the artist, New York (1967–68; sold on April 12, 1968 to Bowman); Ruth and R. Wallace Bowman, New York (1968–98; their gift to MMA)
New York. Waddell Gallery. "Will Barnet: Paintings, 1966–1968," February 6–March 2, 1968, no. 24 (as "Portrait of Ruth Bowman").
Storrs. University of Connecticut. "Contemporary Portraits," February 2–23, 1969 (organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York), no catalogue (lent by Waddell Gallery).
Flint, Mich. Flint Institute of Arts. "Contemporary Portraits," March 21–April 13, 1969 (organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York), no catalogue.
Louisville, Ky. Speed Art Museum. "Contemporary Portraits," April 28–May 26, 1969 (organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York), no catalogue.
East Lansing. Kresge Art Center, Michigan State University. "Contemporary Portraits," July 6–August 3, 1969 (organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York), checklist no. 31 (lent by Waddell Gallery, New York) [checklist published in "Kresge Art Center Bulletin, Michigan State University" 2 (July 1969)].
Greensboro. University of North Carolina. "Contemporary Portraits," October 3–24, 1969 (organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York), no catalogue.
Jacksonville, Fla. Cummer Gallery of Art. "Contemporary Portraits," December 8, 1969–January 5, 1970 (organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York), no catalogue.
Middlebury, Vt. Middlebury College. "Contemporary Portraits," February 1–22, 1970 (organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York), no catalogue.
New York. National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts. October 8, 1997–January 4, 1998 [shown alongside the exhibition "The Artist's Eye: Will Barnet selects portraits from the Permanent Collection"].
Montclair, N.J. Montclair Art Museum. "Will Barnet: A Timeless World," May 14–August 20, 2000, no. 42.
Boca Raton Museum of Art. "Will Barnet: A Timeless World," September 20–November 5, 2000, no. 42.
Maine. Portland Museum of Art. "Will Barnet: A Timeless World," December 21, 2000–February 18, 2001, no. 42.
Little Rock. Arkansas Arts Center. "Will Barnet: A Timeless World," March 22–June 3, 2001, no. 42.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Facing the Figure: Selected Works from the Collection, 1962–2007," May 28–September 6, 2010, no catalogue.
Washington, D.C. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. "Face Value: Portraiture in the Age of Abstraction," April 18, 2014–January 11, 2015, no. 30 (as "Ruth Bowman [born 1923]").
Robert Beverly Hale. Will Barnet: Twenty-Seven Paintings Completed During the Period 1960–1968. New York, 1968, unpaginated, no. 24, ill.
Grace Glueck. "New York Gallery Notes: Who's Minding the Easel?" Art in America 56 (January–February 1968), pp. 111–12, calls it "Ruth Gurin".
Ken Johnson. "Art: 'The Artist's Eye'." New York Times (December 5, 1997), p. E33.
Gail Stavitsky inWill Barnet: A Timeless World. Exh. cat., Montclair Art Museum. Montclair, 2000, pp. 37, 121, no 42, ill. p. 100 (color).
Michael Kimmelman. "Art Review: New Jersey Revisits the Decade of Nude Happenings." New York Times (July 21, 2000), p. E32.
William Zimmer. "A Foot in Realism and Abstraction." New York Times (August 13, 2000), ill. p. NJ15 (in reverse).
Gary Schwan. "Will Barnet: A Trend-Surfer with Style." Palm Beach Post (October 22, 2000), p. 1J, ill.
Wendy Wick Reaves and Brandon Brame Fortune inFace Value: Portraiture in the Age of Abstraction. Exh. cat., National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Washington, D.C., 2014, p. 44.
Wendy Wick Reaves inFace Value: Portraiture in the Age of Abstraction. Exh. cat., National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Washington, D.C., 2014, pp. 114–15, no. 30, ill. (color).
Will Barnet (American, Beverly, Massachusetts 1911–2012 New York)
1936
Resources for Research
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Met's engagement with art from 1890 to today includes the acquisition and exhibition of works in a range of media, spanning movements in modernism to contemporary practices from across the globe.