Skip to main content

Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

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.

to
6
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
7
1
1
2
4
3
6
1
1
1
211
136
110
89
77
2
6
Artist: Robert Motherwell
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 Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

Paris Suite (Autumn)
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 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. Created in 1980, "Paris Suite...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Lithograph

Lyric Suite: Liberté Toute Entière No. 3
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Black ink with orange bleed on rice paper 22.9 x 27.9 cms (9 x 11 ins)
Category

20th Century Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

Lyric Suite
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Ink on rice paper 27.9 x 22.9 cms (11 x 9 ins)
Category

20th Century Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

Lyric Suite (Brown No. 4)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Ink on rice paper 27.9 x 22.9 cms (11 x 9 ins)
Category

20th Century Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

Lyric Suite
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Ink on rice paper 27.9 x 22.9 cms (11 x 9 ins)
Category

20th Century Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

Automatism No. 11
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Automatism No. 11 1965 Ink and oil on paper 67.3 x 61.6 cms (26 1/2 x 24 1/4 ins) Part of the Beside the Sea series, a series of oil paintings influenced by Mother...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Oil

Related Items
Nature Morte
By (circle of) Pierre Ambrogiani
Located in Belgrade, MT
This colorful lithograph is part of my private collection. It is a limited edition , 1 print available, signed and numbered 25/150. It is in very good condition. Vibrant and colorful.
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Lithograph

Contemporary Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Panel', C. 1994 by David Ruth
By David Ruth
Located in Oakland, CA
This is a contemporary abstract watercolor painting by artist David Ruth. This series of paintings often feature bright colors and vibrant layouts that draw the viewer in. They are c...
Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Untitled
By Franz Kline
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Provenance: Marlborough Gallery David McKee, Inc. Manny Silverman Gallery Private collection, Los Angeles
Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink

Untitled
Untitled
$104,000 Sale Price
20% Off
H 8.5 in W 11.88 in
"Labyrinth" Acrylics and Ink on Paper in Hues of Raw Umber, Black and White
By Karina Gentinetta
Located in New York, NY
"Labyrinth" 2021, 23.5" x 21.5" vertical drawing on paper by Argentine-born artist Karina Gentinetta (featured in Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, New York Times, Traditional Home, ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Glaze, Ink, Acrylic

"Study for SWEEPS, " Pigment Ink on Canvas, 2018
By Jan Pieter Fokkens
Located in Chicago, IL
The colorful paintings of Jan Pieter Fokkens transport us to distant worlds beyond our comprehension. Within seemingly infinite networks of lines, dots, and crosses, he decodes the r...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Canvas, Ink

Composition
By Karl Peter Röhl
Located in Zug, CH
Abstract composition on paper by Karl Peter Röhl.
Category

20th Century Modern Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

India Ink, Watercolor

Composition
$4,201
H 24.14 in W 16.97 in D 0.4 in
Abstract Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Sculpture', 2008 by David Ruth
By David Ruth
Located in Oakland, CA
This is a contemporary abstract watercolor painting by artist David Ruth. This series of paintings often feature bright colors and vibrant layouts that draw the viewer in. They are c...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Untitled #2 - Emmanuelle Messika, 21st Century, Abstract drawing
By Emmanuelle Messika
Located in Paris, FR
Coloured inks and pastel on paper Signed Gestural abstraction Outsider art Artist’s statement : "Painting, for me, is an expressive endeavor in which one depicts the evolution of the various facets of the artistic self. There is, on each canvas, a tension where violence and stillness naturally coexist. By playing with different materials, I seek to establish a sort of unexpected dialogue between these states, and aspire to express this tension through profusion of color. The canvas is the stage that allows me to unite narration with the action of painting the fantastic—even the outrageous---and the everyday. I develop scenarios borrowed from the imagination, which join fantasy, even fables, with the everyday. Pulling threads from each domain, I bring together the mythical and the quotidian, so that the worlds of reality and fantasy merge. I rely on “creatures,” improbable little characters that could exist in some other realm or dimension. They materialize, issuing forth from the surprising, unbelievable and wondrous world of childhood. Human or animal, both find themselves entangled in inextricable and melancholic situations. These inextricable situations create distance; the humor comes through this breach. It is the absurdity of their predicaments that manifests the humor in the work. In each of my paintings, the sentiments are heightened by an intentional, provocative tone that transforms the work. An Otherness is attributed to objects; objects become personified, and by their very presence, they become witnesses or guinea pigs torn between and bound to their dilemma. The titles of my paintings, whether invented or quotations taken out of context, come from literature, theater, or song lyrics. Accident and chance are often major actors in my work.” Emmanuelle Messika BIOGRAPHY : Emmanuelle Messika was born in France in 1979. She works and lives in Paris. STUDIES 1999-2005 École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris Diplômée en Juin 2005 2004 Échange universitaire à Hunter College, New York NY, USA 1993-1999 Ateliers des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, Montparnasse PERSONAL EXHIBITIONS : 2019 Claire Corcia Gallery, Paris 2018 Claire Corcia Gallery, Paris Outsider Art Fair, Paris 2012 Art Contemporain Sèvres, "La Chartreuse", Sèvres 2011 Espace Seven, Galerie De Vos, Paris 2010 Les Trois Baudets, Paris Galerie Mariska Hammoudi, Paris Galerie Crous -Beaux-Arts, Paris L'Apparemment Café, Paris 2009 Espace Rachi, Paris 2008 Galerie Console, Paris 2007 Exposition Place du Québec, Mairie du sixième, Paris 2006 Galerie Eonnet-Dupuis, Paris 2005 Galerie Crous Beaux Arts, Paris 2004 The Mark Bar, "Bring your own flashlight", Brooklin, New York 2003 Le Glaz’art, Paris 2002 9 rue Dauphine, Paris 2001 Galerie Gauche, École des Beaux-Arts, Paris 2000 La grosse caisse, Paris La liberté, Paris GROUP SHOWS 2011 Chic Art Fair, Galerie Mariska Hammoudi Galerie De Vos, Espace Seven 2010 Galerie Mariska Hammoudi, Paris Chic Dessin, avec Cherry Gallery...
Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel, Ink

'Midsummer's Noon'. Sunflower abstract painting blue yellow floral abstract
By Sophia Milligan
Located in Penzance, GB
'Midsummer's Noon' Original Artwork. Unframed ________________________ With transitory beauty, the sunflower turns to face the brazen light of the solstice sun. 'Midsummer's Noon' ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paint, Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Photogram, Acrylic

Abstract Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Sculpture', C. 2000 by David Ruth
By David Ruth
Located in Oakland, CA
This is a contemporary abstract watercolor painting by artist David Ruth. This series of paintings often feature bright colors and vibrant layouts that draw the viewer in. They are c...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

'Paradise Remembered'. Botanical environmental tropical painting
By Sophia Milligan
Located in Penzance, GB
'Paradise, Remembered' Original Artwork. Unframed ___________________ Late August sun breaks joyously through the low morning cloud, an easterly breeze rustling through the strelitzi...
Category

2010s Contemporary Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Photogram

Contemporary Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Light', c. 2000 by David Ruth
By David Ruth
Located in Oakland, CA
This is a contemporary abstract watercolor painting by artist David Ruth. This series of paintings often feature bright colors and vibrant layouts that draw the viewer in. They are c...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Previously Available Items
Lyric Suite (D65-2568)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in New York, NY
Robert Motherwell Lyric Suite (D65-2568), 1965 Gouache and ink on paper 9h x 11w in
Category

1960s Post-War Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Gouache

Robert Motherwell abstract drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Robert Motherwell abstract drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Robert Motherwell in ink, lithograph, oil 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 abstract drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 9 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Mark di Suvero, Carmen Cicero, and Erle Loran. Robert Motherwell abstract drawings and watercolors prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $6,900 and tops out at $300,000, while the average work can sell for $30,000.
Questions About Robert Motherwell Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
  • 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.

Recently Viewed

View All