Vija Celmins
American, born Latvia, 1938
Vija Celmins creates photorealistic drawings and paintings of the natural world. Her detailed, meditative images of subjects such as ocean waves or stars in the sky are often rendered in gray, black, and white.
Celmins was born in 1938 in Riga, Latvia. When she was a young child, her family moved to Germany, and later to Indianapolis, Indiana.
As a young woman, Celmins experimented with abstract expressionism, the dominant artistic movement of the time. She later deemed the style “too decorative” and embraced representational work. Celmins began producing precise recreations of black-and-white newspaper photos and images of nature. Paintings such as Rhinoceros (1965) showcase the artist’s meticulous drawing style.
Celmins earned her master’s degree in art from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1965. She lives in New York City.
Explore Selected Works
Artwork

Jupiter Moon—Constellation
Jupiter Moon—Constellation
Vija Celmins, Patrick Foy, Gemini G.E.L. · started 1982, published 1983 · mezzotint and softground and hardground etching on Fabriano Rosaspina wove paper · Accession ID 1988.74.14
Artwork

Concentric Bearings, D
Concentric Bearings, D
Vija Celmins, Doris Simmelink, Kenneth Farley, Gemini G.E.L. · started 1983, published 1984 · mezzotint, aquatint, drypoint, and photogravure on Rives BFK wove paper · Accession ID 1989.55.10
Artwork

Constellation—Uccello
Constellation—Uccello
Vija Celmins, Doris Simmelink, Kenneth Farley, Gemini G.E.L. · started 1982, published 1983 · hardground and softground etching and aquatint on Fabriano Rosaspina wove paper · Accession ID 1988.74.15
Artwork

Drypoint—Ocean Surface (Second State) [special proof]
Drypoint—Ocean Surface (Second State) [special proof]
Vija Celmins, Doris Simmelink, Gemini G.E.L. · started 1984, published 1985 · drypoint on Rives BFK wove paper [special proof] · Accession ID 1991.74.12
Artwork

Artwork

Concentric Bearings, C
Concentric Bearings, C
Vija Celmins, Doris Simmelink, Gemini G.E.L. · started 1983, published 1984 · aquatint, drypoint, and mezzotint on Rives BFK wove paper · Accession ID 1989.55.11
Artwork

December 1984 [special proof]
December 1984 [special proof]
Vija Celmins, Doris Simmelink, Gemini G.E.L. · started 1984, published 1985 · mezzotint on Rives BFK wove paper [special proof] · Accession ID 1989.55.12
Artwork

Drypoint—Ocean Surface
Drypoint—Ocean Surface
Vija Celmins, Doris Simmelink, Gemini G.E.L. · started 1982, published 1983 · drypoint on Arches Satine wove paper · Accession ID 1988.74.16
Artwork

Concentric Bearings, B
Concentric Bearings, B
Vija Celmins, Doris Simmelink, Gemini G.E.L. · started 1983, published 1984 · aquatint, drypoint, and mezzotint on Rives BFK wove paper · Accession ID 1989.55.9
Artwork

Concentric Bearings, A
Concentric Bearings, A
Vija Celmins, Doris Simmelink, Kenneth Farley, Gemini G.E.L. · started 1983, published 1984 · drypoint, aquatint, and photogravure on Rives BFK wove paper · Accession ID 1990.71.2