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)

Sans titre (Red dripping), 1967

Mark Tobey

Sans titre (Red dripping), 1967

Sale Date: December 8, 2005

Auction Closed

Six impromtus on Omar Khayyam (portfolio of 6), 1971

Mark Tobey

Six impromtus on Omar Khayyam (portfolio of 6), 1971

Sale Date: December 7, 2005

Auction Closed

Glowing fall, 1975

Mark Tobey

Glowing fall, 1975

Sale Date: December 7, 2005

Auction Closed

Timeless world, 1974

Mark Tobey

Timeless world, 1974

Sale Date: December 7, 2005

Auction Closed

Meditation, 1972

Mark Tobey

Meditation, 1972

Sale Date: December 7, 2005

Auction Closed

Subtile Souvenir, 1974

Mark Tobey

Subtile Souvenir, 1974

Sale Date: December 7, 2005

Auction Closed

Thanksgiving leaf, 1971

Mark Tobey

Thanksgiving leaf, 1971

Sale Date: December 7, 2005

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1965

Mark Tobey

Untitled, 1965

Sale Date: December 7, 2005

Auction Closed

Summer Reflection, 1969

Mark Tobey

Summer Reflection, 1969

Sale Date: December 1, 2005

Auction Closed

Swan Lake, 1966

Mark Tobey

Swan Lake, 1966

Sale Date: December 14, 2005

Auction Closed

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

Mark Tobey

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

Sale Date: December 3, 2005

Auction Closed

Divertimento, 1971

Mark Tobey

Divertimento, 1971

Sale Date: December 3, 2005

Auction Closed

The Season's Encounter, 1970

Mark Tobey

The Season's Encounter, 1970

Sale Date: November 30, 2005

Auction Closed

Divertimento, 1972

Mark Tobey

Divertimento, 1972

Sale Date: November 23, 2005

Auction Closed

On the moon, 1961

Mark Tobey

On the moon, 1961

Sale Date: December 5, 2005

Auction Closed

Flowery desert, 1963

Mark Tobey

Flowery desert, 1963

Sale Date: December 5, 2005

Auction Closed

Komposition, 1969

Mark Tobey

Komposition, 1969

Sale Date: December 5, 2005

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1966

Mark Tobey

Untitled, 1966

Sale Date: November 23, 2005

Auction Closed

Abstract composition (3 works, 1 insc.), 1970

Mark Tobey

Abstract composition (3 works, 1 insc.), 1970

Sale Date: November 17, 2005

Auction Closed

Head, 1960

Mark Tobey

Sale Date: November 17, 2005

Auction Closed

Strange cloud, 1958

Mark Tobey

Strange cloud, 1958

Sale Date: November 23, 2005

Auction Closed

Wounded life, 1957

Mark Tobey

Wounded life, 1957

Sale Date: November 9, 2005

Auction Closed

Longing for community, 1973

Mark Tobey

Longing for community, 1973

Sale Date: November 12, 2005

Auction Closed

Persephone, 1944

Mark Tobey

Persephone, 1944

Sale Date: November 10, 2005

Auction Closed

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