His first major Bay Area solo exhibition since the 1990s, Barry McGee's mid-career retrospective opened last night at the University of California's 
His first major Bay Area solo exhibition since the 1990s, Barry McGee’s mid-career retrospective opened last night at the University of California’s Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. The spiraling structure of the BAM allowed for McGee to reconstruct many of his acclaimed past installations — such as his site-specifc mural at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, which was stolen after its completion, among many others — and leave room for plenty of new surprises. As much an homage to graffiti and street culture as it is a look at McGee’s career so far, the exhibit features many installations with automated dummies caught in the act of doing graffiti, a tribute to McGee’s late wife Margaret Kilgallen and assemblages created by friends and community members.
The BAM/PFA has a lengthy schedule of talks and performances planned (included a conversation between BAM/PFA Director Lawrence Rinder and Jeffrey Deitch, as well as a lecture from renowned graffiti photographer Jim Prigoff), so check the BAM/PFA website for a complete schedule.
