Agnes Martin

Known for: stripe paintings; Friendship (1963)

Agnes Martin developed a practice of near-monochromatic horizontal-striped paintings — executed in graphite, pencil, and diluted acrylic on large square canvases — that she described as expressions of happiness, innocence, and beauty rather than minimalist formalism. She withdrew from the art world in 1967 and spent several years living in isolation in New Mexico before resuming painting in 1974. She received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale in 1997.