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)
SUMMER LIGHT SERIES: PAUILLAC #2, 1973

Robert Motherwell

SUMMER LIGHT SERIES: PAUILLAC #2, 1973

Sale Date: June 11, 1992

Auction Closed

APROPOS: THE ROBINSON JEFFERS PRINT, 1981

Robert Motherwell

APROPOS: THE ROBINSON JEFFERS PRINT, 1981

Sale Date: June 11, 1992

Auction Closed

MUSIC FOR J.S. BACH, 1989

Robert Motherwell

MUSIC FOR J.S. BACH, 1989

Sale Date: June 11, 1992

Auction Closed

HOLLOW MEN SUITE. (7 BLATTER), 1985–1986

Robert Motherwell

HOLLOW MEN SUITE. (7 BLATTER), 1985–1986

Sale Date: June 11, 1992

Auction Closed

CHAIR, 1971–1972

Robert Motherwell

CHAIR, 1971–1972

Sale Date: June 11, 1992

Auction Closed

Africa suite: #5, 1970

Robert Motherwell

Africa suite: #5, 1970

Sale Date: June 11, 1992

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1982

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1982

Sale Date: June 11, 1992

Auction Closed

Summer sign, 1990

Robert Motherwell

Summer sign, 1990

Sale Date: June 11, 1992

Auction Closed

CARNEGIE HALL

Robert Motherwell

CARNEGIE HALL

Sale Date: June 6, 1992

Auction Closed

SOOT BLACK STONE NO.5

Robert Motherwell

SOOT BLACK STONE NO.5

Sale Date: June 4, 1992

Auction Closed

CHAIR, 1971–1972

Robert Motherwell

CHAIR, 1971–1972

Sale Date: June 2, 1992

Auction Closed

MEXICAN NIGHT II, 1984

Robert Motherwell

MEXICAN NIGHT II, 1984

Sale Date: June 2, 1992

Auction Closed

PRIMAL SIGN IV, 1979–1980

Robert Motherwell

PRIMAL SIGN IV, 1979–1980

Sale Date: June 2, 1992

Auction Closed

TALLITH FOR MEYER SCHAPIRO, 1973

Robert Motherwell

TALLITH FOR MEYER SCHAPIRO, 1973

Sale Date: June 2, 1992

Auction Closed

BLAG FLAG

Robert Motherwell

BLAG FLAG

Sale Date: June 2, 1992

Auction Closed

CHAIR, 1971–1972

Robert Motherwell

CHAIR, 1971–1972

Sale Date: May 30, 1992

Auction Closed

BLACK 1-3, 1968

Robert Motherwell

BLACK 1-3, 1968

Sale Date: May 26, 1992

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1972

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1972

Sale Date: May 26, 1992

Auction Closed

OMAGGIO A PICASSO

Robert Motherwell

OMAGGIO A PICASSO

Sale Date: May 21, 1992

Auction Closed

THE BASQUE SUITE: UNTITLED (BELKNAP 51, 57 & , 1970

Robert Motherwell

THE BASQUE SUITE: UNTITLED (BELKNAP 51, 57 & , 1970

Sale Date: May 16, 1992

Auction Closed

HERMITAGE (BELKNAP 149; TYLER 394:RM13), 1975

Robert Motherwell

HERMITAGE (BELKNAP 149; TYLER 394:RM13), 1975

Sale Date: May 16, 1992

Auction Closed

ELEGY BLACK BLACK (BELKNAP 274; TYLER..., 1983

Robert Motherwell

ELEGY BLACK BLACK (BELKNAP 274; TYLER..., 1983

Sale Date: May 16, 1992

Auction Closed

SUMMER LIGHT SERIES: PAUILLAC, #4 (BELKNAP..., 1973

Robert Motherwell

SUMMER LIGHT SERIES: PAUILLAC, #4 (BELKNAP..., 1973

Sale Date: May 16, 1992

Auction Closed

AMERICAN-LA FRANCE VARIATIONS VII (BELKNAP..., 1984

Robert Motherwell

AMERICAN-LA FRANCE VARIATIONS VII (BELKNAP..., 1984

Sale Date: May 16, 1992

Auction Closed

English (US)

©2024 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. All rights reserved.