Agnes Martin: Independence of Mind

Contemporary artists and writers from Jennie C. Jones to Teju Cole consider Agnes Martin’s influence and legacy

This is a reenvisioned, fresh look at Agnes Martin, the enigmatic, influential, highly independent painter whose life and work have proved inspirational to audiences across many fields and disciplines. Accompanied by color reproductions of works by Martin, Agnes Martin: Independence of Mind presents a series of essays by living artists and writers commissioned especially for this volume. Contributors include artists Martha Tuttle, Jennie C. Jones and James Sterling Pitt, as well as authors Teju Cole, Bethany Hindmarsh, Darcey Steinke and Jenn Shapland. These contributors write about Martin’s influence on their creative lives and work, and offer new interpretations that defy stereotyped notions about Martin’s life. Longer essays are mixed with shorter, more anecdotal texts by a wider selection of artists.
Agnes Martin was born in Maklin, Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1912, and moved to the US in 1932, studying at universities in Oregon, California, New Mexico and New York. In the early 1950s she developed a biomorphic style influenced by Abstract Expressionism. Her first solo exhibition was held at the Betty Parsons Gallery, New York, in 1958. From around 1960-61 she began to work with the grids of horizontal and vertical lines for which she has become renowned. In 1967 she moved from New York to New Mexico, where she lived until her death in 2004.