Retrospective at the 16th New Horizons Film Festival (2016).
Matthew Barney is an American artist who is best known for his avant-garde films, which often incorporate elements of mythology and surrealism.
Barney was born in San Francisco, California, in 1967. His father was a stockbroker and his mother was a homemaker. He has two sisters.
Barney was educated at the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy, where he excelled in both academics and athletics. He went on to study at Yale University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts.
It was while Barney was at Yale that he began to develop his unique artistic style, which would later come to be known as the “Barney aesthetic.” After graduation, he moved to New York City, where he continued to pursue his art career.
In the early 1990s, Barney began to gain recognition for his work, which often featured bizarre and surrealistic images. His first major project was the “Cremaster” cycle, a series of five films that explored the concept of the creative process.
The “Cremaster” cycle was followed by the “Drawing Restraint” series, which consisted of nine films that explored the relationship between humans and their environment.
In recent years, Barney has continued to push the boundaries of art with his ambitious projects. His most recent work, “River of Fundament,” is a six-hour film that combines live action with animation to tell the story of the death and rebirth of the Egyptian god Osiris.
Barney’s work has been exhibited in museums and galleries all over the world, and he has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship.
Barney is currently married to Icelandic artist Björk, with whom he has one child.
General Info
Full Name
Matthew Barney
Profession
Actor, Film director, Film producer, Screenwriter, Costume designer, Film Editor, Visual Artist, Film Art Director
Education
Yale University
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Mary Farley
Children
Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney
Parents
Marsha Gibney, Robert
Accomplishments
Awards
Hugo Boss Prize
Movies
River of Fundament, De Lama Lamina, Matthew Barney: No Restraint, Drawing Restraint 9, Cremaster 3, Cremaster 2, Cremaster 5, Cremaster 1, Cremaster 4, Drawing Restraint 17, Bolivia 3: Confederation Next