Waters

1962

American, 1912 - 2004

Agnes Martin saw lines as signs for endless open waters. In Art News, September 1976, she explained, “I sort of surrendered…I thought there wasn’t a line that affected me like a horizontal line. Then I found that the more I drew that line, the happier I got. First, I thought it was like the sea…Then, I thought it was like singing!”

India ink on paper

8 1/8 x 7 5/8 in. (20.6 x 19.3 cm)

Gift of Margaret Smith

84.186

Provenance: The artist; gift from the artist to her niece, Margaret Smith, Port Townsend, WA; gift from Ms. Smith to Seattle Art Museum, December 31, 1984

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Recent Modern Acquisitions, Aug. 27 - Oct. 18, 1987.

Tacoma, Washington, Tacoma Art Museum, What Is Real? American Art 1960-75, Mar. 19 - June 4, 1994.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Minimalism: Aftermath and Affinities, Mar. 27 - Aug. 25, 1996.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, in collaboration with the Shaker Museum and Library, Old Chatham, New York, Creating Perfection: Shaker Objects and Their Affinities, Oct. 5, 2000 - Apr. 29, 2001.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Our Blue Planet: Global Visions of Water, Mar. 18 - May 30, 2022.

Published References"Selected Works." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1991, p. 124

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