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)

Trio

Mark Tobey

Sale Date: November 12, 2009

Auction Closed

Composition sans titre, 1967

Mark Tobey

Composition sans titre, 1967

Sale Date: October 29, 2009

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1966

Mark Tobey

Ohne Titel, 1966

Sale Date: October 17, 2009

Auction Closed

Salute to Tobey (portfolio of 5, incl. 2..., 1974

Mark Tobey

Salute to Tobey (portfolio of 5, incl. 2..., 1974

Sale Date: October 17, 2009

Auction Closed

Homage to Tobey (portfolio of 6, incl. 3..., 1974

Mark Tobey

Homage to Tobey (portfolio of 6, incl. 3..., 1974

Sale Date: October 17, 2009

Auction Closed

The passing, 1971

Mark Tobey

The passing, 1971

Sale Date: October 17, 2009

Auction Closed

Lafranca 5.70, 1970

Mark Tobey

Lafranca 5.70, 1970

Sale Date: October 17, 2009

Auction Closed

High tide, 1974

Mark Tobey

High tide, 1974

Sale Date: October 17, 2009

Auction Closed

Scroll of liberty, 1973

Mark Tobey

Scroll of liberty, 1973

Sale Date: October 17, 2009

Auction Closed

Apparuit, 1971

Mark Tobey

Apparuit, 1971

Sale Date: October 24, 2009

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1973

Mark Tobey

Ohne Titel, 1973

Sale Date: October 24, 2009

Auction Closed

Liberation, 1973

Mark Tobey

Liberation, 1973

Sale Date: October 24, 2009

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1966

Mark Tobey

Ohne Titel, 1966

Sale Date: October 24, 2009

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1954

Mark Tobey

Untitled, 1954

Sale Date: October 7, 2009

Auction Closed

Astarte

Mark Tobey

Sale Date: September 24, 2009

Auction Closed

Untitled, little lady, 1955

Mark Tobey

Untitled, little lady, 1955

Sale Date: October 1, 2009

Auction Closed

Unknown kiss, 1970

Mark Tobey

Unknown kiss, 1970

Sale Date: September 18, 2009

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1961

Mark Tobey

Ohne Titel, 1961

Sale Date: September 18, 2009

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1961

Mark Tobey

Ohne Titel, 1961

Sale Date: September 18, 2009

Auction Closed

Head, 1961

Mark Tobey

Sale Date: August 30, 2009

Auction Closed

Fragment (+ Untitled; 2 works), 1973

Mark Tobey

Fragment (+ Untitled; 2 works), 1973

Sale Date: July 10, 2009

Auction Closed

Deux personnages

Mark Tobey

Deux personnages

Sale Date: June 22, 2009

Auction Closed

Composition in white, blue and grey, 1968

Mark Tobey

Composition in white, blue and grey, 1968

Sale Date: June 20, 2009

Auction Closed

Folk Dance on Independence Day (portfolio of , 1972

Mark Tobey

Folk Dance on Independence Day (portfolio of , 1972

Sale Date: June 18, 2009

Auction Closed

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