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)
HERMITAGE, 1976–1976

Robert Motherwell

HERMITAGE, 1976–1976

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

AMERICA-LA FRANCE VARIATIONS VI, 1984–1984

Robert Motherwell

AMERICA-LA FRANCE VARIATIONS VI, 1984–1984

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

AMERICA-LA FRANCE VARIATIONS VII, 1984–1984

Robert Motherwell

AMERICA-LA FRANCE VARIATIONS VII, 1984–1984

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

SUMMERTIME IN ITALY (WITH BLUE);..., 1965–1966

Robert Motherwell

SUMMERTIME IN ITALY (WITH BLUE);..., 1965–1966

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

AUTOMATISM A, 1965–1966

Robert Motherwell

AUTOMATISM A, 1965–1966

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

The Berggruen series, 1979–1980

Robert Motherwell

The Berggruen series, 1979–1980

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

BASTOS, 1975–1975

Robert Motherwell

BASTOS, 1975–1975

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

MADRID SUITE; TOGETHER WITH TRICOLOR;..., 1965–1966

Robert Motherwell

MADRID SUITE; TOGETHER WITH TRICOLOR;..., 1965–1966

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

Africa suite

Robert Motherwell

Africa suite

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

RED SEA III, 1982–1983

Robert Motherwell

RED SEA III, 1982–1983

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

SUMMER LIGHT SERIES: HARVEST WITH BLUE..., 1973–1973

Robert Motherwell

SUMMER LIGHT SERIES: HARVEST WITH BLUE..., 1973–1973

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

PARIS SUITE (SPRING), 1979–1980

Robert Motherwell

PARIS SUITE (SPRING), 1979–1980

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

Africa suite (6)

Robert Motherwell

Africa suite (6)

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

THE WAVE, 1974–1978

Robert Motherwell

THE WAVE, 1974–1978

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

TOBACCO ROTH-HANDLE, 1974–1975

Robert Motherwell

TOBACCO ROTH-HANDLE, 1974–1975

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

ROTH-HANDLE II, 1975–1975

Robert Motherwell

ROTH-HANDLE II, 1975–1975

Sale Date: February 17, 1990

Auction Closed

LA CASA DE LA MANCHA, 1984–1984

Robert Motherwell

LA CASA DE LA MANCHA, 1984–1984

Sale Date: December 1, 1989

Auction Closed

NAPLES YELLOW OPEN, 1979–1984

Robert Motherwell

NAPLES YELLOW OPEN, 1979–1984

Sale Date: December 1, 1989

Auction Closed

THE AUSTRALIAN STONE, 1983–1984

Robert Motherwell

THE AUSTRALIAN STONE, 1983–1984

Sale Date: December 1, 1989

Auction Closed

CHAIR, 1971–1972

Robert Motherwell

CHAIR, 1971–1972

Sale Date: December 1, 1989

Auction Closed

LAMENT FOR LORCA, 1981–1982

Robert Motherwell

LAMENT FOR LORCA, 1981–1982

Sale Date: December 1, 1989

Auction Closed

AUTOMATISM A

Robert Motherwell

AUTOMATISM A

Sale Date: November 21, 1989

Auction Closed

THE MADRID SUITE

Robert Motherwell

THE MADRID SUITE

Sale Date: November 21, 1989

Auction Closed

Untitled

Robert Motherwell

Untitled

Sale Date: November 21, 1989

Auction Closed

English (US)

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