Elizabeth Murray 1977: An Interview

Elizabeth Murray (1940-2007)  was an American painter, printmaker and draughtsman.  She studied at the Art Institute of Chicago (1958–62) and at Mills College, Oakland, CA (1962–4). Elizabeth Murray’s paintings have been referred to as “dandyish abstraction.” Her work is distinctive in its use of color, shape, and surface to evoke human characteristics, personalities or humor. Murray is particularly well known for her shaped canvases, which date from 1976, on to which are painted both figurative and non-figurative elements.

"Color feels like an energy that is endless," she says in this interview with Kate Horsfield. "It's like a big emotional ocean.  You can express a lot.  That's where the focus is for me."

A historical interview originally recorded in 1977.