Julie Mehretu: A Transcore of the Radical Imaginatory

A light gray hardcover book titled Julie Mehretu: A Transcore of the Radical Imaginatory, displayed at an angle on a white background. The cover features a vibrant, abstract artwork with energetic, swirling lines of blue, purple, and glowing white light against a dark, blurry backdrop.

The light gray back cover of a book, shot at a slight angle against a white background. Black text describes the artist Julie Mehretu and the book's contents. The title reads, Julie Mehretu: A Transcore of the Radical Imaginary. At the bottom are the logos for the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and publisher Hatje Cantz.

A gray, cloth-bound hardcover book titled Julie Mehretu. The cover features a vibrant abstract painting with energetic swirls of blue, purple, and white against a dark background. Below the artwork is the subtitle, A Transcore of the Radical Imaginatory.

An open book lies flat on a white background, displaying a two-page spread of abstract, graffiti-style art. The piece features a dense and chaotic composition of black spray-painted lines and stenciled shapes layered over a colorful background with gradients of pink, orange, yellow, and green.

An open art book on a white surface. The right page displays a full-bleed, vibrant abstract painting with streaks and scribbles of magenta, blue, and yellow. The left page is mostly covered by a blank, light gray flyleaf.

An open art book seen from an angle on a white background. The left-hand page shows a full-bleed, vibrant abstract image with blurred vertical streaks of pink, blue, and yellow. The right-hand page is a solid, blank, light grey sheet.

An open book on a white surface shows a two-page spread of a large, complex abstract artwork. The piece is a dense composition of black, graffiti-like scribbles and energetic lines over a background with splashes of color, including orange, yellow, red, and purple. The artwork is visually divided into a grid of twelve rectangular panels.

An open book showing its table of contents on the right-hand page. The left page is a blank, textured gray. The right page is titled Contents and lists chapters and essays about the artist Julie Mehretu, including The intimate architectures of Julie Mehretu and Chronology, along with their corresponding page numbers.

A page from an art publication titled The intimate architectures of Julie Mehretu by Erik Morse. A large photograph on the left shows Mehretu's monumental abstract mural, a dynamic explosion of colorful geometric shapes and black lines on a long white wall inside a modern lobby. The right side of the page features two columns of text discussing her work.

A large-scale abstract painting made of twelve rectangular panels arranged in a grid on a white gallery wall. The artwork is a dense, energetic composition of overlapping black gestural lines, colorful scribbles, and soft spray-painted washes of orange, yellow, and purple on a light background.

A book page displays two abstract artworks side by side. Each piece, titled Mind-Wind Field Drawings, features a dense, chaotic tangle of black gestural ink lines over a soft, hazy background of spray-painted colors including green, yellow, pink, and blue on off-white paper.

An abstract artwork on an off-white background, featuring a dense, energetic explosion of fine black ink lines. The composition blends architectural schematics with chaotic, organic forms. Scattered throughout the intricate monochrome drawing are vibrant accents of color from thin lines and small collaged paper shapes in red, blue, orange, green, and pink, creating a dynamic and layered effect.

A wide-angle view of a massive, high-ceilinged artist studio. On the left and right, two monumental, wall-sized abstract paintings are filled with a dense, energetic storm of black lines and marks. In the foreground, artist Julie Mehretu sits in a lounge chair, dwarfed by her creations as she contemplates her work.

A wide interior view of a contemporary art gallery with a polished grey floor and white walls. Large, abstract paintings are displayed; some colorful graffiti-style pieces hang on the walls, while several semi-translucent, blurry paintings in heavy white frames are suspended from the ceiling. A lone visitor stands in the background, viewing the art.

A wide shot of a modern art gallery with white walls and a polished concrete floor. Three large, dark, vertical abstract paintings covered in frenetic, light-colored scribbles hang in a row. To the far right, a person in dark clothing stands looking up at the artwork.

A wide-angle interior view of a modern art gallery with white walls and a polished concrete floor. Four large, vertical abstract paintings are spaced out along the walls. The artworks feature dark, smudged backgrounds covered with energetic, colorful scribbles and gestural lines in red, blue, and orange.

A wide view of a theater stage during a performance of the opera Only the Sound Remains. In the foreground orchestra pit, musicians and a choir perform. On stage, a dancer in a white, flowing costume poses in front of an immense, abstract backdrop by artist Julie Mehretu, featuring energetic, dark brushstrokes on a light gray background.

An abstract close-up image showing a riot of soft-focus, spray-painted colors. Warm hues of pink, orange, and yellow blend and overlap with cooler streaks of green and blue, creating a layered and energetic visual with a dreamlike quality.

A page from an art book showing a vibrant abstract painting titled Sumo from 2024. The square canvas is a dense, chaotic composition of layered, spray-painted shapes and thin, curving lines. The colors are a mix of bright reds, oranges, blues, and greens against a darker, multi-toned background, creating a sense of energetic movement.

A page from a book displaying two abstract, square paintings side-by-side on a white background with captions below. Both paintings feature energetic, calligraphic black lines and marks over layered, colorful backgrounds. The painting on the left is dominated by warm tones of yellow, pink, and orange. The painting on the right incorporates more green and appears denser and more chaotic.

Julie Mehretu: A Transcore of the Radical Imaginatory

€ 44.00

VAT included. Shipping costs will be calculated at checkout

Edited by: Suzanne Cotter

Graphic Design: Daniel New

Texts by: Daniel Boyd, Suzanne Cotter, Jane Devery, Erik Morse

Contributions by: Julie Mehretu

English

March 2025, 240 Pages, 226 Photos

Hardcover

242mm x 308mm

ISBN: 978-3-7757-5928-1

HATJE CANTZ VERLAG
Mommsenstr. 27
10629 Berlin
Germany
E-Mail: contact@hatjecantz.de

According to Article 9(7) of the GPSR Regulation, no additional security information is required for books without supplements or special functions.

Press download

American artist Julie Mehretu is renowned for her powerful and often monumental works. Drawing on histories of art and architecture, they also speak to urgent contemporary issues such as revolution, migration, global capitalism and climate change. Published to coincide with the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia's major career survey, and focusing on new and recent works Julie Mehretu: A Transcore of the Radical Imaginatory will include monumental and medium-format paintings, as well as works on paper dating from the mid-1990s to the present. The catalogue will provide new and important scholarship on an artist regarded as one of the most significant painters of her generation.

JULIE MEHRETU (*1970 Addis Ababa, lives and work New York) is one of the most influential contemporary artists working today. Mehretu has exhibited extensively internationally at major institutions across the US, UK and Europe since the 1990s, including mid-career survey exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2021) and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2019).

»One of today’s most original and thought-provoking painters«

The New York Times

»When experiencing Julie Mehretu: A Transcore of the Radical Imaginatory, be prepared for a phenomenological experience that necessitates suspension of preconceptions.«

Jaye Early

Artlink