Barry McGee is San Francisco. He has, for nearly 40 years, been part of the visual culture, an ambassador of underground scene, graffiti, surfing, fine art and a classic folk soul that, at the heart, is the still part of the city's DNA. The Mission School still has a hold on the identity of the real San Francisco, and no tech uprising can truly take that away. So McGee showing in Downtown SF, with Old Mystified at Berggruen Gallery, feels like a homecoming for someone who never left home in the first place. It feels right because it is right. From SFAI to SECA, TWIST to an internationally recognized fine artist, McGee continues to be a fresh take on what art can be. It's messy and yet so clean. It's low and high. It's folk and fine. —Evan Pricco
The "Old Mystified" Barry McGee is at Home in Downtown San Francisco
Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco // September 27, 2024 - November 07, 2024
Untitled DDS, 2024 Acrylic, gouache, and aerosol paint on panel; 16 elements // Image courtesy of Berggruen Gallery and the artist
Untitled, 2021 Acrylic on panel; 4 elements // Image courtesy of Berggruen Gallery and the artist
Untitled, 2023 Gouache and screenprint on paper in artist frame; 3 elements // Image courtesy of artist and Perrotin. 
Barry McGee, OE, 2024, acrylic on panel, 77 7/8 x 55 1/2 inches // Image courtesy of Berggruen Gallery and the artist
Untitled, 2023 Acrylic and gouache on panel with wooden stand 50 1/4 x 16 x 26 inches Image courtesy of artist and Perrotin. 
Untitled, 2023, gouache on paper in artist frame, 4 1/16 x 6 1/8 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
Untitled, 2023 Gouache on paper in artist frame 4 1/4 x 6 5/16 inches Image courtesy of artist and Perrotin. 
Barry McGee, Untitled, 2023, gouache and ink on paper in artist frame, 4 1/4 x 6 5/16 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
Untitled, 2023 Acrylic on panel 82 1/2 x 60 7/8 inches Image courtesy of artist and Perrotin. 
Barry McGee, Untitled, 2024, acrylic and gouache on wood, and aerosol paint on panel; 16 elements, 86 13/16 x 64 1/4 inches. // Image courtesy of Berggruen Gallery and the artist
Image courtesy of artist and Perrotin.