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)
Mediterranean, State I

Robert Motherwell

Mediterranean, State I

Sale Date: December 13, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled (The Basque Suite), 1971

Robert Motherwell

Untitled (The Basque Suite), 1971

Sale Date: December 16, 2012

Auction Closed

Africa, 1970

Robert Motherwell

Africa, 1970

Sale Date: December 13, 2012

Auction Closed

Alberti Suite (Blue Open), 1970

Robert Motherwell

Alberti Suite (Blue Open), 1970

Sale Date: December 13, 2012

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1976

Robert Motherwell

Sans titre, 1976

Sale Date: December 10, 2012

Auction Closed

The Razor's Edge, 1985

Robert Motherwell

The Razor's Edge, 1985

Sale Date: December 8, 2012

Auction Closed

Roth-Händle, 1974–1975

Robert Motherwell

Roth-Händle, 1974–1975

Sale Date: December 8, 2012

Auction Closed

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

Robert Motherwell

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

Sale Date: December 4, 2012

Auction Closed

Five Circles, 1971–1972

Robert Motherwell

Five Circles, 1971–1972

Sale Date: December 4, 2012

Auction Closed

Beau Geste, 1989

Robert Motherwell

Beau Geste, 1989

Sale Date: December 1, 2012

Auction Closed

Black with No Way Out (from El Negro), 1983

Robert Motherwell

Black with No Way Out (from El Negro), 1983

Sale Date: November 30, 2012

Auction Closed

Blue Gesture (from Octavio Paz Suite) (sold..., 1988

Robert Motherwell

Blue Gesture (from Octavio Paz Suite) (sold..., 1988

Sale Date: November 30, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled

After Robert Motherwell

Untitled

Sale Date: November 28, 2012

Auction Closed

Capriccio, 1961

Robert Motherwell

Capriccio, 1961

Sale Date: November 10, 2012

Auction Closed

Beau Geste VI, 1989

Robert Motherwell

Beau Geste VI, 1989

Sale Date: November 17, 2012

Auction Closed

Gypsy Curse, 1983

Robert Motherwell

Gypsy Curse, 1983

Sale Date: November 17, 2012

Auction Closed

Vivo (Sepia), 1986

Robert Motherwell

Vivo (Sepia), 1986

Sale Date: November 17, 2012

Auction Closed

Atascadero I-III (set of 3), 1973–1976

Robert Motherwell

Atascadero I-III (set of 3), 1973–1976

Sale Date: November 27, 2012

Auction Closed

Rite of Passage III, 1979–1980

Robert Motherwell

Rite of Passage III, 1979–1980

Sale Date: November 15, 2012

Auction Closed

Black Sounds, 1983–1984

Robert Motherwell

Black Sounds, 1983–1984

Sale Date: November 15, 2012

Auction Closed

Hermitage, 1975

Robert Motherwell

Hermitage, 1975

Sale Date: November 15, 2012

Auction Closed

Summer Light Series: Harvest, in Scotland, 1973

Robert Motherwell

Summer Light Series: Harvest, in Scotland, 1973

Sale Date: November 15, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled (from New York International), 1966

Robert Motherwell

Untitled (from New York International), 1966

Sale Date: November 15, 2012

Auction Closed

Madrid Suite, Number 10 (from Madrid..., 1965–1966

Robert Motherwell

Madrid Suite, Number 10 (from Madrid..., 1965–1966

Sale Date: November 15, 2012

Auction Closed

English (US)

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