Julie Mehretu at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Julie Mehretu has been commissioned by San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to create two large-scale paintings for the museum’s Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Atrium. The works, measuring 27 by 32 feet, will remain on view for more than three years and form part of the museum’s art commissioning programme, which is their commitment to sharing art with the community.

Mehretu is known for her layered, abstract paintings that compress time, space and place and create new narratives using images of cities, histories, wars and geographies. The new works, motivated by the 2016 American presidential election, are an attempt to make sense of the current political position of the USA.