Mark Tobey

(American, 1890–1976)

Mark Tobey was an American artist known for his densely calligraphic paintings. Working in a method more contemplative than emotional, he once remarked, “I believe that painting should come through the avenues of meditation rather than the canals of action.” Born on December 11, 1890 in Centerville, WI, he studied at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1906 to 1908. Working as a fashion illustrator, first in Chicago then in New York, he mostly made portraits before becoming involved in the mystic faith of Bahai in 1918. Devoting himself to an abstraction which sought to unify space rather than separate objects, he visited a monastery in Kyoto and studied Zen painting, haiku poetry, and calligraphy. Influenced by this experience, the artist developed his signature style of "white writing,” in where white or light-colored calligraphic symbols were overlaid on an abstract field, as seen in his hallmark work Threading Light (1942). During the 1940s, a younger generation of artists including Jackson Pollock, began utilizing the overall painting handling approach pioneered by Tobey. In 1951, the artist had a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the show traveled throughout the country and established Tobey as an integral figure in the art world. He died on April 24, 1976 in Basel, Switzerland. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others.

Mark Tobey Artworks

Mark Tobey (3,624 results)

Abstrakt komposition, 1967

Mark Tobey

Abstrakt komposition, 1967

Sale Date: April 25, 2012

Auction Closed

Head, 1964

Mark Tobey

Sale Date: April 28, 2012

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1966

Mark Tobey

Ohne Titel, 1966

Sale Date: April 28, 2012

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel (Composition in Red), 1966

Mark Tobey

Ohne Titel (Composition in Red), 1966

Sale Date: April 28, 2012

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1969

Mark Tobey

Ohne Titel, 1969

Sale Date: April 28, 2012

Auction Closed

Cryogen, 1965

Mark Tobey

Cryogen, 1965

Sale Date: April 4, 2012

Auction Closed

Desert window, 1960

Mark Tobey

Desert window, 1960

Sale Date: April 4, 2012

Auction Closed

Génésis, 1954

Mark Tobey

Génésis, 1954

Sale Date: April 4, 2012

Auction Closed

Multiple world, 1958

Mark Tobey

Multiple world, 1958

Sale Date: April 4, 2012

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1966

Mark Tobey

Ohne Titel, 1966

Sale Date: March 24, 2012

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1956–1958

Mark Tobey

Ohne Titel, 1956–1958

Sale Date: March 23, 2012

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1957

Mark Tobey

Ohne Titel, 1957

Sale Date: March 23, 2012

Auction Closed

Cat in the clouds, 1957

Mark Tobey

Cat in the clouds, 1957

Sale Date: March 9, 2012

Auction Closed

Forms in progress I (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1971

Mark Tobey

Forms in progress I (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1971

Sale Date: February 29, 2012

Auction Closed

Forms in progress II (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1971

Mark Tobey

Forms in progress II (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1971

Sale Date: February 29, 2012

Auction Closed

After harvest (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1970

Mark Tobey

After harvest (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1970

Sale Date: February 29, 2012

Auction Closed

The passing (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1971

Mark Tobey

The passing (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1971

Sale Date: February 29, 2012

Auction Closed

Half and half (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1970

Mark Tobey

Half and half (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1970

Sale Date: February 29, 2012

Auction Closed

Transitions (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1970

Mark Tobey

Transitions (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1970

Sale Date: February 29, 2012

Auction Closed

Ritual (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1973

Mark Tobey

Ritual (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1973

Sale Date: February 29, 2012

Auction Closed

Erker Presse no. 10 (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1969

Mark Tobey

Erker Presse no. 10 (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1969

Sale Date: February 29, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1970–1972

Mark Tobey

Untitled (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1970–1972

Sale Date: February 22, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled

Mark Tobey

Sale Date: February 22, 2012

Auction Closed

Composition in gold, 1962

Mark Tobey

Composition in gold, 1962

Sale Date: February 16, 2012

Auction Closed

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