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 Artworks

Dorothea Rockburne (151 results)
Touchstone, 1987–1988

Dorothea Rockburne

Touchstone, 1987–1988

Sale Date: June 9, 2011

Auction Closed

Uriel, 1983

Dorothea Rockburne

Uriel, 1983

Sale Date: December 17, 2010

Auction Closed

Shadowed perimeter, 2004–2008

Dorothea Rockburne

Shadowed perimeter, 2004–2008

Sale Date: September 12, 2010

Auction Closed

Carta carbone, 1972

Dorothea Rockburne

Carta carbone, 1972

Sale Date: May 17, 2008

Auction Closed

Discourse (Combination Series), 1978

Dorothea Rockburne

Discourse (Combination Series), 1978

Sale Date: April 1, 2008

Auction Closed

Copol C, 1977

Dorothea Rockburne

Copol C, 1977

Sale Date: January 14, 2008

Auction Closed

Untitled (from Carte carbones), 1972

Dorothea Rockburne

Untitled (from Carte carbones), 1972

Sale Date: February 9, 2007

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1972

Dorothea Rockburne

Untitled, 1972

Sale Date: November 21, 2006

Auction Closed

Study, sky angel, 1982

Dorothea Rockburne

Study, sky angel, 1982

Sale Date: April 26, 2006

Auction Closed

Wave/Locate 1, 1992–1994

Dorothea Rockburne

Wave/Locate 1, 1992–1994

Sale Date: April 18, 2006

Auction Closed

Untitled (B-22)/F.I.17, 1973

Dorothea Rockburne

Untitled (B-22)/F.I.17, 1973

Sale Date: March 15, 2006

Auction Closed

Uriel, 1983

Dorothea Rockburne

Uriel, 1983

Sale Date: October 18, 2005

Auction Closed

Mozart and Mozart upside down and..., 1985–1986

Dorothea Rockburne

Mozart and Mozart upside down and..., 1985–1986

Sale Date: September 23, 2005

Auction Closed

Angel study, radiance, 1982

Dorothea Rockburne

Angel study, radiance, 1982

Sale Date: December 1, 2004

Auction Closed

Trumpeting angel, first study, 1981

Dorothea Rockburne

Trumpeting angel, first study, 1981

Sale Date: September 29, 2004

Auction Closed

Drawing which makes itself, 1972–1972

Dorothea Rockburne

Drawing which makes itself, 1972–1972

Sale Date: June 30, 2004

Auction Closed

Curve, 1991–1991

Dorothea Rockburne

Curve, 1991–1991

Sale Date: February 12, 2004

Auction Closed

Uriel, 1982–1982

Dorothea Rockburne

Uriel, 1982–1982

Sale Date: June 17, 2003

Auction Closed

Locus, 1972–1975

Dorothea Rockburne

Locus, 1972–1975

Sale Date: October 30, 2001

Auction Closed

Devine ray, 1982

Dorothea Rockburne

Devine ray, 1982

Sale Date: March 11, 2001

Auction Closed

Radiana, 1982

Dorothea Rockburne

Radiana, 1982

Sale Date: March 11, 2001

Auction Closed

Locus, 1972–1975

Dorothea Rockburne

Locus, 1972–1975

Sale Date: September 20, 2000

Auction Closed

Study for inner perspective, 1985–1985

Dorothea Rockburne

Study for inner perspective, 1985–1985

Sale Date: February 15, 2000

Auction Closed

Devine ray, 1983–1983

Dorothea Rockburne

Devine ray, 1983–1983

Sale Date: May 19, 1999

Auction Closed