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Was Robert Motherwell a Surrealist painter?
1 Answer

No, Robert Motherwell was not a Surrealist painter. The American artist was the youngest member of the New York School, a group of Abstract Expressionists working in art, dance, poetry and music in the 1950s and '60s. However, Motherwell did meet a group of exiled Parisian Surrealists while attending Columbia University to study art history in the 1940s. This encounter proved influential in his style. Inspired by their work, Motherwell began to integrate the idea of “automatism," unmediated gestures that reflect deeper psychological impulses, into his work, pioneering a new form of Abstract Expressionism that came to characterize the New York School. On 1stDibs, find a selection of Robert Motherwell art.
1stDibs ExpertAugust 29, 2024
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Shop for Robert Motherwell Art on 1stDibs
Mexican Elegy (Belknap 354-380; Engberg/Banach 415-441), Three Poems
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on Japon à la main, attached with chine appliqué to vélin d’Arches paper. Paper Size: 21.5 x 17.875 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From th...
Category
1980s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$7,996 Sale Price
20% Off
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Black Sun (Belknap 354-380; Engberg/Banach 415-441), Three Poems
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on Japon à la main, attached with chine appliqué to vélin d’Arches paper. Paper Size: 21.5 x 17.875 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From th...
Category
1980s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$7,996 Sale Price
20% Off
Free Shipping
Large Abstract Expressionist Lithograph SIlkscreen Robert Motherwell St Michael
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Surfside, FL
Robert Motherwell, American, 1915-1991
St. Michel III
1979
Lithograph and Screenprint
On handmade paper
Hand signed in white pencil and numbered 71/99.
Dimensions: Sight 40 3/4 x 32 ...
Category
1970s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph, Screen
Greenwich Arts Council Poster /// Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell NY
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Robert Motherwell (American, 1915-1992)
Title: "Greenwich Arts Council"
*Issued unsigned, though signed by Motherwell in the plate (printed signature) center right
Year: 1976
Medium: Original Lithograph, Exhibition Poster on Strathmore paper
Limited edition: 700. (There was also a signed and numbered edition of 42)
Printer: Tyler Graphics, Ltd., Mount Kisco, NY
Publisher: Greenwich Arts Council, Greenwich, CT
Reference: "The Prints of Robert Motherwell - A Catalogue Raisonné 1943-1984" - Belknap Appendix: No. 28, page 282; "Robert Motherwell - The Complete Prints 1940-1991" - Engberg No. 202
Sheet size: 37.25" x 23"
Condition: Never framed, has been professionally stored away for decades. Some minor edge wear. In excellent condition
Rare
Notes:
Printed in three colors: black, green, and cream. Poster produced for a special exhibition "Sculpture 76" at The Greenwich Arts Council, Greenwich, CT from June - October, 1976. The image featured on this poster is Motherwell's 1972 acrylic painting on paper "Greenwich Sculpture". Artist's copyright lower left and printer's imprint lower right.
GIA Gallery Poster Disclaimer:
Not to be confused with thousands of contemporary inkjet/giclée/digital reproductions ignorantly or deliberately passed off as originals on the market today. The examples we offer here are the original period vintage (exhibition) posters, created and designed by, or under the supervision and authorization of the artist or their respective estate (posthumously), for various exhibitions and events in which they participated. If applicable, this poster is also fully documented within its respective artists' official catalogue raisonné of authentic graphic works, prints, and or posters.
Biography:
Robert Motherwell was born January 24, 1915, in Aberdeen, Washington. He was awarded a fellowship to the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles at age 11, and in 1932 studied painting briefly at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Motherwell received a B.A. from Stanford University in 1937 and enrolled for graduate work later that year in the Department of Philosophy at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He traveled to Europe in 1938 for a year of study abroad. His first solo show was presented at the Raymond Duncan...
Category
1970s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Untitled, Minimalist Abstract Etching by Robert Motherwell
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Long Island City, NY
Untitled
Robert Motherwell, American (1915–1991)
Date: 1973
Lift-Ground Etching with Aquatint on Arches Paper, signed and numbered in pencil
Edition of AP VIII/X
Size: 41.5 x 29.5 in...
Category
1970s Minimalist Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Tricolor (from XXe Siecle)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Robert Motherwell
Title: Tricolor (from XXe Siecle)
Medium: Lithograph
Date: 1973
Edition: Unnumbered
Frame Size: 18 1/2" x 16 1/2"
Sheet Size: 12 1/2" x 10 1/2"
Signature: U...
Category
1970s Abstract Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph