Visual art in the period following World War II witnessed landmark transformations. Today, drawing provides a powerful and vigorous device for reexamining the art of that period, and for renewing appreciation of the extraordinary achievements of well-known artists--and for discovering others. Even though the art of these years saw radical departures and shifts, drawing, which is among the most traditional of media, played a crucial and consistent role in the work of a great majority of the most significant artists. Drawing from the Modern, 1945-1975, surveys the drawing of the period through the unparalleled holdings of the drawings collection of The Museum of Modern Art. The postwar period saw the development of Abstract Expressionism in New York, followed by Pop art, Minimal art, and Conceptual art, and the Museum's collection has exceptional strength in these areas. Abstract drawings by Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Barnett Newman open this volume, followed by works by such key figures as Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly and Cy Twombly. Next, drawings by Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg and Andy Warhol signal the arrival of a new figurative art at the forefront of creativity. But reductive and abstract art kept pace, and the Museum's collection offers a breathtaking array of drawings by Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Eva Hesse, Sol LeWitt, Brice Marden, Agnes Martin, Richard Serra and numerous others. What constitutes “progress” in art is questioned today, and it is no longer possible to see the development of art as a straight line, with synchronicity among places and geographies. But drawing, by its very nature, encourages established understandings to be examined and accepted values to be reappraised. Many of the artists represented here defy easy categorization, including Lee Bontecou, Louise Bourgeois, Vija Celmins, Bruce Conner, Ray Johnson, Jim Nutt and Myron Stout. The resurgence of European art is represented by drawings by Georg Baselitz, Joseph Beuys, Marcel Broodthaers, Piero Manzoni, Henri Michaux, Mario Merz and Sigmar Polke, among others. A number the most important artists working in Latin America in the postwar period are also represented, including Jorge de la Vega, Gego, León Ferrari, Hélio Oiticica and Mira Schendel. While neither the collection nor this volume is encyclopedic, the spirit and achievements of postwar art are distilled and amply celebrated here.

Drawing from The Modern, Volume 2: 1945-1975

Arts & Photography

Martin, Agnes

History & Criticism

The Museum of Modern Art, New York

The oldest surviving member of the Abstract Expressionist generation, Agnes Martin long ago succeeded in emptying the canvas of ideas and allowing it to fill with pure emotion. Reproduced alongside texts by the artist, the 15 paintings from 1999 that are reproduced here are the apotheosis of what Martin considers the positive in life. Introduction by Arne Glimcher.  11.25 x 11.25 in. 14 color illustrations

Agnes Martin: Paintings and Writings

Pace Wildenstein

Agnes Martin has spent every morning for the past 40 years working in her New Mexico studio, producing square abstract paintings that consist of graphite horizontal lines across fields of white, gray, or pale colors. Though her work superficially belongs to the history of Minimalism, Martin considers her paintings the abstract expression of positive inner states of existence. Published on the occasion of her 90th birthday, this catalogue presents the iconic serenity and elegant geometry of her canvasses from the past decade, in a format complimentary to Martin's own immutable aesthetic.

Agnes Martin: The Nineties And Beyond

HIRSCH, EDWARD

Rifkin, Ned

Hatje Cantz Publishers

Agnes Martin's abstract works adhere to no catalogue of rules but appear instead as contemplative, intuitive signs. Her "floating abstractions," in which lines and free bands of color emerge almost imperceptibly, can be reproduced only with difficulty. Her writings, on the other hand--although certainly not intended as programmatic statements--offer valuable clarity regarding her own works and poetic insight about art in general. Since its original publication in 1991, this volume of Martin's writings has been a fundamental document for libraries of artists, collectors, and critics. Rather than identifying herself with her Minimalist peers, Martin has aligned herself with the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Chinese, asserting that "the function of art work is . . . the renewal of memories of moments of perfection." In combination with illustrations of her works, these texts--including lectures, stories recorded by critic Ann Wilson, passages ostensibly arranged in associative sequences, and "fragmentary ideas"--form an eloquent artist's statement by the creator of "silent paintings."

Agnes Martin: Writings (English and German Edition)

This series of images from contemporary photographers including Sugimoto and Gursky, and painters including Rothko, Martin, Mondrian and Friedrich, juxtaposes horizontal landscapes with horizontally structured abstract works. Its concentrated selection reveals formal analogies and similarities of both content and effect: the horizontal reads as a synonym for calm, concentration, and transcendental experience.

The Perception of the Horizontal

Köb, Edelbert

Rosenblum, Robert

Weiermair, Peter

Hapkemeyer, Andreas

Kirschl, Wilfried

Schmeid, Wieland

Speck, Rainer

Individual Artists

Walther König, Köln

The Islands--a 1979 group of 12 identically large square paintings--is a body of work especially suitable for gaining insight into the modalities of the visual in Agnes Martin's work. An element that is common to all the canvases is the matte white color that absorbs the surrounding light but only partially radiates it back, as well as the structure of fine horizontal lines drawn in pencil. The reproductions of Martin's work in this book are of the highest quality, especially in light of the fact that her pictures are generally not ideal for reproduction, as, according to the artist, they are light and luminous and deal with fusion and formlessness, i.e., the dissolution of form. In creating this work, Martin, in a certain sense, arrives almost to the point of borderline visibility.

Agnes Martin: The Islands

Liesbrock, Heinz

Richter Verlag

Square quarto, paperbound book with 10 loose designs laid in. In cardboard portfolio.

Agnes Martin. Paintings and Drawings. Peintures et Dessins. Schilderijen en Tekeningen. Gemalde und Zeichnungen. 1974-1990

Stedelijk Museum

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Martin, Agnes. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Martin, Agnes