Exhibitions and Events
JUST OPENED
NEW BRITAIN MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, New Britain, CT
Handled With Care: Shaker Master Crafts and the Art of Barbara Prey is on view at the New Britain Museum of American Art through October. The exhibition features Prey’s large-scale Shaker watercolors originally painted for her solo exhibition Borrowed Light at the Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA paired with exquisite Shaker objects including some of those included in her paintings. It’s a unique exhibition of paintings and inspired objects. From the Museum website:
“We celebrate the achievements of the world-renowned contemporary artist, Barbara Ernst Prey. Barbara accepted a commission from Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 2018-2019, to execute a series of large-scale paintings in watercolor and dry brush of any subject that engaged her attention and admiration. Her subject turned out to be both as simple and as complex as the interplay of natural light and Hancock’s built environment. The results were ten astonishing works, six of which she generously lent to this exhibition. The title of her series is “Borrowed Light.” This references both the presence of natural light within Hancock Shaker Village and, by extension, the Godly illumination with which Shaker life has been imbued for all of those 250 years”.
More info > here > Exhibition Catalogue > ICRV Radio Interview
ONGOING
MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA
MASS MoCA’s commission of Barbara Prey’s painting, the world’s largest watercolor, currently on long term exhibition at MASS MoCA.
At 8 by 15 feet, the piece is, according to MASS MoCA director Joe Thompson, a “technical tour de force” that required specially made papers, mounts, and frames—not to mention, the masterful execution of over 120 square feet of watercolor painting, a transparent medium in which any “errors” cannot be erased or hidden.
“Barbara’s painting is monumental by any standard,” continued Thompson, “but for a watercolor on paper—perhaps the most unforgiving combination of any painterly media—the undertaking is truly breathtaking.”
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Titusville, FL
NASA commissioned Barbara Prey to paint four paintings for their collection continuing the tradition of commissioning American artists to document space history. The International Space Station and The Columbia Tribute paintings are on exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center in Titusville, Florida the x-43 the fastest aircraft in the world is on exhibition at Edwards Airfare Base in California and the Discovery Shuttle (pictured) at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
UNITED NATIONS, New York, NY
Barbara Prey’s painting Gallantly Streaming (on the wall), part of her 9/11 series, is on exhibit in the lobby of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York. Three other of her paintings are also on exhibition in the U.S.Ambassadors personal office.
JUST CLOSED
HANCOCK SHAKER VILLAGE, Pittsfield, MA
Two of Barbara Prey’s paintings were on view in the exhibition Handled with Care: The Function of Form in Shaker Craft at the Hancock Shaker Village. Red Cloak Blue Bucket and Wood Work returned to their place of origin where they were first shown as part of Prey’s exhibition “Borrowed Light” (2019). Part of the exhibition has travelled to the New Britain Museum of American Art.
NASSAU MUSEUM OF ART, Roslyn, NY
Seven of Barbara Prey’s paintings were included in Impressionism: A World View, March 19 – July 10, 2022. The museum created a special wing devoted to Prey’s onsite oil paintings complete with easel, palette, brushes and photos of Barbara painting on site. She joined Impressionist artists Degas, Cezanne, Renoir, Morisot, Cassatt and others.
NEWS12 quotes:
“...You can also see the work of one of the world's greatest water colorists - Oyster Bay's Barbara Ernst Prey inside the mansion that was once home to the Frick Family."
QUOGUE GALLERY, Quogue, NY
Barbara Prey was featured in the HAMPTONS FINE ART FAIR with the Quogue Gallery. September 2-5, 2021 at the Southampton Arts Center.
She returned back to The Hamptons with her solo exhibition Vanishing Point at the Quogue Gallery, July 10 – August 4, 2021.
Related Press:
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International Space Station II, 2003, Watercolor on paper, 28 x 40 inches
NASSAU MUSEUM OF ART, Roslyn, NY
Energy: The Power of Art, July 20 – November 3
A special series of never before exhibited paintings and drawings from Barbara Prey’s four NASA commissions were featured.
“After the debut of her stunning MassMOCA site-specific masterpiece, the world’s largest watercolor, Barbara Prey’s international fame only soared higher. The first woman commissioned more than once by NASA to be an artist in residence, she created the official commemorative print for the space shuttle Columbia. Her first-hand stories of working with NASA are glimpses into the excitement of art’s highest-level interaction with science.” -Museum Director Charles Riley
HANCOCK SHAKER MUSEUM, Pittsfield, MA
Click to learn more: Borrowed Light: Barbara Ernst Prey
SPACE CENTER, Houston, TX
NASA 60th Anniversary Art Exhibition
“Space Center Houston showcases the artistic side of space exploration, displaying some of the most famous artists of the 20th century in a new exhibit open now through Jan. 6. To help celebrate NASA’s 60th anniversary on Oct. 1, we are preparing a display of more than 25 works of art, including paintings, photography, poetry and musical compositions.
BARBARA ERNST PREY | The International Space Station, 2002, Watercolor. Prey chose watercolor for this rendering of the International Space Station before its construction was completed. Watercolor lends itself to fragility, freshness, drenched colors and speed. This work was the first of four NASA commissions for Prey. For this and her other paintings Prey visited NASA centers and did extensive research”. -Space Center Houston Catalogue Esssay