Today In History: Agnes Martin Is Born
When I think of art I think of beauty. Beauty is the mystery of life. It is not in the eye; it is in the mind. In our minds there is awareness of perfection.
--Agnes Martin, Writings / Schriften, 6th ed. (Ostfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2005)
Born on March 22nd, 1912 in Macklin, Canada, Agnes Martin was a preeminent abstract expressionist who painted serene, large scale, minimalist works, typically using grids and pencil lines with bands of color to evoke emotion. Martin grew up in Vancouver and moved to the United States in 1932. An alumna of Teachers College, Columbia University, Martin earned both her BS and MA here, roughly ten years apart; while pursuing her bachelor's, she decided to become an artist. After a few years of teaching, she devoted herself to painting, mostly in New Mexico where she lived for most of her life.
Agnes Martin's artwork was widely exhibited, beginning with her first solo at the Betty Parsons Gallery in 1957. she received the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 1997, and the National Endowment for the Arts’ National Medal of Arts in 1988. In 1997 the University of New Mexico, Taos established the Agnes Martin Gallery at the Harwood Museum of Art. Retrospectives of her work were held at the Whitney Museum in 1992, and the Guggenheim Museum in 2016, the latter of which featured 115 of her paintings and drawings from the 1950s through the early 2000s. Mental health issues and poverty took a heavy toll throughout her life. Agnes Martin died in 2004 at the age of 92 years.
The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.
- Ashton, D. (1958, Dec 06). Premiere Exhibition for Agnes Martin. New York Times (1923-Current File)
- Ashton, D. A. (1959, Dec 29). Art: Drawn from Nature: Agnes Martin's Paintings at Section 11 Gallery Reflect Love of Prairies. New York Times (1923-Current File)
- Kramer, H. (1973, Mar 18). Romantic Minimalism. The Sun (1837-1995)
- Wilson, W. (1973, Apr 29). Art: Agnes Martin's Gift: Squares to Unleash the Sentimental Slob. Los Angeles Times (1923-1995)
- Kramer, H. (1976, May 16). 2 Shows of Agnes Martin. The Sun (1837-1995)
- Artner, A. G. (1980, Oct 05). Art: Legendary Agnes Martin Strikes a First for Chicago. Chicago Tribune (1963-1996)
- Goodale, G. (1996, Jan 24). Arts: Painter Agnes Martin: The Art World's "Best-Kept Secret". The Christian Science Monitor (1908-Current File)
- Agnes Martin. (1998, May 02). The Irish Times (1921-Current File)
- Smith, R. (2006, Feb 17). Agnes Martin. New York Times (1923-Current File)
- Woolfe, Z. (2016, Nov 30). John Zorn's Music in the Key of Art: Compositions Inspired by Agnes Martin Will Accompany Her Serene Paintings. New York Times (1923-Current File)
Tips:
- Butler, Cornelia H., and Alexandra. Schwartz. Modern Women : Women Artists at the Museum of Modern Art. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 2010. Stacks ; N8354 .M63 2010
- Lagerlöf, Margaretha Rossholm. A Place to Know : Aesthetic Meaning in Recent Visual Art. Lund, Sweden: Nordic Academic Press, 2018. e-book
- Henry Martin. Agnes Martin : Pioneer, Painter, Icon. Schaffner Press, 2018. e-book
Images:
- A Vase Full of Brushes Sitting on a Table, Courtesy of Pixabay
- Poster Image: Agnes Martin, 1954, Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
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