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Radcliffe Bailey

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Radcliffe Bailey
Born(1968-11-25)November 25, 1968
Bridgeton, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedNovember 14, 2023(2023-11-14) (aged 54)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
EducationAtlanta College of Art
Known forPainting, sculpture, mixed media
Spouses
​
​
(m. 2009; div. 2014)​
  • Leslie Campbell Parks
Children2
Awards• 2008 Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant
• 2010 Mallory Factory Prize for Southern Art

Radcliffe Bailey (November 25, 1968 – November 14, 2023) was an American contemporary visual artist noted for mixed-media, paint, and sculpture works that explore African-American history.[1][2] He was based in Atlanta, Georgia.[3]

Early life and education

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Radcliffe Bailey was born in Bridgeton, New Jersey on November 25, 1968.[2][4][5] At age four, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia. His interest in art was galvanised by childhood visits to the High Museum of Art and drawing classes he later took at the Atlanta College of Art.[6] He cited Atlanta's history with civil rights and the Civil War as artistic inspirations.[7] Bailey received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1991 from the Atlanta College of Art.[3]

From 2001 to 2006, he taught at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia.[8]

Work

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Untitled (2009) by Radcliffe Bailey at the National Gallery of Art's showing of Afro-Atlantic Histories in Washington, D.C., in 2022

Bailey was trained as a sculptor but experimented with paint and mixed media.[9] He worked within the convergence of painting and sculpture, utilizing items such as vintage photographs of his family, vinyl records, piano keys, and bottlecaps.[2] Thematically, his art explores the intersection of ancestry, race, and cultural memory.[10] In 2003, he adopted a style of art conceptually inspired by Kongo minkisi, which he described as being "medicine cabinet sculptures."[8] As a result, his work has been described as being three-dimensional and layered, incorporating elements of smell and sound.[8] In a 2013 interview, Bailey described his creative process and fascination with the connection between past and present, stating: "The day by day experience of art, even though my work may seem to have this layer of history, it is also a cover for what I’m dealing with on a day to day. It’s very much about today. We were talking about where I go next: I’m still thinking about today and yesterday and what’s coming in front of me tomorrow."[2] He was largely inspired by historical figures, citing individuals such as George Washington Carver and Charleston-based blacksmith Philip Simmons as sources of inspiration.[8]

His large-scale installation Windward Coast (2009–2011), was presented as part of the First International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Cartagena de Indias in Colombia.[2] In 2023, Bailey's work was included in the collective exhibition Spirit in the Land organized by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University and later exhibited at the Pérez Art Museum Miami in 2024. The show talks about the natural environments of the United States and that of the Caribbean in relation social and cultural aspects.[11][12][13]

Awards

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He was recognized for his artistic contributions, receiving the Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant in 2008 and the Elizabeth and Mallory Factory Prize for Southern Art in 2010.[8]

Later life and death

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On June 27, 2009, Bailey married American actress, dancer, and producer Victoria Rowell.[1] The wedding was announced in The New York Times. The couple divorced in 2014.[14] Bailey later married Leslie Campbell Parks, daughter of photographer Gordon Parks.[15][16] Bailey had two children, a son and a daughter.[15]

Radcliffe Bailey died on November 14, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia, after battling brain cancer. He was 54.[17][15][18]

Solo exhibitions

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Bailey held solo exhibitions of his work at many galleries and institutions including:[19][2][8]

  • The Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina, ARTCurrents II: Radcliffe Bailey (1992)
  • TULA Foundation Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia, Radcliffe Bailey: Places of Rebirth (1992)
  • Atlanta College of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, Spiritual Migration (2001)
  • Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts & Culture, Charlotte, North Carolina, Between Two Worlds: The Art of Radcliffe Bailey (2009)
  • High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia: Art of an Ancient Soul (2010), Radcliffe Bailey: Memory as Medicine (2011)[6][20]
  • Bridget Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Notes (2015)
  • Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Radcliffe Bailey: Recent Works (2015)
  • SCAD Museum of Art Savannah, Georgia, Pensive (2018)

Collections

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Bailey's work is held in many permanent collections including:[21][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Zigman, Laura (July 11, 2009). "Victoria Rowell and Radcliffe Bailey". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Radcliffe Bailey - Jack Shainman Gallery". Jack Shainman Gallery. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Radcliffe Bailey". Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA). Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  4. ^ Okwu, Julian C. R. (March 1997). Face Forward: Young African American Men in a Critical Age. Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0-8118-1631-1.
  5. ^ "Radcliffe Bailey (American, b.1968)". McNay Art Museum. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  6. ^ a b "Radcliffe Bailey: Memory as Medicine". High Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Review | Radcliffe Bailey exhibition evokes the harsh history of slavery". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Biography - Radcliffe Bailey". www.bridgettemayergallery.com. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Radcliffe Bailey Biography". fac.umass.edu. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  10. ^ "Radcliffe Bailey: Pensive | Gibbes Museum of Art". Gibbes Museum of Art. 2018-05-03. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  11. ^ "Spirit in the Land". Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  12. ^ "Spirit in the Land • Pérez Art Museum Miami". Pérez Art Museum Miami. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  13. ^ Schoonmaker, Trevor (2023). Spirit in the land: Exhibition, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, 2023. Durham, North Carolina: Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. ISBN 978-0-938989-45-5.
  14. ^ "'Young and Restless' Star My Marriage Has Been Cancelled". TMZ. January 2, 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  15. ^ a b c Greenberger, Alex (2023-11-15). "Radcliffe Bailey, Artist Who Found Black History in the Everyday, Dies at 55". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  16. ^ Dafoe, Taylor (2018-08-06). "'I Always Have a Foot Back in Time': Radcliffe Bailey's New Show in a Former School Building Turns an Eye on Collective Memory". Artnet News. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  17. ^ Edward, Roz (2023-11-15). "Famed Artist Radcliffe Bailey Dies". Atlanta Daily World. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  18. ^ Haggard, Hannah Grace (2023-11-15). "Atlanta Artist Radcliffe Bailey Dies At 55". The Georgia Sun. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  19. ^ "Radcliffe Bailey". Artnet Worldwide Corporation. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  20. ^ "In the Picture: Atlanta, Africa and the Past". The New York Times. 30 June 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  21. ^ "Collection/Radcliffe Bailey". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  22. ^ "Artist Info". www.nga.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
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