Barthe: A Life in Sculpture
by Margaret Rose Vendryes
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Book Summary Information
Author: Margaret Rose VendryesForeword: Jeffrey C. Stewart
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-10-22
ISBN: 1604730927
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Book Reviews of Barthe: A Life in Sculpture
Book Review: Barthe: Important GBM Sculptor
Summary: 4 Stars
Barthe was a sculptor that so many more people need to know. I am so pleased that this biographical work was made. The author stated that Barthe tried to write an autobiography, but abandoned it. This text is incredibly important for those wanting to read about famous African-American gays. Barthe strongly identified as a Roman Catholic and as a gay man, so the gay and lesbian Christian community may enjoy this book as well.
Regardless of your identity, you may be interested in how Barthe inhabited multiple worlds. He intended to be a painter, but fell into sculpture. He wanted to be seen as more than a "Negro artist," but acknowledged how that description opened doors for him. He loved classical European sculpture, but produced many Black subjects from around the African diaspora. Although he never made the dream trip to Africa, he moved to Jamaica and was surprised that his race didn't make him "one of us" with Jamaican locals. Most importantly, many art critics and historians viewed Barthe only via his race, but this book does impressive work in bringing up sexual orientation issues as well. This is a wonderful and needed intersectional text.
Many biographies are gushy and lack critical analysis, but this work does not error in that fashion. The author takes Barthe to task for some of the boring sculptures he made. Also, she revealed factual shortcomings. Barthe was bad with money, didn't keep a good catalogue of his oeuvre, etc. Many of his planned sculptors never got made or erected due to forces beyond his control.
Like Black lesbian sculptor Edmonia Lewis, many of Barthe's sculptures were lost or destroyed. Like Black gay painter Beauford Delaney, Barthe suffered from mental illness problems. This work says Barthe knew Black gay poet Owen Dodson, but I don't remember hearing Barthe's name mentioned in Dodson's biography. Like Dodson, Barthe knew and socialized with many gay men, Black and white. However, unlike Dodson, there is more known about Barthe's love life, though it too may have been scant and frustrating. Like Black, gay leader Bayard Rustin, Barthe's stance toward civil rights were seen as pass'e and sellout-ish to later generations.
The author does a magnificent job in tracing possible influences on Barthe's art. Some may feel that she diverges in order to increase the size of the text, but many art books are comparative works. As much as I appreciate this text, I am very upset that the author mentions Robert Mapplethorpe without criticizing him. Mapplethorpe may have pushed the envelope on freedom of expression, but his "Little Black Book" has been condemned by many Black, gay activists. Many Black gay men, including myself, bristle when we hear his name. For the author to say nothing about that artist's villainy in the Black, gay community is truly disturbing.
To the opposite of Mapplethorpe is Carl Van Vechten. Van Vechten upset many Blacks by publishing a book with the n-word in its title. However, writings on Van Vechten have documented that Blacks of the time loved, loved, loved him. There's a whole book about writings between Van Vechten and gay, Black poet Langston Hughes. This book reveals that Barthe wrote to the photographer frequently. Van Vechten photographed famous Blacks and did not present them as being B-list and second-class compared to whites. This book reminded me that I need to read more about this perplexing man.
From an advertising perspective, I struggle with something. The cover includes one of Barthe's sculptures. That makes sense as his art is what made him (somewhat) famous. Too, the piece selected is both Afrocentric and homoerotic, pointing to the author's mission to discuss Black and gay matters in her book. However, I wonder if a photo of the sculptor would have been better. Unlike what biographers admitted about Diego Rivera, the author here points out that Barthe was handsome. Photos inside the book corroborate this. I wonder if readers would be more interested in the book by seeing the hot brutha inside.
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