Julie Mehretu

Julie Mehretu is an Ethiopian American painter, born in Addis Ababa, whose family moved to Michigan when she was a child. Her large abstract paintings layer architectural plans, maps and diagrams with dense marks and sweeping gestures, suggesting the movement of cities, crowds and history. Mural, a huge commission for Goldman Sachs, is among her best known, and she received a MacArthur fellowship in 2005. She lives and works in New York.