Meet the artist: Vija Celmins
24 October 2024
Latvian American artist Vija Celmins has a career that spans six decades and 40 high profile exhibitions. 23 of her works are on display at The Box until 12 January 2025. Drawn from the ARTIST ROOMS collection at Tate and National Galleries of Scotland, they provide a fascinating glimpse into her practice and inspiration. Find out more about her here.
1
Vija Celmins was born in Riga, Latvia on 25 October 1938 and immigrated to the United States in 1948, settling in Indianapolis.
2
She studied at the John Herron School of Art (now part of Indiana University) and earned a master's degree at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1965.
3
She's known for her photo-realistic drawings and paintings. She often replicates photographs or found images but removes horizons or any central point of reference.
4
Celmins frequently focuses on natural phenomena like ocean surfaces, night skies and desert floors, capturing the intricate beauty of the natural world and reminding us of the complexity of the simplest things.
5
Her works are often highly detailed and typically feature or use only one colour. With a meticulous and painstaking approach, some of her them take years to complete.
6
Celmins has won numerous awards throughout her long career, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 1981 - one of the USA's most prestigious awards for intellectual and artistic achievement.
7
Her work is held in major museum collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
8
Since 1965 she has been the subject of over 40 solo exhibitions and has had major retrospectives in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London and Paris.
9
Listen to Celmins discuss her work in this video from the San Fransisco Museum of Modern Art, and explore her process and inspiration in this interview with The Met. Get a glimpse into her precision and attention to detailin this fascinating video from Art21.
10
Why not join our art curator for an informal Bitesize talk that will include Vija Celmins' work on Wednesday 13 November. You can find out more and book your tickets here.
Land Sea Sky: Ingrid Pollard, JMW Turner & Vija Celmins is on display at The Box until the end of Sunday 12 January. Opening hours are 10am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday and selected bank holidays. Admission is free.
Header image credit:
Vija Celmins, Untitled (Web 1), 2001. ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries of Scotland © Vija Celmins, Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery.