Permutation of Five

Permutation of Five is a key work in this artist's relatively small body of work and represents a stage in the development of her work. Martin's work employs the basic design element of the half cube cut diagonally, which culminated in Cross (1968) winning joint first prize in the John Moores Exhibition. Mary Martin was born in Folkestone but her parents had their recent origins in Huddersfield. Her first abstract reliefs date from 1951 and were influenced by her husband, Kenneth Martin's work and that of fellow ‘Constructionists’ like Victor Pasmore. Mary showed in all the major exhibitions of the group including 'This Is Tomorrow' in 1956.