Faktblad

  • Copyright status: Under copyright
  • Art period: Contemporary
  • Born: 1953, Edmonton, Canada

The Evolution of Medrie MacPhee

Born in Edmonton, Canada, Medrie MacPhee is a Canadian-American painter currently based in New York City. Her artistic journey began with studies at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design before she moved to New York, eventually settling in a Bowery loft studio. Her body of work has transitioned through several distinct phases, beginning with a focus on portraits and moving toward industrial architecture. These early works explored the relationships between structures, the body, and human evolution, often featuring the enigmatic exteriors of abandoned machinery and industrial relics such as silos, water towers, and conduits found in the harbor fronts of New York and Montreal.

As her practice evolved, MacPhee moved into more complex, hybrid territories. In the 1990s and 2000s, she produced series that blended representation with abstraction, creating imagery that suggested organic-mechanical components, watery environments, and futuristic species. These works often combined elements like gears and lily pads or wires and vines, exploring themes of metamorphosis and the intersection of biology and technology.

Materiality and Form

In more recent years, MacPhee’s work has undergone a significant shift in technique and materiality. Since 2012, she has incorporated a unique method of collaging disassembled and flattened pieces of clothing directly onto her oil canvases. These works feature:

Her work is held in various public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Canada, and the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal. Throughout her career, she has received recognition from the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Frågor och svar

Kan jag bläddra i Medrie MacPhees verk efter teknik?

För att hitta alla verk av Medrie MacPhee inom ett visst medium, besök artistens Alla tekniker-sida.

Var och när föddes Medrie MacPhee?

Medrie MacPhee föddes i Edmonton år 1953.

Kan jag studera Medrie MacPhees färgval genom hela det konstnärliga skapandet?

Färgprofilen för Medrie MacPhees verk visas på artistens Palettens genom-sida.

Kan jag bläddra i Medrie MacPhees verk efter färgpalett?

Bläddra bland Medrie MacPhees verk efter färgpalett på artistens Efter färgpalett-sida.

Självtest

Det finns endast ett korrekt svar på varje fråga.

Fråga 1:
In which city was Medrie MacPhee born?
Fråga 2:
Which institution's critic described MacPhee's later work as "powerfully flat, more literal than abstract"?
Fråga 3:
Which series of MacPhee's work featured elements like gaskets, gears, pumps, and pulleys?
Fråga 4:
What material did MacPhee begin to collage onto her oil canvases in 2012?
Fråga 5:
Which of these museums holds works by Medrie MacPhee in its collection?