The Evolution of Medrie MacPhee
Born in Edmonton, Canada, Medrie MacPhee is a Canadian-American painter currently based in New York City. Her artistic journey began with studies at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design before she moved to New York, eventually settling in a Bowery loft studio. Her body of work has transitioned through several distinct phases, beginning with a focus on portraits and moving toward industrial architecture. These early works explored the relationships between structures, the body, and human evolution, often featuring the enigmatic exteriors of abandoned machinery and industrial relics such as silos, water towers, and conduits found in the harbor fronts of New York and Montreal.
As her practice evolved, MacPhee moved into more complex, hybrid territories. In the 1990s and 2000s, she produced series that blended representation with abstraction, creating imagery that suggested organic-mechanical components, watery environments, and futuristic species. These works often combined elements like gears and lily pads or wires and vines, exploring themes of metamorphosis and the intersection of biology and technology.
Materiality and Form
In more recent years, MacPhee’s work has undergone a significant shift in technique and materiality. Since 2012, she has incorporated a unique method of collaging disassembled and flattened pieces of clothing directly onto her oil canvases. These works feature:
Her work is held in various public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Canada, and the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal. Throughout her career, she has received recognition from the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Questions & Answers
Can I browse Medrie MacPhee's works by mood?
Medrie MacPhee's works can be browsed by mood on the artist's Mood Room page, which arranges the artworks by their recorded moods.
How many artworks by Medrie MacPhee are available to browse?
You can browse 3 artworks by Medrie MacPhee on the All Artworks page.
Is there a complete list of Medrie MacPhee's artworks?
Every work by Medrie MacPhee on this website can be browsed from the artist's All Artworks page.
How is Medrie MacPhee's career divided into periods?
A chronological account of Medrie MacPhee's work is available on the artist's Chronicle page, where the artworks pass in order of creation, chapter by chapter.
