Merrill Wagner

Merrill Wagner (born 1935, Tacoma)^[1] is an American visual artist. In 1953 Wagner graduated from Annie Wright Seminary (now, Annie Wright Schools) were she went on to attend Sarah Lawrence. In 1957 Wagner graduated from Sarah Lawrence College.^[2] She settled in New York City^[3] where she studied with Edwin Dickinson and attended the Art Students League of New York.^[2] Wagner began her career working in the Minimalist style. Her later work incorporates representational painting executed on a variety of surfaces.^[4][5] Wagner is a member of American Abstract Artists.^[6]

Wagner's work was included in the 1971 exhibition Twenty Six Contemporary Women Artists held at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum^[7] and the 2022 exhibition 52 Artists: A Feminist Milestone also at the Aldrich.^[8] Her work is in the collection of the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum,^[9] the Metropolitan Museum of Art,^[10] the Smithsonian American Art Museum,^[11] and the Whitney Museum of American Art.^[12]

Wagner was the second wife of fellow artist Robert Ryman (1930–2019) whom she married in 1969,^[13] and with whom she had two children.^[14]

References

1. ^ "Merrill Wagner". Merrill Wagner CV. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
2. ^ "Looking at the Land: Merrill Wagner Paintings". University of Rhode Island. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
3. ^ "Merrill Wagner". New York Studio School. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
4. ^ "Merrill Wagner". The Brooklyn Rail. 30 July 2024. Archived 29 April 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
5. ^ Madsen, Kristian Vistrup (22 April 2022). "Merrill Wagner". Artforum. Archived 27 January 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
6. ^ "Current Members". American Abstract Artists. Archived February 18, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
7. ^ "Lucy Lippard - Twenty Six Contemporary Women Artists". Printed Matter. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
8. ^ "52 Artists: A Feminist Milestone". The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. Archived 30 March 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
9. ^ "Merrill Wagner". The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. Archived 29 April 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
10. ^ Wagner, Merrill (1988). "Untitled". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
11. ^ "Merrill Wagner". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Archived 16 December 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
12. ^ "Merrill Wagner". Whitney Museum of American Art. Archived 19 April 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
13. ^ "Now Representing The Estate of Robert Ryman and artist Merrill Wagner". David Zwirner. Archived 29 April 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
14. ^ "The House of Ryman: A Family of Artists". Art & Object. Archived 29 April 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 April 2025.