"Very little is known about Rick Barton (1928–1992), who, between 1958 and 1962, created hundreds of drawings of striking originality. His subjects range from the intimacy of his room to the architecture of Mexican cathedrals, and from the gathering places of Beat-era San Francisco to the sinuous contours of plants. Drawing almost exclusively in pen or brush and ink, he captured his subjects in a web of line that was sometimes simple and economical, but more often complex and kaleidoscopic. With the exception of small displays in cafés and bookshops in the 1950s and ‘60s, this exhibition of sixty drawings, two accordion-fold sketchbooks, and five printed works, is the first time Barton’s art is being seen by the public."
“Untitled [Seated figure in the Black Cat Café],” Sept. 27, 1960, pen and ink, in the exhibition “Writing a Chrysanthemum: The Drawings of Rick Barton” at the Morgan Library & Museum. UCLA Library Special Collections
The Morgan provides details on Rick Barton's drawing: "The Black Cat Café, located at the edge of San Francisco's North Beach, was a cause célèbre in the fight for gay rights. In the 1940s it became a gathering place for the queer community, attracting the attention of state liquor officials, who often revoked the licenses of gay bars. For nearly fifteen years the Black Cat's owner fought in court to retain its liquor license. The Black Cat gained additional renown tor the popular drag performances of activist Jose Sarria, who mounted a historic, if ultimately unsuccessful. campaign for a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1961. ...this figure who is absorbed in a book, bears some resemblance to Sarria."
More by Walker Mimms in the New York Times - Unearthing Rick Barton, a Boho Bard of North Beach
"His drawings from the early ’60s in 'craggy, neurotic, ruthlessly precise ink' are on view in a remarkable museum debut at the Morgan Library."
Catalog Available from the Morgan and also Here
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