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)
NUDE, 1951–1951

Robert Motherwell

NUDE, 1951–1951

Sale Date: November 8, 1990

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1958–1958

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1958–1958

Sale Date: November 8, 1990

Auction Closed

BLUE FIGURE, 1971–1971

Robert Motherwell

BLUE FIGURE, 1971–1971

Sale Date: November 7, 1990

Auction Closed

BALTIC SEA BRIDE NO. IV, 1974–1974

Robert Motherwell

BALTIC SEA BRIDE NO. IV, 1974–1974

Sale Date: November 7, 1990

Auction Closed

WALL PAINTING, NO. III, 1953–1953

Robert Motherwell

WALL PAINTING, NO. III, 1953–1953

Sale Date: November 8, 1990

Auction Closed

ELEGY TO THE SPANISH REPUBLIC.NO. 159, 1979–1979

Robert Motherwell

ELEGY TO THE SPANISH REPUBLIC.NO. 159, 1979–1979

Sale Date: November 8, 1990

Auction Closed

BESIDE THE SEA #23, 1962–1962

Robert Motherwell

BESIDE THE SEA #23, 1962–1962

Sale Date: November 7, 1990

Auction Closed

OPEN #151

Robert Motherwell

OPEN #151

Sale Date: November 7, 1990

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1968–1968

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1968–1968

Sale Date: November 6, 1990

Auction Closed

Robert Motherwell

"SOOT BLACK STONE SERIES #4"

Sale Date: November 3, 1990

Auction Closed

IN ASHES WITH COLLAGE, 1949–1949

Robert Motherwell

IN ASHES WITH COLLAGE, 1949–1949

Sale Date: October 30, 1990

Auction Closed

America - La France variations VII..., 1984–1984

Robert Motherwell

America - La France variations VII..., 1984–1984

Sale Date: October 25, 1990

Auction Closed

Africa suite, 1970–1970

Robert Motherwell

Africa suite, 1970–1970

Sale Date: October 25, 1990

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1966–1966

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1966–1966

Sale Date: October 25, 1990

Auction Closed

CALLIGRAPHY, 1965–1966

Robert Motherwell

CALLIGRAPHY, 1965–1966

Sale Date: October 25, 1990

Auction Closed

SUMMERTIME IN ITALY(WITH..., 1971–1971

Robert Motherwell

SUMMERTIME IN ITALY(WITH..., 1971–1971

Sale Date: October 25, 1990

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1966–1966

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1966–1966

Sale Date: October 25, 1990

Auction Closed

AUTOMATISM A; AND AUTOMATISM B, 1965–1966

Robert Motherwell

AUTOMATISM A; AND AUTOMATISM B, 1965–1966

Sale Date: October 25, 1990

Auction Closed

BASQUE SUITE, 1970–1971

Robert Motherwell

BASQUE SUITE, 1970–1971

Sale Date: October 25, 1990

Auction Closed

CHAIR (B.79), 1971–1972

Robert Motherwell

CHAIR (B.79), 1971–1972

Sale Date: October 25, 1990

Auction Closed

WINDOW (B. 112), 1973–1973

Robert Motherwell

WINDOW (B. 112), 1973–1973

Sale Date: October 23, 1990

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1968–1968

Robert Motherwell

Sans titre, 1968–1968

Sale Date: October 22, 1990

Auction Closed

Untitled

Robert Motherwell

Untitled

Sale Date: October 10, 1990

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1946–1946

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1946–1946

Sale Date: October 4, 1990

Auction Closed

English (US)

©2024 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. All rights reserved.