Martha Diamond
MARTHA DIAMOND "YELLOW WITH SHADOWS" PAINTING, 1989
Martha Diamond's (1944-2023) paintings captured the architectural and psychological essence of New York City. In dialogue with generations of abstract artists, Diamond is revered as one of America's most perceptive painters of the last five decades.
Diamond's oeuvre was defined by architectural and compositional fascination. Growing up in Queens, she was struck by the dynamism of the city when visiting Manhattan as a child. These trips left her with a lasting impression of motion, imposing skylines, and evolving infrastructure.
Living and working in Lower Manhattan for over fifty years, she witnessed periods of intense artistic, cultural, and architectural change. By developing a practice rooted in lived experiences, she immersed herself and her viewers into the unique metropolitan kaleidoscope that was New York.
Diamond’s paintings, marked by energized brushwork and a rich engagement with color and surface, evoke New York’s soaring geometry as both structure and sensation. By combining spirited experimentation with perceptive observation, Diamond captures the emotion, character, and essence of the constructed spaces around her.
This is a paradigm of Diamond's work. Juxtaposing a vibrant, expressive yellow against dominant greyscale skyscrapers, Diamond conveys an experience to those who are intimately familiar with city-living. Simultaneously too bright and too dark, this painting conveys the sensation of experiencing a sunset while standing in the narrows of buildings.
Diamond's work is held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago; the Brooklyn Museum, NY; the Guggenheim, NY; MFA, Boston; The Whitney, NY; among others. She was the subject of a major survey exhibition Deep Time, organized by the Colby College Museum of Art in Maine (2024), and The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Connecticut (2025).
Questions about this piece? Contact us, call +1.416.704.1720, or visit our Toronto gallery.
USA, 1988
Oil on canvas
36"H 24"W (canvas)
31.5"H 43.5"W (framed)
Very good condition
Note: This painting will be included in the upcoming Catalogue Raisonné of all known paintings, prints, and drawings by Martha Diamond, organized by the Martha Diamond Trust.
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