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)
London Series I (2 works), 1970

Robert Motherwell

London Series I (2 works), 1970

Sale Date: March 19, 2019

Auction Closed

Barcelona Elegy to the Spanish Republic, 1991

In the manner of Robert Motherwell

Barcelona Elegy to the Spanish Republic, 1991

Sale Date: March 21, 2019

Auction Closed

Elegy Black Black, 1983

Robert Motherwell

Elegy Black Black, 1983

Sale Date: March 21, 2019

Auction Closed

Rite of Passage I, 1979

Robert Motherwell

Rite of Passage I, 1979

Sale Date: March 12, 2019

Auction Closed

Elegy Black Black from EL NEGRO, 1983

Robert Motherwell

Elegy Black Black from EL NEGRO, 1983

Sale Date: March 9, 2019

Auction Closed

Untitled, from the Flight Portfolio, 1970

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, from the Flight Portfolio, 1970

Sale Date: February 27, 2019

Auction Closed

Untitled, from X + X (Ten Works by Ten..., 1964

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, from X + X (Ten Works by Ten..., 1964

Sale Date: February 27, 2019

Auction Closed

IN BLACK AND WHITE, 1960

Robert Motherwell

IN BLACK AND WHITE, 1960

Sale Date: March 1, 2019

Auction Closed

THE RED GARDEN WINDOW, 1977

Robert Motherwell

THE RED GARDEN WINDOW, 1977

Sale Date: March 1, 2019

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1985

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, 1985

Sale Date: February 28, 2019

Auction Closed

The Red and Black No. 34, 1987

Robert Motherwell

The Red and Black No. 34, 1987

Sale Date: February 28, 2019

Auction Closed

Untitled (Line and Wash Drawing), 1976

Robert Motherwell

Untitled (Line and Wash Drawing), 1976

Sale Date: February 26, 2019

Auction Closed

Paris Suite I (Spring)/ Paris Suite II..., 1980

Robert Motherwell

Paris Suite I (Spring)/ Paris Suite II..., 1980

Sale Date: February 28, 2019

Auction Closed

From the London Series II, Untitled..., 1971

Robert Motherwell

From the London Series II, Untitled..., 1971

Sale Date: February 23, 2019

Auction Closed

St. Michael I (State II), 1979

Robert Motherwell

St. Michael I (State II), 1979

Sale Date: February 27, 2019

Auction Closed

Palo Alto, 1978

Robert Motherwell

Palo Alto, 1978

Sale Date: February 27, 2019

Auction Closed

America - La France Variations IV, 1984

Robert Motherwell

America - La France Variations IV, 1984

Sale Date: February 27, 2019

Auction Closed

Game of Chance, 1987

Robert Motherwell

Game of Chance, 1987

Sale Date: February 27, 2019

Auction Closed

Untitled IV (Dutch Linen Suite), 1974

Robert Motherwell

Untitled IV (Dutch Linen Suite), 1974

Sale Date: February 21, 2019

Auction Closed

Robert Motherwell

"Black and Blue" from "The Basque Suite"

Sale Date: February 23, 2019

Auction Closed

Screenprint from the

Robert Motherwell

Screenprint from the "Africa" suite

Sale Date: February 23, 2019

Auction Closed

America - La France Variations V, 1984

Robert Motherwell

America - La France Variations V, 1984

Sale Date: February 17, 2019

Auction Closed

French Revolution Bicentennial Suite II-V, 1988

Robert Motherwell

French Revolution Bicentennial Suite II-V, 1988

Sale Date: February 17, 2019

Auction Closed

Untitled, from Ulysses, 1988

Robert Motherwell

Untitled, from Ulysses, 1988

Sale Date: January 30, 2019

Auction Closed

English (US)

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