Julie Mehretu makes large-scale, gestural paintings. Her work conveys a compression of time, space, and place and a collapse of art historical references. Known for a deep political and social engagement, Mehretu’s dynamic compositions have been lauded for their capacity to convey the energy, chaos and urgency of our globalized world. Over the years her works have made reference to architecture, traffic patterns, wind and water currents, migrations, military plans, border crossings, and travel. Evolving from her previous series, Mogamma (2012), which used distinct architectural motifs as a metaphor for the unfolding socio-economic and political scenario of the Arab Spring, Mehretu’s recent work has delved further into the liminal ’third space’, offering a more personal, contemplative, and pared down response to the aftermath of these events. Her signature sharp lines and geometries have softened as she probes deeper into the visual language of abstraction. Commenting on her recent work, Mehretu notes, “when I talk about retreat, I mean in that context — a moment of rethinking language, of rethinking collective action and governance. I’m looking to take a step back in order to take the parts apart and put them together.“
She was named one of the “100 most influential people” by Time Magazine in 2020. Other selected awards and honors include the “Liberty Award for Artistic Leadership” given each year by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), New York (2018); The US State Department’s “National Medal of Arts”(2015); The American Academy’s “Berlin Prize” (2007); and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s “MacArthur Fellowship” (2005). The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York recently co-organized a mid-career survey of Mehretu’s work, which also traveled to the High Museum, Atlanta, and will open at its last venue, The Walker Museum in Minneapolis on October 16, 2021. Her work has been exhibited extensively in museums and biennials, including the Carnegie International (2004–05), Sydney Biennial (2006), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (2010), dOCUMENTA (13) (2012), Sharjah Biennial (2015), Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Serralves, Porto, Portugal (2017), Kettle’s Yard, University of Cambridge, UK (2019); and the 58th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia (2019). She is featured in public collections such as MoMA, New York; The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; LACMA, Los Angeles; Pinault Collection – Palazzo Grassi, Venice; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk; National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.; and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco.
Selected Works
Julie Mehretu
Among the Multitude I, 2019 / 2021
Ink and Acrylic on Canvas
122 × 152 cm
Julie Mehretu
Among the Multitude II, 2019 / 2021
Ink and Acrylic on Canvas
122 × 152 cm
Julie Mehretu
Among the Multitude IV, 2019 / 2021
ink and acrylic on canvas
121,92 × 152,4 cm
Julie Mehretu
Berliner Plätze, 2008/2009
ink and acrylic on canvas
304,8 × 426,7 cm
Julie Mehretu
Epigraph, Damascus, 2016
Photogravure, sugar lift aquatint, spit bite aquatint, open bite, Hahnemühle Bütten 350 gr
248 × 574 cm
Jessica Rankin
Struggling With Word That Count, detail, 2014-2016
collage on paper
30 × 30 cm
Julie Mehretu
Metoikos (she opened her mouth, to breathe lightning), 2019 / 2021
Ink and Acrylic on Canvas
244 × 305 cm
Julie Mehretu
Untitled, 2017
ink on paper
66 × 102,5 cm
Julie Mehretu
Untitled, 2017
ink on paper
66 × 102,5 cm
Julie Mehretu
Strange, in between thing, 2019 / 2021
Ink and Acrylic on Canvas
290 × 229 cm
Julie Mehretu
Metoikos (half extinguished beam 07.04.21,7pm), 2019 / 2021
Ink and Acrylic on Canvas
290 × 229 cm
c|g Exhibitions
The Spiral of Painting | Madrid
13.09.–26.10.2024
Under the Influence of the Ellipse | Berlin
28.01.–15.04.2023
Metoikos (in between paintings) | Berlin
17.09.–13.11.2021
Metoikos (in between drawings) | Madrid
11.09.–20.11.2021
Basel En Madrid | Madrid
17.06.–26.07.2020
Basel By Berlin | Berlin
17.–26.06.2020
So what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing? | Madrid
27.02.–01.03.2020
From Hand To Mind | Berlin
16.11.2019–15.02.2020
Struggling With Words That Count | Berlin
01.11.2016–04.03.2017
Half A Shadow | Berlin
20.09.–01.11.2014
Julie Mehretu | Berlin
20.01.–20.03.2004
External Exhibitions
Solo Exhibition
A Transcore of the Radical Imaginatory | The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia , Sydney
29.11.2024–27.04.2025
Special Presentation
BMW Art Car #20 | Paris
21.05.–16.06.2024
Special Presentation
Ensemble | Palazzo Grassi, Venice
17.03.2024–06.01.2025
Performance
Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) | Park Avenue Armory, New York
27.09.–08.10.2022
Solo Exhibition
Julie Mehretu | Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
16.10.2021–06.03.2022
Solo Exhibition
Julie Mehretu | Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
25.03.–08.08.2021
Solo Exhibition
Julie Mehretu | LACMA, Los Angeles
03.11.2019–07.09.2020
Solo Exhibition
A Universal History of Everything and Nothing | Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, Porto
19.05.–03.09.2017
Group Exhibition
Earthfold | Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle
10.04.–12.06.2016
Video
News
Special Announcement
Congratulations to Julie Mehretu and Nida Sinnokrot for being featured in ArtReview's Power 100 list!
Special Announcement
The Whitney Is Now Free for Those 25 and Under. Julie Mehretu donated $2 million to the art museum to encourage young people to visit
Solo Exhibition
Major career survey to open at MCA, Sydney
Press
Ensemble: Das Versprechen der Modern – artmagazine
Special Presentation
Julie Mehretu Artwork Featured on Obama Presidential Center Museum Building
Press
Dynamics in form – Chapter – The Design Journal
Publication
Ensemble. Published by Marsilio Arte
Press
Wie eine rasende Leinwand – FAZ
Press
"Ensemble" Featured in the NY Times. Text by Rebecca Schmid
Selected Publications
Julie Mehretu, Ensemble, Pinault Collection Catalogue, Marsilio Arte, 2024
Julie Mehretu, A Universal History of Everything and Nothing, Fundacao de Serralves, Centro Bontin Center, Mousse, 2017
Julie Mehretu, Mural, Goldman, Sachs & Co., 2013
Julie Mehretu, Julie Mehretu: Black City, Musac Catalog, Hatje Cantz, 2006