Agnes Martin and Me

From 1977 – 1984 photographer Donald Woodman was assistant to the renowned painter, Agnes Martin. In this brutally frank manuscript he reveals a side of Agnes Martin known only to a chosen few; her long struggle with mental illness and her heroic battle to keep her incessant inner voices in check in order to realize her unique vision as one of only a handful of women who were to emerge in the testosterone-fueled climate of abstract expressionism and minimalism. In this compelling memoir, Woodman describes the harrowing journey he helped Martin make down a portion of the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories of Canada in 1978, a journey that fulfilled Martin’s life long dream of “going over the edge of civilization”.

<p>Setting up the tipi on my Galisteo property with Agnes Martin adobe covered camper and studio in the background. 1978</p>

<p>Donald Woodman with 1890s box camera, Galisteo, NM 1978</p>

<p>“Upon returning to Albuquerque, I found another note from Agnes tucked into my door. It was written on the back of the business card of an unfamiliar accountant…”</p>

<p>“All over the fairways, small crocus-like flowers were sprouting up and I wanted to photograph them. Agnes used my decision to demonstrate how she saw “beauty, joy, and innocence” everywhere and instruct me on how I should shoot the flowers…”</p>

<p>Agnes Martin’s boat tied up on the bank of the Mackenzie River across from Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, 1978</p>

<p>The Journey North, map of the Northwest Territories</p>

<p>Lady Evelyn Falls, Northwest Territories, 1978</p>

<p>Agnes Martin on a boat on the Mackenzie River, 1978</p>

<p>Near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, 1978</p>

<p>“Needless to say, this message was alarming. I rushed into her house where I found her in the bedroom, laid out on her bed with the covers pulled up to her chin.”</p>

<p>Agnes Martin from the Vanity Fair Assignment, 1988</p>