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Martha Diamond - Recent Paintings - Exhibitions - Alexandre Gallery

Alexandre Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of Martha Diamond’s (American, b. 1944) recent small-scaled oil on panel paintings on view January 7 through February 13, 2016.

In the forty-one paintings completed since 2002, Martha Diamond continues her rigorous and painterly exploration of the nexus between abstract and representational imagery. Recent motifs include buildings or fragments of structures as observed from her Bowery studio, domestic views, picture frames and pure abstract forms. Throughout her surfaces are rich and painterly. Her marks and paint-handling are deliberate and expressive, whether the compositions are minimal and monochromatic, or brightly colored and bold. Titles include Blue 2, Church I, Goya Black, Mountains and Heights, and Two Philosophers.

Writing for the accompanying exhibition catalogue the New York based painter Alex Katz writes:

Starting about 2000 the paintings became smaller with more scale and concrete forms. Outer directed artists include Jeff Koons, Bacon and Warhol. She’s inner directed. The work relates to Forrest Bess, Charles Burchfield and Arthur Dove. The paintings are blunt. They will eat up almost anything you put near them. It’s painting that makes sense now.

In an earlier essay that accompanied a 1990 show at Robert Miller Gallery, the poet Bill Berkson wrote:

Diamond’s brand of real-life abstraction reminds us that the most piquant New York realism has always made the object of its contemplations the city dweller’s quick response to the immediate environs. What becomes visible with a cursory turn or lift of the head is what makes the city click into place, revealing its larger nature and dynamism.

Martha Diamond has exhibited regularly in New York since her first one-person exhibition at Brooke Alexander in 1976. A New York native, Diamond returned to Manhattan in 1965 after graduating from Carleton College and studying French at the Sorbonne. This marks the first exhibition of Diamond’s work at the gallery. The show is accompanied by a catalogue with poem by John Godfrey and text by Alex Katz.

Installations

Installations Thumbnails
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with eight small paintings arranged asymmetrically on a white wall
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space with nine small paintings hanging on a white wall
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space with eight small paintings hanging on a white wall
Photograph showing a corner view of an exhibition space with fourteen small paintings hanging on white walls
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with thirteen small paintings arranged asymmetrically on a white wall
Martha Diamond
Martha Diamond
Photograph showing a corner view of an exhibition space, with nine small paintings hanging in a line on one wall, and eight small paintings arranged asymmetrically on the other wall
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with eight small paintings arranged asymmetrically on a white wall
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space with nine small paintings hanging on a white wall
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space with eight small paintings hanging on a white wall
Photograph showing a corner view of an exhibition space with fourteen small paintings hanging on white walls
Photograph showing a view of an exhibition space, with thirteen small paintings arranged asymmetrically on a white wall
Martha Diamond
Martha Diamond
Photograph showing a corner view of an exhibition space, with nine small paintings hanging in a line on one wall, and eight small paintings arranged asymmetrically on the other wall

Selected Works

Selected Works Thumbnails
Abstract painting with six black lines on an ivory ground

6 Lines, 2008, oil on panel, 16 x 8 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with a dark, mountain-like form in the bottom center of the canvas on a white ground with a rectangle of red and a square of blue along the top of the canvas

Mountains and Heights, 2004, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with a winding green frame surrounding a blue group of marks and a green group of marks on a dark ground

Green Frame, 2002-03, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with two dark blue marks in the middle of a white ground with a black and white frame surrounding them

Arches, 2002-03, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with three black lines on a white and blue ground, framed by a black line

Untitled, 2002-03, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with a black field of color surrounded by a maroon and pink frame with a line of green around it

Untitled, 2006, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with a red form in the center of a round black field of color, surrounded by blue and yellow lines radiating outward

Untitled, 2002-03, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with a cluster of orange and blue marks in the center, surrounded by a frame of yellow, orange and white marks

Untitled, 2002, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with a yellow and red rectangle in the center, surrounded by a frame of black and white lines

Untitled Framed Cityscape, 2004, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

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Abstract painting consisting of a rectangle of black marks on a white ground, surrounded by a larger black form on a white ground

Untitled Frame Painting, 2002-03, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

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Abstract painting consisting of red, black, tan and blue forms on a white ground

Ensemble, 2004, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

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Abstract painting with a yellow triangle atop a purple rectangle surrounded by black, orange and green lines over a white ground

Blue 2, 2011, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

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Untitled, 2004-2015, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Untitled, 2004-2015, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with black lines and a triangle on a yellow ground

Church III, 2010, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

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Abstract painting with a purple building-like form on a white ground

Church I, 2010, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

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Abstract painting with a white building-like form on a deep red ground

Church II, 2010, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

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Abstract painting with a black, building-like form on a white ground surrounded by yellow lines

Church IV, 2010, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

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Abstract painting with white lines arranged on a black ground

Flag and Text, 2010-11, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with a form consisting of white and black lines on a black ground

Untitled, 2011, oil on panel, 12 x 8 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of black and white lines arranged on a red ground

Pipe Cleaner, 2006, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of a form created from black lines on a white ground

Untitled, 2004-14, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of three triangular forms (red, blue, and yellow) encircled by a geometric black line on a white ground

Untitled Frame Series With Red Yellow and Blue, 2002-03, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of white and grey lines intersecting across a white ground

Untitled, 2006, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with three blue forms on the lower third of the canvas, with blue lines intersecting across on a blue and pale yellow ground

Blue Wash, 2011-14, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of six black lines arranged on a white and grey ground

Nest, 2014, oil on panel, 16 x 8 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of black lines arranged on a white ground

Two Philosophers, 2009-15, oil on panel, 16 x 8 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of black lines and shapes arranged on a white ground

Untitled (Weather), 2015, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with grey washes of paint over a white ground

Untitled, 2011-14, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with black lines creating a building-like form on a textured white and grey ground

Untitled, 2015, oil on panel, 10 x 8 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of two black lines and one red line arranged over a white ground, with a blue swath of paint at the top of the canvas

Blue and Red Space, 2004, oil on panel, 12 x 8 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of black lines arranged on a white ground

Companion, 2007-09, oil on panel, 16 x 8 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of black lines and shapes over a textured blue and white ground

Blue 2, 2010, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of a pink, yellow and white rectangular form surrounded by fields of textured paint

Untitled, 2005-06, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of a white, building-like shape surrounded by pink, red, and beige

Untitled, 2006, oil on panel, 12 x 8 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of forms in white and grey textured paint

Untitled, 2015, oil on panel, 10 x 8 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with an architectural structure on a white and blue ground, framed by yellow and black paint

Untitled, 2002-03, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of two black lines on a textured white ground

Untitled, 2010-15, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with three black lines arranged over a blue and white surface

Untitled, 2015, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of swaths of black paint on a textured yellow ground

Black and Yellow, 2011, oil on panel, 12 x 8 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of black rectangular shapes arranged on a white and beige ground

Untitled Structure, 2014, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting consisting of black and white swaths of paint on a blue ground

Untitled, 1999, oil on panel, 16 x 8 inches

Inquire
Abstract painting with six black lines on an ivory ground

6 Lines, 2008, oil on panel, 16 x 8 inches

Abstract painting with a dark, mountain-like form in the bottom center of the canvas on a white ground with a rectangle of red and a square of blue along the top of the canvas

Mountains and Heights, 2004, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with a winding green frame surrounding a blue group of marks and a green group of marks on a dark ground

Green Frame, 2002-03, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with two dark blue marks in the middle of a white ground with a black and white frame surrounding them

Arches, 2002-03, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with three black lines on a white and blue ground, framed by a black line

Untitled, 2002-03, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with a black field of color surrounded by a maroon and pink frame with a line of green around it

Untitled, 2006, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with a red form in the center of a round black field of color, surrounded by blue and yellow lines radiating outward

Untitled, 2002-03, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with a cluster of orange and blue marks in the center, surrounded by a frame of yellow, orange and white marks

Untitled, 2002, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with a yellow and red rectangle in the center, surrounded by a frame of black and white lines

Untitled Framed Cityscape, 2004, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Abstract painting consisting of a rectangle of black marks on a white ground, surrounded by a larger black form on a white ground

Untitled Frame Painting, 2002-03, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Abstract painting consisting of red, black, tan and blue forms on a white ground

Ensemble, 2004, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with a yellow triangle atop a purple rectangle surrounded by black, orange and green lines over a white ground

Blue 2, 2011, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Untitled, 2004-2015, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Untitled, 2004-2015, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with black lines and a triangle on a yellow ground

Church III, 2010, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with a purple building-like form on a white ground

Church I, 2010, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with a white building-like form on a deep red ground

Church II, 2010, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with a black, building-like form on a white ground surrounded by yellow lines

Church IV, 2010, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with white lines arranged on a black ground

Flag and Text, 2010-11, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with a form consisting of white and black lines on a black ground

Untitled, 2011, oil on panel, 12 x 8 inches

Abstract painting consisting of black and white lines arranged on a red ground

Pipe Cleaner, 2006, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting consisting of a form created from black lines on a white ground

Untitled, 2004-14, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting consisting of three triangular forms (red, blue, and yellow) encircled by a geometric black line on a white ground

Untitled Frame Series With Red Yellow and Blue, 2002-03, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Abstract painting consisting of white and grey lines intersecting across a white ground

Untitled, 2006, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with three blue forms on the lower third of the canvas, with blue lines intersecting across on a blue and pale yellow ground

Blue Wash, 2011-14, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Abstract painting consisting of six black lines arranged on a white and grey ground

Nest, 2014, oil on panel, 16 x 8 inches

Abstract painting consisting of black lines arranged on a white ground

Two Philosophers, 2009-15, oil on panel, 16 x 8 inches

Abstract painting consisting of black lines and shapes arranged on a white ground

Untitled (Weather), 2015, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with grey washes of paint over a white ground

Untitled, 2011-14, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with black lines creating a building-like form on a textured white and grey ground

Untitled, 2015, oil on panel, 10 x 8 inches

Abstract painting consisting of two black lines and one red line arranged over a white ground, with a blue swath of paint at the top of the canvas

Blue and Red Space, 2004, oil on panel, 12 x 8 inches

Abstract painting consisting of black lines arranged on a white ground

Companion, 2007-09, oil on panel, 16 x 8 inches

Abstract painting consisting of black lines and shapes over a textured blue and white ground

Blue 2, 2010, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting consisting of a pink, yellow and white rectangular form surrounded by fields of textured paint

Untitled, 2005-06, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting consisting of a white, building-like shape surrounded by pink, red, and beige

Untitled, 2006, oil on panel, 12 x 8 inches

Abstract painting consisting of forms in white and grey textured paint

Untitled, 2015, oil on panel, 10 x 8 inches

Abstract painting with an architectural structure on a white and blue ground, framed by yellow and black paint

Untitled, 2002-03, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Abstract painting consisting of two black lines on a textured white ground

Untitled, 2010-15, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting with three black lines arranged over a blue and white surface

Untitled, 2015, oil on panel, 15 x 10 inches

Abstract painting consisting of swaths of black paint on a textured yellow ground

Black and Yellow, 2011, oil on panel, 12 x 8 inches

Abstract painting consisting of black rectangular shapes arranged on a white and beige ground

Untitled Structure, 2014, oil on panel, 12 x 10 inches

Abstract painting consisting of black and white swaths of paint on a blue ground

Untitled, 1999, oil on panel, 16 x 8 inches