Martha Diamond
For five decades Martha Diamond has developed an unmistakable personal language from the forms and sensations of the city. Equal parts New York School Abstraction, New Image Painting and Neo-Expressionism, Diamond is best known for her lush and loose abstract cityscapes. Having lived and worked on the Bowery since 1969, her signature approach is energetic and rigorous, sharply observed and freely lyrical.
Martha Diamond received a BA from Carleton College in Minnesota and an MA from New York University. She exhibited with Brooke Alexander from 1976 to 1985 and subsequently with the legendary Robert Miller gallery until 1994. In 1988 Diamond mounted her first museum show at Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, ME, and has since maintained a relationship with Maine, exhibiting there over the past few decades. That same year, Roberta Smith wrote of Diamond’s work in The New York Times, “Ms. Diamond’s whole approach to painting is deceptively simple, full of hidden skills and decisions that only gradually reveal themselves, along with a good deal of humor and very little pretension.”
Recent solo exhibitions include Cityscapes at Eva Presenhuber (2018); Recent Paintings at Phil Alexandre Gallery (2016); and Martha Diamond: Paintings at John David Gallery (2014). Her work has been included in recent group exhibitions such as In Her Hands, curated by David Salle at Skarstedt (2020) and Downtown Painting, curated by Alex Katz at Peter Freeman Inc. (2019) as well as historically important exhibitions METAMANHATTAN, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY (1984) and New Abstract Objects, Hallwalls Center for Contemporary Arts, Buffalo, NY (1978).
Her work is in the permanent collection of numerous institutions, including Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; Brooklyn Museum, New York, NY; Perez Art Museum Miami, Miami, FL; High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, MA, and Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany, among others. Diamond lives and works in New York, NY.
Born 1944, New York, NY
Lives and works in New York, NY
Education
1969 MA, New York University, New York, NY
1964 BA, Carleton College, Northfield, MN
Solo Exhibitions
2021
Independent NY with Magenta Plains, New York, NY
Martha Diamond: 1980–1989, Magenta Plains, New York, NY
2018
Cityscapes, Eva Presenhuber Gallery, New York, NY
2017
Martha Diamond: Broad Strokes, Harper’s Books, East Hampton, NY
2016
Recent Paintings, Phil Alexandre Gallery, New York, NY
2014
Martha Diamond: Paintings, John Davis Gallery, Hudson, NY
2012
Martha Diamond: Bright Brush Paintings, Sue Scott Gallery, New York, NY
2004
Martha Diamond: From Three Decades, New York Studio School, New York, NY
2003
G. Watson Gallery, Deer Isle, ME
2001
G. Watson Gallery, Deer Isle, ME
1994
Robert Miller Gallery, New York, NY
1990
Robert Miller Gallery, New York, NY
1989
Tavelli Gallery, Aspen, CO
1988
Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, ME
Robert Miller Gallery, New York, NY
Martha Diamond: Prints, Portland Museum of Art, Portland, ME
1986
Martha Diamond: Small Paintings, Robert Miller Gallery, New York, NY
1985
Brooke Alexander Gallery, New York, NY
1984
Martha Diamond: Monotypes 1982 – 1984, Brooke Alexander Gallery, New York, NY
1983
Brooke Alexander Gallery, New York, NY
1982
Brooke Alexander Gallery, New York, NY
1981
Brooke Alexander Gallery, New York, NY
1980
Martha Diamond: Small Paintings, Brooke Alexander Gallery, New York, NY
1978
Brooke Alexander Gallery, New York, NY
1976
Brooke Alexander Gallery, New York, NY
Select Group Exhibitions
2021
On The Bowery, curated by Loren Munk, Zürcher Gallery, New York , NY
Friends & Family, Magenta Plains, New York, NY
2020
In Her Hands, curated by David Salle, Skarstedt, New York, NY
2019
Downtown Painting, curated by Alex Katz, Peter Freeman Inc., New York, NY
2017
SITE/SIGHT with Suzanne Caporael, Martha Diamond, Jaqueline Gourevitch, Sharon Horvath, Ellen Kozak & Joyce Robins, Cross Contemporary Art, Saugerties, NY
2016
I Beam U Channel, Bortolami Gallery, New York, NY
Paint Heads, curated by Charles Marburg, Jeffrey Leder Gallery, Long Island City, NY
Nice Weather, curated by David Salle, Skarstedt, Gallery North, New York, NY
2013
Come Together: Surviving Sandy, Year 1, Dedalus Foundation and Industry City, Brooklyn, NY
2012
Interior Visions: Selections from the Collection by Alex Katz, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, ME
2010
Changing Soil: Contemporary Landscape Painting, Nagoya / Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Nagoya, JP
Decameron: Celebrating Ten Years of Exhibitions Curated by David Cohen, New York Studio School, New York, NY
That Is Then. This Is Now., Cue Art Foundation, New York, NY
2009
Primitif Complique, GalerieLes Filles du Calvaire, Brussels, BE
2008
Bearden to Ruscha: Contemporary Art from the North Carolina Museum of Art, Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, DE
2007
Cowgirls 2: The Eclectic All-Woman Show, Brik Gallery, Catskill, NY
2005
The Art of Screenprint, Detroit Institute of Fine Arts, Detroit, MI
Vistas, Lohin Geduld Gallery, New York, NY
2004
The Anxious Image, The Painting Center, New York, NY
2002
Works on Paper Published by Stewart and Stewart, Smith Andersen Editions, Palo Alto, CA
New Spring Faculty, Harvard University, Department of Visual and Environmental Studies, Carpenter Center, Cambridge, MA
Series, University of Colorado Gallery of Contemporary Art, Colorado Springs, CO
Series, The Art Gallery, University of New Hampshire, NH
2001
Invitational Exhibition, American Academy of Arts and Letter, New York, NY
1999
G. Watson Gallery, Deer Isle, ME
1998
Inventing the American Landscape: A Dialogue with the Visual World, The North Carolina Museum of Art, NC
1997
Queens Artists: Highlights of the 20th Century, Queens Museum of Art, New York, NY
U.S. Department of State, Art in Embassies Program, Havana, CU
1996
New Faculty, Harvard University, VES Department, Carpenter Center, Cambridge, MA
1995
New Faculty, Harvard University, VES Department, Carpenter Center, Cambridge, MA
1994
New York, New York - Recent Cityscapes, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC
Red Windows, Barney New York, Christie’s, New York, NY
1992
Urban Realities: Contemporary Portraits of New York, Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery, Fairfield University, CT
Singular and Plural, Recent Accessions, Drawing and Prints 1945 – 1991, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
Martha Diamond, Louise Fishman, Mary Heilmann, Harriet Korman, and Bernard Piffaretti: Paintings, Robert Miller Gallery, New York, NY
Emerging New York Artists: An Exhibit from the Collection of Phil Schrader, University of Nebraska at Omaha, College of Fine Arts, Omaha, NE
1991
Academy - Institute Invitational Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, New York, NY
Prints by Martha Diamond and James DeWoody, Mary Ryan Gallery, New York, NY
Urban Icons, Klarfield - Perry Gallery, New York, NY
Inclusion / Exclusion: City Lights 1991, Levinson / Kane Gallery, Boston, MA
Women Artists, MiraMar Gallery, Sarasota, FL
1990
Intaglio Printing and the 1980s, Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University, NJ
1990
Academy -Institute Invitational Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, New York, NY
A Little Night Music: New York in the Dark, Lintas Worldwide, New York, NY
Some Seventies Works, Robert Miller Gallery, New York, NY
1989
The City / The Spirit, Paula Allen Gallery, New York, NY
Urban Images, Madison Art Center, Madison, WI
Landscape, Betsy Rosenfield Gallery, Chicago, IL
Art Expo l989, Betsy Rosenfield Gallery, Chicago, IL
Biennial of American Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
Two Boliou Alumnae: The Art of Martha Diamond and Donna Dennis, Carleton College, Northfield, MN
New York at Night, Schweinfurth Memorial Arts Center, Auburn, NY
American Painting, Beyond the Death of Painting, (American Imagist and Abstract Work), In association with USSR Artists Union, Kuznetsky Most Exhibition Hall, Moscow, RU
1989
Transcendent, David Beitzel Gallery, New York, NY
1987
Urban Images: Scenes of the City, A.P. Giannini Gallery, Bank America World Headquarters, San Francisco, CA
Urban Visions: The Contemporary Artist and New York, Adelphi University, University Center Gallery, Garden City, NY
1986
Landscape, Seascape, Cityscape, The New York Academy of Art, New York, NY
Summer Group Show, Robert Miller Gallery, New York, NY
American Cityscape, Frank Bernarducci Gallery, New York, NY
1985
One of a Kind: Monotypes from the Collection, Bank of America World Headquarters, San Francisco, CA
Night Lights - 19th and 20th Century American Nocturnes,The Taft Museum, Cincinnati, OH
Recent Monotypes by Richard Bosman, Martha Diamond, Jasper Johns and Michael Mazur, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Places Here and Now, Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, SC
1984
METAMANHATTAN, Whitney Museum of American Art, Downtown Branch, Wall Street, New York, NY
Young American Artists from Brooke Alexander, Inc., Trisolini Gallery of Ohio University, Athens, GA
Night Paintings, Florence Wilcox Gallery, Swarthmore College, PA
Expressionist and New-Expressionist Graphics, Edith C. Blum Art Institute, The Bard College Center, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Expressionist and Neo-Expressionist Graphics, Wilson Arts Center, Harley School, Rochester, NY
Contemporary Triptychs, Edith C. Blum Art Institute, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Center, Bard College Center, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Expressionism, Brainerd Art Gallery, State University College of Arts and Sciences, Potsdam, NY
1983
A Celebration of American Women Artists: Part II - The Recent Generation, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, NY
Richard Bosman, Martha Diamond, Ken Goodman, Richard Mock, Judy Rifka, Fay Gold Gallery, Atlanta, GA
Brave New Work: Recent American Paintings and Drawings, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
The American Artist as Printmaker, The 23rd National Print Exhibition, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
Night Paintings, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA
Turbulences, American Center, Paris, FR
New York, New Work: Contemporary Painting from New York Galleries, Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, DE
Terminal New York, Brooklyn Army Terminal, Brooklyn, NY
Nocturne, Siegel Contemporary Art, New York, NY
Monotypes, State University of New York at Purchase, NY
Four New York Painters, Signet Arts, St. Louis, MO
Architecture in Contemporary Prints, Pratt Graphic Center, Brooklyn, NY
Self – Portraits, Linda Ferris Gallery, Seattle, WA
1982
Visiting Artists Invitational, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
50 National Women in Art, Edison Community College of Fine Art, Fort Myers, FL
Landscape/Cityscape, Jerry Joseph Gallery, New York, NY
1981
Art at Work, General Mills Art Collection, Minneapolis, MN
Art on Paper, Weatherspoon Art Gallery, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC
Exchanges III, Arts for Living Center, New York, NY
1980
Almost Abstract, Boston College Art Gallery, Newton, MA
New York, New Work, Delahunty Gallery, Dallas, TX
Drawings of a Different Nature, Portland Center for the Visual Arts, Portland, OR
Diamond, Lieberman, Lipski: Recent Works, Root Art Center, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY
1979
New Publications / Acquisitions, Brooke Alexander Gallery, New York, NY
New Publications / Acquisitions, 22 Wooster Gallery, New York, NY
Sixth International Print Biennale, Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK
New Work by Martha Diamond, Margo Margolis, Rodney Ripps, Brooke Alexander Gallery, New York, NY
1978
Thick Paint, Renaissance Society, University of Chicago, IL
New Editions, Brooke Alexander Gallery, New York, NY
Paintings ‘75, ‘76, ‘77, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY
Group Show, Brooke Alexander Gallery, New York, NY
New Abstract Objects, Hallwalls Center for Contemporary Arts, Buffalo, NY
1975
Tenth Anniversary Exhibition, Larry Aldrich Museum, Ridgefield, CT
1974
Six Artists, Julian Pretto Gallery, New York, NY
1973
Contemporary Reflections, Larry Aldrich Museum, Ridgefield, CT
Collections
Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD
The Aldrich Contemporary Museum, Ridgefield, CT
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, AU
Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
Chase Bank Manhattan, New York, NY
Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, ME
Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, ME
Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
The Frederick R. Weisman Museum, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
General Mills, Minneapolis, MN
Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, Binghamton, NY
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX
Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, MA
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
Museum of the City of New York, NY
National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.
North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC
Pérez Art Museum Miami, Miami, FL
Portland Museum of Art, Portland, ME
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Archives for Printmaking Studios, NJ
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin, DE
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
