Mary Corse

Mary Corse (born 1945) is an American artist who lives and works in Topanga, California. Fascinated with perceptual phenomena and the idea that light itself can serve as both subject and material in art, Corse's practice can be seen as existing at a crossroads between American Abstract Expressionism and American Minimalism. She is often associated with the male-dominated Light and Space art movement of the 1960s, although her role has only been fully recognized in recent years. Corse initially attended University of California, Santa Barbara starting in 1963. She later moved on to study at Chouinard Art Institute (now CalArts), earning her B.F.A. in 1968.

Work

In the mid-1960s, during her time at Chouinard Art Institute, Mary Corse developed an interest in white monochrome paintings, favoring the controlled, geometric style of Minimalism. In 1968, Corse became interested in attempting to move these light boxes away from the wall without cords, necessitating the use of a Tesla coil, which supports wireless electricity. Corse completed courses in quantum physics at the University of Southern California in order to earn certification to handle large Tesla coils for these works.

Also in 1968, she began to embed glass microspheres (tiny reflective beads commonly used to brighten highway lines) in her paintings by layering them over white acrylic paint. The paintings in the White Light Series are "highly responsive to their environments and reveal internal complexities when lighting conditions fluctuate or viewers change their positions." Because of their capacity for transformation, the White Light paintings reflect Corse's interest in the personal and subjective nature of perception. In June 2018, the Whitney Museum of American Art exhibited Mary Corse: A Survey in Light, which will travel to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in July 2019. Her work was included in the 2024 exhibition Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA).

Collections Art works by Corse are held in the permanent collections of institutions such as the National Gallery of Art; The Seattle Art Museum; Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Los Angeles; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; and the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin;

Recognition Corse was awarded the Cartier Foundation award (1993), the Theodoran Award by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (1971), and the New Talent Award by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (1967). In 1975, she received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.

Her image is included in the iconic 1972 poster Some Living American Women Artists by Mary Beth Edelson.