s works can be found in the permanent collections of the Art Institute Chicago; Dallas Museum of Art; Denver Art Museum; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; mumok, Vienna; The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC; The Morgan Library & Museum, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven.