Mississippi Library Association

Barthe a Life in Sculpture

Vendryes, Margaret Rose. Barthé a Life in Sculpture.
Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2008.
229 pp. $40.00 (hardcover)

James Richmond Barthé was born on January 28, 1901, in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to Richmond Barthé and Clemente Raboteau. His early education was in Bay St. Louis. From there, he moved with the Ponds family to New Orleans to take a position as a houseboy. His talent for drawing and painting was recognized in New Orleans, and he was encouraged by the local church and religious community to study at the Art Institute of Chicago, where he began his life as a sculptor.

Margaret Rose Vendryes narrates a compelling biography of Barthé, an artist who is largely under-appreciated today. She reveals his enigmatic character: a person in constant conflict with himself – as a Creole, an African American, and a closeted homosexual–and whose inner turmoil led to bouts of mental illness and confinement. Although he saw his work as nonracial “He [Barthé] walked a fine line between solidarity with African America and his wish for inclusion in the dominant European American art arena. This was one of his greatest lifelong challenges.” (p.25)

The book’s many excellent illustrations provide an overview of Barthé’s work and a comparison with the work of the artists who influenced him. Vendryes includes images of lesser known sculptures Boy with Broom and Marathon Runner, as well as of his better known works Blackberry Woman and The Awakening of Africa. It is sad that Vendryes has had to put “location unknown” as a note on so many of these illustrations indicating that the works so noted may only exist as photographs today.

Although Barthé was known primarily as a sculptor, Vendryes has taken pains to include examples of his work in pastels (Portrait on Harold Jackman) and paint (Untitled (St. Sebastian)). Vendryes documents Barthé’s internal struggles as he moved to Jamaica and tried to establish himself as a painter, and his ultimate realization that painting would never form a significant part of his oeuvre, noting that in one of his paintings, “A self-portrait hides behind The Sad Clown … Bright colors veil the despair lying right on the surface” (p.158). Barthé’s subsequent illness in Jamaica, “A series of disturbing episodes would eventually bring life at Iolaus to a halt … Barthé was taking tranquilizers for chronic insomnia …” (p. 164), and the changing political climate of the island, ultimately prompted his return to the United States. Moving to Pasadena, California, in the 1970s, Barthé spent his last days as a celebrated artist whose social circles included celebrities and “California’s intelligentsia.”

It is clear that Vendryes brings a considerable amount of scholarship to this well-written and interesting book. She has meticulously footnoted her work and has drawn upon a wide range of sources for her content. Her resources include formal archives, such as those at the Amistad Research Center at Tulane University in New Orleans and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, as well as the correspondence collected over the years by Barthé’s family and friends. The result is a highly readable account of the life and work of one of the great sculptors of the twentieth century, a book that will be a welcome addition to the collections of public, academic, and art research libraries.

Sheila Cork
Librarian
New Orleans Museum of Art

Entry Filed under: Book Reviews
Posted on: September 29th, 2009