Donald Martiny (born 1953 in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

) is an American artist. His abstract paintings are related to both action painting and

Abstract expressionism Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of the ...

Life

Donald Martiny studied from 1977 to 1980 at the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. From 1980 to 1983 he was a student at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

. At the same time he attended courses on art at the

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. From 2007 to 2009 he continued his education at the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Ivoryton, Connecticut Ivoryton is one of three villages in Essex, Connecticut in Middlesex County. Ivoryton Historic District, the historic district in the village, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 15, 2014.

. In 2015 Martiny received a scholarship as an'' Artist in Residence'' of the'' Sam & Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts'' in New Berlin,

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

and was represented in the annual exhibition of the artists there. Also in 2015, Martiny was invited to produce two large works for the

One World Trade Center One World Trade Center (also known as One World Trade, One WTC, and formerly Freedom Tower) is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Mer ...

, which are permanently exhibited there. Martiny has lectured at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

and at the

Ackland Art Museum The Ackland Art Museum is a museum and academic unit of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It was founded through the bequest of William Hayes Ackland (1855–1940) to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is located a ...

. There, in 2016, he conducted a public discussion on the painter Hans Hoffmann in the context of an exhibition of his works.

Work

In an interview, Martiny has been called a ''gestural abstractionist''. This term refers to a method of how the painter applies color to an object: "The idea was that the artist would physically act out his inner impulses, and that something of his emotion or state of mind would be read by the viewer in the resulting paint marks." (Tate Galleries) This technique is also known as

Action painting Action painting, sometimes called "gestural abstraction", is a style of painting in which paint is spontaneously dribbled, splashed or smeared onto the canvas, rather than being carefully applied. The resulting work often emphasizes the physical a ...

. Martiny describes his work as follows: "My paintings are actual authentic gestures. These brushstrokes are very much me and I want to be present in the works as honestly and authentically as I can be. They are a record of my physicality at a specific point in time." Martiny does not paint on

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...

es or rectangular backgrounds. His works show the immediately ''frozen'' brushstroke, as Martiny designed it in his movements. He had to experiment for years with the composition of the paint, which should be liquid enough to reproduce the brush stroke well and at the same time be so durable in a dry state that the work can be mounted on the wall without breaking. The finished work is reinforced by an aluminium plate cut to the exact dimensions of the brush stroke as a base. The paintings then look like a

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

on the wall. The paint Martiny uses consists of a mixture of water-based

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

s enriched with

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compo ...

s. Sometimes he stretches this mixture with so-called

microbubbles Microbubbles (MBs) are bubbles smaller than one hundredth of a millimetre in diameter, but larger than one micrometre. They have widespread application in industry, life science, and medicine. The composition of the bubble shell and filling materia ...

, which ensure that the paint looks light. In contrast to the working method of other artists of ''Action painting'', Martinys works are not only spontaneous. He first creates a sketch in miniature and, if he likes it, he produces the work in ever larger dimensions. He always works on the floor because this situation gives him the greatest freedom in his brushstrokes. He makes his own brushes, and sometimes he also takes his hands to express all his current emotions in the work. Martiny on his works: "Brushstrokes are dances trapped in paintings". In November 2022, Donald Martiny designed the set for a dance performance by Amy Hall Garner of the

Paul Taylor Dance Company Paul Taylor Dance Company, is a modern dance company, formed by dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor (1930—2018). The modern dance company is based in New York, New York and was founded in 1954. Taylor originally performed in the companies of ...

at the

David H. Koch Theater The David H. Koch Theater is a theater for ballet, modern and other forms of dance, part of the Lincoln Center, at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and 63rd Street in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Originally ...

at the

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

, titled ''Somewhere in the Middle'': "Donald Martiny’s set – hanging brushstroke pieces that show dimension through the thick, sometimes bumpy paint texture – changes in color and shape throughout the work, matching the liveliness of Mark Eric’s bright costumes (briefs and bras overlaid with transparent fabric).

Videography

* 2013: Video of the Biennale Non-Objective,

Le Pont-de-Claix Le Pont-de-Claix (, literally ''The Bridge of Claix''; frp, Lo Pont-de-Cllês) is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is part of the Grenoble urban unit The urban unit of Grenoble (french: unité urbaine de Grenoble) ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

(2013): 10′ 14″ * 2015: Video about the exhibition ''Donald Martiny: Freeing the Gesture'', Fort Wayne Museum of Art,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

(Mai 2014): 09′ 26″ * 2015: Video about the exhibition ''State of the Art – Art of the State'', Cameron Art Museum, United States (2015): 05′ 18″ * 2016: Video on the works of Donald Martiny at the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

02′ 32″ * 2019: Video about the exhibition ''Donald Martiny: Fu in principio Materia Divina'' ("In the beginning there was Divine Material"), Casa del Mantegna, Mantua, Italy (2019): 02′ 54″ * 2020: Video interview with Donald Martiny: Fu Materia Divina (Divine Material), Curated by Alain Chivilò: 07′ 53″ * 2021: Video of the works of Donald Martiny in the group–exhibition ''Color Theory'', Bentley-Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona, United States 01′ 20″

Audio

* 2015: ''A Chapel Hill Artist Paints His Way Into The World Trade Center''

Works in collections (selection)

* Art Collection of the

, United States * Grahm Gund Family Foundation,

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, United States * Patrick Duffy, Las Vegas Art Museum, Las Vegas, USA * Stadt

, Frankreich *

Newcomb Art Museum Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University is an art museum located in the Woldenberg Art Center on the campus of Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It has been historically known for its significant collection of Newcomb ...

, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States *

Crocker Art Museum The Crocker Art Museum is the oldest art museum in the Western United States, located in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1885, the museum holds one of the premier collections of Californian art. The collection includes American works dating f ...

, Sacramento, California, United States *

Amon Carter Museum Amon may refer to: Mythology * Amun, an Ancient Egyptian deity, also known as Amon and Amon-Ra * Aamon, a Goetic demon People Momonym * Amon of Judah ( 664– 640 BC), king of Judah Given name * Amon G. Carter (1879–1955), American ...

, Fort Worth, Texas, United States *

Phoenix Art Museum The Phoenix Art Museum is the largest museum for visual art in the southwest United States. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the museum is . It displays international exhibitions alongside its comprehensive collection of more than 18,000 works of ...

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

Solo exhibitions (selection)

* 2014: ''Donald Martiny: New Paintings'', George Lawson Gallery, San Francisco, United States * 2014: ''Donald Martiny: Freeing the Gesture'', Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, United States * 2015: ''Donald Martiny: Gestures'', Madison Gallery, La Jolla, United States * 2016: ''Donald Martiny: Moving Paint'', Galleri Urbane, Dallas, United States * 2016: ''Donald Martiny Paintings. Freeing the Gesture'', Alden B Dow Museum of Art and Science,

Midland, Michigan Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Michigan. The city's population was 42,547 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Midland Micropolitan Statistical Area, part of the larger Saginaw-Midland-Bay City Comb ...

, United States * 2016: ''Donald Martiny: New Paintings'', Pentimenti Galerie, Philadelphia, United States * 2017: ''Donald Martiny: Pittura a Macchia'', Madison Gallery, La Jolla, United States * 2017: ''Donald Martiny New Works: The River Series'', Diehl Gallery, Jackson, United States * 2017: ''Donald Martiny'', Artea Gallery, Milan, Italy * 2017: ''Overtones – Undercurrents'', Horace Williams House, Chapel Hill, USA * 2018: ''Donald Martiny: Pinselstriche'', Galerie Klaus Braun, Stuttgart, Germany * 2018: ''Donald Martiny: Epistrophy'', Galleri Urbane, Dallas, Texas, United States * 2019: ''Donald Martiny: Divine Material'', Museum Casa del Mantegna, Mantua, Italy * 2019: ''Donald Martiny: Open'', Dimmitt Contemporary Art, Houston, Texas, United States * 2019: ''Donald Martiny: Expanding the gestural Index'', Pentimenti Galerie, Philadelphia, United States

Group exhibitions (selection)

* 2013: ''Fundaments'', Galerie Concret, Paris, France * 2013: ''Pourquoi pas – Why not. 2e Biennale internationale d’art non objectif'', Le Pont de Claix, France * 2014: ''25 Years Conny Dietzschold Galerie'', Conny Dietzschold Galerie, Cologne, Germany * 2014: ''7 x Farbe pur. Monochrome Malerei'', Galerie Klaus Braun, Stuttgart, Germany * 2014: ''China Art Projects'', Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, China * 2015: ''State of the Art – Art of the State'' Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, United States * 2015: ''Interact: Deconstructing Spectatorship: East Wing Biennial'',

The Courtauld Institute of Art The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. It is among the most prestigious specialist coll ...

, London, England * 2015: ''Is it...Monochrome, Colorfield, or Object?'', Gallery Sonja Roesch, Houston, United States * 2015: ''Pino Pinelli, Donald Martiny, Bram Bogart'', ArteA Gallery, Milan, Italy * 2016: ''Made in Paint: Golden. Artworks of the 2015 artists in residence'', Sam & Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts, New Berlin, United States * 2016: ''Plastische Malerei: Pino Pinelli, Donald Martiny und Matthias Lutzeyer'', Klaus Braun Galerie, Stuttgart, Germany * 2016: ''60 Americans'', MakeShift Museum, Los Angeles, United States * 2016: ''It’s all about the hue'', GreenHill Center for NC Art, Greensboro, United States * 2016: ''All Things Great and Small'', Falmouth Art Museum,

Falmouth, Cornwall Falmouth ( ; kw, Aberfala) is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,797 (2011 census). Etymology The name Falmouth is of English or ...

, Cornwall, England * 2017: ''Remember when this wasn’t quite how I remembered it?'', Pentimenti Gallery, Philadelphia, United States * 2017: ''The Enduring Reasons Why: Celebrating 25'', Pentimenti Gallery, Philadelphia, United States * 2017: ''Dialectical Praxis – Celia Johnson & Donald Martiny'', Fred Giampietro Gallery, New Haven, United States * 2017: ''State of the Art – Art of the State'', Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, United States * 2018: ''Roter Faden – Schwarz'', Galerie Klaus Braun, Stuttgart, Germany * 2018/2019: ''Emergence'', Dimmitt Contemporary Art, Houston, Texas * 2018/2019: ''Art Window: Donald Martiny,

North Carolina Museum of Art The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) is an art museum in Raleigh, North Carolina. It opened in 1956 as the first major museum collection in the country to be formed by state legislation and funding. Since the initial 1947 appropriation that e ...

, Raleigh,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, United States * 2019: ''Simply Red'', Gallery Sonja Roesch, Houston, Texas * 2021: ''Color Theory'', Bentley Gallery, Phoenix, United States * 2022: ''Personal Structures'',

Palazzo Bembo Palazzo Bembo is a palace in Venice, Italy, on the Grand Canal, close by the Rialto Bridge and next to the Palazzo Dolfin Manin. History It was built by the noble family of Bembo in the 15th century. Although it was remodeled several times o ...

, Venice, Italy (In the framework of the program accompanying the Biennale)

Art in Public Places

* 2015: Two works in the

: ''Lenape'' (named after the Indian Tribe

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

which used to populate large parts of today's states New York and

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

) and ''Unami'' (named after the now extinct language of Lenapes). * 2019: ''Hugin + Munin'' (named as a reference to Huginn and Muninn in the Frost Tower Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas

External links

Donald Martiny
at artfacts.net
Donald Martiny
at kunstaspekte.de
Webseite Donald Martiny
*

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martiny, Donald 1953 births Living people American contemporary painters Painters from New York City People from Schenectady, New York New York University alumni Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni School of Visual Arts alumni Art Students League of New York alumni People from Chapel Hill, North Carolina