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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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Artist: Robert Motherwell
Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival - 25th Anniversary
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Aramits, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Robert Motherwell, American (1915 - 1991) Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival, 25th Anniversary. Lithograph, Edition of 800, unsigned and unnumber...
Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph, Screen

Put out all Flags
By Robert Motherwell
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 Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Poet II - Lithograph, Abstract Print, 20th Century by Robert Motherwell
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 Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

America La-France Variations IX
By Robert Motherwell
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 Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Penelope, from Ulysses
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Robert Motherwell Title: Penelope Medium: Etching on Johannot paper Date: 1988 Edition: 27/40 Sheet Size: 13" x 10" Image Size: 6" x 6" Signature: Initialed (RM) in pencil
Category

1980s Abstract Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Red Sea I
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
105.4 x 74 cms (41 1/2 x 29 1/8 ins) Edition of 100 Paper: Arches Cover Signature: Signed "Motherwell" in pencil lower right Inscriptions: Numbered in pencil lower right; artist's c...
Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Color, Etching, Aquatint

Game of Chance
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
88.3 x 69.9 cms (34.7 x 27.51 ins) Edition of 100
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Color, Aquatint, Lithograph

Composition (Belknap 354-380; Engberg/Banach 415-441), Three Poems
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Southampton, NY
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 Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Open Study (White Line on Beige No. 2)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Acrylic and graphite on paper 77.5 x 55.9 cms (30 1/2 x 22 ins)
Category

1960s Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Acrylic

The Basque Suite: Untitled
By Robert Motherwell
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 Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Color, Screen

America-La France Variations VII (large hand signed lithograph)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Aventura, FL
America-La France Variations VII (B. 303; E. & Ba. 335). Lithograph on white Arches cover paper in 11 colors with black German etching paper, blue TGL handmade paper with multicolor...
Category

1980s Pop Art Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

Untitled
By Robert Motherwell
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 Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Color, Etching, Aquatint

Green Gauloises
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Acrylic, graphite and printed paper collage on board 42.6 x 36.8 cms (16 3/4 x 14 1/2 ins) This is the only collage in which Motherwell used a green package from Gauloises Caporal D...
Category

20th Century Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Carnegie Hall
By Robert Motherwell
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 Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph, Screen

"Untitled" Robert Motherwell from the Portfolio of Nine
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Hinsdale, IL
Robert Motherwell Untitled (from Portfolio 9), 1967 Lithograph, 1967 22.25 x 17.25 in. (56.52 x 43.82 cm.) Signed; lower left with artist's trademark initials; numbered, Publisher...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Open Study (White Line on Beige No. 1)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Acrylic on paper 77.5 x 55.9 cms (30 1/2 x 22 ins)
Category

20th Century Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Acrylic

Trieste, from Ulysses
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Robert Motherwell Title: Trieste - Zurich - Paris Medium: Etching on Johannot paper Date: 1988 Edition: 27/40 Sheet Size: 13" x 10" Image Size: 6" x 6" Signature: Initialed (...
Category

1980s Abstract Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Ulysses: The Hospital
By Robert Motherwell
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...
Category

1980s Abstract Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Etching

Untitled (State I), Modern Lithograph with Chine Colle by Robert Motherwell
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Long Island City, NY
Robert Motherwell, American (1915 - 1991) - Untitled (State I), Year: 1977, Medium: Lithograph with Chine Colle, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: trial proof, Size: 7 x ...
Category

1970s Modern Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Telemachia, from Ulysses
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Robert Motherwell Title: Telemachia - Odyssey - Nostos Medium: Etching on Johannot paper Date: 1988 Edition: 27/40 Frame Size: 16 7/8" x 13 7/8" Sheet Size: 13" x 10" Signatu...
Category

1980s Abstract Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

“Carnegie Hall”
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Warren, NJ
Robert Motherwell signed Carnegie Hall Numbered Ap 23/25 Unframed. 30x23 in good condition
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Tricolor with Dollar - Original lithograph (Mourlot 1973)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Paris, IDF
Robert MOTHERWELL Tricolor with Dollar, 1973 Original lithograph (Printed in Mourlot workshop) Printed signature in the plate On heavy paper 31 x 24 cm (c. 12 x 10 inch) Edited by ...
Category

1970s American Modern Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Quarrel, Lithograph with poem, signed/N (Belknap 294; Engberg & Banach 318)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in New York, NY
Robert Motherwell The Quarrel (Belknap 294; Engberg & Banach 318), 1983 Lithograph in colors on Arches cover mould paper Hand signed and numbered 1/100 in graphite on the front with ...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Je t’aime (Belknap 354-380; Engberg/Banach 415-441), Three Poems
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Southampton, NY
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 Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Nocturne VIII (Belknap 354-380; Engberg/Banach 415-441), Three Poems
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Southampton, NY
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 Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Burnt Water (Belknap 354-380; Engberg/Banach 415-441), Three Poems
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Southampton, NY
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 Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Mexico City (Belknap 354-380; Engberg/Banach 415-441), Three Poems
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Southampton, NY
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 Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Roots of Abstract Art in America, from the VIP hand signed limited edition print
By Robert Motherwell
Located in New York, NY
Robert Motherwell Roots of Abstract Art in America, from the VIP hand signed limited edition, 1966 Lithograph and offset lithograph Pencil signed and numbered 46/100 on the front Fra...
Category

1960s Abstract Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Offset, Lithograph, Graphite, Pencil

Nocturne II (Belknap 354-380; Engberg/Banach 415-441), Three Poems
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Southampton, NY
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 Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Composition (Belknap 354-380; Engberg/Banach 415-441), Three Poems
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Southampton, NY
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 Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Nocturne VI (Belknap 354-380; Engberg/Banach 415-441), Three Poems
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Southampton, NY
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 Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Abstract Composition - Original color Etching and Aquatint - 1967
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Paris, IDF
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 Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Elegy Study
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Lithograph on Twinrocker handmade paper 1979 64.1 x 95.3 cm (25 1/4 x 37 1/2 inches)
Category

1970s Abstract Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

America - La France Variations I
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
118.1 x 81.6 cms (46.5 x 32.1 ins) Edition of 70 Published by Tyler Graphics, New York Signed and numbered in pencil
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Color, Lithograph

Red Sea I
By Robert Motherwell
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this color aquatint and lift-ground etching and aquatint on Arches Cover paper. Signed and numbered 15/100 by Motherwell. There are 20 artist proofs, number...
Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

The Basque Suite #4
By Robert Motherwell
Located in New York, NY
Color screenprinton J. B. Green paper, 1970-71. Initialed by the artist and numbered 85/150 in pencil, lower right. Printed by Kelpra Studio, London. Published by Marlborough Graph...
Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Screen, Color

Lincoln Center Mostly Mozart, 25th Anniversary - Lithograph by Robert Motherwell
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Long Island City, NY
Robert Motherwell’s vibrant red lithograph features a collage-like composition with an intense contrast of black and red on top of sheet music. Lincoln Center Mostly Mozart...
Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Three Poems: Nocturne V, Abstract Minimalist Lithograph by Robert Motherwell
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Robert Motherwell, American (1915 - 1991) Title: Three Poems: Nocturne V Year: 1987 Medium: Lithograph on Japon with Chine Colle Edition: 750 Image Size: 14 x 11 inches Paper...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Rice Paper, Lithograph

Mexican Night II
By Robert Motherwell
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 Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Color, Etching, Aquatint

Primal Sign V (Copper)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in New York, NY
A very good, richly-inked impression of this scarce color aquatint on Arches Cover. Initialed and numbered 15/28 in pencil by Motherwell. Printed by Catherine Mosley at the artist's ...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Color, Aquatint

Composition (Belknap 354-380; Engberg/Banach 415-441), Three Poems
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Southampton, NY
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 Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

At the Edge
By Robert Motherwell
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 Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Color, Etching, Aquatint

Irish Suite #6
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), alongside Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, made up the quartet of abstract painters that radically defined Modern painting in Ameri...
Category

1990s Abstract Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Etching

Glass Garden
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Created in 1984 on handmade paper, “Glass Garden” was signed in pencil, numbered 50/59, and published by Motherwell with his blind stamp in New York City. Robert Motherwell, the youn...
Category

20th Century Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Africa Suite #6
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), alongside Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, made up the quartet of abstract painters that radically defined Modern painting in Ameri...
Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Screen

Elegy Black Black, a beautiful lithography from Motherwell's elegy series
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Elegy Black Black 1983 Lithograph in colors, on TGL handmade paper, Edition of 98< AP XI/XVI 38.1 x 95.9 cms (15 x 37 4/5 ins) extract from the catalogue raisonné...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Mediterranean, State I
By Robert Motherwell
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...
Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph, Screen

Norway
By Robert Motherwell
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, number...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Color, Lithograph

Window
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Toronto, Ontario
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...
Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Etching

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

America La France Variations II
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991) is one of the essential American abstract painters that radically defined post-war abstraction in New York City. Today, his work appears in museum collections around the world and is instantly recognizable for its boldness and black forms. His auction record was set in 2018 at $12.6 million USD. 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. "America-La France...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Paris Suite 3 (Autumn)
By Robert Motherwell
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 Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Frontispiece from" A la Pintura"
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A print by Robert Motherwell. "Frontispiece from 'A la Pintura'" is an aquatint executed in blue and brown and depicts the writing A la Pintura below a small blue rectangle by Post War artist Robert Motherwell. Signed lower right, in ink, "Robert Motherwell 1972...
Category

1970s Post-War Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Aquatint

The Basque Suite: Untitled
By Robert Motherwell
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 Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Color, Screen

Lament for Lorca
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Lithograph on white Tyler Graphics Ltd. (TGL) handmade paper 44x61 in (111.8x154.9cm) Edition of 52
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Color, Lithograph

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

Paris Suite 2 (Summer)
By Robert Motherwell
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 Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

Seaside Studio
By Robert Motherwell
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...
Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Lyric Suite
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Brown ink with orange bleed on rice paper 22.9 x 27.9 cms (9 x 11 ins)
Category

20th Century Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Ink

Monster
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Lithograph on speckled gray HMP handmade paper 104.1 x 78.7 cms (41 x 31 ins) Edition of 26
Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art

Materials

Lithograph

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 ExpertAugust 29, 2024
    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 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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