Julie Mehretu
Blue-chip#24
Egon Investment Scores
Liquidity
9/10
How easily works can be bought and sold at auction
Institutional
10/10
Museum collections, biennials, and institutional recognition
Momentum
10/10
Recent price trends, gallery moves, and market buzz
Discovery
3/10
Undervaluation opportunity relative to peer artists
Risk
1/10
Investment risk factors — higher means more volatile
Market Position
- Pricing
- 2010
- First work over $1 million (Untitled 1, sold for $1.02M at Sotheby's)
- 2013
- Rising Down (2008) sold for $3M at Sotheby's Doha
- 2014
- Mumbo Jumbo (2008) sold for $5M at Art Basel (White Cube)
- 2015
- Untitled (2001) sold for $2.285M at Christie's New York
- 2023 October
- $9.32M record at Sotheby's Hong Kong
- 2023 November
- $10.737M new record at Sotheby's New York
- Trajectory Analysis
- Consistent upward trajectory with 227% increase from 2015 to 2023 for same work. Market accelerating post-major retrospective (2019-2022).
- Price Ranges by Category
- Note
- Primary market pricing available through Marian Goodman Gallery, White Cube. Gallery-controlled market with selective secondary availability.
- Major Paintings
- $2M-$10.7M (2023-2025)
- Mid Size Paintings
- $500K-$2M (estimate based on market position)
- Prints and Works on Paper
- $38,988 USD average (past 12 months per MutualArt)
- Historical Range Paintings
- $106-$10,737,500 USD (lifetime auction range)
- Liquidity
- HIGH - Strong institutional demand, major collector base, consistent auction presence at top houses
- Comparables
- Note
- Per Culture Type analysis: 'Mehretu has dominated the market with large, tour-de-force paintings defined by dynamic, gestural mark making'
- Position
- Top tier of contemporary African diaspora artists; highest auction records for African-born and Black female artists
- Peer Group
- Kerry James Marshall, Mark Bradford, Kara Walker, Glenn Ligon, Njideka Akunyili Crosby
- Collector Base
- Private Collectors
- Ultra-high-net-worth individuals, established collectors
- Geographic Distribution
- Global: North America, Europe, Asia (strong Hong Kong market), Middle East
- Institutional Collectors
- Major museums worldwide acquire regularly
- Auction History
- Auction Volume
- Annual Estimate
- 20-30 lots annually based on recent activity
- Total Lots Lifetime
- 323+ artworks at auction (per MutualArt)
- Recent Activity 2024 2025
- Multiple lots at Phillips, Sotheby's, Christie's, Artsy Auctions
- Previous Record
- Date
- October 5, 2023
- Work
- Untitled (2001, diptych)
- Venue
- Sotheby's Hong Kong
- Amount USD
- $9,320,000
- Tier Classification
- BLUE-CHIP
- Investment Indicators
- Scarcity
- HIGH - Gallery-controlled primary market, limited secondary availability for major works
- Market Momentum
- STRONG - Multiple record breaks 2023, major museum acquisitions continuing
- Speculation Risk
- LOW - Established 25+ year career, deep institutional support
- Institutional Validation
- EXCEPTIONAL - Whitney/LACMA retrospective, Palazzo Grassi show, museum commissions
- Current Auction Record
- Date
- November 15, 2023
- Work
- Walkers With the Dawn and Morning (2008)
- Venue
- Sotheby's New York
- Context
- Record for African-born artist and Black female artist (living or dead)
- Amount USD
- $10,737,500
Institutional Presence
- Exhibitions
- Whitney Biennial (2004)Carnegie International (2004)São Paulo Biennial (2004)Istanbul Biennial (2003)Sydney Biennale (2006)dOCUMENTA (13) (2012) - Mogamma seriesVenice Biennale (2019) - represented Portugal curatorially
- Note
- Largest European exhibition to date, over 50 works
- Year
- 2024-2025
- Dates
- March 17, 2024 - January 6, 2025
- Title
- Julie Mehretu: Ensemble
- Venue
- Palazzo Grassi, Venice (Pinault Collection)
- Note
- First mid-career survey in Germany, nearly 100 works
- Year
- 2024-2025
- Dates
- October 22, 2025 - February 15, 2026
- Title
- Julie Mehretu (mid-career survey)
- Venue
- K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf
- Note
- First exhibition in Australia/Asia-Pacific region
- Year
- 2024
- Dates
- November 2024 - April 2025
- Title
- Julie Mehretu: A Transcore of the Radical Imaginatory
- Venue
- Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney
- Note
- Major traveling retrospective
- Year
- 2021
- Dates
- March 24 - August 8, 2021
- Title
- Julie Mehretu
- Venue
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
- Year
- 2020-2021
- Dates
- October 24, 2020 - January 31, 2021
- Title
- Julie Mehretu
- Venue
- High Museum of Art, Atlanta
- Year
- 2021-2022
- Dates
- October 16, 2021 - March 6, 2022
- Title
- Julie Mehretu
- Venue
- Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
- Note
- First comprehensive retrospective, co-organized with Whitney
- Year
- 2019-2020
- Dates
- November 3, 2019 - September 7, 2020
- Title
- Julie Mehretu
- Venue
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Note
- Site-specific monumental commission
- Year
- 2017-2018
- Title
- Julie Mehretu: HOWL, eon (I, II)
- Venue
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- Note
- First major solo museum exhibition
- Year
- 2010
- Title
- Grey Area
- Venue
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
- Note
- Commissioned cycle of 7 paintings exploring Berlin's urban landscape
- Year
- 2008-2009
- Title
- Julie Mehretu: Grey Area
- Venue
- Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin
- Year
- 2007
- Title
- Julie Mehretu: City Sitings
- Venue
- Detroit Institute of Arts
- Year
- 2006
- Title
- Julie Mehretu: Black City
- Venue
- Kunstverein Hannover, Germany
- Museum Collections
- Tier 1 Museum Holdings
Works Count Institution Notable Works 53 works online Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York Empirical Construction, Istanbul (2003), Landscape Allegories series (2004) Multiple Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Of Other Planes of There (S.R.) (2018-19) Multiple Tate, London Mogamma, A Painting in Four Parts: Part 3 (2012) Multiple Centre Pompidou, Paris Hineni (E. 3:4) (2018) Multiple Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York Atlantic Wall (2008-2009), Berliner Plätze (2009) at Deutsche Guggenheim Confirmed holdings per museum data Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York — Multiple Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Epigraph, Damascus (2016), Haka (and Riot) (2019) Multiple National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Myriads, Only by Dark (2014) Multiple Smithsonian Institution (National Museum of African Art) Auguries (2010) Major commission San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) HOWL, eon (I, II) (2017) - monumental commission Multiple The Broad, Los Angeles Cairo (2013), Conjured Parts (eye), Ferguson (2016), Auguries (2010) Multiple Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Retopistics: A Renegade Excavation (2001) Confirmed holdings per museum data Art Institute of Chicago — Confirmed holdings per museum data Cleveland Museum of Art — - Tier 2 Museum Holdings
- Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (Stadia II, 2004)Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (Transcending: The New International, 2003)Detroit Institute of ArtsHigh Museum of Art, Atlanta (Mogamma Part 2, 2012)Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Mogamma Part 4, 2012)Studio Museum in Harlem (Untitled, 2011)Pérez Art Museum Miami (Myriads, Only by Dark, 2014)Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, DenmarkGuggenheim Abu Dhabi (Mogamma Part 1, 2012)Pinault Collection, Venice/Paris (Black City, 2007; Sun Ship, 2018)
- Curatorial Significance
- Major subject of scholarly publications, catalogue raisonnés in development, featured in art history surveys. The New York Times (2021) described her as 'a rare example of a contemporary Black female painter who has already entered the canon.'
- Awards and Recognition
- Major Commissions
Work Year Note Client Size Mural (2008) — Described by Calvin Tomkins (New Yorker) as 'the most ambitious painting I've seen in a dozen years' Goldman Sachs 80 feet wide x 23 feet high HOWL, eon (I, II) (2017) — Expansive exploration of American West, site-specific for Haas Jr. Atrium San Francisco Museum of Modern Art — Uprising of the Sun 2024 Featured on north facade of Museum Building Obama Presidential Center 83 ft x 25 ft BMW Art Car #20 (M Hybrid V8) 2024 First woman to design BMW Art Car, raced at 24 Hours of Le Mans BMW —
Career & Biography
- Career
- Studio Locations
- Studio in Chelsea, Manhattan near Whitney Museum; maintains two-story house in Harlem
- Career Milestones
Year Event 1997-1998 CORE Program Residency at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 2001 Artist-in-Residence at Studio Museum in Harlem 2005 MacArthur Fellowship awarded 2007 Berlin Prize from American Academy in Berlin 2010 Major solo exhibition 'Grey Area' at Guggenheim Museum, New York 2015 US Department of State Medal of Arts Award 2020 Named to TIME 100 Most Influential People 2021-2022 Major traveling retrospective at Whitney, LACMA, High Museum, Walker Art Center 2024 First woman to design BMW Art Car for 24 Hours of Le Mans 2024 Major exhibition 'Ensemble' at Palazzo Grassi, Venice (largest European exhibition to date)
- Identity
- Personal Life
- Married artist Jessica Rankin (2008-2014), two sons: Cade Elias (born 2005) and Haile (born 2011). Co-founder of Denniston Hill artist residency (2004) with Paul Pfeiffer and Lawrence Chua.
- Current Location
- New York City, NY and Berlin, Germany
- Family Background
- Daughter of Assefa Mehretu (Ethiopian professor of economic geography) and Doree Mehretu (Jewish American Montessori teacher and Peace Corps volunteer). Family fled Ethiopia in 1977 during political turmoil and settled in East Lansing, Michigan where father joined Michigan State University faculty.
- Residencies and Awards
- MacArthur Fellowship (2005)American Art Award, Whitney Museum (2005)Berlin Prize, American Academy in Berlin (2007)Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant (2003)US Department of State Medal of Arts (2015)Barnett and Annalee Newman Award (2013)National Academian designation
Artistic Profile
- Style
- Influences
- Artistic
- Abstract Expressionism, Constructivism, Futurism, Japanese/Chinese calligraphy, graffiti art, Leonardo da Vinci (atmospheric studies), Dürer, Robert Motherwell
- Personal
- Ethiopian heritage, childhood displacement, migration experience, economic geography (father's profession), travel in Africa and globally
- Conceptual
- Urban theory, psychogeography, postcolonial studies, migration studies, mapping practices
- Themes and Subjects
- Urban sociopolitical change and conflictMigration, diaspora, displacementColonialism and imperialismCapitalism and globalizationClimate change and environmental crisisRevolution and social uprising (Arab Spring, Ferguson, etc.)Architecture as social constructMapping and geography as political toolsTime, memory, and palimpsestWar and military-industrial complex
- Movements and Periods
- Influenced Artists
- Cited as major influence on contemporary artists working with abstraction, mapping, spatial complexity, digital space, migration themes. Multiple artists reference her as 'touchstone' for socially engaged abstraction
- Working Philosophy
- Artist statement: 'I think of my abstract mark-making as a type of sign lexicon, signifier, or language for characters that hold identity and have social agency.' Aims to create 'third space' between representation and abstraction, structure and gesture, beauty and violence.
- Techniques and Mediums
- Scale
- Ranges from intimate works on paper to monumental paintings (up to 24+ feet)
- Process
- Projects maps, architectural plans, and photographs onto canvas; traces elements; builds up layers separated by clear acrylic; uses airbrush, screen printing, drawing, painting, sanding/erasure
- Materials
- Ink, acrylic, graphite, colored pencil on canvas or paper; Mylar for drawings
- Printmaking
- Extensive printmaking practice with master printers; techniques include etching, photogravure, lithography, aquatint, drypoint. New York Times noted: 'prints she began making in 2008 have been consistently stronger than her paintings'
Critical Reception
- Critical Reception
- Critical Consensus
- EXCEPTIONAL - Recognized as major figure in contemporary painting; 'already entered the canon' per NYT; occasional critiques of maximalist approach but overall highly positive reception
- Catalogue Raisonnes
- In development; major catalogues published for retrospective exhibitions
- Critical Positioning
- Influences Cited
- Constructivism, Futurism, Japanese and Chinese calligraphy, graffiti, architectural drawings, cartography, Leonardo da Vinci, Dürer
- Peer Comparisons
- Franz Ackermann, Matthew Ritchie, Mark Bradford, Sarah Morris, Kara Walker (political/social engagement through different visual languages)
- Art Historical Context
- Positioned as major figure in contemporary abstraction; reinventing history painting through abstract language; compared to Abstract Expressionists, Futurists, but with contemporary political engagement
- Theoretical Frameworks
- Diaspora studies, postcolonial theory, psychogeography, 'third space' (TJ Demos), black feminist abstraction, queer abstraction
- Publications and Media
- Major Publications
Coverage Publication Multiple reviews and features, including major retrospective review (2020) Artforum Major profile by Calvin Tomkins (2010), Goldman Sachs mural coverage The New Yorker Extensive coverage of retrospective and career The New York Times — Whitney Museum catalogue — The Paris Review — Forbes — The Washington Post Multiple reviews including Deutsche Guggenheim show critique (2010) Frieze - Documentary Coverage
- Art21 extended documentary segmentsTacita Dean film 'GDGDA' (2011)Multiple gallery and museum video interviewsStudio visit documentaries by Galerie Magazine (2020)
Gallery & Representation
- Fair Presence
- Art Fair Participation
- Art Basel (regular presence)Frieze Art FairArt Basel Hong KongPrimary market sales typically handled by Marian Goodman and White Cube
- Representation
- Market Control
- STRONG - Galleries maintain selective secondary market control, works rarely available outside gallery channels
- Gallery Tier Assessment
- TIER 1 - Represented by top international mega-galleries (Marian Goodman, White Cube) with global presence
- Secondary Market Presence
Note Gallery Greenberg Rohatyn was early champion; 2001 solo show sold out before opening Salon 94 First commercial gallery representation; closed The Project Gallery, Harlem
- Geographic Reach
- Availability Status
- LIMITED - Major paintings rarely available; works on paper and prints more accessible through gallery channels and select auctions
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