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Barthe exhibit set at Bay Library
priest, Barthe enrolled in and attended the Art Institute of Chicago, where he became interested in sculpting.
From Chicago, he went to New York, where he became known as one of the most significant black sculptors associated with the Harlem Renaissance. He completed many works that expressed his concern for the racial issues of the day, including The Tortured Negro and in monuments to Toussaint L?Oueverture and General Dessalines in Haiti.
During the 1940s, Barthe received many awards and sold pieces to prestigious museums, such as The Boxer, which was sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1945, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the first black sculptor to achieve this honor.
In the 1950s, Barthe left New York and made his home in Jamaica. His work passed into relative obscurity in the United States during this time, but he continued to have a successful career in Europe and Jamaica. While away from the United States, he renewed his interest in painting and was given a solo show at the Institute of Jamaica, and exhibited works at the National Gallery of Jamaica.
When the social and political climate in Jamaica changed and unrest surfaced on the island during the 1970s, Barthe moved to Florence, Italy, and also lived for some time in Switzerland.
He eventually returned to the United States, settling in California, where he became a friend of the actor James Gamer. His final works were created in California, including a bust of Gamer.
Maintaining a solitary, but productive lifestyle, Barthe was occasionally visited by friends and family in California, and kept up a close personal correspondence with the Bay St. Louis Labat family.
Barthe died March 6, 1989. A memorial service was held for him at St. Rose De Lima Church.
More information on the upcoming exhibit can be obtained by calling the Bay St. Louis-Hancock County Library at 467-6836.
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