Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1912, Agnes Martin (Agnes Bernice Martin) grew up in Calgary. She moved to the United States in 1932, settling in Bellingham, Washington, to care for her ailing sister. She decided she wanted to remain in the United States and obtained a teaching certificate so that she would have a profession that would allow her to live in the U.S. She taught at a few rural schools in Washington state over the following years, however, the Depression era economy made it difficult to secure a permanent position. She attended Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City, the one-year program allowed her to upgrade her teaching certificate to a Bachelor of Arts degree, graduating in 1941. As part of her BFA, she took several studio art classes, it was then that she decided to pursue a career as an artist. She spent the next several years traveling around, spending time in Delaware, Washington state and New Mexico. In 1946, she enrolled in the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque. Following graduation, she worked for a year on the faculty at the University. In 1948, she left for a higher paying position instructing at a school for delinquent boys in Albuquerque. She became an American citizen in 1950 and, the following year, returned to Teachers College at Columbia University where she studied modern art, and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree. In New York City, Agnes Martin was immersed in Abstract Expressionism and Eastern philosophy ? both were to play a pivotal role in the eventual development of her own abstract style.
In 1953, she returned to Taos, New Mexico, where she painted full time and entered what is known as her biomorphic period ? incorporating organic shapes and forms into her paintings. Her work was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in Albuquerque, the art gallery of the Museum of New Mexico and in local galleries. During this time, she became associated with the Taos Moderns group. In 1957, Betty Parsons offered to exhibit Martin's work as part of Section Eleven ? an extension of Parson's New York art gallery that was dedicated to new talent. In 1957, Martin moved back to New York due to a stipulation set by Parsons that Martin return to live and paint in New York. It was in New York that Martin developed her hallmark grid paintings. She considered the grid paintings to mark the beginning of her career ? stating that all of her earlier paintings "?don't count" and she attempted to destroy all of her early work. The ten years she spent living in New York were successful from a career standpoint. However, she struggled with her mental health and the artist suffered from several schizophrenic episodes. In 1967, she burned all remaining art in her studio and abruptly left New York. She bought an Airstream trailer and a pickup and embarked on an 18 month trip camping in Canada and the American west. She leased 50 acres in a remote area and built an adobe home with no electricity, phone or running water. During this time of intense solitude, she did not paint. Though she stopped painting, she did re-immerse herself in the art world over the next several years, organizing exhibitions of her work, writing and lecturing. In 1974, she started building a new studio on the Portales, New Mexico, property and resumed painting. She abandoned the grid for horizontal bands while retaining the six-foot-square scale. Martin's work was well received, Arne Glimcher of Pace Gallery visited her in New Mexico and the gallery exhibited her work for the first time in 1975 and would represent her for the remainder of her lifetime. She continued to struggle with mental illness and was hospitalized for treatment. In 1984, she purchased a property she had been renting in Galisteo, New Mexico, the first she had ever owned. She continued to live frugally though she was financially successful. She traveled extensively during this period and continued painting in a studio in Galisteo and in Taos.