Biography

I’m not concerned with art trends, but with what’s important to me and what’s important to pass down to kids. We live in a world where things are moving so fast that…I don’t know how to explain it. But I remember as a kid going outside, and being in one of those 17-year locust storms in Virginia; I remember watching my grandfather work with his hands. Those are the things that influence me.

Radcliffe Bailey (1968 – 2023) was a multifaceted artist known for his work in painting, sculpture, and mixed media. He used layered imagery, culturally significant materials, and text to delve into themes such as ancestry, race, migration, and collective memory. Bailey's art often featured found objects and materials from his past, creating rich, textured compositions that included traditional African sculptures, family tintypes, ships, train tracks, and Georgia red clay. Music, with its cultural significance and rhythmic qualities, was a recurring influence in his creations. Bailey’s personal experiences were a starting point in his exploration of the collective consciousness of African...

Works
  • 190819_Radclif01422
    Radcliffe Bailey
    Stars Over the Argonne Forest, 2019
    mixed media
    123.5 x 90 x 20 cm
    48 9/16 x 35 6/16 x 7 13/16 in
  • 190819_Radclif01495 1
    Radcliffe Bailey
    From South to North 1916-1970, 2019
    mixed media including fabrics two neons and railroad tracks
    264 x 292 x 13 cm
    103 14/16 x 114 15/16 x 5 1/16 in
  • Radcliffe Bailey, The Ocean Between, 2019
    Radcliffe Bailey
    The Ocean Between, 2019
    mixed media including paint on tarp
    266.7 x 301 cm
    105 x 118 1/2 in
  • RB19.006 Untitled HR
    Radcliffe Bailey
    Luther Goines Cosmos, 2019
    mixed media including various objects and works on paper
    157.48 x 119.38 x 20.32 cm
    62 x 47 x 8 in
  • RB19.010 Untitled HR
    Radcliffe Bailey
    Double Consciousness, 2019
    steel and plaster busts
    124.46 x 124.46 x 45.72 cm
    49 x 49 x 18 in
  • RB 2019 Between Sea and Space
    Radcliffe Bailey
    Between Sea and Space, 2019
    mixed media including various objects and works on paper
    157.48 x 119.38 x 20.32 cm
    62 x 47 x 8 in
  • RB19.005 Untitled HR
    Radcliffe Bailey
    Calm Before the Storm, 2019
    mixed media including various objects and works on paper
    157.48 x 119.38 x 20.32 cm
    62 x 47 x 8 in
  • RB19.002 Untitled HR
    Radcliffe Bailey
    Mobile Bay 1959, 2019
    piano keys and wax
    123.5 x 90 x 20 cm
    48 9/16 x 35 6/16 x 7 13/16 in
  • Radcliffe Bailey, Notes from Tervuren, 2015
    Radcliffe Bailey
    Notes from Tervuren, 2015
    gouache collage and ink on sheet music
    34.92 x 24.76 cm
    13 11/16 x 9 11/16 in
    Framing Dimensions: 59 x 48.5 x 3.2 cm
  • Radcliffe Bailey, Notes from Tervuren, 2014
    Radcliffe Bailey
    Notes from Tervuren, 2014
    gouache collage and ink on sheet music
    30.7975 x 23.495 cm
    12 1/8 x 9 1/4 in
    Framing Dimensions: 56.51 x 47.62 x 3.81 inch
  • RB13.012 Notes from Tervuren framed HR
    Radcliffe Bailey
    Notes from Tervuren, 2013
    gouache collage and ink on sheet music
    30.7975 x 23.495 cm
    12 1/8 x 9 1/4 in
    Framing Dimensions: 56.83 x 47.94 x 3.81 inch
  • Radcliffe Bailey, Nest, 2012
    Radcliffe Bailey
    Nest, 2012
    piano keys taxidermied bird and steel
    203.2 x 203.2 x 76.2 cm
    80 x 80 x 30 in
    in 3 parts :
    1 steel plate : 203 x 203 x 10 cm / 80 x 80 x 4 in
1 steel plate : 76 x 203 x 10 cm / 30 x 80 x 4 in
1 assembly of piano keys and stuffed bird
  • RB 2015 Notes from Tervuren 15
    Radcliffe Bailey
    Notes from Tervuren, 2011
    gouache collage and ink on sheet music
    28.2575 x 23.1775 cm
    11 1/8 x 9 1/8 in
    Framing Dimensions: 56.51 x 47.62 x 3.81 inch
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