Abstract Prints and Multiples
ABSTRACT STYLE
Beginning in the early 20th century, abstract art became a leading style of modernism. Rather than portray the world in a way that represented reality, as had been the dominating style of Western art in the previous centuries, abstract paintings, prints and sculptures are marked by a shift to geometric forms, gestural shapes and experimentation with color to express ideas, subject matter and scenes.
Although abstract art flourished in the early 1900s, propelled by movements like Fauvism and Cubism, it was rooted in the 19th century. In the 1840s, J.M.W. Turner emphasized light and motion for atmospheric paintings in which concrete details were blurred, and Paul Cézanne challenged traditional expectations of perspective in the 1890s.
Some of the earliest abstract artists — Wassily Kandinsky and Hilma af Klint — expanded on these breakthroughs while using vivid colors and forms to channel spiritual concepts. Painter Piet Mondrian, a Dutch pioneer of the art movement, explored geometric abstraction partly owing to his belief in Theosophy, which is grounded in a search for higher spiritual truths and embraces philosophers of the Renaissance period and medieval mystics. Black Square, a daringly simple 1913 work by Russian artist Kazimir Malevich, was a watershed statement on creating art that was free “from the dead weight of the real world,” as he later wrote.
Surrealism in the 1920s, led by artists such as Salvador Dalí, Meret Oppenheim and others, saw painters creating abstract pieces in order to connect to the subconscious. When Abstract Expressionism emerged in New York during the mid-20th century, it similarly centered on the process of creation, in which Helen Frankenthaler’s expressive “soak-stain” technique, Jackson Pollock’s drips of paint, and Mark Rothko’s planes of color were a radical new type of abstraction.
Conceptual art, Pop art, Hard-Edge painting and many other movements offered fresh approaches to abstraction that continued into the 21st century, with major contemporary artists now exploring it, including Anish Kapoor, Mark Bradford, El Anatsui and Julie Mehretu.
Find original abstract paintings, sculptures, prints and other art on 1stDibs.
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Style: Abstract
Artist: Robert Motherwell
Rites of Passage II
Located in Toronto, Ontario
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 established New York City as the center of the art world for the second half of the 20th century.
Motherwell was also the unofficial spokesman of the New York School, writing, teaching and lecturing on behalf of the movement, his fellow artists, and the merits of abstraction.
His work appears in museum collections around the world and is instantly recognizable for its boldness and black forms. Yet in addition to his impressive paintings, Motherwell is also revered as a printmaker. He is one of the most innovative and prolific printmakers of the 20th century. He was always searching for new techniques, whether at his own printmaking atelier, or collaborating with others, to expand his ideas and express his aesthetic.
This print, along with "El General", was created at Tyler Graphics in 1979.
"Rites of Passage II...
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Handmade Paper, Lithograph
Black Sounds
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell
Black Sounds
1984
Lithograph, relief print, and collage
99.1 x 63.5 cms (39 x 25 ins)
RM14197
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
The Basque Suite: Untitled
Located in London, GB
Edition of 150
104.1 x 71.7 cms (41 x 28 1/4 ins)
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Screen
Black Open
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell
Black Open
1985
Aquatint and line etching on Whatman paper
40.6 x 43.2 cms (16 x 17 ins)
RM14234
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Aquatint
Black Cathedral
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell
Black Cathedral
1991
Lithograph on white Tyler Graphics Ltd. (TGL) handmade paper, Edition of 40
170.2 x 119.4 cms (67 x 64 ins)
RM17876
Siri Engberg and Joan Bana...
Category
1990s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
"Redness of Red" Lithograph Screenprint Collage Contemporary Abstract Abex 1/100
Located in New York, NY
"Redness of Red" Lithograph Screenprint Collage Contemporary Abstract Abex 1/100
Redness of Red by Robert Burns Motherwell (1915-1991) Lithograph Scree...
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Paper, Lithograph, Screen
Untitled
Located in London, GB
29.88 x 22.36 ins (75.9 x 56.8 cms)
Edition of 96
Signature:Signed "R. Motherwell" in pencil lower right
Inscriptions:Numbered in pencil lower right; artist's chop mark lower right
...
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Color, Etching, Aquatint
Africa Suite: Africa 9
Located in London, GB
The original studies from the 'Africa Suite' were a group of ten works selected from a series of ink-on-paper drawings from the same year. The large autom...
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Screen
Octavio Paz Suite: Nocturne VII
Located in London, GB
Lithograph and chine appliqué
64.5 x 54 cms (25 3/8 x 21 1/4 ins)
Edition of 50
Paper: Arches paper; Japanese Gampi handmade paper
Other Collaborators: Image transferred from Mylar ...
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Handmade Paper, Color, Lithograph
Perpetual Summer
Located in London, GB
60 x 42.9 cms ( 23.62 x 16.89 ins)
Edition of 26
Signature:Signed "Motherwell" in pencil lower right
Inscriptions:Numbered in pencil lower right; artist's chop mark lower right
Publ...
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Color, Etching, Aquatint
Signs on Copper /// Abstract Expressionism Robert Motherwell Brown Black Etching
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Robert Motherwell (American, 1915-1991)
Title: "Signs on Copper"
*Signed and numbered by Motherwell in pencil lower right
Year: 1981
Medium: Original Lift-Ground Etching with Aquatint on German Etching paper
Limited edition: 45/53, (there were also 10 artist's proofs)
Printer: Catherine Mosley in the artist's studio, Greenwich, CT
Publisher: The artist Motherwell himself, Greenwich, CT
Reference: "Catalogue Raisonné 1943-1990 - The Prints of Robert Motherwell" - Belknap No. 252, page 249; Engberg No. 286
Framing: Not framed, but matted with a custom hand-wrapped 8 ply linen mat
Matted size: 28.25" x 33.75"
Sheet size: 27" x 31.75"
Image size: 17.75" x 23.5"
Condition: Light mat stain in margins and a light water stain to lower right corner in margin. It is otherwise a strong impression in very good condition with rich colors; the printed image is pristine
Very rare
Notes:
Provenance: private collection - Palm Beach, FL. Released by Petersburg Press, London, UK and New York, NY. Artist's chop mark/blind stamp lower right. Printed in 2 colors in 3 runs from 2 zinc plates and 1 copper plate: 1. burnt sienna - zinc plate (aquatint); 2. burnt sienna - copper plate (aquatint); 3. black - zinc plate (lift-ground etching and aquatint).
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
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Intaglio, Etching, Aquatint
America La-France Variations IX
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), alongside Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, made up the quartet of American abstract painters that radically defined Modern painting...
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
España II
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell
Espana II
1983
Aquatint and lift-ground etching on Moulin du Gue Rives de Lin paper
Edition of 40
31.8 x 26.7 cms (12.5 x 10.5 ins)
RME9319
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Bastos
Located in London, GB
Edition of 49 plus 12 artist's proofs
158.4 x 101.6 cms (62.4 x 40 ins)
Published by Tyler Graphics Ltd., Bedford Village, New York
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
Lincoln Center Mostly Mozart, 25th Anniversary, Lithograph by Robert Motherwell
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Robert Motherwell, American (1915 - 1991)
Title: Lincoln Center Mostly Mozart, 25th Anniversary
Year: 1991
Medium: Lithograph and Screenprint on ...
Category
1990s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph, Screen
Africa Suite: Africa 7
Located in London, GB
The original studies from the 'Africa Suite' were a group of ten works selected from a series of ink-on-paper drawings from the same year. The large autom...
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Screen
For Meyer Schapiro: Tallith for Meyer Schapiro
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell
For Meyer Schapiro: Tallith for Meyer Schapiro
1974
Lift-ground etching and aquatint on Arches Cover paper
Ed. 100, 13 AP, 1 CP, 11 HC
105.4 x 74.9 cms (41.5 x 29.5...
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Summertime in Italy (with Lines)
Located in London, GB
Lithograph on Rives BFK paper
61.6 x 43.18 cms (24 1/4 x 17 inches)
Edition of 100
Category
1960s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
Africa Suite: Africa 8
Located in London, GB
The original studies from the 'Africa Suite' were a group of ten works selected from a series of ink-on-paper drawings from the same year. The large autom...
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Screen
Africa Suite: Africa 6
Located in London, GB
The original studies from the 'Africa Suite' were a group of ten works selected from a series of ink-on-paper drawings from the same year. The large autom...
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Screen
Africa Suite: Africa 10
Located in London, GB
The original studies from the 'Africa Suite' were a group of ten works selected from a series of ink-on-paper drawings from the same year. The large autom...
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Screen
Bicentennial Suite
Located in Santa Fe, NM
French Revolution Bicentennial Suite is a set of four 1988 aquatints with photoengraving and collage elements by Robert Motherwell. The iconic Suite is hand signed in graphite by Mot...
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Aquatint
Mediterranean Light
Located in New York, NY
1991
Lithograph in colors, on white TGL handmade paper
Sheet: 32 2/5 x 76 inches
Edition of 40
Signed and numbered in pencil
Framed, mint condition
Category
1990s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
Mediterranean Light
Located in New York, NY
1991
Lithograph in colors, on white TGL handmade paper
Sheet: 32 2/5 x 76 inches
Edition of 40
Signed and numbered in pencil
Framed
Category
1990s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
The Basque Suite: Untitled
Located in London, GB
Colour screenprint on J.B. Green paper
104.1 x 71.7 cms (41 x 28 1/4 ins)
Edition of 150
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Color, Screen
Paris Suite 3 (Autumn)
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell
Paris Suite III (Autumn)
1980
Lithograph on J.B. Green handmade paper, Edition of 60
49.2 x 56.8 cms (19 1/2 x 22 1/2 ins)
RM17035
CR 26...
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
Stoneness of Stone
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell
The Stoneness of the Stone
Edition 75
1974
Lithograph on light gray Twinrocker handmade paper laminated to medium gray Twinrocker handmade paper
104.1 x 76.2 cms (4...
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
Paris Suite 2 (Summer)
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell
Paris Suite II (Summer)
1980
Lithograph on J.B. Green handmade paper, Edition of 60
49.2 x 41 cms (19 1/2 x 16 ins)
RM17034
CR 265
Sign...
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
In White with Green Stripe
Located in London, GB
Rober Motherwell
In White with Green Stripe
1987
Lithograph, relief print, embossing and collage
86.4 x 61 cms (34 x 24 ins)
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
Abstract Composition - Original color Etching and Aquatint - 1967
Located in Paris, FR
Robert MOTHERWELL
Abstract Composition
Original etching and aquatint
Unsigned
On Johannot vellum
37.5 x 28 cm (c. 15 x 11 inch)
Published by Lazar Vernet in 1967 and limited to 200 ...
Category
1960s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Roth-Handle
Located in London, GB
CR 168
Paper:Auvergne à la Main Richard de Bas handmade paper; offset-printed Roth Händle cigarette label
Signature:Signed "RM" in pencil upper right
Inscriptions:Numbered in pencil ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Aquatint
Gesture I (State I)
Located in London, GB
Aquatint, lift-ground etching and aquatint on J.B. Green paper
89.5 x 66.7 cms (35 1/4 x 26 1/4 ins)
Edition of 75
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Color, Lithograph
Poet II - Lithograph, Abstract Print, 20th Century by Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Edition of 35
75.6 x 53.7 cms (29.76 x 21.14 ins)
Category
1960s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
Octavio Paz Suite: Red Samurai
Located in London, GB
Lithograph, linoleum block print, and chine appliqué, Edition of 50
CR 435
Paper:Arches paper; Japanese Masa Dosa handmade paper
Production Sequence:4 colors (including 1 colored pap...
Category
Late 20th Century Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
Paroles peintes III: Untitled
Located in London, GB
Open-bite etching printed in dark, brownish black on fibrous Japan paper
38 x 28 cms (14 7/8 x 11 1/8 ins)
Edition of 200 in three numbered segments
Category
1960s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Etching
The Basque Suite: Untitled
Located in London, GB
104.1 x 71.8 cms (41 x 28.25 ins)
Edition of 150
Paper: J.B. Green Paper
Signed "RM" in pencil lower right; signed "Motherwell" in screen lower right
Inscriptions: Numbered in ...
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Color, Screen
Carnegie Hall
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork, titled "Carnegie Hall," from the suite New York, New York, 1982, is an original color lithograph with silkscreen and embossing by American ...
Category
Late 20th Century Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph, Screen
America - La France Variations IX
Located in London, GB
Lithograph and collage
Edition of 60
72.4 x 55.3 cms (28 1/2 x 21 3/4 ins)
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
Dedication–Lincoln Center (B.App.23)
Located in London, GB
44.5 x 29.25 ins (113 x 74.3 cms)
Edition of 108
Signature:Signed "R. Motherwell" in pencil lower left
Inscriptions:Numbered in pencil lower left; some impressions have artist's chop mark lower left
Publisher:The Juilliard School...
Category
1960s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Color, Mixed Media, Screen
Untitled
Located in London, GB
Lithograph and chine colle
73.9 x 56.9 cms (29.1 x 22.4 ins)
Edition of 19
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
Gesture I (State I)
Located in London, GB
Aquatint, lift-ground etching and aquatint on J.B. Green paper
89.5 x 66.7 cms (35 1/4 x 26 1/4 ins)
Edition of 75
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Color, Lithograph
Lament for Lorca
Located in London, GB
Lithograph on white Tyler Graphics Ltd. (TGL) handmade paper
44x61 in (111.8x154.9cm)
Edition of 52
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Color, Lithograph
Harvest With Blue Bottom, from Summer Light Series
Located in Miami, FL
TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
Robert Motherwell
Harvest With Blue Bottom, from Summer Light Series
1973
Lithograph with collage
36 x 18 in.
Edition of 55
Pencil signed and numbered; accomp...
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph, Mixed Media
Black with No Way Out
Located in London, GB
15 x 38 ins (38.1 x 96.5 cms)
Edition of 98
Signature:Signed "Motherwell" in pencil lower right
Inscriptions:Numbered in pencil lower right; workshop chop mark lower right; work...
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Color, Lithograph
Mediterranean Light
Located in London, GB
Lithograph on white Tyler Graphics Ltd. (TGL) handmade paper
32 1/2 x 76 in. (82.6 x 193 cm)
Edition of 40
Category
1990s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Color, Lithograph
Red Sea III
Located in London, GB
Aquatint and lift-ground etching on Georges Duchêne Hawthorne of Larroque handmade paper, Edition of 70
1983
90.2 x 46.4 cms (35 1/2 x 18 1/4 ins)
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Norway
Located in London, GB
54.9 x 56.5 cms (21.6 x 22.25 ins)
Edition of 50
Paper: Somerset paper
Signature:Signed "RM" in pencil lower right
Inscriptions:Numbered in pencil lower right
Proofs:20 AP, numbered I/XX-XX/XX, 2 HC, numbered I-II, 3 PP, 1 TP, other proofs (unrecorded)
Publisher:Derriere LEtoile Studios, New York, for the Sonja Henie...
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Color, Lithograph
Put out all Flags
Located in London, GB
Aquatint, lift-ground etching and aquatint on German Etching paper
53.3 x 73.7 cms (21 x 29 ins)
Edition of 50
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
At the Edge
Located in London, GB
Aquatint, lift-ground etching and aquatint on Auvergne
a la Main Richard de Bas handmade paper
57.8 x 63.8 cms (22.75 x 25.1 ins)
Edition of 34
Signed "Motherwell" in pencil ...
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Mixed Media, Color, Etching, Aquatint
Game of Chance
Located in London, GB
88.3 x 69.9 cms (34.7 x 27.51 ins)
Edition of 100
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Mixed Media, Color, Aquatint, Lithograph
On the Wing
Located in London, GB
46.75 x 30.5 ins (118.7 x 77.5 cms)
Edition of 70
Signed in pencil lower right.
Numbered in pencil lower right; workshop chop mark lower right; workshop number "RM83-718" in pe...
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Mixed Media, Color, Lithograph
The Hospital
Located in San Francisco, CA
Original etching printed in two colors on Johannot wove paper.
Hand-signed with the artist’s monogram in pencil in the margin lower right RM.
A superb impression of the definit...
Category
20th Century Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Etching
Mexican Night II
Located in London, GB
44.5 x 44.5 cms (17.5 x 17.5 ins)
Edition of 70
Signature:Signed "Motherwell" in pencil lower right
Inscriptions:Numbered in pencil lower right; artist's chop mark lower right
...
Category
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Color, Etching, Aquatint
The Tower
Located in San Francisco, CA
Original etching printed in two colors on Johannot wove paper.
Hand-signed with the artist’s monogram in pencil in the margin lower right RM.
A superb impression of the defini...
Category
20th Century Abstract Prints and Multiples
Summer
Located in New York, NY
An original lithograph of certain beauty, Paris Suite II: Summer, by Robert Motherwell is hand-initialed in pencil measuring 19 ¼ x 16 1/8 in (49 x 41 cm), unframed. From the editio...
Category
20th Century Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
Summertime in Italy (with Lines)
Located in London, GB
24.25 x 17 ins (61.6 x 43.2 cms)
Edition of 100
Signature Signed "Motherwell" in pencil lower right
Publisher Hollander Workshop, New York
Printer Irwin Hollander...
Category
1960s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Color, Lithograph
Palo Alto
Located in New York, NY
Created by Robert Motherwell in 1978, Palo Alto is an original lithograph in colors on Arches 88 wove paper measuring 36 x 24 in. (91.4 x 61 cm), unframed. Hand-signed in pencil, th...
Category
20th Century Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Lithograph
Untitled
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this color screenprint on Arches Imperial paper. It is signed and numbered 106/250 in pencil by Motherwell. Printed by Maurel Studio, New York. Published by...
Category
1970s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Materials
Color, Screen
Abstract prints and multiples for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Abstract prints and multiples available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add prints and multiples created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, red, purple and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Joan Miró, Francisco Nicolás, Dadodu , and Josef Albers. Frequently made by artists working with Lithograph, and Screen Print and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Abstract prints and multiples, so small editions measuring 0.02 inches across are also available.
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