SASKATOON — Remai Modern has acquired a painting by internationally acclaimed Saskatchewan-born artist Agnes Martin, becoming the first museum in Western Canada to add one of her works to its permanent collection.
The painting, titled Tranquillity, was completed in 2000 and features ivory and lavender-blue bands that reflect Martin’s signature minimalist style and exploration of colour, light and abstraction.
Remai Modern said Tranquillity will be featured in a series of exhibitions planned for 2027 to mark the museum’s 10th anniversary.
The museum said the acquisition allows it to tell a story rooted in Saskatchewan that went on to influence the course of modern and contemporary art history.
Remai Modern is now only the third Canadian institution to acquire a painting by Martin, following the National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Remai Modern co-executive directors and CEOs Aileen Burns and Johan Lundh said in a joint statement that Martin’s work maintains a strong connection to the Prairies despite the artist spending much of her life outside Saskatchewan.
“Though she spent most of her life away from the Prairies, Agnes Martin’s works carry a special connection to this region. Her iconic gridded paintings call to mind the patchwork of rural landscapes seen from above. At the same time, celebrated pieces featuring soft horizontal bands conjure vast expanses where land and sky meet in this province,” said Burns.
“This painting is a stunning example of the qualities that make Martin’s work so special, from the uncanny way her painting style absorbs and reflects light to her signature pencil lines. The soft vibration of light from this painting invites a special kind of meditative looking. We are grateful to be able to share Martin’s brilliance with generations of visitors to Remai Modern through this acquisition,” Lundh added.
The acquisition was fully funded by the Frank and Ellen Remai Foundation, whose donations to Remai Modern have exceeded $100 million since 2012.
The foundation’s support has helped the museum acquire 134 works by artists from Saskatchewan, Canada and around the world.
Among those contributions was the 2012 purchase and donation of the world’s most comprehensive collection of Pablo Picasso linocuts, comprising 405 works now held by the museum.
Born in Macklin in 1912, Martin became one of the most influential painters of her generation.
Throughout her career, she lived and worked in both New York City and New Mexico, including a decade in Manhattan’s Coenties Slip neighbourhood alongside emerging artists such as Ellsworth Kelly.
Martin drew inspiration from artists including Mark Rothko and Ad Reinhardt and considered herself part of the Abstract Expressionist movement.
Her minimalist grids and muted colour palettes later influenced artists such as Eva Hesse and Sol LeWitt.
Her works are now held in major collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Tate and Centre Pompidou.
