Radcliffe Bailey

He was based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Radcliffe Bailey was born in Bridgeton, New Jersey on November 25, 1968. At age four, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia. His interest in art was galvanised by childhood visits to the High Museum of Art and drawing classes he later took at the Atlanta College of Art. He cited Atlanta's history with civil rights and the Civil War as artistic inspirations. Bailey received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1991 from the Atlanta College of Art.

From 2001 to 2006, he taught at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia.

 

Bailey was trained as a sculptor but experimented with paint and mixed media. He worked within the convergence of painting and sculpture, utilizing items such as vintage photographs of his family, vinyl records, piano keys, and bottlecaps. Thematically, his art explores the intersection of ancestry, race, and cultural memory. In 2003, he adopted a style of art conceptually inspired by Kongo minkisi, which he described as being "medicine cabinet sculptures." As a result, his work has been described as being three-dimensional and layered, incorporating elements of smell and sound. In a 2013 interview, Bailey described his creative process and fascination with the connection between past and present, stating: "The day by day experience of art, even though my work may seem to have this layer of history, it is also a cover for what I’m dealing with on a day to day. It’s very much about today. We were talking about where I go next: I’m still thinking about today and yesterday and what’s coming in front of me tomorrow." He was largely inspired by historical figures, citing individuals such as George Washington Carver and Charleston-based blacksmith Philip Simmons as sources of inspiration.

His large-scale installation Windward Coast (2009–2011), was presented as part of the First International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Cartagena de Indias in Colombia. In 2023, Bailey's work was included in the collective exhibition Spirit in the Land organized by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University and later exhibited at the Pérez Art Museum Miami in 2024. The show talks about the natural environments of the United States and that of the Caribbean in relation social and cultural aspects.

He was recognized for his artistic contributions, receiving the Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant in 2008 and the Elizabeth and Mallory Factory Prize for Southern Art in 2010.

On June 27, 2009, Bailey married American actress, dancer, and producer Victoria Rowell. The wedding was announced in The New York Times. The couple divorced in 2014. Bailey later married Leslie Campbell Parks, daughter of photographer Gordon Parks. Bailey had two children, a son and a daughter.

Radcliffe Bailey died on November 14, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia, after battling brain cancer. He was 54.

Bailey held solo exhibitions of his work at many galleries and institutions including:

• The Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina, ARTCurrents II: Radcliffe Bailey (1992)
• TULA Foundation Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia, Radcliffe Bailey: Places of Rebirth (1992)
• Atlanta College of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, Spiritual Migration (2001)
• Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts & Culture, Charlotte, North Carolina, Between Two Worlds: The Art of Radcliffe Bailey (2009)
• High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia: Art of an Ancient Soul (2010), Radcliffe Bailey: Memory as Medicine (2011)
• Bridget Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Notes (2015)
• Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Radcliffe Bailey: Recent Works (2015)
• SCAD Museum of Art Savannah, Georgia, Pensive (2018)

Bailey's work is held in many permanent collections including:

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY.
• The Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.
• The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
• The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois
• The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
• The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri
• The Denver Art Museum, Colorado
• The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia
• Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina