Online | Joan Mitchell & Julie Mehretu: Titans of Abstraction

Printmaking is essential to the artistic practices of both Joan Mitchell (1925–1992) and Julie Mehretu (b. 1970). Titans of abstraction from different generations, both artists are known for their complex compositions of layered, expressive marks. Noted for their mastery of color, both Mitchell and Mehretu have created some of the most daring color prints in contemporary abstraction.

Joan Mitchell printmaking, New York, NY.

Photograph by Walter Silver. © The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library.

Over a long and accomplished career, Mitchell found inspiration in images and memories from the world around her — particularly views of cities, fields, rivers, lakes, and trees. She once said, “I paint from remembered landscapes that I carry with me — and remembered feelings of them, which of course become transformed. I could certainly never mirror nature. I would like more to paint what it leaves me with.” Translating this vision from paintings into printmaking, Mitchell made some of the greatest abstract expressionist prints ever created.

Julie Mehretu printmaking at Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Minneapolis, MN.

Exploring the traces that history leaves behind, Mehretu’s abstract works examine how power, history, dystopia, and the built environment intersect and impact the formation of personal and communal identities. This layered approach lends itself naturally to printmaking. Elucidating the centrality of printmaking to her practice, she notes, “[it is] in printmaking that new things are invented, which I then want to bring into painting and drawing.”

Abstract masterpieces by Mehretu and Mitchell are animated by the expressive gesture of color and line. These artists command an international audience, and their works on paper have become harder to source. In 2023, works by Mitchell and Mehretu set records at auction.

Joan Mitchell's full Sides of a River set, installed in Joan Mitchell: Larger than Life, Lithographs from 1980s and 1990s at Mary Ryan Gallery, 2004.

Mary Ryan Gallery has held important exhibitions of Mitchell's historic prints in 2004 and 2011. The gallery has placed works by Mitchell in museum collections nationwide, including the Currier Museum of Art, NH and Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN. Recent major solo shows have included Tate Modern, United Kingdom (2025); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA (2022); and National Gallery of Australia, Australia (2021).

Julie Mehretu's Corner of Lake and Minnehaha works installed as a set.

Mary Ryan Gallery has placed works by Mehretu in important collections such as the Amon Carter Museum, TX. Her work is currently on view in a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Recent major solo shows have included Palazzo Grassi, Italy (2025); the Cleveland Museum of Art, OH (2022); and the Whitney Museum of American Art, NY (2021).

All dimensions are unframed. Please note, price and availability are subject to change without notice.