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)
London Series II, 1970–1971

Robert Motherwell

London Series II, 1970–1971

Sale Date: June 21, 2007

Auction Closed

Mask (For Ingmar Bergman), 1989

Robert Motherwell

Mask (For Ingmar Bergman), 1989

Sale Date: June 6, 2007

Auction Closed

Black flag, 1982–1983

Robert Motherwell

Black flag, 1982–1983

Sale Date: June 1, 2007

Auction Closed

Chair, 1972

Robert Motherwell

Chair, 1972

Sale Date: June 9, 2007

Auction Closed

Gesture II - State I, 1976–1977

Robert Motherwell

Gesture II - State I, 1976–1977

Sale Date: May 20, 2007

Auction Closed

Slate gray pintura, 1975

Robert Motherwell

Slate gray pintura, 1975

Sale Date: May 20, 2007

Auction Closed

Untitled (from Ten works by Ten Painters), 1964

Robert Motherwell

Untitled (from Ten works by Ten Painters), 1964

Sale Date: June 3, 2007

Auction Closed

Capriccio (B.A.1), 1961

After Robert Motherwell

Capriccio (B.A.1), 1961

Sale Date: May 23, 2007

Auction Closed

Red samurai no. 22, second edition..., 1987–1988

Robert Motherwell

Red samurai no. 22, second edition..., 1987–1988

Sale Date: May 23, 2007

Auction Closed

The Dalton print, 1979

Robert Motherwell

The Dalton print, 1979

Sale Date: May 23, 2007

Auction Closed

Two blues and cream (from London Series , 1970–1971

Robert Motherwell

Two blues and cream (from London Series , 1970–1971

Sale Date: May 23, 2007

Auction Closed

Two blues and white (from London Series , 1970–1971

Robert Motherwell

Two blues and white (from London Series , 1970–1971

Sale Date: May 23, 2007

Auction Closed

Green; Black (from London Series I), 1970–1971

Robert Motherwell

Green; Black (from London Series I), 1970–1971

Sale Date: May 23, 2007

Auction Closed

Red (from London Series I), 1970–1971

Robert Motherwell

Red (from London Series I), 1970–1971

Sale Date: May 23, 2007

Auction Closed

Untitled (from New York International), 1966

Robert Motherwell

Untitled (from New York International), 1966

Sale Date: May 23, 2007

Auction Closed

Untitled (D. 83-2911), 1983

Robert Motherwell

Untitled (D. 83-2911), 1983

Sale Date: May 22, 2007

Auction Closed

Gesture paper painting, #10, 1975

Robert Motherwell

Gesture paper painting, #10, 1975

Sale Date: May 16, 2007

Auction Closed

The red and the black #16, 1987

Robert Motherwell

The red and the black #16, 1987

Sale Date: May 16, 2007

Auction Closed

The red and the black #22, 1987

Robert Motherwell

The red and the black #22, 1987

Sale Date: May 16, 2007

Auction Closed

Sih, 1972

Robert Motherwell

Sih, 1972

Sale Date: May 16, 2007

Auction Closed

Picayune, 1967

Robert Motherwell

Picayune, 1967

Sale Date: May 16, 2007

Auction Closed

Scarlet with Gauloises, no. 5, 1972

Robert Motherwell

Scarlet with Gauloises, no. 5, 1972

Sale Date: May 16, 2007

Auction Closed

Anchor #1, 1963

Robert Motherwell

Anchor #1, 1963

Sale Date: May 16, 2007

Auction Closed

Summertime in Italy # 15, 1963–1964

Robert Motherwell

Summertime in Italy # 15, 1963–1964

Sale Date: May 17, 2007

Auction Closed

English (US)

©2024 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. All rights reserved.