For Hurvin Anderson, the Barbershop Is Haven and Inspiration

Subject

Exploring the Cultural Significance of Barbershops

Description

Over nearly two decades, the British artist has painted the same shop interiors again and again. A new exhibition in England tracks how his approach has changed.

In 2006, the British artist Hurvin Anderson painted his first barbershop scene. In “Barbershop,” reflections from the mirrors above a worktop create a series of rectangular patterns, like an abstract painting. In front, two slightly disordered chairs sit surrounded by scraps of hair, as if the clients have only just left, and the viewer is next to sit down.

The scene is based on an establishment in Anderson’s hometown, Birmingham, which the 58-year-old has painted numerous times over the last decade and a half, as he has similarly returned to a number of barbershops in London and Jamaica. Many of these works are now on view, until Nov. 5, at “Hurvin Anderson: Salon Paintings” at the Hepworth Wakefield, a museum in northern England. (The name of the show, chosen by Anderson, refers to both hair salons and the historical art exhibitions in Paris.)

Creator

Precious Adesina

Source

www.nytimes.com/2023/06/08/arts/design/hurvin-anderson-barbershop.html

Publisher

The New York Times

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