On September 19, René Paul Barilleaux retired as the head of curatorial affairs at the McNay Art Museum. Curious about his 40 years of experience in the museum industry, Antiques and The Arts Weekly reached out to Barilleaux to speak with him about his previous role at the McNay, and his upcoming swan song exhibition, “untitled: 20 Years of Collecting Contemporary Art.”
What was the McNay like when you arrived, and what does it look like now, since you’ve retired?
My last day as head of curatorial affairs at the McNay was September 19. I had been at the Museum for just over 20 years. When I arrived in mid-2005, I entered a world that was ripe for expansion and development — in particular I mean in the area of contemporary art. My curatorial position at that time, that of head curator, was relatively new. My predecessor had made great progress in pushing the contemporary art program forward, so the basic groundwork was in place. When I left the McNay this past summer, I had directly brought over 200 contemporary artworks into the collection, along with shepherding other acquisitions by other curators. In addition, the exhibition program greatly expanded, beginning with the opening of the Stieren Center for Exhibitions in 2008. This addition to the existing McNay facility allowed for a more robust contemporary art exhibition program, as well as significant exhibitions exploring many facets of modern and contemporary art and design.
Could you share a few acquisitions that particularly stood out to you?
Yes, I acquired over 200 contemporary works during my 20-year tenure at the McNay, enhanced by many, many more acquisitions brought in by my fellow curators. The total number of acquisitions over this period is remarkable, due in large part to loyal patrons, insightful donors and generous artists. In thinking about key acquisitions, I like to point out my first and last: the first is an optical abstraction by Houston-based Susie Rosmarin and the last is a metal gunshot “painting” by Louisiana native Margaret Evangeline. Like many of the works acquired, these two have special resonance for me. Susie and I were in the MFA program at Pratt Institute at the same time, and Margaret is from the same region of South Louisiana that I’m from. Other works of personal note include a monumental “lozenge” painting by Larry Poons, one of only a small number that the artist made, from the 1960s; Sandy Skoglund’s “The Cocktail Party,” an installation of life-size party guests covered in cheesy snack food, one of only a few of Skoglund’s installations to be in a museum collection; Martine Gutierrez’s hypnotic video “Clubbing,” in which the artist dances all six parts; and a painting by Sean Scully, a gift from the artist to the McNay, delivered in person to the museum by Scully himself. With over 200 works to consider, there are of course so many more I could single out.
Continue reading on Antiques and the Arts Weekly…