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Julie Mehretu

Born in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, in 1970, Julie Mehretu was surrounded by political unrest for most of her childhood. For that reason, her works—while sweepingly beautiful and seemingly delicate—are often inspired by chaos and patterns of war. Using found objects, including pages from textbooks, architectural plans, and abstract symbols that suggest populations, warring factions and scattered refugees, Mehretu creates canvases that are half-flowchart and half-landscape.

The recipient of a 2001 Penny McCall award, Mehretu was awarded both a MacArthur fellowship and the American Art Award from the Whitney Museum in 2005. Last year, Mehretu's 80-by-23 foot mural for the lobby of Goldman Sachs was featured in a profile by Calvin Tomkins in the New Yorker, giving her recognition in all spheres of cultural and financial influence.

Born 1970
Hometown Ethiopia
Lives and Works New York, NY
Education
MFA, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, 1997
BA, Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI, 1992
Permanent Collection

Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA
Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, NY
Philadelphia Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
Studio Museum of Harlem, New York, NY
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY

Representing Galleries

White Cube, London
Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, NY

SHOWS

Crown Point Press

San Francisco
Jan 07 2021 - Feb 25 2021

Grounded

Crown Point Press

San Francisco
Jul 05 2018 - Sep 08 2018

Summer Choices: A Group Exhibition 2018
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Articles

An Interview with Gemini G.E.L. at Joni Moisant Weyl
An Interview with Gemini G.E.L. at Joni Moisant Weyl

John Baldessari, Ann Hamilton, Frank Gehry, Analia Saban, Richard Serra, Toba Khedoori, and Tacita Dean are among the esteemed artists who have editions with Gemini GEL. Gemini Gel at Joni Moisant Weyl founder Joni Moisant Weyl tells us more

IFPDA Print Fair Preview - An Interview with BORCH Editions
IFPDA Print Fair Preview - An Interview with BORCH Editions

Bruce Nauman, Huma Bhabha, Olafur Eliasson, Julie Mehretu and Keith Haring, are among the many premium artists Neils Borch Jensen has collaborated with since founding the company in 1979. BORCH Director Lone Weigelt tells us more

What to expect from Frieze London
What to expect from Frieze London

The London fair addresses contemporary concerns and pressures, while also serving up some familiar sights

Ten Gemini G.E.L. Prints to Mark Ten Years Of Artspace
Ten Gemini G.E.L. Prints to Mark Ten Years Of Artspace

The world-renowned publisher of limited editions and multiples shares some of its favorite works, to mark our first decade

Glennda Testone on the latest Artspace auction
Glennda Testone on the latest Artspace auction

The first female Executive Director of The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center discusses art, gender stereotypes and a very special auction

Interview: Adam Pendleton on His New Artspace Edition
Interview: Adam Pendleton on His New Artspace Edition

The artist also tells us what’s on his reading list, about next year’s upcoming MoMA show, and how art has helped him through this difficult year

On View, Fall 2019: 7 Works by Blue-Chip Artists to Invest In
On View, Fall 2019: 7 Works by Blue-Chip Artists to Invest In

Here we look at works by 7 artists who are season openers this year.

What I'd Buy This December
What I'd Buy This December

A look at covetable works by this month's hottest artists: Kate Gilmore, Hank Willis Thomas, Peter Halley, Ebony G. Patterson, and Julie Mehretu.

Artspace's trusted advisor describes her personal collecting wish-list—from a $2,450 Jenny Holzer to a $15,000 Mariah Robertson.

The 7 Best MFA Painting Programs in the U.S.
The 7 Best MFA Painting Programs in the U.S.

Get the inside scoop on the best MFA painting programs in the country from painters who went there.

5 Lessons From New York's Spring Evening Sales
5 Lessons From New York's Spring Evening Sales

With the dust settled, what did we learn from the auctions? Some things will surprise you.

12 Masterpieces of 21st-Century Painting
12 Masterpieces of 21st-Century Painting

These seminal works, excerpted from Phaidon's art history anthologies, represent some of high points of painting over the past 15 years.

Jeffrey Deitch on his Miami Pop-up Show
Jeffrey Deitch on his Miami Pop-up Show

In an interview with Karen Rosenberg, the dealer, curator, and impresario gives Artspace a preview of his collaboration with Larry Gagosian in Miami, the latest iteration of his New York gallery, and other upcoming projects.

Alex Glauber on Lehman Brothers's Art Collection
Alex Glauber on Lehman Brothers's Art Collection

We spoke with the young advisor about his strange experience overseeing the financial behemoth's corporate art collection before and after the titanic financial collapse in 2008.

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