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Barbara Rossi
American, born 1940

Born in 1940 in Chicago, Illinois, Barbara Rossi is a member of the iconic Chicago Imagists and is known for her abstract and idiosyncratic figurative drawings and paintings. As with Untitled,
1968, her early work consists of dreamlike, introspective graphite drawings. She terms these pieces “magic drawings,” as they emerge without a clear compositional plan, and Rossi often does not know how the pieces will turn out. In the 1970s, Rossi shifted towards developing a unique process of reverse painting on Plexiglas, employing bold color and dramatic, figurative shapes. She is a professor emeritus of painting and drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and lives and works in Chicago.

More information about this artist


Barbara Rossi
Untitled , 1968
20 x 26 inches
Graphite and acrylic on canvas