WATTS INDEXThe canonical database of visual culture

Artists›Maria Martinez

Maria Martinez

Artist

WA-00028370

Mixed Media

Representation

None documented

Institutional Exhibitions

Works in Collection

Assets Indexed

Authority-backed Facts

Publications Referenced

70%

Profile Completeness

Cultural Positioning

Influence Graph

No influence edges encoded yet.

Authority Records (3)

WikidataQ2660929 ULAN500127102

MoMA

Source Registry (2)

MoMA bulk 2026-05-04https://www.moma.org/artists/3800
Tier 1 · Institutional92%
Smithsonianhttps://www.si.edu/object/saam_1966.27.15
Tier 1 · Institutional90%

About

Why this artist matters now

Maria Martinez was an American potter born in San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, who revived and refined the blackware ceramic tradition of her community. Working in hand-coiled clay without a wheel, she developed a distinctive polished black-on-black technique that became synonymous with Pueblo pottery of the twentieth century. Her vessels, characterized by matte and burnished surfaces and subtle geometric forms, established a new standard for indigenous ceramic practice and influenced generations of potters across the Southwest.

Source: Moma Bulk 2026 05 04 · Trust score: 92% · Updated 27d ago

Graph relationships

Taste overlap and adjacency

Movement

—

Medium

Mixed Media

Related Artists

6 in graph

Institutional

Museum Collections

Museum of Modern ArtNew York Art Institute of Chicago

Canonical record

Artworks (12)

WattsOS

Plate with Painted Design

1966 · ceramic, slip

Overall: 5.6 x 30.3 x 5.6 cm (2 3/16 x 11 15/16 x 2 3/16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Jar

1960 · Stone-polished blackware

9 1/2 x 10" (24.1 x 25.4 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Jar with Feather Motif

1956 · Earthenware and slip

22.9 × 22.9 cm (9 × 9 in.) (at widest point)

Art Institute of Chicago

Jar

1951 · Ceramic and pigment

13.8 × 19 × 20.6 cm (5 7/16 × 7 1/2 × 8 1/8 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

WattsOS

Bowl

1948 · Ceramic, slip

Diameter: 23.1 cm (9 1/8 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

WattsOS

Plate with Feather Design

1943 · blackware ceramic, slip

Overall: 4 x 38.5 cm (1 9/16 x 15 3/16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Plate with Feather Motif

1943 · Earthenware and slip

5.1 × 38.1 cm (2 × 15 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

WattsOS

Bowl

1938 · earthenware

Overall: 7.7 x 16.1 cm (3 1/16 x 6 5/16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Plate with Four-Part Geometric Pattern

1933 · Ceramic and pigment

Diam.: 31.3 cm (12 5/16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

WattsOS

Blackware Plate

1930 · reduction-fired ceramic

Overall: 3 x 25.5 cm (1 3/16 x 10 1/16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

WattsOS

Bowl

1897 · ceramic, slip

Overall: 7.1 x 9.6 cm (2 13/16 x 3 3/4 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

WattsOS

Water Jar (Olla)

1897 · ceramic, slip

Overall: 28.5 x 34 cm (11 1/4 x 13 3/8 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

View all 12 artworks →

Artwork sources (3)

12 published of 13 catalogued · 6 with image

Cleveland Museum of Art
7 published
Art Institute Chicago
4 published4 img
MoMA
1 publishedof 2 catalogued2 img

Per-Artwork Provenance Chains (top 7)

7 entries · 1 sources

Plate with Painted Design
1966 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Water Jar (Olla)
1897 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Plate with Feather Design
1943 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Bowl
1938 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Bowl
1948 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Bowl
1897 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Blackware Plate
1930 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number

Record

Images

Art Institute of Chicago

Relationships

Collections2

Museum of Modern Art Art Institute of Chicago

Institutional

Representation & Collections

In collection

Museum of Modern Art

New York, US

In collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Record

Exhibitions and timeline

No exhibitions or timeline entries yet