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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Untitled (Ochre Open)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991) Untitled (Ochre Open) 1972 Acrylic on Upson board 60.6 x 24.5 cms (23 7/8 x 9 5/8 ins) RM9997 P666 Recto, upper right: RM \ 72 Verso not signed, not da...
Acrylic, Board
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Shem the Penman #18
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Shem the Penman #18 1983 Acrylic and charcoal on canvas 25.4 x 35.5 cms (10 x 13 3/4 ins) RM10044 P1068 Signed upper left and on reverse. Provenance: Dedalus Foun...
Charcoal, Acrylic
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Open Untitled (Yellow)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Open Untitled (Yellow) 1981 Acrylic and charcoal on canvas 30.5 x 40.6 cms (12 x 16 ins) RM10045 P1019 Recto upper left: RM Verso not signed,not dated Artist's studio no: P81-2652 Provenance: Dedalus Foundation, 1991. Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London, 2007. Exhibited: Galerie Templon, Paris, Robert Motherwell Open Series, 17 May - 21 July 2018. Literature: Hobbs, R., Kuspit, D., Mattison, R., Ostrow, S., Yau, J., Collings, M., 2009. Robert Motherwell ‘Open...
Charcoal, Acrylic
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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...
Charcoal, Acrylic
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Premonition Open, with Flesh over Grey
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Premonition Open, with Flesh over Grey, 1974, belongs to an extended series of works that came to be called the Opens and which came about by a happy accident. Leaning a finished can...
Charcoal, Acrylic Polymer, Graphite
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Two Figures No. 12
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Two Figures No. 12 1958 Oil on paperboard 19.1 x 24.1 cms (7 1/2 x 9 1/2 ins) RM12376 W41 Motherwell painted this work in Saint-Jean-de-Luz during the summer of 19...
Oil, Board
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Untitled
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991) Untitled 1990 Acrylic and coloured pencil on panel 40.6 x 50.8 cms (16 x 20 ins) RM13143 P1195 The composition of this painting is based on the left ...
Acrylic, Panel, Color Pencil
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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...
Charcoal, Acrylic
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Open No. 126: In Beige with Blue
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991) Open No. 126: In Beige with Blue 1970 Acrylic on canvas 61 x 76.2 cms (24 x 30 ins) RM13967 P533 The dedication on the verso of this painting is to the artist and editor Alexander Liberman (1912-1999) and his wife Tatiana (1906-1991). Signed, titled, dated twice 1970 and inscribed Merry Xmas to Tatiana & Alex Liberman from their friend Bob Motherwell on the stretcher. Provenance: Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Liberman, New York (gift of the artist). High Museum of Art, Atlanta (gift of the above in 1991). Sotheby's New York, 14 November 2012, lot 138. Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London (acquired at the above sale). Exhibited: Galerie Templon, Paris, Robert Motherwell Open...
Acrylic
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Paroles peintes III: Untitled
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Open-bite etching printed in dark, brownish black on fibrous Japan paper. Signed "R. Motherwell," or "Motherwell" in pencil, lower right. Numbered in pencil, lower right. Paper size:...
Etching
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America - La France variations I, 46/70 color lithograph with collage
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Three Oaks, MI
America-La France Variations I 1983-4. Lithograph in colors with collage on Tyler Graphics Ltd. handmade paper. Signed in pencil Numbered 46/70 (there were also XVIII artist’s proofs...
Lithograph
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The Red and Black No. 52
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Houston, TX
Robert Motherwell's "The Red and Black No.52" is an abstract collage that incorporates oil based etching ink, pasted papers, and aquatint on paper. The piece was created between the ...
Paper, Ink, Aquatint
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Study for Open Series
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Acrylic and graphite on paper. 15.2 x 21 cms (6 x 8 1/4 ins)
Acrylic, Graphite
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The Brown Stripe
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Acrylic and pasted papers on paper 35.6 x 21 cms (14 x 8 1/2 ins)
Paper, Acrylic
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Cabaret No. 2
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Acrylic, pasted papers, and graphite on paper 56 x 26 cms (22 x 10 1/4 ins)
Mixed Media, Acrylic
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Cabaret No. 8
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Acrylic, pencil and collage on paper 55.9 x 26 cms (22 x 10 1/4 ins)
Mixed Media, Acrylic
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St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (Poster) -- signed limited edition
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Missouri, MO
Original color lithograph designed by Robert Motherwell for the 94th Season, Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra From the limited edition of 120 + A.P.s on Arches Cove...
Lithograph