Metal Painting, 2015, oil on wood panels, magnets and steel sheeting, 25 x 25 feet. Commissioned by the Barnes Foundation. Photo: Etienne Froissard
To accompany the exhibition, Wrought Iron from the Musée Le Secq des Tournelles, Rouen, the Barnes Foundation has commissioned Metal Painting, a site specific work by Ellen Harvey that engages with the iconoclastic placement of the Foundation’s metalwork in the context of its holding of paintings. By inverting the relationship, and making paintings from the metalwork, Harvey celebrates and examines the nature of Albert Barnes's infamous collection. This project is an exciting extension of Harvey’s oeuvre, where she continues to explore the traditions of the history of art and confounds the expectations of the viewer in institutional contexts.