This is an intimate and revealing biography of Agnes Martin, renowned American painter, considered one of the great women artists of the 20th and 21st Century. A resident of both New Mexico and New York City, Martin has always remained an enigma due to her fiercely guarded private life. Henry Martin, award-winning writer, and art scholar, having access to those who were close to Agnes Martin—friends, family, former lovers—gives us a full portrait of this universally revered artist. Readers will learn of her bouts with mental illness, her several significant lesbian relationships, and her lifelong yearning for recognition despite her reclusive lifestyle and need for privacy. Arriving in the wake of major international retrospective exhibitions of her work from London's Tate Modern, LACMA in Los Angeles, and the Guggenheim in New York City, this book provides a perspective of Agnes Martin that has not been seen in earlier, more academic works or fine-art monographs. Certain to be a mainstay for readers of the arts, and admirers of the creative spirit, this book also includes rare photographs from Martin’s family and friends, many of which have never appeared in a book before.
Industry Reviews
Something genuinely rare an extraordinarily vivid and intimate portrait of one of the most enigmatic personalities of postwar US art a portrait that is as eloquent as it is gratifying Klaus Ottmann, The Art Newspaper
"In this revelatory account of the artists personal life ... Henry Martin offers readers an intimate look at the life and work of this ambitious figure." Amber C. Snider Culture Trip
"No other book on Agnes Martin has been researched as thoroughly and honestly as Agnes Martin: Painter, Poet, Icon . Its sensitive and poetic nature makes it a must read for those truly interested in understanding the artist." Jina Brenneman, Curator, "Agnes Martin: Before The Grid", Harwood Museum, 2012
"Rich, clear, detailed, and wide-ranging, I enjoyed Agnes Martin: Painter, Pioneer, Icon greatly." Lee Hall, author, Betty Parsons: Artist, Dealer, Collector
"A well-researched book about an intriguing and influential figure." Jeff Fleischer, Foreword Reviews
"[This] new book beautifully illuminates the challenges of lesbian relationships at a time when women could never exist publicly as a unit..." Out Magazine
"The most valuable parts of Henry Martin's volume are the comments from Agnes Martin's longtime friends, who provide intriguing and illuminating perspectives on many aspects of the artist's life. As a poet, Henry Martin is able to provide unexpected, sometimes charming, turns of phrase." Nancy G. Heller, Woman's Art Journal
"A heartfelt examination of the enigmatic artist, thoughtfully tying together the complex person and her abstract, singular art. The book admirably places Agnes' powerful personality, complex sexuality, towering ambition, and difficult relationships in a shifting context of environment and time." Torin Jensen, Atticus Review
"[Martin's] thorough research and poetic prose bring to light the struggles Agnes faced in order to find success as an artist and some semblance of peace in her life." Powells Books
"Martin traces the life of pioneering painter Agnes Martin from a tomboyish introvert growing up in rural Saskatchewan Canada in the 1920s to a world-renowned abstract expressionist." Publishers Weekly
"One of the most acclaimed painters of the 20th Century, Agnes Martin was also a reclusive lesbian who had complicated relationships with women, gender, and the schizophrenia that both inspired and threatened her creativity. This new biography explores those issues and delves into the decade Martin spent as part of a queer arts community." Jacob Anderson-Minshall, The Advocate
"Fascinating revelations about Martins early life in Canada." Robert Everett-Green, The Globe and Mail
"Including never-before-published interviews with family, friends and curators, a comprehensive and revealing new biography of the US artist regarded as one of the greatest female artists of the 20th century." The Bookseller
"The most valuable parts of Henry Martin's volume are the comments from Agnes Martin's longtime friends, who provide intriguing and illuminating perspectives on many aspects of the artist's life. As a poet, Henry Martin is able to provide unexpected, sometimes charming, turns of phrase." Nancy G. Heller, Woman's Art Journal
Article/photo essay on Agnes Martin by Henry Martin. Hyper Allergic https://hyperallergic.com/459742/agnes-martin-anonymous-philanthropy/
