Nina Chanel Abney — Magic For Sale

Magic is a 2024 relief print by Nina Chanel Abney, produced by Pace Prints in an edition of 30. Measuring 59 1/2 x 39 1/4 inches, the work continues Abney's ongoing collaboration with Pace, one of the most established fine-art print publishers in the United States, following earlier editions such as Two Years and Counting (2018) and Temporary Friends (2019).

Abney, born in Harvey, Illinois in 1982, is known for paintings and prints that combine bold geometric abstraction with fragmented figuration, addressing themes of race, gender, and contemporary American culture. She earned her MFA from Parsons School of Design in New York after an undergraduate degree from Augustana College, and her work is held in institutional collections including the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, the Rubell Museum, and the Studio Museum in Harlem, which acquired work by the artist in 2018.

Like her earlier print editions, Magic is built through the relief process — a technique requiring the artist to carve and register multiple printing blocks, one for each colour, so that the final sheet is constructed in successive layers of flat, saturated pigment. This method is a natural extension of the colour-blocked compositions found throughout Abney's paintings, translating her graphic visual vocabulary into a large-format editioned print.

Abney continues to exhibit internationally and remains one of the most closely watched painters and printmakers of her generation; her recent projects with Pace Prints have included large multiples and further relief editions shown in New York.