Marilyn Minter

Marilyn Minter (born 1948) is an American visual artist who is perhaps best known for her sensual paintings and photographs done in the photorealism style that blurs the line between commercial and fine art. Minter currently teaches in the MFA department at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Early life and education Minter was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1948.

In 1970 she attained a BFA from the University of Florida in Gainesville. In 1972 she received an MFA in painting from Syracuse University. Photos from the shoot are then photoshopped to create an entirely new image. This new image is then turned into paintings created through the layering of enamel paint. Paint is applied with brushes and often melded in by tapping it in with fingertips. This creates a softness and atmosphere that has become a signature style of Minter work. Although their joint work gained critical acclaim, when their 1984 and 1986 shows at the Gracie Mansion gallery were not commercially successful, Kohlhofer and Minter parted ways.

Though she has always explored the role of the female subject, and how they are portrayed culturally in her work, in 1989 Minter debuted Porn Grid, a series of 4 panels each showcasing men and women performing fellatio. The panels are painted in ben-day style dots, with imagery largely obtained from "men's magazines." The feminist community did not embrace her work. She was initially accused of being in collusion with the porn industry when in fact, Minter was pushing the boundaries of the kind of work women artists could create. The video was used as a television advertisement to promote her exhibition of the same name at the Simon Watson Gallery in New York.

In 2003, she was in the exhibition 4 Walls, 8 Views at the Arena Gallery founded by Art curator Renee Riccardo in New York, NY. In 2005 Minter had a solo exhibition, titled New Work: Marilyn Minter, at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, focused on hyperrealistic close-ups of seemingly glamorous images, including makeup-laden lips, eyes, and toes. The following year Minter was featured in the Whitney Biennial; and in a partnership with Creative Time, was given ad space on four billboards in Manhattan's Chelsea district. The billboards presented photographs of high heels kicking around in muddy water, and stayed up for months.

Minter's first monograph was published in 2007. The book involved a heavy gloss, multi-colored paper making it feel almost wet, setting the book apart. This same year, she had shows in Sweden, the U.K., Spain, and France. In 2007, Minter also produced a series of photographs of the actress Pamela Anderson, commissioned by the art quarterly Parkett.

In 2008, Minter collaborated with international skate/street wear brand Supreme to produce three limited edition skate decks. In 2009 she produced the video Green Pink Caviar. Lush and sensual, the video depicts a series of tongues, covered in candy, that "paint" across a glass surface. In 2010 the video was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art. In April 2015 her first major retrospective titled Marilyn Minter: Pretty/Dirty opened at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. The exhibition was made up of paintings, photographs, and video works spanning Minter's career; between 1976 and 2013. Some notable early works featured in the show were Little Girls #1 and Big Girls from her series Big Girls/Little Girls. The retrospective was the first time all of these pieces of work were seen together in one museum. The exhibit was co-curated by Bill Arning and Elissa Auther. While at the Brooklyn Museum, the show coincided with: 'A Year of Yes: Reimagining Feminism at the Brooklyn Museum', a series of exhibitions and public programs presenting various perspectives on the history of feminism and feminist art, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art.

In 2018 Minter collaborated with For Freedoms, an artist-run platform for civic engagement, to create a billboard poster for the 50 State Initiative, a major billboard campaign that aims to encourage political participation and voting. Displayed in Little Rock, Arkansas, Minter's billboard with the word “sad!” using her frosted glass technique. Minter intended for her billboard to criticize Donald Trump, stating, "I couldn’t be political, but I would have been really aggressive if I could...This is as mild as I could get. Taking one of his signature words and trying to re-purpose it into a really sad-looking word."

The 50 State Initiative was deeply personal to Minter. She stated, “I think it’s important for everyone to get involved, not just artists. If you’re not upset, you’re not awake... I just can’t tolerate injustice, but who can? I just don’t ignore it, and that’s really it.” Recent shows include solo shows at Lehmann Maupin, Seoul, 2024, LDGR, New York in 2023, Montpellier Contemporain, Montpelier, France 2021, and MoCA Westport, Westport CT, 2021.

Recognition 2026 – Anderson Ranch’s International Artist Award

Select exhibitions Minter has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions, including: New Work: Marilyn Minter, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2005) Marilyn Minter, Deichtorhallen (2010) Marilyn Minter: Pretty/Dirty, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (2015), Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver (2015), Orange County Museum of Art (2016), Brooklyn Museum (2017) Marilyn Minter: Nasty Women, Savannah College of Art and Design Museum of Art (2020) Smash, MoCA, Westport (2012) All Wet, Montpellier Contemporain (2021)

Art market Minter is represented by the following galleries: Salon 94 in New York, Regen Projects in Los Angeles, Lehmann Maupin in Asia, Gavlak Gallery in Palm Beach, and Baldwin Gallery in Aspen.