Mary Barnes (artist)

Mary Edith Barnes (9 February 1923 – 29 June 2001) was an English artist and writer with schizophrenia and became a successful painter.

She is particularly known for her documentation of her experience at R. D. Laing's experimental therapeutic community at Kingsley Hall, London.

She would later be described as "an ambassador for Laing", emerging from her journey to co-author a book about it with Dr. Joseph Berke, the resident psychiatrist who helped her.

[8] Her works, vivid oils often depicting religious themes, were first shown at the Camden Arts Centre in 1969.

In 2010 there was a major retrospective exhibition of Barnes's work at Space studios in London and in 2015 at Bow Arts Boo-bah a retrospective co-curated by Dr. Joe Berke of Mary's work on paper and board in pastels and oils alongside photographs chronicling the therapeutic period at nearby Kingsley Hall.

[9] The exhibition Boo-Bah refers to a pet name Barnes called Berke in a love letter she wrote which was over a meter high.

The Rebirth exhibition featured work created during her later life in Scotland, alongside a contemporary installation by Luke Fowler, What you see is where you're at, 2001.

In 2023 Wellcome Collection acquired Barnes' archive and a significant body of her artwork, created whilst at Kingsley Hall.

The project will investigate Barnes' life, work, and legacy through exploration of her artwork and archive.

The black lines are thick and messy as Barnes was encouraged by staff at Kingsley Hall to use her fingers to paint.

The figure is shown wearing what seems to be an oversized coat or sweater with the hands peeking out of the large sleeves.

This movement is confined mostly to the figure and a small space surrounding it giving the viewer a sense of angry tension bubbling right under the surface.

The sweater covering her figure and the use of monotone color palette convey a sense of being hidden away in the background.