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 BaziotesJackson 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 Artworks

Robert Motherwell (7,271 results)
In beige with charcoal #1, 1973–1973

Robert Motherwell

In beige with charcoal #1, 1973–1973

Sale Date: November 11, 1988

Auction Closed

Open no.148 (white on black), 1970

Robert Motherwell

Open no.148 (white on black), 1970

Sale Date: November 10, 1988

Auction Closed

THE SUMMER SEA, 1970–1970

Robert Motherwell

THE SUMMER SEA, 1970–1970

Sale Date: November 10, 1988

Auction Closed

OPEN 22, 1968–1968

Robert Motherwell

OPEN 22, 1968–1968

Sale Date: November 10, 1988

Auction Closed

GAULOISES BLEUES (WHITE) (B 37), 1970–1970

Robert Motherwell

GAULOISES BLEUES (WHITE) (B 37), 1970–1970

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

PRIMAL SIGN V (COPPER); AND PRIMAL SIGN , 1981–1981

Robert Motherwell

PRIMAL SIGN V (COPPER); AND PRIMAL SIGN , 1981–1981

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

SUMMER LIGHT SERIES: HARVEST, WITH LEAF , 1973–1973

Robert Motherwell

SUMMER LIGHT SERIES: HARVEST, WITH LEAF , 1973–1973

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

ST, MICHAEL III (B 206), 1975–1979

Robert Motherwell

ST, MICHAEL III (B 206), 1975–1979

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

ALBERTI ELEGY (B 253), 1981–1981

Robert Motherwell

ALBERTI ELEGY (B 253), 1981–1981

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

BLEUES (RAW UMBER EDGE) (B 70), 1971–1971

Robert Motherwell

BLEUES (RAW UMBER EDGE) (B 70), 1971–1971

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

SUMMER LIGHT SERIES: PAUILLAC, #1 (B 119), 1973–1973

Robert Motherwell

SUMMER LIGHT SERIES: PAUILLAC, #1 (B 119), 1973–1973

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

DUTCH LINEN SUITE V (B 134), 1974–1974

Robert Motherwell

DUTCH LINEN SUITE V (B 134), 1974–1974

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

SUMER LIGHT SERIES: PAUILLAC #2 (B 120), 1973–1973

Robert Motherwell

SUMER LIGHT SERIES: PAUILLAC #2 (B 120), 1973–1973

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

A LA PINTURA, WEST ISLIP, NEW YORK, ULAE,...

Robert Motherwell

A LA PINTURA, WEST ISLIP, NEW YORK, ULAE,...

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

SUMMER LIGHT SERIES: PAUILLAC #3 (B 121), 1973–1973

Robert Motherwell

SUMMER LIGHT SERIES: PAUILLAC #3 (B 121), 1973–1973

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

THE BLACK DOUGLAS STONE (B 73), 1970–1971

Robert Motherwell

THE BLACK DOUGLAS STONE (B 73), 1970–1971

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

ART 1981 CHICAGO PRINT (B 249), 1981–1981

Robert Motherwell

ART 1981 CHICAGO PRINT (B 249), 1981–1981

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

RAFAEL ALBERTI , EL NEGRO, NEW YORK,..., 1981–1983

Robert Motherwell

RAFAEL ALBERTI , EL NEGRO, NEW YORK,..., 1981–1983

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

GLASS GARDEN, 1979–1984

Robert Motherwell

GLASS GARDEN, 1979–1984

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

UNTITLED, FROM PAROLES PEINTES III,..., 1966–1966

Robert Motherwell

UNTITLED, FROM PAROLES PEINTES III,..., 1966–1966

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

LONDON SERIES II (B 65-9), 1970–1970

Robert Motherwell

LONDON SERIES II (B 65-9), 1970–1970

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

BEIGE OPEN; AND GRAY OPEN WITH WHITE..., 1981–1981

Robert Motherwell

BEIGE OPEN; AND GRAY OPEN WITH WHITE..., 1981–1981

Sale Date: November 2, 1988

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1945–1945

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1945–1945

Sale Date: October 20, 1988

Auction Closed

Figure study III, 1950–1950

Robert Motherwell

Figure study III, 1950–1950

Sale Date: October 8, 1988

Auction Closed