Merete Barker’s Oil Painting

‘Green Portrait’ oil painting on canvas by Merete Barker. Signed by the artist and dated 1978.

Merete Barker (b.1944) is a Danish painter. She studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and, after graduating, was affiliated with the group Ny Abstraktion (‘New Abstraction’) until 1989, before joining the Danish art cooperative Grønningen. With Grønningen, her work has been exhibited in shows in Copenhagen and New York; her solo exhibitions have seen her work displayed throughout Denmark, including at the Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art. Permanent installations of her pieces can be found in the National Gallery of Denmark, Aarhus University, and in the Danish Parliament. She has also been awarded the Eckersberg Medal (1995) and has received the Danish Arts Foundation’s Lifelong Artist’s Grant.

Travels to New York, Mexico, and Turkey have inspired Barker’s works immeasurably. Incorporating elements of the landscapes seen on her trips, her pieces exude a modern attitude towards painting. The influence of computer-aided design to her work, meeting with an ecological sensitivity, offers an exciting approach that balances constructivist and expressionist elements.

This piece, which embraces colour in a less restrained way than many of her works do, balances fiery oranges and reds with cooler blue and green tones to produce an interesting, interwoven contrast. Although produced with oil paint in 1978, its streams of colour mimic contemporary digital design, a testament to Barker’s consistently forward-thinking approach to art.