"I begin much the way I would envision an author starts a piece of fiction. A character is born or a story line begins.
If you listen carefully enough the subject will help you to travel thru the entire journey. Whether it’s a rusted piece of
metal, a bunch of branches from an oak tree, or a torn scrap of typography...the right juxtaposition can always find
it’s way into one of my constructions. The more absurd the better. The end result happens when these various found
or created elements come together to form a believable vision." - DAVID BARNETT

TEACHING POSITIONS

1976 - 1985
Parsons School of Design, Instructor
1977 - 1988
Pratt Institute, Adjunct Associate Professor
1984 - 2003
School of Visual Arts, Instructor

PUBLICATIONS

CityArts, The New York Times, Gallery & Studio News, Print Magazine, Novum, Idea, Chatham Currier, The New York Times, Gallery & Studio News, Print Magazine, Novum, Idea, Chatham Currier

REVIEWS

CITYARTS -
January 2011
WINTER SALON: 2010-2011
by Maureen Mullarkey

The weeks between mid-December and early January are a slow news time in the galleries. That makes it a very good time to introduce artists whom galleries are interested in taking aboard or ones they simply like but cannot accommodate on the roster. Denise Bibro’s Winter Salon is a lively sampler of 21 artists, six of them invited guests.

Recognition comes slowly to artists like David Barnett, sui generis and not readily pigeonholed in a particular movement or line of descent. His fey, delicately crafted collages are among the most satisfying works on the contemporary scene... More

CITYARTS -
May 2010
DAVID BARNETT: SACRED CREATURES
by Melissa Stern

Viewing the deliciously obsessive art of David Barnett, one is drawn into his world of twisted Victoriana and mechanical madness. The exhibition at Denise Bibro Gallery is a combination of collage, found objects and extraordinary mechanisms fabricated by the artist. It is a complex show, and not everything works, but the pieces that do are knockouts.

Barnett has titled his exhibition Sacred Creatures after pieces early in the series that combine religious iconography with the imagery of flying insects. The exhibition quickly veers into other territory exploring family, history, flying machines and mechanical toys...More