Extraordinary Gifts: Selected Paintings from The Procter and Gamble Collection at the Cincinnati Art Museum February 15, 2003 to September 12, 2004 Extraordinary Gifts: Selected Paintings from The Procter and Gamble Collection at the Cincinnati Art Museum Cincinnati Art Museum logo
A Word from P&G - Overview of Extraordinary Gifts: Selected Paintings from The Procter and Gamble Collection at the Cincinnati Art Museum Cincinnati Painters and the Big Picture - discusses how Cincinnati Artists fit into a larger art historical perspective The Works from The P&G Collection - themed galleries of the works in the show Index by Artist Name - a list of all the artists represented in the show and the works they completed Go back to the Cincinnati Art Museum Home page
Herbert Philip Barnett (1910–1972)
Ault Park, ca. 1950s–60s
oil on canvas
20 x 30 in.

   In 1951, Barnett became Dean of the Art Academy of Cincinnati, a position he held until his death in 1972. In addition to his administrative talents, Barnett was also an exceptional painter. Using geometric design principles inspired by French artist Paul Cézanne, Barnett created abstract compositions while still realistically depicting life. Searching for what he called “the underlying geometry of nature,” Barnett transformed a typical hillside view at Ault Park into a patchwork of blocky houses and autumnal trees. Barnett painted directly from nature, setting up his easel on site, often for several days at the very same hour.