Marcia Hafif

Before starting graduate school at the University of California, Irvine in 1969, Marcia Hafif had already made her name internationally with her subtle, largely monochromatic paintings. But on starting her MFA she decided to set painting aside and experiment with photography and film. The role she assumed in her work in these media was that of a passive observer or voyeur, and she was much inspired by avant-garde filmmakers such as Jean-Luc Godard. Until her death in 2018, Hafif divided her time between Laguna Beach and New York.