The Agnes Martin Gallery exhibits a series of seven paintings by Agnes Martin, internationally acclaimed artist and Taos resident. The Harwood and Taos have had a long-standing relationship with Martin, which culminated in 1994 with a gift by the artist of this extraordinary group of her paintings. The octagonal shaped space was constructed as part of the Harwood's landmark renovation and expansion project completed in the Fall of 1997. Each painting is installed on a singular wall of the octagon and can be viewed from benches in the center of the Gallery.

Born in 1912 in Saskatchewan, Canada, Martin has been acknowledged through major exhibitions and awards from around the world. In 1997, she was awarded the coveted Golden Lion Award at the Venice Biennale for her lifetime achievement of sixty years of painting and her contribution to contemporary art. She is recognized as one of the leading contemporary painters working today.

The 1997 opening of the Agnes Martin Gallery at the Harwood Museum and the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico, constitute two of the most important exhibition spaces in the world dedicated to women artists.