I walked into Barry Liebman's studio on Sunday, saw some of these paintings and thought, "wow, I bet this guy likes Cy Twombly." So I asked if he did. In response, he pulled out a beautifully-made art book about that painter. It told me something about Liebman.He is an abstract painter who often uses mixed media to enhance the effect. Music is a great influence on his work: he has series inspired by the work of Charlie Parker and the Adagio from the 9th Symphony of Gustav Mahler (my artistic hero!). You can click here to listen - you'll get the point. No Western music is more profound.
Until recently, Liebman was co-owner of St. Louis' beloved Left Bank Books, one of America's finest independent booksellers. He will soon be moving to Whidbey Island, Washington, a jewel in Puget Sound not far from Seattle. Our loss, their gain.
