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Robert Motherwell Art

American, 1915-1991

The name of painter, printmaker and writer Robert Motherwell (1915–91) is often taken as synonymous with the New York School, whose name he coined. Motherwell was the youngest of this group of Abstract Expressionists working in art, dance, poetry and music in 1950s and '60s New York City, which included Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Philip Guston, Helen Frankenthaler and Mark Rothko.

Born in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1915, Motherwell had perhaps the broadest and best education of any of the New York School coterie, with an extensive background in philosophy, literature and art history. He earned a BA in philosophy in 1937 from Stanford University and was working toward a PhD in the subject at Harvard when he interrupted his studies for a yearlong trip to Europe, where he fell in love with European modernism.

After returning, in 1940 he enrolled Columbia to study art history. It was there that he met a group of exiled Parisian Surrealists, and encounter that proved influential on his style. 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.

Works like the 1967 Beside the Sea no. 45, an acrylic on canvas, and the 1966 lithograph New York International epitomize Motherwell’s use of simple shapes in boldly contrasting colors, executed in quick, gestural strokes that occasionally evoke figures, suggesting a latent narrative despite their obvious abstraction.

Throughout his career, Motherwell taught painting at Hunter College, in New York, and at Black Mountain College, in North Carolina, where his work influenced the likes of Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschenberg and Kenneth Noland. His influence as one of the founding fathers of American Abstract Expressionism remains profound.

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Color:  Orange
Artist: Robert Motherwell
Summer Light Series: Pauillac, No.2
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Summer Light Series: Pauillac, No.2 1973 Lithograph, screenprint, pochoir, and collage, Edition of 55 91.4 x 45.7 cms (36 x 18 ins) RM12795
Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Black Cathedral
By Robert Motherwell
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 Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Mediterranean Light
By Robert Motherwell
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 Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Color, Lithograph

The Tower
By Robert Motherwell
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 Robert Motherwell Art

Untitled (Open in Yellow, Black and Blue)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Untitled (Open in Yellow, Black and Blue) 1970 Acrylic and charcoal on canvas board 25.4 x 61 cms (10 x 24 ins) RM9819 P588 Signed lower right (recto) Artist's studio number P74-290 Provenance: Dedalus Foundation, New York...
Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Charcoal, Acrylic

Great Wall of China No. 4
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991) Great Wall of China No. 4 1971 Acrylic and charcoal on canvas 152.4 x 101.6 cms (60 x 40 ins) RM10101 P617 This work is part of the artist's Great Wall of China series, of which there are only five paintings, all of which are in private hands. Painted on a traditionally primed canvas, it is an exploration of the tension between foreground and background. The U-shaped forms in this series of paintings are closely related to the paintings in Motherwell's Open series of which there are a greater number of paintings and drawings. Great Wall of China series refer to a Franz Kafka short story about the Chinese landmark, which certainly served as a dividing line in its time, and perhaps also to contemporaneous events involving China, such as Henry Kissinger...
Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Charcoal, Acrylic

Shem the Penman #19
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Shem the Penman #19 1983 Acrylic and charcoal on canvas 25.4 x 35.6 cms (10 x 14 ins) RM13642 P1069 Recto, upper left: RM Verso: R. Motherwell \ 1983 Verso (on b...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Charcoal, Acrylic

Untitled (Basque #5)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in New York, NY
Robert Motherwell’s iconic ‘Basque Suite’ demonstrates the artist’s innovative and painterly approach to printmaking. Designated as image number 5 in the suite, the artwork shown her...
Category

20th Century Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Screen

London Series I: Untitled (Orange)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in New York, NY
Screenprint Edition of 150
Category

1970s Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Screen

Beau Geste III
By Robert Motherwell
Located in New York, NY
This striking example of the artist’s work was created by Robert Motherwell in 1989 as an original color lithograph. It is hand-signed – initialed by the artist, lower left – and nu...
Category

20th Century Contemporary Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

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Robert Motherwell art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Robert Motherwell art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange, red, blue and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Robert Motherwell in lithograph, etching, paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Robert Motherwell art, so small editions measuring 1 inch across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Sam Francis, Paul Jenkins, and Helen Frankenthaler. Robert Motherwell art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $150 and tops out at $3,600,000, while the average work can sell for $9,500.

Artists Similar to Robert Motherwell

Questions About Robert Motherwell Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Robert Motherwell was a part of the art movement called Abstract Expressionism. Artists who participated in the movement sought to express emotions through abstract forms. You'll find a range of Robert Motherwell art from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Robert Motherwell painted using techniques borrowed from action and color field painting. He sometimes dipped thinned paint right onto the canvas. In other works, he soaked paints into an unprimed work surface. Find a variety of Robert Motherwell art on 1stDibs.

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