Artist Biennial

Brice Marden

1938–2023

96 works in the collection 16 exhibitions at the Whitney

Biography

By the time he finished his MFA at Yale University in 1963, Brice Marden had begun to develop what would become a vital concern of his early work: the use of monochrome abstraction to conjure expressionistic effects. In 1964 his exposure to the art of Jasper Johns—while employed as a guard at the Jewish Museum in New York during an important Johns exhibition— fostered his dedication to geometric formats; Mark Rothko, Robert Ryman, and Robert Rauschenberg, for whom he worked as an assistant in the mid-1960s, were other notable influences. Minimalism was then the dominant idiom, and while Marden borrowed its formal rigor and muted palette, he did so to expressive ends. In his words, his art is “highly emotional.”

Marden created Summer Table using a combination of melted beeswax and oil paint, a mixture he developed in the mid-1960s in order to endow the surface of his canvases with a luminescent tactility. Comprising three panels of equal size, the work seems to pulse with chromatic tension. The artist applied the paint with a spatula, producing a dense, matte surface devoid of brushstrokes. Traces of his process remain, however, in the narrow strip of paint drips and spatters at the bottom of each panel. And although Summer Table is wholly nonrepresentational, Marden has identified it as rooted in nature and experience. The work’s palette evokes the sun, land, and sea of the Mediterranean, and was directly inspired by the memory of a table set with glasses of lemonade and Coca-Cola that the artist saw on the Greek island of Hydra, where he has spent time since 1971.

Works in the collection

Abstract painting of looping red, black, yellow, and blue lines over a beige background in a white frame.

Red, Yellow, Blue Drawing

1999–2001 · Drawings

Vertical abstract brown ink brushstrokes form calligraphic marks on a tall white sheet of paper.

Untitled

1981 · Drawings

Abstract black and green looping lines forming tangled shapes on a white rectangular field.

The Fungoid Rock

1996–1997 · Prints

Curving multicolored lines weave and overlap across a deep blue background.

3 Hydra Rocks

2001–2004 · Paintings

Homage to Art 9

1973 · Drawings

Worn spiral-bound reporter's notebook cover labeled Reporter’s Notebook and Brice Marden.

Reporter's Notebook (Reworked Version)

1984 · Books

Rough hand-drawn square frame with dark ink corners on textured beige paper.

Mirabelle Addenda 2

1979 · Drawings

Abstract ink sketch showing a rough rectangular frame and parallel horizontal lines on paper.

Mirabelle Addenda 3

1979 · Drawings

A large rough black rectangle painted on handmade beige paper with a small signature at bottom.

Mirabelle Addenda 6

1979 · Drawings

Abstract sheet of aged paper covered with dense black ink lines forming chaotic horizontal and vertical patterns.

Mirabelle Addenda 9

1979 · Drawings

Two-panel ink drawing with scattered abstract black strokes and a small signature at the bottom.

St. Barts 1985-86 N.Y. 1

1985–1986 · Drawings

Abstract diptych of black and brown ink scribbles forming chaotic overlapping lines on white paper.

St. Barts 1985-86 N.Y. 2

1985–1986 · Drawings

Chaotic vertical columns of dark brown ink strokes on a white background, resembling abstract figures.

St. Barts 1985-86 N.Y. 3

1985–1986 · Drawings

Tangled black ink lines form an abstract, web-like pattern on a white background.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Tangled black, brown, and green lines with pale blue drips across a white background.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Abstract black ink drawing with looping, angular strokes and dripping marks on white paper.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Abstract black ink drawing showing three tall, thin, loosely sketched human-like figures.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

A mostly blank sheet of paper with a small dark ink smudge near the top center.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Chaotic black and brown ink lines and splatters forming an abstract tangled pattern on white.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Dense black ink scribbles crisscross a white sheet creating an abstract tangled pattern.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Black ink forms tangled, overlapping lines and shapes across a white sheet, creating an abstract network.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Abstract ink sketch with dark brown and green lines forming angular, overlapping shapes on white paper.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Tangled black ink lines form an abstract, chaotic network across a white sheet of paper.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Black ink drips and tangled lines spread across a white paper in an abstract pattern.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Dense black ink lines crisscross across white paper forming a chaotic abstract pattern.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Loose black ink sketches of overlapping leaf-like triangular shapes on white paper.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Loose dark ink lines and splatters form abstract, tangled shapes across a white sheet.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Abstract black ink drawing with angular, overlapping lines and shapes on white paper.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Thin dark ink lines form tangled, plantlike stems and loops on a white background.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Dark brown ink scribbles form a dense central tangle with leaf-like shapes along the left side.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Several loose ink sketches of bird heads and beaks arranged across a white sheet.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Abstract black ink sketch showing three vertical looping lines and scattered marks on white paper.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Loose black ink sketches of triangular and cone-like geometric shapes on white paper.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Loose black ink lines form angular, fragmented mask-like shapes across a white sheet of paper.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Nine loose black ink sketches of irregular triangular shapes arranged on a white sheet.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Six quick black ink sketches of abstract triangular shapes arranged in two columns on white paper.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Black ink drips form tall, birdlike shapes and thin vertical lines on white paper.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Loose ink sketches of nine abstract triangular shapes scattered on a white sheet of paper.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Sheet of paper with nine small abstract triangular ink sketches arranged in three rows.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Six quick ink sketches of elongated triangular kite shapes arranged in two loose columns.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Three tall, thin abstract figures formed by black ink drips on white paper.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Brown ink lines form a loose vertical vine with abstract leaves and stems on white paper.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Black ink lines crisscross and loop across a white sheet, forming abstract angular shapes.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Black ink lines form a tall branching plant-like structure on a white background.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Abstract painting with bold brown ink loops on the right and a textured blue wash on the left.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Six quick ink sketches showing different lip shapes and mouth profiles on white paper.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Six quick ink sketches of triangular cone shapes arranged in three rows on white paper.

Workbook--Hydra, Tampere, N.Y.C., Bucks Co.

1987–1988 · Drawings

Large square grid of fine black lines printed on white paper with a small brown stain.

Untitled

1973 · Prints

Large pale blue rectangle framed by thick, textured dark blue bands and rough edges.

Hydra Group X

1979–1981 · Drawings

Two tall black rectangles centered on a white sheet with wide margins.

Two Studies, Back Series

1967 · Drawings

Dense black crosshatched rectangle with vertical lines inside a white page.

Suicide Note

1972–1973 · Drawings

A dense square grid of black intersecting lines sits centered on a white sheet with drips.

Untitled (Stick Drawing)

1974 · Drawings

Twelve small abstract ink sketches of angular lines arranged across a worn sheet of paper.

Vegetation St. Bart's 2

1986 · Drawings

Two narrow vertical strips of repeating turquoise balconies interrupt a large black and white geometric composition.

Souvenir de Grèce 14

1974 · Drawings

Black looping ink lines form an abstract tangled pattern on a white background.

Eagles Mere Set, 5

1996–97 · Drawings

A worn, beige paper sheet marked by a faded grid of fold lines and dark stains.

Untitled (Black and Cream Grid)

c. 1964 · Drawings

Six Couples

1993–1996 · Prints

Abstract square print with bold yellow and black swirling loops and curving brushstrokes.

(Untitled)

1996 · Prints

Chaotic looping black and white lines crisscross across a beige background.

Bridge Study

1991 · Drawings

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Exhibitions at the Whitney