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

Law & Politics

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

by Ben Davis
Dominique Levy Gallery Revisits the Experimental Drawing Surge of the 1960s
Art World

Massive Dorothea Rockburne Murals at Risk in Midtown New York

by Cait Munro
Massive Dorothea Rockburne Murals at Risk in Midtown New York

Dorothea Rockburne Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Dorothea Rockburne (145 results)
Locus Series #3, 1972

Dorothea Rockburne

Locus Series #3, 1972

Sale Date: April 30, 2024

Auction Closed

Haloed Angel Study, Image, front and..., 1983

Dorothea Rockburne

Haloed Angel Study, Image, front and..., 1983

Sale Date: March 13, 2024

Auction Closed

Shadowed Perimeter, 2004–2008

Dorothea Rockburne

Shadowed Perimeter, 2004–2008

Sale Date: February 22, 2024

Auction Closed

Untitled (For John), 1973–1980

Dorothea Rockburne

Untitled (For John), 1973–1980

Sale Date: December 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Messenger Angel, Uriel, 1982

Dorothea Rockburne

Messenger Angel, Uriel, 1982

Sale Date: October 3, 2023

Auction Closed

Senza titolo, 1970

Dorothea Rockburne

Senza titolo, 1970

Sale Date: July 5, 2023

Auction Closed

Tar Piece., 1972

Dorothea Rockburne

Tar Piece., 1972

Sale Date: June 8, 2023

Auction Closed

Shadowed Perimeter, 2004–2008

Dorothea Rockburne

Shadowed Perimeter, 2004–2008

Sale Date: February 23, 2023

Auction Closed

Mozart and Mozart Upside Down and Backwards..., 1993

Dorothea Rockburne

Mozart and Mozart Upside Down and Backwards..., 1993

Sale Date: February 23, 2023

Auction Closed

Open Sesame: Sky Chart, 1991–1999

Dorothea Rockburne

Open Sesame: Sky Chart, 1991–1999

Sale Date: February 15, 2023

Auction Closed

Space Jump for Dieu Donné, 2000

Dorothea Rockburne

Space Jump for Dieu Donné, 2000

Sale Date: December 7, 2022

Auction Closed

Locus (complete portfolio of 6), 1972–1975

Dorothea Rockburne

Locus (complete portfolio of 6), 1972–1975

Sale Date: December 14, 2022

Auction Closed

Black and White, 1987–1988

Dorothea Rockburne

Black and White, 1987–1988

Sale Date: November 18, 2022

Auction Closed

Musician Angel: Parallelogram, Square, 1979–1981

Dorothea Rockburne

Musician Angel: Parallelogram, Square, 1979–1981

Sale Date: September 28, 2022

Auction Closed

Addend B 3 Units Set, 1970

Dorothea Rockburne

Addend B 3 Units Set, 1970

Sale Date: May 28, 2022

Auction Closed

Inverse #5, 1974

Dorothea Rockburne

Inverse #5, 1974

Sale Date: May 28, 2022

Auction Closed

Inverse #1, 1974

Dorothea Rockburne

Inverse #1, 1974

Sale Date: May 28, 2022

Auction Closed

Senza titolo, 1972

Dorothea Rockburne

Senza titolo, 1972

Sale Date: June 9, 2022

Auction Closed

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

English (US)

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