Julie Mehretu

Julie Mehretu (born November 28, 1970) is an Ethiopian American contemporary visual artist, known for her multi-layered paintings of abstracted landscapes on a large scale. Her paintings, drawings, and prints depict the cumulative effects of urban sociopolitical changes.

Mehretu is included in Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020. The following year, The New York Times described her as a "rare example of a contemporary Black female painter who has already entered the canon."

In October 2023, Mehretu broke the auction record for an African artist at Sotheby's Hong Kong, with her piece Untitled (2001), which sold for $9.32 million.

In 2023, she was one of two women artists whose work was among the top ten in contemporary auction sale price.

In October 2024, The Whitney Museum announced that Mehretu had donated more than two millions dollars to its "Free 25 and Under" program that provides free access to museum guests under the age of twenty-five.