Rick Bartow died in 2016 in Newport, Oregon at the age of 70. By that time he was an established American artist and an icon here in Oregon. His influences are evident. He was a Native American and a Vietnam War veteran. He reached deep within his heritage and history and you can read carnage, grief, slaughter as well as monumental beauty and intimate personal narrative in his art. The personae of Native American legend – Raven, Salmon, Bear, Owl – as well as the hanging carcasses and grisly abstractions reminiscent of Francis Bacon: they all haunt the canvasses and installations of Rick Bartow. He was mentored by his friends Charles Froelick and William Jameson (deceased), the Portland gallery owners and curators.
There is a major show of his work – Rick Bartow: Things You Know But Cannot Explain – at the Autry Museum in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. Charles Froelick will present a “gallery chat” there about Rick Bartow on Saturday, June 23, 2018, 1:00–4:00 p.m After January 6, 2019, the show will go to Bend, Oregon and then to Missoula, Montana. Read the article about the show in the Los Angeles Times.
Event Horizon 