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.
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...
Screen, Color
$5,400Sale Price|20% Off
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...
Paint
$11,600Sale Price|20% Off
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...
Paper
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...
Screen
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...
Screen, Color
Watchmen
By Tony Dagradi
Located in New Orleans, LA
[New Orleans, LA ::: b. 1952 - Queens, NY] BIO : TONY DAGRADI is an internationally recognized jazz performer, artist, composer, author and educator. For over three decades he has...
Paper, Varnish
$1,036Sale Price|20% Off
H 45 in W 30 in
Frankenthaler, Solar Imp 2001, Lincoln Center New York City Ballet
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: After Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) Title: Solar Imp (Lincoln Center Salute’s the New York City Ballet) Year: 2001 Medium: Silkscreen poster on extra thick Somerset paper E...
Screen
$2,800
H 27.25 in W 27.25 in D 2 in
Richard Paul Lohse - Geometric Abstraction Silkscreen on velin Signed/N, Framed
Located in New York, NY
RICHARD PAUL LOHSE Penetration of Four Interlaced Colour Groups (Durchdringung von vier verschränkten Farbgruppen), 1970 Color Silkscreen on velincarton (thin board) Edition 32/50 P...
Screen
$614Sale Price|20% Off
H 24.02 in W 19.69 in
A composition. Geometrical Abstract Oil Painting, Polish artist
By Iwona Delińska
Located in Warsaw, PL
Contemporary abstraction oil on canvas painting by Polish artist Iwona Delinska. Artwork is painted with different density paint which makes every layer of composition dynamic. Some ...
Canvas, Oil
Serie Madrid B, 1990
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
Jesus Soto (1923-2005) Serie Madrid B, 1990 Denise Rene Editeur, Paris (with Denise Rene's blind-stamp) Screen print in heavy paper 59 x 45.3 in (150 x 115 cm) Professionally framed...
Screen
$236Sale Price|20% Off
H 11.42 in W 15.75 in
Citroen 15CV - Contemporary Watercolor & Ink Painting, Vintage Car, Realistic
By Mariusz Szałajdewicz
Located in Warsaw, PL
Mariusz Szalajdewicz (b. 1974) Studied at the Faculty of Architecture at Warsaw University of Technology, where he mastered the drawing skill. Architect and urbanist, illustrator.
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
$1,000
H 33 in W 35 in
Paper Ball 100% Silk Scarf w/tag designed by Alexander Calder, Estate authorized
By Alexander Calder
Located in New York, NY
Alexander Calder (after) Paper Ball, 2001 100% silkscreen on silk scarf 33 inches × 35 inches - fully opened (unfolded) Unframed Published by Powerball, with special authorization from the Estate of Alexander Calder In 1949 Calder was commissioned by the New York firm Laverne Originals to create two designs for use as fabric and wallpaper. This design - Paint Ball, a beautiful silk scarf...
Silk, Screen, Fabric
$1,500
H 0.5 in Dm 10.5 in
Acrobat (detail), Limited Edition Porcelain Plate in bespoke gift box - Abstract
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
This porcelain/ceramic plate makes a gorgeous gift - in a bright blue bespoke box, ready to be gifted. Any fan of Helen Frankenthaler or Abstract Expressionist art would be thrilled!...
Porcelain, Screen, Cardboard, Mixed Media
Magic Rainbow II, Limited Edition Signed Print
By Yaacov Agam
Located in San Rafael, CA
Yaacov Agam (b. 1928) Magic Rainbow II, late 20th century Screenprint in colors on wove paper LXIII/XC (edition 63/90) Signed and numbered in pencil along lower edge 13 x 15...
Screen
Aerie
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
Signed and numbered in pencil
Screen
Erebos
Located in Miami, FL
Gerd Leufert Title: Erebos Signed, titled, dated ‘91 and inscribed P/A in pencil (lower center) Screenprint on paper 23⅝ by 22⅜ in. / 60 by 56.8 cm. Executed in 1991, this work is an artist’s proof from an edition of 35 plus 1 artist’s proof. Provenance: Private Collection, Venezuela - Acquired from the above by the present owner - Sotheby's Auction “The first duty of the creator: restlessness,” Gerd Leufert wrote in 1985, looking back on his 30-year career as an artist, designer, museum worker, and professor of art in Venezuela.1 Bridging the worlds of commerce and culture in Caracas, Leufert’s impact on art and design owed to his interdisciplinary approach: the influence of cutting-edge developments in abstract art appeared in his graphic design, while the efficiency and bold contrast of mid-century design characterized his paintings. An immigrant born in German-controlled Lithuania at the cusp of the first World War, Leufert studied arts and design in Hannover, Mainz, and, finally, in Munich with the German typographer Fritz H...
Screen
$263Sale Price|24% Off
H 22.25 in W 29.75 in D 0.02 in
Roy Ahlgren 'Allegro' Signed Limited Edition Serigraph Print
By Roy Ahlgren
Located in San Rafael, CA
Roy Ahlgren Allegro, 1986 Serigraph Signed, title and edition in pencil in lower margin Edition 5/100 Sheet: 22 1/4in H x 29 3/4in L (unframed) Ahlgren came to art relatively late ...
Archival Paper, Screen
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...
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...
Wool