Dorothea Rockburne

(Canadian, born 1932)

Dorothea Rockburne is an American artist whose works merge aspects of geometry, nature, and Egyptology. Employing a range of media, Rockburne arranges her materials using a logic based in both mathematics and symbology. “Even though it has an intellectual basis and mathematical structure, my work comes from a deep emotional source within me,” she explained. Born on October 18, 1932 in Montreal, Canada, she trained as a painter before attending Black Mountain College in North Carolina during the early 1950s. While at the college, Rockburne studied under Merce Cunningham, the mathematician Max Dehn, and John Cage. Relocating to New York, she worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art cataloging the Egyptian Antiquities collection, and as Robert Rauschenberg’s studio manager. By the 1970s, Rockburne was producing works which addressed the physical properties of an artistic medium. This culminated in her project Drawing Which Makes Itself (1972–1973), in where she tested the boundaries of what elements compose a drawing. The artist continues to live and work in New York, NY. Today, her works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, among others.

Dorothea Rockburne News

Twitter's Ex-CEO Is Facing Off With Artist Neighbor Dorothea Rockburne After a Bathroom Leak Allegedly Damaged Her Life's Work

by Eileen Kinsella

Twitter's Ex-CEO Is Facing Off With Artist Neighbor Dorothea Rockburne After a Bathroom Leak Allegedly Damaged Her Life's Work

Art & Exhibitions

Dominique Levy Gallery Revisits the Experimental Drawing Surge of the 1960s

Dominique Levy Gallery Revisits the Experimental Drawing Surge of the 1960s

Massive Dorothea Rockburne Murals at Risk in Midtown New York

Massive Dorothea Rockburne Murals at Risk in Midtown New York

Dorothea Rockburne Artworks

Dorothea Rockburne (151 results)

Arena VI, 1978

Dorothea Rockburne

Arena VI, 1978

Sale Date: May 13, 2022

Auction Closed

Locus #2 (from the Locus portfolio), 1972

Dorothea Rockburne

Locus #2 (from the Locus portfolio), 1972

Sale Date: March 10, 2022

Auction Closed

Senza titolo, 1972, 1972

Dorothea Rockburne

Senza titolo, 1972, 1972

Sale Date: December 15, 2021

Auction Closed

Copal #3, 1975

Dorothea Rockburne

Copal #3, 1975

Sale Date: November 12, 2021

Auction Closed

INDICATION OF INSTALLATION, HARTFORD - 1973, 1973

Dorothea Rockburne

INDICATION OF INSTALLATION, HARTFORD - 1973, 1973

Sale Date: June 28, 2021

Auction Closed

Melencolia, 1982/1983, 1982–1983

Dorothea Rockburne

Melencolia, 1982/1983, 1982–1983

Sale Date: March 20, 2021

Auction Closed

Inverse #6, 1974

Dorothea Rockburne

Inverse #6, 1974

Sale Date: March 9, 2021

Auction Closed

Locus, 1972

Dorothea Rockburne

Sale Date: November 19, 2020

Auction Closed

Touchstone, 1987–1988

Dorothea Rockburne

Touchstone, 1987–1988

Sale Date: October 23, 2020

Auction Closed

Touchstone, 1986–1987

Dorothea Rockburne

Touchstone, 1986–1987

Sale Date: October 23, 2020

Auction Closed

(i) Northern Sky, 1992

Dorothea Rockburne

(i) Northern Sky, 1992

Sale Date: October 7, 2020

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1974

Dorothea Rockburne

Untitled, 1974

Sale Date: July 28, 2020

Auction Closed

Locus 3, from Locus, 1972

Dorothea Rockburne

Locus 3, from Locus, 1972

Sale Date: July 24, 2020

Auction Closed

Musician Angel: Triangle, Small Square, 1979–1981

Dorothea Rockburne

Musician Angel: Triangle, Small Square, 1979–1981

Sale Date: December 18, 2019

Auction Closed

Oxymoron, 1987–1988

Dorothea Rockburne

Oxymoron, 1987–1988

Sale Date: November 13, 2019

Auction Closed

Melencolia, 1982

Dorothea Rockburne

Melencolia, 1982

Sale Date: July 19, 2019

Auction Closed

W.I.M.P. #2, 1999

Dorothea Rockburne

W.I.M.P. #2, 1999

Sale Date: March 7, 2019

Auction Closed

Locus II and Locus VI, from Locus, 1975

Dorothea Rockburne

Locus II and Locus VI, from Locus, 1975

Sale Date: April 23, 2019

Auction Closed

W.I.M.P. #1, 1999

Dorothea Rockburne

W.I.M.P. #1, 1999

Sale Date: March 2, 2019

Auction Closed

Senza titolo, 1972

Dorothea Rockburne

Senza titolo, 1972

Sale Date: December 20, 2018

Auction Closed

Arena, 1978, 1978

Dorothea Rockburne

Arena, 1978, 1978

Sale Date: September 28, 2018

Auction Closed

LOCUS: PLATE 5, 1972

Dorothea Rockburne

LOCUS: PLATE 5, 1972

Sale Date: April 26, 2018

Auction Closed

Vesper, 1987

Dorothea Rockburne

Sale Date: February 28, 2018

Auction Closed

Tenebrae, 1960

Dorothea Rockburne

Tenebrae, 1960

Sale Date: September 28, 2017

Auction Closed

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