Agnes Martin - Modern and Contemporary Editions New York Wednesday, May 21, 2008 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Karin Domberger, given by the artist

  • Exhibited

     

  • Catalogue Essay

    The repetitive marks and lines of the continuous allover grid paintings that Martin began in the early 1960's earned her the reputation of being an inspiration for the Minimalists.  Through simple geometry Martin found that she could pursue a classical perfection that she described absent from nature, held only in what she referred to as the 'quiet mind.'  Using rectangles, squares and grids of points and lines Martin reacted against the traditional notions of composition in painting.  Michael Govan, Dia Art Foundation (see below).
    '...People think that painting is about color, it's composition that's the whole thing, the classic image...my work is anti-nature, you will not think form, space, line, contour, just a suggestion of nature gives weight, light and heavy, I used to look in my mind for the unwritten page, if my mind was empty enough I could see it, I didn't paint the plane, I just drew the horizontal line, then I found out about all of the other lines...' Agnes Martin, excerpt taken from "The Untroubled Mind" first published in Agnes Martin, exhibition catalogue (Philadelphia: Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania 1973), pp. 17-34.

  • Artist Biography

    Agnes Martin

    American • 1912 - 2004

    As an artist defined by minimalism and abstract expressionism, Agnes Martin found serenity in her work. Commonly believed to have schizophrenia, Martin may have exercised her orderly grids and pastel colors as a way to find peace. After moving from Canada to New York City and earning her M.A. at Columbia University, she was supported by other talented artists such as Ellsworth Kelly and Robert Indiana. Martin began her career with exhibitions at Betty Parson's Gallery, and her work quickly traveled internationally from there. Eventually moving to New Mexico, the artist ended her career and cut off all social ties. Martin was represented by Pace Gallery from 1975 and was recently given a retrospective at Tate Modern in 2015.

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123

On a Clear Day Portfolio

1973
The complete set of 30 screenprints in grey, on Japanese ragpaper, all with full margins,
all S. 12 x 12 in. (30.5 x 30.5 cm).
all signed and annotated 'PP' in pencil (the edition was 50 plus 14 artist's proofs lettered A-N), published by Parasol Press, Ltd., New York, an occasional very soft crease, otherwise in very good condition, all in original mats, original black leather portfolio box (with justification page).

Estimate
$120,000 - 180,000 

Sold for $121,000

Modern and Contemporary Editions

21 May 2008, 2pm
New York