Robert Motherwell

Grey Open

1981

Caviar20 is excited to be offering this evocative print by the inimitable Louise Nevelson - one of the most revered and unique sculptors of the 20th century. Nevelson is renowned for her mysterious and complex artworks. She was an active printmaker, experimenting with different techniques and approaches while working with some of the best print-making studios in the United States and Italy. Many of the leading, ground-breaking American abstract artists experienced success in post-war Europe. Nevelson was notably well-embraced in Italy arguably because of parallels to Arte Povera in her work. She had an important and enduring connection to Italy, beginning with representing America at the Venice Biennale in 1962. Nevelson would then exhibit at the legendary Studio Marconi in Milan during the succeeding decades. This fruitful relationship led Nevelson to start working with Italian printmakers during the 1970s. This impressive aquatint is a paradigm of both the era and Nevelson's later printmaking, notable for its use of metallic elements, color, and collage. This work features unexpected shades of magenta, lime green, and rust, which punctuate her signature monochromatic black forms that sweep the surface of the page creating an intriguing architectural form. This work is an example from Nevelson's 1973 portfolio, "Aquatints Portfolio (B. 116)" which comprised six aquatints with metallic elements. Click here to see another example from this body of work. Over the last few years, there has been tremendous momentum in both interest and appreciation of Nevelson's work. In May of 2021, a new auction record of $1.35 million was established for one of Nevelson's signature white construction sculptures...

Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), alongside Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, made up the quartet of American artists that radically defined abstraction and establish...

Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), alongside Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, made up the quartet of American abstract painters that radically defined abstraction and...

Caviar20 is excited to be offering this evocative print by the inimitable Louise Nevelson - one of the most revered and unique sculptors of the 20th century. Nevelson is renowned for her mysterious and complex artworks. She was an active printmaker, experimenting with different techniques and approaches while working with some of the best print-making studios in the United States. Nevelson, whether working in sculpture or in two dimensions typically had a strict palette; almost exclusively black. While there are iconic works in white, gold, or raw wood, Nevelson almost entirely avoids color. However, during the last decade of her life, her palette expands notably with her printmaking. "Reflections I" is an example from her 1983 portfolio, "Reflections I-V" consisting of six large-scale prints. These prints contain signature elements found throughout Nevelson's prints; ripped or collage-like forms as well as the use of fabric, lace, and toile in the printing process. However one of the strongest characteristics of the "Reflections" series is her new uninhibited use of color. Here it is used to maximum effect. This work features unexpected elements of crimson and translucent rose and Prussian blue that punctuate her signature layered collage-like composition. Nevelson's late prints are truly some of her best. Over the last few years, there has been tremendous momentum in both interest and appreciation of Nevelson's work. In May of 2021, a new auction record of $1.35 million was established for one of Nevelson's signature white construction sculptures...