Marie Harnett

Marie Harnett is renowned for her meticulously detailed drawings of film stills, which delve into themes of human interaction and intense emotion. Her work critically examines the power of images to evoke deep emotional responses.

Biography of Marie Harnett

Marie Harnett was born in Hertfordshire, England, in 1983. She completed her studies in drawing and painting at Edinburgh College of Art, graduating in 2006.

The following year, in 2007, Harnett was chosen for the Contemporary Art Society’s ARTfutures at Bloomberg Space, London, and showcased her work at The Aspect Prize at the Paisley Museum in Scotland.

In 2019, Harnett concluded a residency at The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in Connecticut, where she immersed herself in the creative environment established by these influential artists.

The artist has exhibited her works widely. Recent shows featuring Marie Harnett's works include "Tracing Absence" at Cristea Roberts Gallery in London (2024), "New Acquisitions" at The British Museum in London (2023), "Pop Life" at Arti et Amicitiae in Amsterdam (2023), and "Lost Girls" at The Flowers Gallery in London (2023). 

Her art has found a permanent home in numerous public collections, including Städtische Galerie, British Museum, Edinburgh College of Art, National Galleries of Scotland, Yale Center for British Ar, among others. 

Currently, Marie Harnett resides in London, where she continues to work.

Marie Harnett's Art Style

Harnett creates intricately detailed drawings based on film stills, capturing moments of drama, beauty, and suspense. By isolating these stills from their original context and reimagining them as meticulous pencil studies, she emphasizes every detail of pose, light, and texture.

In her printmaking practice, Harnett continues to explore these themes through large-scale linocut prints composed of black and white curved lines, a painstaking process that can span up to a month per piece. She also produces mezzotints, a series of which are now part of the permanent collection at the British Museum in London.