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)
Untitled, 1984–1984

Dorothea Rockburne

Untitled, 1984–1984

Sale Date: November 18, 1998

Auction Closed

Exsultate, 1985–1986

Dorothea Rockburne

Exsultate, 1985–1986

Sale Date: November 13, 1998

Auction Closed

F.1.17, 1973–1973

Dorothea Rockburne

F.1.17, 1973–1973

Sale Date: November 13, 1998

Auction Closed

Paper drawing, 1972–1972

Dorothea Rockburne

Paper drawing, 1972–1972

Sale Date: June 4, 1998

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1971–1971

Dorothea Rockburne

Untitled, 1971–1971

Sale Date: June 4, 1998

Auction Closed

Melencolia, 1982–1982

Dorothea Rockburne

Melencolia, 1982–1982

Sale Date: March 25, 1998

Auction Closed

Musician angel, 1980–1980

Dorothea Rockburne

Musician angel, 1980–1980

Sale Date: March 11, 1998

Auction Closed

Touchstone, 1987–1988

Dorothea Rockburne

Touchstone, 1987–1988

Sale Date: December 5, 1997

Auction Closed

Indication drawing Navaho, 1973–1973

Dorothea Rockburne

Indication drawing Navaho, 1973–1973

Sale Date: November 19, 1997

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1973–1973

Dorothea Rockburne

Untitled, 1973–1973

Sale Date: November 19, 1997

Auction Closed

Golden section painting: Parallelogram..., 1974–1974

Dorothea Rockburne

Golden section painting: Parallelogram..., 1974–1974

Sale Date: November 11, 1997

Auction Closed

Copal #5, 1976–1976

Dorothea Rockburne

Copal #5, 1976–1976

Sale Date: November 11, 1997

Auction Closed

Locus series S.P.1, 1972–1972

Dorothea Rockburne

Locus series S.P.1, 1972–1972

Sale Date: November 7, 1997

Auction Closed

Development of exsultate, 1985–1985

Dorothea Rockburne

Development of exsultate, 1985–1985

Sale Date: November 7, 1997

Auction Closed

Exsultate 1985-1986

Dorothea Rockburne

Exsultate 1985-1986

Sale Date: June 23, 1997

Auction Closed

Capernaum Gate, 1982

Dorothea Rockburne

Capernaum Gate, 1982

Sale Date: May 6, 1997

Auction Closed

Melencolia, 1982

Dorothea Rockburne

Melencolia, 1982

Sale Date: December 6, 1996

Auction Closed

Angel study, Ariel, 1982

Dorothea Rockburne

Angel study, Ariel, 1982

Sale Date: December 6, 1996

Auction Closed

Musician angel, 1980

Dorothea Rockburne

Musician angel, 1980

Sale Date: November 20, 1996

Auction Closed

Messenger angel, sky, 1982

Dorothea Rockburne

Messenger angel, sky, 1982

Sale Date: November 20, 1996

Auction Closed

Untitled (F.P./A6), 1973

Dorothea Rockburne

Untitled (F.P./A6), 1973

Sale Date: November 19, 1996

Auction Closed

Copal: The Descent, 1976

Dorothea Rockburne

Copal: The Descent, 1976

Sale Date: November 19, 1996

Auction Closed

Locus series

Dorothea Rockburne

Locus series "S.P.1", 1972

Sale Date: October 10, 1996

Auction Closed

Small torn paper white #116, 1972

Dorothea Rockburne

Small torn paper white #116, 1972

Sale Date: October 10, 1996

Auction Closed