Eddie Martinez is a contemporary American visual artist, widely revered for his gestural works that blur the lines between traditional modes of painting. Rendered in acrylic, oil and watercolour on paper, EMHK WOP13 presents the viewer with vibrant blocks of colour that intermix with more clearly defined forms. Showcasing the artist’s unique fusion of abstraction with figuration, the work has the erratic feel of a spontaneous doodle yet is sophistically executed with a confident painterly approach that is deceptively considered. Praised by esteemed art critic Roberta Smith for his ‘exceptional gifts as a painter and draftsman, which he exuberantly combines’ (Roberta Smith, The New York Times, 11 February 2010, online), Martinez explores characteristics in his complex iconography that nod to both the cultural appeal of street art, as well as the dialect of art history. With prehistoric cave paintings, Abstract Expressionism and Surrealism, and popular urban culture, all key sources of inspiration – a remarkably strong visual language is presented to the viewer in his multilayered approach.

Since bursting onto the scene in the mid-2000s, Martinez has been honoured with solo exhibitions at respected museums and institutions, including the Bronx Museum, New York (2018), the Drawing Center, New York (2017) and the Davis Museum, Wellesley (2017). His work forms part of notable public collections such as the Saatchi Collection in London and the Morgan Library in New York.