The Spring 2025 Graduate Art guest lecture series, organized by Jack Bankowsky

Matthew Barney

This event is free & open to the public. RSVP’s are not required.

See the full Spring 2025 Seminar schedule here.

Matthew Barney (b. 1967) is a New York city-based artist known for a broad-ranging practice encompassing film, performance, sculpture, photography, and drawing. Celebrated for his feature-length cinematic work—The Cremaster Cycle (1994–2002); River of Fundament (2014); and Redoubt (2019)—Barney debuted his latest video installation, SECONDARY, in a sequence of exhibitions accompanied by related sculpture works and drawings. Employing materials ranging from petroleum jelly to ceramic, Barney creates objects and installations that are intrinsically linked to his cinematic world.

Barney has been honored with solo exhibitions at institutions including the Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY (2002); Schaulager, Basel, Switzerland (2010 and 2021); the Morgan Library and Museum, New York, NY (2013); Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany (2014); and Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, France (2024). A recipient of the Aperto Prize at the Venice Biennale (1993); the Hugo Boss Prize (1996); the Kaiser Ring Award (2007); and the Golden Gate Persistence of Vision Award at the 54th San Francisco International Film Festival (2011), Barney was inducted into the Academy of Arts and Letters in 2024.

Image credits: Installation view of Secondary at Foundation Cartier by Eva Herzog, courtesy of the artist.

Support for this series is generously provided by the following: Jack Shear, Brenda R. Potter, Brendan Dugan, Lisson Gallery, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Sprüth Magers, BLUM, Hannah Hoffman, Alan Hergott, and David Kordansky

ArtCenter's Graduate Art program is based on intensive studio practice and rigorous academic coursework. The program is distinguished by its low faculty-to-student ratio that provides students with the attention and feedback they need to refine and achieve their artistic goals. Faculty and students are artists working in all genres—film, video, photography, painting, sculpture, performance and installation. A significant number of alumni have achieved national and international acclaim and often return to share their insights and expertise as visiting faculty and guest lecturers.