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)
The poet's eye,, 1989

Robert Motherwell

The poet's eye,, 1989

Sale Date: January 27, 2015

Auction Closed

On The Wing, 1984

Robert Motherwell

On The Wing, 1984

Sale Date: January 23, 2015

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1950

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1950

Sale Date: December 12, 2014

Auction Closed

Abstract Image

Robert Motherwell

Abstract Image

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

Art 1981 Chicago Print, 1981

Robert Motherwell

Art 1981 Chicago Print, 1981

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

Glass Garden, 1984

Robert Motherwell

Glass Garden, 1984

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled (from New York International), 1966

Robert Motherwell

Untitled (from New York International), 1966

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

America-La France Variations III

Robert Motherwell

America-La France Variations III

Sale Date: December 7, 2014

Auction Closed

America-La France Variations VI

Robert Motherwell

America-La France Variations VI

Sale Date: December 7, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled (State I), 1984

Robert Motherwell

Untitled (State I), 1984

Sale Date: November 19, 2014

Auction Closed

Capriccio, 1961

Robert Motherwell

Capriccio, 1961

Sale Date: December 5, 2014

Auction Closed

Five Circles, 1971–1972

Robert Motherwell

Five Circles, 1971–1972

Sale Date: December 3, 2014

Auction Closed

Beau geste IV (from Beau Geste), 1989

Robert Motherwell

Beau geste IV (from Beau Geste), 1989

Sale Date: November 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Madrid Suite No. 6 (from Madrid Suite), 1965–1966

Robert Motherwell

Madrid Suite No. 6 (from Madrid Suite), 1965–1966

Sale Date: November 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1976

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1976

Sale Date: November 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1977

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1977

Sale Date: November 22, 2014

Auction Closed

Octavio paz Suite: Red Samurai, 1987–1988

Robert Motherwell

Octavio paz Suite: Red Samurai, 1987–1988

Sale Date: November 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Ten Works by Ten Painters, published by the...

Robert Motherwell

Ten Works by Ten Painters, published by the...

Sale Date: November 18, 2014

Auction Closed

Summer Sign, 1990

Robert Motherwell

Summer Sign, 1990

Sale Date: November 15, 2014

Auction Closed

Signs on Copper, 1981

Robert Motherwell

Signs on Copper, 1981

Sale Date: November 15, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1973

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1973

Sale Date: November 15, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled (from New York International), 1966

Robert Motherwell

Untitled (from New York International), 1966

Sale Date: November 15, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1944

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1944

Sale Date: November 13, 2014

Auction Closed

HB on Yellow, 1972

Robert Motherwell

HB on Yellow, 1972

Sale Date: November 13, 2014

Auction Closed

English (US)

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