Who Is Matthew Barney? Age, Biography, and Wiki
Matthew Barney is an influential American contemporary artist, born on March 25, 1967, making him 58 years old as of 2025. Renowned for his innovative films and performances, Barney's works often explore themes of identity, sexuality, and the physical body. His unique approach combines elements of sculpture, drawing, and video, earning him a prominent place in the contemporary art scene. His notable works include the "Cremaster Cycle" and "River of Fundament," which reflect his distinctive style and vision.
| Occupation | Football Players |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | March 25, 1967 |
| Age | 58 Years |
| Birth Place | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Country | U.S |
Popularity
Matthew Barney's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
Matthew Barney stands at an impressive height of approximately 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm). While his exact weight is not publicly disclosed, it is estimated that he maintains a healthy physique, reflective of his active lifestyle and commitment to his craft. In terms of body measurements, details such as chest, waist, and bicep size are typically kept private, aligning with his artistic persona.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Regarding his family, Matthew Barney has a daughter, Chloe, with former partner and actress Björk. As of 2025, Barney is reportedly single, with speculation about his dating life being prevalent in celebrity circles. While he has been linked to various individuals over the years, he maintains a level of privacy regarding his personal relationships, focusing more on his artistic endeavors.
He lived in Boise, Idaho from 1973 to 1985, where his father got a job administering a catering service at Boise State University and where he attended elementary, middle, and high school. His parents divorced and his mother, an abstract painter, moved to New York City, where he would frequently visit. It was there where he was first introduced to the art scene.
Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Matthew Barney's estimated net worth is around $60 million. His wealth stems from several successful art exhibitions, film projects, and various collaborations in the art and fashion industries. Barney's unique approach to art has garnered him significant attention, allowing him to command high prices for his works and secure lucrative deals, further contributing to his earnings.
Career, Business, and Investments
Matthew Barney's career spans several decades and encompasses a wide array of artistic expressions. He is best known for his ambitious film installations like the "Cremaster Cycle," which played a crucial role in defining his career. Beyond filmmaking, Barney has ventured into business through various collaborations and brand partnerships, leveraging his artistic vision into commercial success.
Barney continues to be actively involved in the art community, participating in exhibitions globally and pushing the boundaries of contemporary art. Investments in up-and-coming artists and art institutions have also been part of his strategy to foster artistic growth and innovation.
Barney was recruited by Yale University in 1985 to play football and planned to go into pre-med, but he also intended to study art. In 1989, he graduated from Yale. His earliest works, created at Yale, were staged at the university's Payne Whitney Gymnasium.
In the 1990s, Barney moved to New York, where he worked as a catalog model, a career that helped him finance his early work as an artist. In 2002, Barney had a daughter with his then partner, the singer Björk, with whom he lived in a penthouse co-op in Brooklyn Heights.
By September 2013, Barney and Björk were no longer a couple; Björk chronicled the breakup in her 2015 album Vulnicura.
Social Network
Matthew Barney maintains a relatively low profile on social media, focusing primarily on sharing his art rather than his personal life. However, he is active on platforms like Instagram, where he connects with fans and followers, showcasing snippets of his projects and behind-the-scenes content.
Following him can provide insight into his latest works and exhibitions, as well as an understanding of his influence in the contemporary art world.
River of Fundament takes the form of a three-act opera and is loosely based on Norman Mailer’s novel Ancient Evenings.
In collaboration with composer Jonathan Bepler, Barney combines traditional modes of narrative cinema with filmed elements of performance, sculpture, and opera, reconstructing Mailer’s hypersexual story of Egyptian gods and the seven stages of reincarnation, alongside the rise and fall of the American car industry.
Education
Barney's artistic journey began at Yale University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1989. He later obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree from the same institution in 1991. His education played a significant role in shaping his distinctive style, enhancing his theoretical understanding of art and its cultural significance.
Barney's ongoing dedication to learning and expanding his artistic vocabulary is reflected in the innovative nature of his work, keeping him at the forefront of contemporary art in 2025.
Barney began producing a new two-hour film, Redoubt, in 2017, which premiered in March 2019.
It is set in the Sawtooth Range of Idaho, United States, and uses multiple layers of myths, including the myth of Diana and Actaeon, as well as references to the controversial reintroduction of wolves into the Sawtooth Mountains and metallurgy, to discuss "humanity's place in the natural world".
The Yale University Art Gallery debuted Redoubt on March 1, 2019, alongside an exhibition of large bronze and brass sculptures and electroplated engravings inspired by the film. The show traveled afterward to UCCA Beijing (2019-2020), then Hayward Gallery in London (2020- 2021).
