There may not be a more indelible image in rock and roll than that of Pink Floyd guitarist Syd Barrett, dishevelled, glassy eyed and wan, staring without seeing at point blank range into a camera lens. It’s the classic profile of man who’s mental degeneration – after years of prodigious LSD intake – enshrined his legacy among a long list of tragic-heroes of rock; tortured geniuses such as Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain.
Syd Barratt. Photo: Estate of Roger Keith Barratt
It’s also the reason that, even before his death in 2006, a desire to document and re-evaluate Barrett’s life still burned as brightly as his initial incendiary flash of talent. One such examination is Syd Barrett | Art and Letters, a new exhibition which kicked off last Friday at Idea Generation in Hoxton. However, rather than another moribund trawl through the exhausted archives, it instead focuses on unseen paintings and family photos.
The exhibition is a companion piece to a book, also released last Friday, compiled by Russell Beecher and Will Chutes. Beecher, 33, says both aim to re-assert Barrett’s legacy: “We wanted to show Barratt as a fully functioning creative artist. More of a person than a sensationalised, drug-crazy star, as he is often depicted.”
“He thought of himself as a painter firstly. He was a gifted artist from toddler years and carried on painting till the day he died. The music thing was just a distraction in the middle.”
Perhaps the most intriguing pieces in the exhibition are a series of illustrated love letters penned to early girlfriends Libby and Jenny, documenting the birth of Pink Floyd and his most intimate thoughts as a young adult. Is this as close to the real Syd Barrett as we will ever get?
“I think they show what most boys think about their girlfriends and their lives at that age,” says Beecher, “emotional, frustrated, upset.”
“But they also show his wit and personality. And his fantastic artistry. Syd really was one of a kind; there wasn’t anyone like him before, and I don’t think there will be again.”
Syd Barrett | Art and Letters runs from 18 March–10 April at Idea Generation Gallery, Shoreditch – www.ideageneration.co.uk
Barrett, The Definitive Visual Companion, is out now, published by Essential Works – www.barrettbook.com
