John Barber

John Barber was a modernist painter who depicted scenes of daily life. Born in Romania, Barber came to the United States as a boy. He studied at the National Academy of Design and the Ferrer Center School under Robert Henri. He became part of Henri's circle of students who painted scenes of modern life. By 1916, he was illustrating for the socialist magazine, The Masses. During World War I, he served briefly in France, and he later returned to Paris to study at André Lhote's school, alongside his friend Jules Pascin. He was influenced by Lhote's brand of Cubism. For the rest of his career he would travel between New York and Europe.