Barry McGee (b. 1966, San Francisco) is one of the most internationally known and influential contemporary artists to emerge from the California Bay Area in recent years. Raised in San Francisco, he studied painting and printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute (BA 1991) and has exhibited his work internationally at venues including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Boston, the Venice Biennale, and the Prada foundation. He is known as a pioneer in introducing street art and graffiti culture in gallery and museum. Drawing on a wide range of influences, including American folk art, Mexican murals, and surf culture, McGee's work celebrates the diversity of urban life, and by depicting figures at the margins of society, he sounds a warning against consumerist culture and commercialism-driven society.