Skip to main content

Robert Motherwell More 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.

to
2
1
2
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
3
2
3
3
5
3
1
1
225
267
225
125
116
5
Artist: Robert Motherwell
The Basque Suite #4
The Basque Suite #4

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 More Art

Materials

Screen, Color

Primal Sign I, 1979-80

Primal Sign I, 1979-80

By Robert Motherwell

Located in Santa Monica, CA

Robert Motherwell – Primal Sign I 1979–1980 Medium: Color Aquatint & Lift-Ground Etching on Cream Whatman Paper Edition: 38/60 Artwork Size: 23.5 x 18 in Framed Size: 34.75 x 28.25 i...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Paint

The Basque Suite #5
The Basque Suite #5

The Basque Suite #5

By Robert Motherwell

Located in New York, NY

Color screenprint on J. B. Green paper, 1970-71. Initialed by the artist and numbered 123/150 in pencil, lower right. Printed by Kelpra Studio, London. Published by Marlborough Gra...

Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Screen, Color

Harvest, with Two White Stripes, 1960-1980

Harvest, with Two White Stripes, 1960-1980

By Robert Motherwell

Located in Santa Monica, CA

Robert Motherwell – Harvest, with Two White Stripes 1960–1980 Medium: Lithograph on Paper Edition: 55/55 Artwork Size: 30 x 11.75 in Framed Size: 40.75 x 22.5 in Price: $14,500 Robe...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Paper

Untitled #1
Untitled #1

Untitled #1

By Robert Motherwell

Located in New York, NY

Color screenprint on JB Green paper, 1971. Signed by the artist in pencil and numbered 81/150 in pencil, lower right. With the artists blind stamp in the lower margin. Printed by K...

Category

1970s Abstract Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Screen

Related Items
Oil Portrait of a Victorian Lady, c. 1850
Oil Portrait of a Victorian Lady, c. 1850

Oil Portrait of a Victorian Lady, c. 1850, c. 1850

$1,480

H 13.75 in W 11.5 in D 1.75 in

Oil Portrait of a Victorian Lady, c. 1850

Located in Chicago, IL

Painted in the 19th century, this exquisite miniature portrait wonderfully exemplifies realism in traditional oil painting. The small artwork is painted in the conventional portraiture style of the Old Masters, and achieves soft realism with fine brushwork and a subdued, neutral palette. The half length portrait depicts a fine Victorian woman dressed in all black with a delicate lace collar and bonnet. She wears a ruby broach...

Category

Mid-19th Century Old Masters Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Oil

Sunapee
Sunapee

Frank StellaSunapee, 1974

$8,000

H 22.5 in W 17.25 in

Sunapee

By Frank Stella

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Frank Stella (1936-2024) is one of our favorite 20th-century artists. He helped topple Abstract Expressionism, ushering in a new style and approach to art-making. His aesthetic encou...

Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Lithograph, Screen

Frank Stella, Whitney Museum exhibited graphic work with Label, Signed/N, Framed
Frank Stella, Whitney Museum exhibited graphic work with Label, Signed/N, Framed

Frank Stella, Whitney Museum exhibited graphic work with Label, Signed/N, Framed

By Frank Stella

Located in New York, NY

Frank Stella (Whitney Museum Exhibited) Shards IVA (Axsom 151), 1982 Lithograph & Silkscreen on Arches Cover Paper (Whitney Museum exhibition label verso of frame) 45 1/2 × 39 1/...

Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Lithograph, Screen

Composition, Salute, Grace Hartigan
Composition, Salute, Grace Hartigan

Grace HartiganComposition, Salute, Grace Hartigan, 1960

$4,796Sale Price|20% Off

H 17.625 in W 14 in

Composition, Salute, Grace Hartigan

By Grace Hartigan

Located in Southampton, NY

Silkscreen on handmade Hahnemühle paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the album, Salute, 1960. Published and printed by Tiber Press, New York under...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Screen

Giuseppe Capogrossi Iconic Comb Design "Superficie 324" Serigrafia
Giuseppe Capogrossi Iconic Comb Design "Superficie 324" Serigrafia

Giuseppe Capogrossi Iconic Comb Design "Superficie 324" Serigrafia

By Giuseppe Capogrossi

Located in Detroit, MI

"Superficie 324" is a 1988 screen print (serigraph) of a 1959 painting by Capogrossi. This is one of his famous "comb" or "fork" works that he perfected in the 1950s and continued to create for the remainder of his life. The blocks of primary red and yellow colors give a bright, joyful feel and contrast to the strong bold black that was Capogrossi's consistent color for the "combs". With no allegorical, psychological, or symbolic meanings, these structural elements could be assembled and connected in countless variations. Intricate and insistent, Capogrossi's signs determined the construction of the pictorial surface. This piece is identified along one side: Giuseppe Capogrossi By SIAE 1988 Silvio Zamorani Editor Via Saccarelli, 9 10144 Torino Italy Tel. (39)(11) 4730554 Progetto Grafico (Graphic Project): Studio Walter Benjamin. Serigrafia (Screen Print): BISI Torino. Capogrossi was born in Rome. After obtaining a degree in law in 1923–1924, he decided to study painting with Felice Carena at Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma. In 1927 Capogrossi embarked on a formative trip to Paris together with fellow artists and acquaintances Fausto Pirandello, Corrado Cagli and Emanuele Cavalli...

Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Screen

Sam Gilliam - Monoprint with collage acrylic stitching & embossing Signed Framed
Sam Gilliam - Monoprint with collage acrylic stitching & embossing Signed Framed

Sam Gilliam - Monoprint with collage acrylic stitching & embossing Signed Framed

By Sam Gilliam

Located in New York, NY

Monoprint with screenprint, collage, acrylic, stitching and embossing in colors on handmade paper, 1994, signed, dated, titled, and numbered 10/40 (each unique) in black and silver i...

Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Rag Paper, Screen

Polar Co-ordinates Variant Ia, from Polar Co-ordinates for Ronnie Peterson
Polar Co-ordinates Variant Ia, from Polar Co-ordinates for Ronnie Peterson

Polar Co-ordinates Variant Ia, from Polar Co-ordinates for Ronnie Peterson

By Frank Stella

Located in Palo Alto, CA

Frank Stella Polar Co-ordinates Variant Ia, from Polar Co-ordinates for Ronnie Peterson, 1980 is a print that is from the Polar Coordinates for Ronnie Peterson series. Using the titl...

Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Lithograph, Screen

Robert Rauschenberg "Broken Harp" Pencil Signed Lithograph 24/500 executed 1989
Robert Rauschenberg "Broken Harp" Pencil Signed Lithograph 24/500 executed 1989

Robert Rauschenberg "Broken Harp" Pencil Signed Lithograph 24/500 executed 1989

By Robert Rauschenberg

Located in Dallas, TX

Signed and numbered lithograph on woven paper designed by Robert Rauschenberg titled "Broken Harp". An early edition, number 24 of only 500 prints ever made. Executed on woven paper ...

Category

1980s Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Paper

Snow Receding - Victor Egorov, Russian, Landscape, Snow, Woodland, Season, birch
Snow Receding - Victor Egorov, Russian, Landscape, Snow, Woodland, Season, birch

Snow Receding - Victor Egorov, Russian, Landscape, Snow, Woodland, Season, birch

By Victor Egorov

Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh

Receding Snow is an original oil onto canvas by Russian painter Victor Egorov. It depicts the turning of seasons as Egorov details the receding snow from...

Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Oil

Caroni
Caroni

Jesús Rafael SotoCaroni, 1971

$4,000

H 36 in W 26 in

Caroni

By Jesús Rafael Soto

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Color screenprint, color pencil on heavy white wove paper, 1971. 840x595 mm; 33 1/4×23 1/2 inches (sheet), full margins. Signed and numbered 47/175 in pencil, lower margin. Publishe...

Category

1970s Abstract Geometric Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Color Pencil, Screen

Emil Schumacher Original Terragraphie aus dem Buch Genesis 1998, Nr. 3 German
Emil Schumacher Original Terragraphie aus dem Buch Genesis 1998, Nr. 3 German

Emil Schumacher Original Terragraphie aus dem Buch Genesis 1998, Nr. 3 German

Located in Eltville am Rhein, DE

Emil Schumacher Hagen 1912–1999 San José/Ibiza Genesis, Sheet 3 Terragraph on sturdy handmade paper Dimensions: 40.5 x 40 cm Frame: 47 x 47 cm From an edition of 120 unsigned copie...

Category

1990s Abstract Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Screen

"Protector One" Folk Art Crow Sculpture
"Protector One" Folk Art Crow Sculpture

"Protector One" Folk Art Crow Sculpture

Located in Chicago, IL

Richly textured with whimsical appeal, this late 20th century wooden crow is a delightful example of naive American sculpture. Poised mid-caw, the crow's wings are outstretched, read...

Category

Late 20th Century Folk Art Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Wood, Paint

Previously Available Items
Untitled- From Ten Works X Ten Painters
Untitled- From Ten Works X Ten Painters

Untitled- From Ten Works X Ten Painters

By Robert Motherwell

Located in New York, NY

This stunning screen print with collage was realized by the esteemed Abstract Expressionist artist Robert Motherwell in 1964. It features an anthropomorphic form- reminiscent of a st...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell More Art

Africa
Africa

Africa

By Robert Motherwell

Located in Toronto, Ontario

ROBERT MOTHERWELL "AFRICA" TAPESTRY, 1970 $6,000 Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), alongside Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, made up the quartet of American a...

Category

1960s Robert Motherwell More Art

Materials

Wool

Robert Motherwell more art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Robert Motherwell more art available for sale on 1stDibs.
Questions About Robert Motherwell More 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.