Barrett Barrera Collectors of 2020
Supporting the artists featured in our exhibitions and placing the artwork we have in our collection with patrons who are as passionate about the work as we are is one of the driving forces behind everything Barrett Barrera Projects does. We caught up with local collectors Susan Sherman, Tania Beasley-Jolly and Shawn Burkard, all of whom acquired art from us over the last year, to learn more about their experience in collecting and living with their new work.
Susan Sherman, on Collecting Hassan Hajjaj Marques (2012)
We love our new Hassan Hajjaj, sometimes called “the Andy Warhol of Morocco.” Just as Warhol transformed the contemporary art landscape with Pop Art, I feel like Hassan is also a “game-changer” who continues to surprise us with his brilliant mix of color, intriguing subjects, and backgrounds.
projects+gallery has been our go-to gallery in St. Louis since its inception. They have their ear to the ground, bringing the best of Art x Fashion to St. Louis. We love their program, and stable of artists, and are thrilled with all of our purchases from them over the years – our latest being our new Hassan.
Tania Beasley-Jolly, on Collecting Mous Lamrabat, Brozart (2019)
Featured in the projects+gallery exhibition Just Pictures curated by Antwaun Sargent, my favorite new work of 2020 is Brozart by Mous Lambrabat. He had me at the golden powdered wig, Adidas sportswear, slides and the youthful nod to Mozart. The collusion between hip hop culture, the prodigy composer and my love of his operas made “him” too hard to resist. He now proudly hangs in his gilded frame in my new living room in a city I am quite sure Mozart concertized in many moons ago.
Shawn Burkard, on Collecting Harley Lafarrah Eaves, Untitled (2020)
What I like about Harley’s piece is the associations with witchcraft and its ties with esoteric traditions. It’s like a talisman to me. I want to think of brooms metaphorically as objects of change and transformation, so it has been a positive addition to my home. When I look at the work, it conjures up a list of things to mind like life cycles, late nights, early mornings, having visions, having sight, and existing between realities.