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)
UNTITLED, 1987, 1987

Robert Motherwell

UNTITLED, 1987, 1987

Sale Date: May 4, 2016

Auction Closed

Harvest in scotland

Robert Motherwell

Harvest in scotland" from "summer light series, 1973

Sale Date: May 1, 2016

Auction Closed

The Madrid Suite

Robert Motherwell

The Madrid Suite

Sale Date: April 28, 2016

Auction Closed

Pierrot's Hat, 1943, 1943

Robert Motherwell

Pierrot's Hat, 1943, 1943

Sale Date: May 2, 2016

Auction Closed

Je t'aime

Robert Motherwell

Je t'aime

Sale Date: April 30, 2016

Auction Closed

America - La France Variations IV, 1984

Robert Motherwell

America - La France Variations IV, 1984

Sale Date: April 28, 2016

Auction Closed

NAPLES YELLOW OPEN (B. 311; E./B. 341), 1983–1984

Robert Motherwell

NAPLES YELLOW OPEN (B. 311; E./B. 341), 1983–1984

Sale Date: April 25, 2016

Auction Closed

THE BASQUE SUITE #2 (BELKNAP 51;..., 1970–1971

Robert Motherwell

THE BASQUE SUITE #2 (BELKNAP 51;..., 1970–1971

Sale Date: April 25, 2016

Auction Closed

Octavio Paz Suite: Mexican Elegy, 1988

Robert Motherwell

Octavio Paz Suite: Mexican Elegy, 1988

Sale Date: April 25, 2016

Auction Closed

The Basque Suite: Untitled, 1971

Robert Motherwell

The Basque Suite: Untitled, 1971

Sale Date: April 25, 2016

Auction Closed

The Basque Suite: Untitled, 1971

Robert Motherwell

The Basque Suite: Untitled, 1971

Sale Date: April 25, 2016

Auction Closed

London Series I: Untitled, 1971

Robert Motherwell

London Series I: Untitled, 1971

Sale Date: April 25, 2016

Auction Closed

At the Edge, 1984

Robert Motherwell

At the Edge, 1984

Sale Date: April 25, 2016

Auction Closed

Ulysses portfolio and book, 1988

Robert Motherwell

Ulysses portfolio and book, 1988

Sale Date: April 25, 2016

Auction Closed

St. Michel III, 1979

Robert Motherwell

St. Michel III, 1979

Sale Date: April 25, 2016

Auction Closed

Samurai II, 1979

Robert Motherwell

Samurai II, 1979

Sale Date: April 1, 2016

Auction Closed

Gesture III, 1977

Robert Motherwell

Gesture III, 1977

Sale Date: April 26, 2016

Auction Closed

Redness of Red, 1985

Robert Motherwell

Redness of Red, 1985

Sale Date: April 26, 2016

Auction Closed

St. Michael III, 1975

Robert Motherwell

St. Michael III, 1975

Sale Date: March 31, 2016

Auction Closed

Poet Ⅱ (Engberg-Banach 7), 1962

Robert Motherwell

Poet Ⅱ (Engberg-Banach 7), 1962

Sale Date: April 23, 2016

Auction Closed

NEW YORK PORTFOLIO: UNTITLED, 1982

Robert Motherwell

NEW YORK PORTFOLIO: UNTITLED, 1982

Sale Date: April 17, 2016

Auction Closed

Three Figures, 1989

Robert Motherwell

Three Figures, 1989

Sale Date: April 19, 2016

Auction Closed

French Revolution Bicentennial Suite IV, 1987–1988

Robert Motherwell

French Revolution Bicentennial Suite IV, 1987–1988

Sale Date: April 19, 2016

Auction Closed

Atascadero I-III, 1973–1976

Robert Motherwell

Atascadero I-III, 1973–1976

Sale Date: April 19, 2016

Auction Closed

English (US)

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