The Luminous Vision of Barbara Rossi In the vibrant, often surreal landscape of twentieth-century American art, few voices resonated with as much idiosyncratic charm and technical innovation as Barbara Rossi. A cornerstone of the influential Chicago Imagist movement, Rossi emerged in the 1960s and 70s not merely as a participant, but as a pioneer who dared to reject the sterile academic formalism of her era. Born in Chicago in 1940, her artistic journey was marked by a profound transition; before she became a celebrated figure in the art world, she spent several years as a Catholic nun, a pe…