Jennifer Bartlett

Jennifer Bartlett was a prominent American artist. Her artistic contributions were celebrated for their unique fusion of the system-based aesthetic found in conceptual art and the techniques of Neo-Expressionism.

Biography of Jennifer Bartlett

Jennifer Bartlett was born in 1941, in Long Beach, California, USA.

She enrolled at Mills College in Oakland, California, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963. Seeking further artistic growth, Bartlett ventured to New Haven, where she enrolled at the prestigious Yale School of Art and Architecture. During this period, marked by the dominance of minimalism in the art world, she honed her craft under the mentorship of esteemed artists like Josef Albers, Jack Tworkov, Jim Dine, and Richard Serra. In 1965, she received her Master of Fine Arts degree, marking the culmination of her formal artistic education.

In 1985, Jennifer Bartlett's first comprehensive exhibition was showcased, and subsequently traveled to esteemed art institutions, including the Walker Art Center, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute.

In 2006, the Addison Gallery of American Art hosted a survey of her early enameled steel plate paintings, providing a captivating look into her artistic evolution.

In 2013–2014, a second traveling survey exhibition, "Jennifer Bartlett: History of the Universe—Works 1970–2011," was thoughtfully curated by Klaus Ottman. This exhibition traveled to two prominent venues: the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Parrish Art Museum.

Moreover, in 2014, the Cleveland Museum of Art held a remarkable exhibition "Epic Systems," featuring three of Bartlett's monumental plate pieces: Rhapsody, Song, and Recitative.

At the age of 81, Jennifer Bartlett passed away at her residence in Amagansett due to complications from acute myeloid leukemia. 

Jennifer Bartlett's artwork can be found in several prestigious public collections across the world. Among the esteemed institutions that hold her pieces are the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art (New York City), the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Tate Modern, and the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York City).

Jennifer Bartlett’s Art Style

During the formative years of her artistic journey, Jennifer Bartlett found inspiration in the works of renowned artists such as Arshile Gorky, Piet Mondrian, and Sol LeWitt.

Influenced by the principles of Minimalism, Jennifer Bartlett began her artistic journey by working with square steel enameled plates in 1968. Notably, "Rhapsody" (1975–1976), a polyptych, made its debut at the Paula Cooper Gallery, occupying the entire gallery space with its numerous painted steel plates. This remarkable creation has become a treasured part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Throughout her career, Bartlett's artistic exploration evolved, traversing various movements such as Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, and Conceptualism. This diversity and innovation contributed to her lasting impact on the art world, leaving behind a legacy that continues to captivate and inspire art enthusiasts worldwide.

Jennifer Bartlett gained widespread recognition for her exceptional paintings and prints, which skillfully blended elements of representational and abstract art. Through her artistic endeavors, she brought familiar subjects, including houses, gardens, oceans, and skies, to life in a captivating manner.

During the early stages of her artistic career, Jennifer Bartlett explored the realm of three-dimensional art, creating several pieces that she subjected to extreme conditions like freezing and smashing. However, her creative journey led her to seek a different medium that would offer erasability while maintaining a grid-like structure akin to the graph paper commonly used by conceptual artists of that era. In this pursuit, Bartlett discovered the perfect canvas aligned with her artistic vision - foot-square steel plates with a plain white baked enamel surface on which a quarter-inch grid was silk-screened.

Exploring New Horizons: Jennifer Bartlett's Challenging Print Project in Collaboration with Japanese Expert Printers (1980)

In 1980, Jennifer Bartlett embarked on a remarkable print project, teaming up with skilled printers from Japan to push the boundaries of artistic expression and craftsmanship. Together, they delved into the intricacies of this endeavor, marking a significant milestone in Bartlett's artistic journey and fostering global creative connections. They created "At Sea, Japan" – a mesmerizing waterscape printed on paper. This awe-inspiring image is meticulously crafted from a remarkable combination of 96 screenprints and 86 color woodcuts.

The Garden Series: A Serene Ode to Nature in Nice, France (1979–1983)

Jennifer Bartlett's Garden series, comprising over 200 drawings, paintings, and prints, beautifully captures the essence of a tranquil garden behind a villa in Nice, France. Inspired by this picturesque setting during her winter stay in 1979–1980, Bartlett's artworks come alive with the allure of nature's beauty, creating a captivating visual journey.

Pushing the Boundaries: Jennifer Bartlett's Pioneering Work in "Painting With Light" (1987)

In 1987, Jennifer Bartlett was invited by the BBC to participate in the groundbreaking project "Painting With Light." Collaborating with five other esteemed international artists, including David Hockney and Sidney Nolan, Bartlett embraced the cutting-edge technology of the Quantel digital Paintbox, exploring new frontiers in artistic expression.

Amagansett Series: Captivating Coastal Landscapes on Canvas (2007–2008)

Jennifer Bartlett's Amagansett series presents a mesmerizing collection of oil paintings, showcasing the enchanting beauty of Long Island, ocean, skies, and seaside landscapes. Her distinctive cross-hatched style and limited palette of blues, greens, grays, and browns create a tranquil and evocative visual language, immersing viewers in the serenity of coastal vistas.