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
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
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
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
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...
Oil
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...
Lithograph, Screen
$48,985
H 42.5 in W 39.25 in D 1 in
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/...
Mixed Media, Lithograph, Screen
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...
Screen
$1,400
H 40.25 in W 55.25 in
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...
Screen
$18,000
H 38 in W 30 in D 2 in
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...
Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Rag Paper, Screen
$35,000
H 38.5 in W 38 in
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...
Lithograph, Screen
$5,800
H 51 in W 44.5 in D 2 in
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 ...
Paper
$5,429
H 25.99 in W 29.53 in D 1.58 in
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...
Oil
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...
Color Pencil, Screen
$1,008
H 18.51 in W 18.12 in
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...
Screen
"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...
Wood, Paint
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