Joanne Greenbaum United States, b. 1953

New York-based artist Joanne Greenbaum has spent three decades exploring themes of congestion and space, order and chaos, and color and blankness in her dynamic and energetic works. Her vibrant and challenging drawings and paintings invoke elements such as the irreverence of graffiti, the wandering nature of doodles, the psychological intensity of handwriting, and the spatial awareness found in blueprinting.

 

Drawing is a fundamental aspect of Greenbaum's work, serving as both a crucial and foundational element to her painting. Although the formal structure of each piece is similar, the overall impression can vary significantly. At times, her works resemble abstract architectural plans or urban landscapes, while at other times, they evoke the hazy forms of Orphist painters like Robert Delaunay and Francis Picabia. Greenbaum uses a variety of materials for her drawings, including ballpoint pen, archival marker, colored pencil, gouache, and watercolor. John Yau noted in Hyperallergic that, unlike many of her contemporaries who set constraints within their work—such as grids, color choices, canvas size, or subject matter—Greenbaum seems determined to explore every possible avenue.

 

Joanne Greenbaum earned her BA from Bard College in 1975 and has received numerous awards and fellowships, including The Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Award from the Academy of Arts and Letters, The Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant, Artist in Residence at The Chinati Foundation, The Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, and The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Grant. Greenbaum has exhibited internationally at venues such as the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, and MoMA PS1. She has been the subject of two major retrospectives: one at Haus Konstruktiv in Zurich and Museum Abteiberg in Monchengladbach, and another at The Tufts University Art Galleries in Boston and Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. Her work is included in the collections of the Brandeis Rose Art Museum, CCA Andratx, Hammer Museum, Haus Konstruktiv Museum, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, Museum Abteiberg, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Ross Art Collection at the University of Michigan.