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 (+ 10 others; 11 works from Octavio , 1988

Robert Motherwell

Untitled (+ 10 others; 11 works from Octavio , 1988

Sale Date: January 27, 2012

Auction Closed

Nocturne II (+ 9 others; 10 works from..., 1988

Robert Motherwell

Nocturne II (+ 9 others; 10 works from..., 1988

Sale Date: January 27, 2012

Auction Closed

IV (from Berggruen series), 1980

Robert Motherwell

IV (from Berggruen series), 1980

Sale Date: September 18, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1976

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1976

Sale Date: December 15, 2011

Auction Closed

Five circles, 1971

Robert Motherwell

Five circles, 1971

Sale Date: December 15, 2011

Auction Closed

Delos, 1991

Robert Motherwell

Delos, 1991

Sale Date: November 18, 2011

Auction Closed

Beau geste V, 1989

Robert Motherwell

Beau geste V, 1989

Sale Date: December 6, 2011

Auction Closed

Art Chicago, 1981

Robert Motherwell

Art Chicago, 1981

Sale Date: December 12, 2011

Auction Closed

Tobacco roth-handle, 1975

Robert Motherwell

Tobacco roth-handle, 1975

Sale Date: December 12, 2011

Auction Closed

Galeria Joan Prats (+ Tricolore, smllr; , 1976–1988

Robert Motherwell

Galeria Joan Prats (+ Tricolore, smllr; , 1976–1988

Sale Date: December 3, 2011

Auction Closed

Five circles, 1971

Robert Motherwell

Five circles, 1971

Sale Date: December 7, 2011

Auction Closed

Harvest, in Scotland (from Summer light..., 1973

Robert Motherwell

Harvest, in Scotland (from Summer light..., 1973

Sale Date: December 7, 2011

Auction Closed

Athena, 1983

Robert Motherwell

Athena, 1983

Sale Date: November 7, 2011

Auction Closed

The razor's edge, 1985

Robert Motherwell

The razor's edge, 1985

Sale Date: November 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Mirror IA, 1989

Robert Motherwell

Mirror IA, 1989

Sale Date: November 26, 2011

Auction Closed

Automatism B, 1965–1966

Robert Motherwell

Automatism B, 1965–1966

Sale Date: November 26, 2011

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel (from The Basque Suite)

Robert Motherwell

Ohne Titel (from The Basque Suite)

Sale Date: November 26, 2011

Auction Closed

8 plates (from Octavio Paz suite) (nocturne..., 1988

Robert Motherwell

8 plates (from Octavio Paz suite) (nocturne..., 1988

Sale Date: November 18, 2011

Auction Closed

8 plates (from Octavio Paz suite) (nocturne..., 1988

Robert Motherwell

8 plates (from Octavio Paz suite) (nocturne..., 1988

Sale Date: November 18, 2011

Auction Closed

Stephen's iron crown etched, 1982

Robert Motherwell

Stephen's iron crown etched, 1982

Sale Date: November 18, 2011

Auction Closed

Summer trident (from Harvey Gantt), 1990

Robert Motherwell

Summer trident (from Harvey Gantt), 1990

Sale Date: November 17, 2011

Auction Closed

Beau geste V (from Beau geste suite), 1989

Robert Motherwell

Beau geste V (from Beau geste suite), 1989

Sale Date: November 17, 2011

Auction Closed

Naples yellow open, 1983–1984

Robert Motherwell

Naples yellow open, 1983–1984

Sale Date: November 17, 2011

Auction Closed

The razor's edge, 1985

Robert Motherwell

The razor's edge, 1985

Sale Date: November 17, 2011

Auction Closed

English (US)

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