Barry Burman was born Elstow in Bedfordshire in the UK and went to Coventry College of Art in the 1960's where he displayed a precococious mastery for darwing. From there he went to studied at the Royal College of Art. From 1974 he taught part time at Warwickshire Scool of Art.

Burman's exhibiting career was a patchy one because of his meticulous working methods and his crippling bouts of depression. In 1991 he won his first prize in the Hunting/Observer Awards. Burman had 10 one-,am shows, in places including the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, The Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry Leamington Art Gallery, Warwick Gallery and Nichols Tredwell Gallery, London.

Goldmark gave Burman three exhibitions; Barry Burman : Paintings (1992) ; Loyal to the Nightmare (1997) and Pilgrim's Progress (1999). The last consisted of images inspired by John Bunyan's book.