Robert Motherwell

(American, 1915–1991)

Robert Motherwell was an American artist and seminal Abstract Expressionist painter. Influenced by the automatic writing and drawing prescribed by the Surrealists, Motherwell’s practice was characterized by an intuitive approach to painting. He is perhaps best known for his iconic Elegy to the Spanish Republic series, which consists of 150 variants of black forms on white backgrounds. “Painting is a medium in which the mind can actualize itself; it is a medium of thought,” he once reflected. “Thus painting, like music, tends to become its own content.” Born on January 24, 1915 in Aberdeen, WA, Motherwell moved to New York to study at Columbia University with the art historian Meyer Schapiro. It was Schapiro's encouragement that initially led the artist to start making paintings. During the early 1940s, he entered a milieu of young artists that included William Baziotes, Jackson Pollock, and Willem de Kooning. Motherwell later taught Cy Twombly and Robert Rauschenberg at the famed Black Mountain College. After returning to New York, he met the painter Helen Frankenthaler in 1957, and they were married three years later. During their 13 year marriage, the two artists’ mutual interest in the poetry of abstraction fueled one another’s work. Motherwell died on July 16, 1991 in Cape Cod, MA. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Tate Modern in London, among others.

Robert Motherwell News

Gallery Network

7 Questions for Dealer Bernard Jacobson on Why He’s Devoting Three Back-to-Back Exhibitions to Robert Motherwell’s Work

by Artnet Gallery Network
7 Questions for Dealer Bernard Jacobson on Why He’s Devoting Three Back-to-Back Exhibitions to Robert Motherwell’s Work
Law & Politics

The Brooklyn Gallerist Who Artist Deborah Roberts Is Suing for Copyright Infringement Has Fired Back, Calling It a Case of 'Punching Down'

by Eileen Kinsella
The Brooklyn Gallerist Who Artist Deborah Roberts Is Suing for Copyright Infringement Has Fired Back, Calling It a Case of 'Punching Down'
Law & Politics

The FBI Has Recovered a Crimson Robert Motherwell Painting Stolen 40 Years Ago by a Moving Man

by Eileen Kinsella
The FBI Has Recovered a Crimson Robert Motherwell Painting Stolen 40 Years Ago by a Moving Man

Robert Motherwell Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Robert Motherwell (7,271 results)
Pauillac #2, 1973

Robert Motherwell

Pauillac #2, 1973

Sale Date: December 13, 2016

Auction Closed

Africa 7, from 'Africa Suite, 1970

Robert Motherwell

Africa 7, from 'Africa Suite, 1970

Sale Date: December 8, 2016

Auction Closed

Africa 7 (from the Africa Suite), 1970

Robert Motherwell

Africa 7 (from the Africa Suite), 1970

Sale Date: December 14, 2016

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1986

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1986

Sale Date: December 3, 2016

Auction Closed

Five Circles, 1971

Robert Motherwell

Five Circles, 1971

Sale Date: November 29, 2016

Auction Closed

Gesture i, 1976–1977

Robert Motherwell

Gesture i, 1976–1977

Sale Date: December 6, 2016

Auction Closed

THE BASQUE SUITE, PLATE #2, 1971–1972

Robert Motherwell

THE BASQUE SUITE, PLATE #2, 1971–1972

Sale Date: November 20, 2016

Auction Closed

HARVEST WITH TWO STRIPES, 1973

Robert Motherwell

HARVEST WITH TWO STRIPES, 1973

Sale Date: November 20, 2016

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1978

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1978

Sale Date: November 3, 2016

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1944

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1944

Sale Date: November 16, 2016

Auction Closed

The Red and Black No. 25, 1987–1988

Robert Motherwell

The Red and Black No. 25, 1987–1988

Sale Date: November 16, 2016

Auction Closed

Head, 1945

Robert Motherwell

Head, 1945

Sale Date: November 16, 2016

Auction Closed

Untitled (In Orange with Charcoal Lines), 1970

Robert Motherwell

Untitled (In Orange with Charcoal Lines), 1970

Sale Date: November 16, 2016

Auction Closed

In Black and White No. 3, 1966

Robert Motherwell

In Black and White No. 3, 1966

Sale Date: November 16, 2016

Auction Closed

Zig-Zag, 1974

Robert Motherwell

Zig-Zag, 1974

Sale Date: November 16, 2016

Auction Closed

Ulysses (Engberg & Banach 445), 1988

Robert Motherwell

Ulysses (Engberg & Banach 445), 1988

Sale Date: November 22, 2016

Auction Closed

SUMMERTIME IN ITALY SKETCH NO. 14, 1970

Robert Motherwell

SUMMERTIME IN ITALY SKETCH NO. 14, 1970

Sale Date: November 18, 2016

Auction Closed

AUGUST SEA NO. 3, 1972

Robert Motherwell

AUGUST SEA NO. 3, 1972

Sale Date: November 18, 2016

Auction Closed

UNTITLED (WITH GREEN, YELLOW AND RED), 1976–1986

Robert Motherwell

UNTITLED (WITH GREEN, YELLOW AND RED), 1976–1986

Sale Date: November 18, 2016

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1974

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1974

Sale Date: November 15, 2016

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1966

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1966

Sale Date: November 15, 2016

Auction Closed

Madrid Suite, Number 3, 1965–1966

Robert Motherwell

Madrid Suite, Number 3, 1965–1966

Sale Date: November 15, 2016

Auction Closed

Summer Time in Italy (with Crayon), 1965–1966

Robert Motherwell

Summer Time in Italy (with Crayon), 1965–1966

Sale Date: November 15, 2016

Auction Closed

Summer Time in Italy (Blue), 1965–1966

Robert Motherwell

Summer Time in Italy (Blue), 1965–1966

Sale Date: November 15, 2016

Auction Closed

English (US)

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