Thomas P. Barnett
Encyclopedia
Thomas P. Barnett also known professionally as Tom Barnett and Tom P. Barnett, was an American
architect
and painter
from St. Louis
, Missouri
. Barnett was nationally recognized for both his work in architecture and in painting.
, who was known for designing public landmarks such as the renovation of the Old Courthouse, the Missouri Governor's Mansion
, and the structures of the Missouri Botanical Garden
.
After graduating Saint Louis University
in 1886, Tom Barnett joined with his brother and brother-in-law, George Dennis Barnett and John Ignatius Haynes, to form the architectural firm Barnett, Haynes & Barnett
. The firm continued the traditional motifs of the elder George Barnett. The combined legacy of two generations of Barnett designs were largely responsible for Classicism
being the dominate architectural influence in St. Louis.
In 1904, Barnett served on the Commission of Architects for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
(better known as the St. Louis World's Fair) and personally designed the Palace of Liberal Arts for which he earned the fair's Gold Medal for Architecture. The following year, he would win the Bronze Medal for Architecture at the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition
in Portland
, Oregon
.
Other projects designed by Barnett included commercial buildings, residential (including private place
s), and a significant number of religious structures. Surviving examples include the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis
, the Adolphus Hotel
in Dallas, Texas
, and the Saint Clement Catholic Church
in Chicago
.
, and followed the American Impressionism
style. Barnett characteristically used wide brush strokes and vibrant colors. His works typically idealized his subjects, and were emotionally expressive and optimistic.
Barnett's paintings were well-received in his lifetime. His works were exhibited at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, the first exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists
in New York
, the Cincinnati Art Museum
, the Art Institute of Chicago
, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
, and with regularity at the Saint Louis Art Museum
. Barnett won both local and national awards including the Bronze Medal for Painting at the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in 1905, and the First Ives Landscape Prize from the St. Louis Artist's Guild every year between 1914 and 1925.
In 1922, Barnett painted the 12' by 6' mural, Riches of the Mines, in the Missouri State Capitol
in Jefferson City
. The lunette representing a zinc mine in southwest Missouri was a favorite of art critics who marveled at Barnett's ability to depict drama and beauty in an otherwise bleak and desolate scene.
Barnett was a member of the Chicago Art Guild, National Arts Club
, St. Louis Artist's Guild, Salmagundi Club
, Chicago Galleries Association, Allied Artists of America, and the American Federation of Arts
.
Works by Barnett are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago
, the Detroit Institute of Arts
, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the art collection of the Missouri State Capitol, the Missouri History Museum
, the Museum of Art and Archaeology
at the University of Missouri
, and the Busch
family collection housed at Grant's Farm
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
from St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Barnett was nationally recognized for both his work in architecture and in painting.
Architectural work
Barnett trained under his father, St. Louis architect George I. BarnettGeorge I. Barnett
George Ingham Barnett was an architect from St. Louis, Missouri. He was called The Dean of St. Louis Architecture for his contributions to the buildings of St. Louis as well as for his influence on other architects in the United States....
, who was known for designing public landmarks such as the renovation of the Old Courthouse, the Missouri Governor's Mansion
Missouri Governor's Mansion
The Missouri Governor's Mansion is a historic U.S. residence in Jefferson City, Missouri. It is located at 100 Madison Street. On May 21, 1969, it was added to the U.S...
, and the structures of the Missouri Botanical Garden
Missouri Botanical Garden
The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder Henry Shaw, a botanist and philanthropist.-History:...
.
After graduating Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
in 1886, Tom Barnett joined with his brother and brother-in-law, George Dennis Barnett and John Ignatius Haynes, to form the architectural firm Barnett, Haynes & Barnett
Barnett, Haynes & Barnett
Barnett, Haynes & Barnett was a prominent architectural firm based in St. Louis, Missouri. Their credits include many familiar St. Louis landmarks, especially a number related to the local Catholic church. Their best-known building is probably the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis . A number of...
. The firm continued the traditional motifs of the elder George Barnett. The combined legacy of two generations of Barnett designs were largely responsible for Classicism
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
being the dominate architectural influence in St. Louis.
In 1904, Barnett served on the Commission of Architects for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
(better known as the St. Louis World's Fair) and personally designed the Palace of Liberal Arts for which he earned the fair's Gold Medal for Architecture. The following year, he would win the Bronze Medal for Architecture at the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition
Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition
The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, commonly also known as the Lewis and Clark Exposition, and officially known as the Lewis and Clark Centennial American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair, was a worldwide exposition held in Portland, Oregon, United States in 1905 to celebrate the...
in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
Other projects designed by Barnett included commercial buildings, residential (including private place
Private place
A private place is a self-governing enclave whose common areas are owned by the residents, and whose services are provided by the private sector....
s), and a significant number of religious structures. Surviving examples include the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis
Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, also known as the Saint Louis Cathedral or the New Cathedral, was completed in 1914 in St. Louis, Missouri, as the archdiocesan replacement for the Cathedral of St. Louis, King of France...
, the Adolphus Hotel
Adolphus Hotel
The Hotel Adolphus is an upscale hotel and Dallas Landmark in the Main Street District of downtown Dallas, Texas which was for several years the tallest building in the state of Texas.- History :...
in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, and the Saint Clement Catholic Church
Saint Clement Catholic Church, Chicago
St. Clement Catholic Church was built in 1917-1918 in Lincoln Park in Chicago. The architect was Thomas P. Barnett of the St. Louis firm of Barnett, Haynes & Barnett....
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Painting
Later in life, Barnett turned his attentions primarily to painting. He studied under Paul CornoyerPaul Cornoyer
Paul Cornoyer was an American painter, currently best known for his popularly reproduced paintings in an Impressionist and sometimes pointillist style....
, and followed the American Impressionism
American Impressionism
Impressionism, a style of painting characterized by loose brushwork and vivid colors, was practiced widely among American artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.-An emerging artistic style from Paris:...
style. Barnett characteristically used wide brush strokes and vibrant colors. His works typically idealized his subjects, and were emotionally expressive and optimistic.
Barnett's paintings were well-received in his lifetime. His works were exhibited at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, the first exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists
Society of Independent Artists
Society of Independent Artists was an association of American artists founded in 1916 and based in New York.Based on the French Société des Artistes Indépendants, the goal of the society was to hold annual exhibitions by avant-garde artists. Exhibitions were to be open to anyone who wanted to...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincinnati Art Museum
The Cincinnati Art Museum is one of the oldest art museums in the United States. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies. Its collection of over 60,000 works make it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Midwest.Museum founders debated locating...
, the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
, and with regularity at the Saint Louis Art Museum
Saint Louis Art Museum
The Saint Louis Art Museum is one of the principal U.S. art museums, visited by up to a half million people every year. Admission is free through a subsidy from the cultural tax district for St. Louis City and County.Located in Forest Park in St...
. Barnett won both local and national awards including the Bronze Medal for Painting at the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in 1905, and the First Ives Landscape Prize from the St. Louis Artist's Guild every year between 1914 and 1925.
In 1922, Barnett painted the 12' by 6' mural, Riches of the Mines, in the Missouri State Capitol
Missouri State Capitol
The Missouri State Capitol is located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Housing the Missouri General Assembly, it is located in the state capital of Jefferson City at 201 West Capitol Avenue. The domed building was designed by the New York architectural firm of Tracy and Swartwout and completed in 1917...
in Jefferson City
Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079...
. The lunette representing a zinc mine in southwest Missouri was a favorite of art critics who marveled at Barnett's ability to depict drama and beauty in an otherwise bleak and desolate scene.
Barnett was a member of the Chicago Art Guild, National Arts Club
National Arts Club
The National Arts Club is a private club in Gramercy Park, New York City, New York, USA. It was founded in 1898 to "stimulate, foster, and promote public interest in the arts and to educate the American people in the fine arts". Since 1906 the organization has occupied the Samuel J...
, St. Louis Artist's Guild, Salmagundi Club
Salmagundi Club
The Salmagundi Club, also known as the Salmagundi Art Club, was founded in 1871 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, in the United States. It currently is located at 47 Fifth Avenue...
, Chicago Galleries Association, Allied Artists of America, and the American Federation of Arts
American Federation of Arts
The American Federation of Arts is an organization in the United States of museums and other entities involved in the arts. It was established in 1909 at a convention held in Washington, D. C. from May 11–13 of that year called by the National Academy of Art. The concept for the organization was...
.
Works by Barnett are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
, the Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts is a renowned art museum in the city of Detroit. In 2003, the DIA ranked as the second largest municipally owned museum in the United States, with an art collection valued at more than one billion dollars...
, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the art collection of the Missouri State Capitol, the Missouri History Museum
Missouri History Museum
The Missouri History Museum is located in St. Louis, Missouri in Forest Park. The museum is operated by the Missouri Historical Society and was founded in 1866...
, the Museum of Art and Archaeology
Museum of Art and Archaeology
The Museum of Art and Archaeology, in Columbia, Missouri, is the art museum of the University of Missouri. It is located in Pickard Hall, which also houses the Department of Art History and Archaeology. The Museum is open to the public six days per week and does not charge an admission...
at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
, and the Busch
Adolphus Busch
Colonel Adolphus Busch was the German-born co-founder of Anheuser-Busch with his father-in-law, Eberhard Anheuser. His great-great-grandson, August Busch IV is now on the board of Anheuser-Busch InBev.-Biography:...
family collection housed at Grant's Farm
Grant's Farm
Grant's Farm is a historic farm in St. Louis, Missouri, which was once owned by Ulysses S. Grant. The Farm is now owned by the Busch family, who used to own Anheuser-Busch brewing company. The farm is filled with many animals including buffalo, elephants, camels, donkeys, goats, peacocks, the...
.