Nancy Graves

Nancy Graves was born in 1939 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. After graduating with a degree in English literature from Vassar College in 1961, Nancy Graves continued her studies at Yale University, where she earned a master’s degree in painting in 1964. She had the opportunity to learn from renowned artists such as Robert Mangold, Brice Marden, Chuck Close, and Richard Serra, whom she married in 1965 before divorcing in 1970.

In 1969, she became the first woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, marking a turning point in her career. Her works explore various media, including sculpture, painting, drawing, watercolor, and printmaking. Additionally, the materials she used were diverse, ranging from fur to bronze, and from canvas to plaster. Her life-sized sculptures made from materials representing camels are particularly well-known.

Her work reflects an interest in archaeology and anthropology, a fascination that dates back to her childhood, while also opposing the dominant abstract and minimalist art of her time.

In the 1970s, she turned to painting, producing works inspired by geography, astronomy, and paleontology, where she merged abstraction with figuration. Nancy traveled extensively, particularly to Morocco, where she created films such as “Goulimine” and “Isy Boukir.” Her work addresses philosophical, aesthetic, and technological questions, anticipating contemporary themes such as data exploration and research-based art.

Nancy Graves passed away in 1995, at the age of 54. The Nancy Graves Foundation was established in New York to highlight her enduring impact on contemporary art and her role as a pioneer for women artists.