Artist Alfonso Ossorio (1916-1990) and his life-partner Ted Dragon (1921-2011) were friends with Dwight Ripley (1908-1973) and Rupert Barneby (1911-2000), having made Ripley’s acquaintance through their mutual friend Peggy Guggenheim. Guggenheim showed Ripley’s drawings at her legendary gallery Art of This Century. His work was later shown in five exhibitions at Tibor de Nagy Gallery. Ripley was also a botanist, poet and linguist who spoke fifteen languages.

Rupert Barneby was a distinguished botanist who spent most of his career at the New York Botanical Garden. Barneby served as the primary plant expert and advisor to Ossorio during the construction  and planting of the conifer arboretum at The Creeks, his estate in East Hampton. The garden vista that led to the American flag at The Creeks was named Barneby’s Vista in his honor. Barneby wrote an authoritative monograph on the genus Dalea, some species of which are commonly known as ‘broom’ because their stalks can be tied together to use as brooms.

This work was given to Rupert Barneby by Ossorio as a token of his friendship and appreciation for all of the work that Barneby did at The Creeks. The title, Broom,  derives from the scientific nickname given to the plant species that was one of Barneby’s academic specialties. Broom  has been in private hands since it was created in 1960.