The Resume

(January 29, 1905-July 4, 1970)
Born in New York City, New York
Birth name was Baruch Newman
Abstract expressionist and color field artist
Most paintings consist of large areas of color separated by a vertical band of a different color
Notable works include 'Adam,' 'Vin Heroicus Sublimis,' the 'Stations of the Cross' series, and the 'Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue' series

Why he might be annoying:

He taught art at several schools despite never passing his drawing exams to become a qualified teacher.
He destroyed all his pre-1948 paintings.
In his lifetime, he was overshadowed by his more colorful contemporaries, such as Jackson Pollock.
Profiles of him often call him an intellectual, but how much brain power was required to come up with 'Let's paint the canvas one color, then paint a stripe down it'?
He called the vertical stripes on his paintings 'zips.'

Why he might not be annoying:

He studied philosophy at City College of New York.
He influenced minimalists such as Frank Stella and Donald Judd.
Two of the paintings in his 'Who's Afraid...' series were attacked by knife-wielding vandals (1980,1986).
The Philadelphia Museum of Art insists, 'Despite their apparent simplicity, Barnett Newman's paintings are among the most challenging works of art of the twentieth century.'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• 20th Century Painters
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 84]
• I Attended City College of New York
• I Died in 1970 (Ranked: 65)
• I Died in the City I Was Born In
• I Died on the Fourth of July (Ranked: 1970)
• Painters
• Profiles 53001-53250 (Ranked: 53122)
• Teachers
• We Died on the Same Day (Ranked: 19700704)

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying