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)
Composition, 1945–1945

Robert Motherwell

Composition, 1945–1945

Sale Date: October 8, 1988

Auction Closed

Euclid's sand, 1975–1975

Robert Motherwell

Euclid's sand, 1975–1975

Sale Date: October 8, 1988

Auction Closed

Africa no. IV, 1975–1975

Robert Motherwell

Africa no. IV, 1975–1975

Sale Date: October 8, 1988

Auction Closed

Gordon's, 1967–1970

Robert Motherwell

Gordon's, 1967–1970

Sale Date: October 8, 1988

Auction Closed

Bird study, 1954–1954

Robert Motherwell

Bird study, 1954–1954

Sale Date: October 5, 1988

Auction Closed

RED SEA II, 1979–1979

Robert Motherwell

RED SEA II, 1979–1979

Sale Date: May 14, 1988

Auction Closed

ELEGY BLACK-BLACK, 1982–1983

Robert Motherwell

ELEGY BLACK-BLACK, 1982–1983

Sale Date: May 14, 1988

Auction Closed

BLACK SOUNDS, 1983–1984

Robert Motherwell

BLACK SOUNDS, 1983–1984

Sale Date: May 14, 1988

Auction Closed

BLUE ELEGY, 1987–1987

Robert Motherwell

BLUE ELEGY, 1987–1987

Sale Date: May 14, 1988

Auction Closed

MEXICAN NIGHT II, 1984–1984

Robert Motherwell

MEXICAN NIGHT II, 1984–1984

Sale Date: May 14, 1988

Auction Closed

THE WAVE, 1974–1978

Robert Motherwell

THE WAVE, 1974–1978

Sale Date: May 14, 1988

Auction Closed

SAMURAI II, 1979–1980

Robert Motherwell

SAMURAI II, 1979–1980

Sale Date: May 14, 1988

Auction Closed

EL NEGRO; T. 415-440, THE BOOK,..., 1981–1983

Robert Motherwell

EL NEGRO; T. 415-440, THE BOOK,..., 1981–1983

Sale Date: May 14, 1988

Auction Closed

ALPHABET SERIES, 1986–1987

Robert Motherwell

ALPHABET SERIES, 1986–1987

Sale Date: May 14, 1988

Auction Closed

REDNESS OF RED, 1985–1985

Robert Motherwell

REDNESS OF RED, 1985–1985

Sale Date: May 14, 1988

Auction Closed

BLUE 2; BLUE 2 , 1969–1969

Robert Motherwell

BLUE 2; BLUE 2 , 1969–1969

Sale Date: May 14, 1988

Auction Closed

UNTITLED; AND LEE KRASNER, UNTITLED,..., 1970–1970

Robert Motherwell

UNTITLED; AND LEE KRASNER, UNTITLED,..., 1970–1970

Sale Date: May 14, 1988

Auction Closed

A LA PINTURA: BLUE 6-11; WHITE 14-15 , 1971–1971

Robert Motherwell

A LA PINTURA: BLUE 6-11; WHITE 14-15 , 1971–1971

Sale Date: May 14, 1988

Auction Closed

HERMITAGE, 1975–1975

Robert Motherwell

HERMITAGE, 1975–1975

Sale Date: May 14, 1988

Auction Closed

A LA PINTURA: END PAGE, 1971–1971

Robert Motherwell

A LA PINTURA: END PAGE, 1971–1971

Sale Date: May 14, 1988

Auction Closed

Black 4, 1969–1969

Robert Motherwell

Black 4, 1969–1969

Sale Date: May 11, 1988

Auction Closed

White 10-13, 1972–1972

Robert Motherwell

White 10-13, 1972–1972

Sale Date: May 11, 1988

Auction Closed

Blue 6-11, 1971–1971

Robert Motherwell

Blue 6-11, 1971–1971

Sale Date: May 11, 1988

Auction Closed

Perpetual summer, 1986–1986

Robert Motherwell

Perpetual summer, 1986–1986

Sale Date: May 11, 1988

Auction Closed

English (US)

©2024 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. All rights reserved.