Barry McGee, born in San Francisco in 1966, is an influential pioneer of urban art who began his career in 1980 under the pseudonym „Twist“. He is a central figure of the „Mission School“, a lowbrow art movement that combines influences from folk art, comics and graffiti of the 70s and 80s. McGee is considered one of the first street artists to make the leap into the gallery scene, incorporating the museum walls directly into his expansive installations. He sees his art as visual communication that should be made accessible to a broad public.

His work is characterised by a versatile choice of materials: In addition to classic canvas, he uses found objects such as discarded glass bottles, spray cans and metal. An iconic trademark are caricaturistically drawn, melancholic faces that function as a socio-political commentary on the situation of homeless people and urban sensory overload. These portraits are often combined with complex geometric colour fields and patterns inspired by everything from Islamic ornaments to Mexican murals. McGee achieved international fame at the latest through his participation in the Venice Biennale in 2001 with the installation „The Street Market“.