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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By Robert Motherwell
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Framed, unique strike with significant hand coloring in acrylic paint on printed 2 color lithograph on paper by American artist Robert Motherwell (1915-1991). Signed in upper left c...
Paper, Ink, Acrylic
Price Upon Request
Elegy Sketch
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Elegy Sketch 1980-ca. 1984 Acrylic on canvas board 15 x 29.5 cms (5 7/8 x 11 5/8 ins) RM-P80-2500 P1008 An early version of this work was photographed in 1980 (Sloman photo no. 1217). Studio photographs show that Motherwell modified the black forms and added the white lines sometime around 1984, without changing the overall composition. Exhibited: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Robert Motherwell, 1984, no. 106. Manny Silverman Gallery...
Acrylic
Price Upon Request
Black Open
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Black Open 1973 Acrylic on canvas 182.9 x 91.4 cms (72 x 36 ins) RM9611 P735 Motherwell's fascination with black started when he was wo...
Acrylic
Price Upon Request
Open No. 45: In Blue with Brown
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991) Open No. 45: In Blue with Brown 1969 Acrylic and charcoal on canvas 55.9 x 71.1 cms (22 x 28 ins) RM9741 P447 Exhibited: Art Galleries, American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York, Exhibition of Work by Newly Elected Members and Recipients of Awards, 1970, no. 55. Galerie Templon, Paris, Robert Motherwell Open...
Charcoal, Acrylic
Price Upon Request
Alberti Suite No. 8
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Alberti Suite No. 8 1970 Acrylic on canvas 101.6 x 75.6 cms (40 x 29 3/4 ins) RM9811 P526 One of the several variants Motherwell painted within the Open series. I...
Acrylic
Price Upon Request
Dr. Zhivago's Country Study
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Dr. Zhivago's Country Study 1975 Acrylic on canvas board 14 x 45.7 cms (5 1/2 x 18 ins) RM9816 P853 Recto, upper left: Motherwell \ 75 Verso: "Dr Zhivago's Country...
Acrylic
Price Upon Request
Untitled (Open in Yellow, Black and Blue)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Untitled (Open in Yellow, Black and Blue) 1970 Acrylic and charcoal on canvas board 25.4 x 61 cms (10 x 24 ins) RM9819 P588 Signed lower right (recto) Artist's studio number P74-290 Provenance: Dedalus Foundation, New York...
Charcoal, Acrylic
Price Upon Request
Untitled (Red Open)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Untitled (Red Open) ca. 1970 Acrylic and charcoal on canvas board 17.8 x 22.8 cms (7 x 9 ins) RM9923 P575 Artist's studio number P71-286 Signed (verso) Provenance...
Charcoal, Acrylic
Price Upon Request
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
Price Upon Request
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
Price Upon Request
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
Price Upon Request
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
Price Upon Request
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
Price Upon Request
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
Price Upon Request
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
Price Upon Request
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
Price Upon Request
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
Price Upon Request
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
Price Upon Request
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
"Palm Pair" Abstract Painting 14" x 20" inch by Salah Boutros
By Salah Boutros
Located in Culver City, CA
"Palm Pair" Abstract Painting 14" x 20" inch by Salah Boutros Salah Boutros was born in 1964 in Cairo where he still lives and works. He gained a BA degree from the Faculty of Fine ...
Paper, Acrylic
$980Sale Price|30% Off
H 24 in W 18 in
The Secret Garden (Abstract Contemporary Painting, Framed)
By G. Campbell Lyman
Located in New Orleans, LA
(Comes professionally framed in a solid maple floater frame, ready to hang) Artist's Statement "This series of intensely colorful paintings was begun a couple of years back in reaction to the gray oppressive weight that had descended like a pall on the American scene. I wanted to make paintings about nothing but pure delight, in honor of the fact that beneath the fog of germs and political antagonism, we still eat, laugh, love and if we're wise, acknowledge how spectacularly fortunate we are -- at least for now, in this time and place, despite the problems. For me, the colors, forms and brushstrokes here feel exuberant without suggesting an unnerving chaos. I have purposely used unlikely color combinations that despite their dissonance seem to work together. I don't feel this is a time to be making brooding works that reflect the problems we are working our way through; we all know about this. On the contrary, I think it's a time for art...
Lacquer, Charcoal, House Paint, Oil, Acrylic
$11,000
H 49.5 in W 37.5 in D 2.5 in
"Divine Spontaneity II" Acrylic, Oil Pastels, Pencils Abstract Painting 48"x36"
By Karina Gentinetta
Located in New York, NY
"Divine Spontaneity II" 2023, 48" H x 36" W. Vertical abstract painting consisting of acrylics, house paint, oil pastels, color pencils, and carbon pencils on canvas by Argentine-bo...
House Paint, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil, Oil Pastel, Color Pencil
$1,401
H 20.87 in W 32.68 in D 1.19 in
Urban Abstraction (ripped off posters) Italian Expressionist Painting on Canvas
By Andrea Spinelli
Located in Firenze, IT
The present work of art titled "Urban Abstraction (ripped off posters)" is part of a series of paintings that the artist composed in the 1980s and 1990s inspired by the observation of the urban reality of those years. The artist take the cue from his walks in Florence, both in the center and in the suburbs, and by the observation of billboards and posters scattered throughout the city. The mass of information, colors, messages and words were carried on the canvas with acrylic colors, ideally reconstructing the tears and overlaps of all the information and advertising contained on these huge sheets of paper that invade our cities. The geometric lines are overlaid with jagged lines, overlaps and color dripping and also the choice in the color palette, with different shades of white, gray, rose, orange red and blue helps in rendering the result of the tears and ripped paper. The result is a beautiful multicolored modern abstract canvas, both aesthetically and ethically, with many rich layers of color, texture and expression in which the artist leaves his own message. The painting is housed in a simple modern white lacquer wood frame. Andrea Spinelli...
Canvas, Acrylic
$546
H 39.38 in W 27.56 in D 0.2 in
Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night-Hand painted No 2 Limited Edition of Ten
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This striking large hand painted limited Edition is No. 2 of only 10 in existence. 90% of the painting is hand-painted in oil and gesso on giclee by Shizico Yi, the edition featuring...
Gesso, Ink, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Giclée
$645
H 24 in W 18 in
Plants in Pottery Pots - Original Abstract Colorful Botanical Painting on Paper
By Krisanne Souter
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Krisanne Souter weaves together elements of nature and ancient feminine archetypes, such as the Mother and the Mystic. Botanical themes, playful elements, and unexpected surprises ar...
Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor, Color Pencil
$20,000
H 73.5 in W 61.5 in D 2.5 in
"Rhapsody in Red" Large-Scale Acrylic, Oil Pastels, Pencils Abstract 72"x60"
By Karina Gentinetta
Located in New York, NY
"Rhapsody in Red", 2025, 72" H x 60" W. Large-scale abstract painting in hues of a warm, desaturated crimson consisting of acrylic, pencils, and oil pastels on canvas by Argentine-bo...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil
$20,000
H 73.5 in W 61.5 in D 3 in
"Adagio in Burnt Umber" Acrylic, Oil Pastels, Pencils Brown Hue Abstract 72"x60"
By Karina Gentinetta
Located in New York, NY
"Adagio in Burnt Umber" 2025, 72" H x 60" W. Abstract, mixed media painting consisting of acrylic, pencils, and oil pastels on canvas by Argentine-born artist Karina Gentinetta (feat...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil
$28,000
H 85.5 in W 61.5 in D 2.5 in
"Ranunculus II" Large Acrylic, Oil Pastels, Pencils Blush Rose Abstract 84"x60"
By Karina Gentinetta
Located in New York, NY
"Ranunculus II", 2024, 84" H x 60" W. Large-scale abstract painting in hues of blush crimson consisting of acrylic, pencils, and oil pastels on canvas by Argentine-born artist Karina...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil
$6,850
H 25 in W 31 in D 1.5 in
"Untitled" Acrylics, Pencils, Oil Pastels on Paper in Neutral Hues of Taupe
By Karina Gentinetta
Located in New York, NY
"Untitled" 2019, 25" x 31" horizontal drawing on paper by Argentine-born artist Karina Gentinetta (featured in Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, the...
Glaze, Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil
$5,000
H 49 in W 57 in
Magical Mycorrhiza - Original Art - Vibrant Exploration of Nature and Connection
By Jonas Fisch
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Swedish artist Jonas Fisch’s imagery is vibrantly buzzing with colorful commentary on society - past and present - morphed into figures, words, and shapes. His heavily layered canvas...
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Fabric
$890
H 28 in W 40 in D 0.1 in
Trail with Path, Expressionist Diptych, Abstract Landscape, Earth Tones Painting
By Albert Ducet
Located in Barcelona, ES
In "Trail with Path" Ducet reconsiders impressionist landscape paintings through a contemporary and gestual lens. Natural elements are translated into simplified forms and energetic ...
Paper, Acrylic
Summertime in Italy (Blue) 1966
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), alongside Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, made up the quartet of American abstract painters that radically defined abstraction and...
Lithograph
Summertime in Italy (Blue)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), alongside Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, made up the quartet of American abstract painters that radically defined abstraction and...
Lithograph
Summertime in Italy (Blue)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), alongside Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, made up the quartet of American abstract painters that radically defined abstraction and...
Lithograph
Summertime in Italy (Blue)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), alongside Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, made up the quartet of American abstract painters that radically defined abstraction and...
Lithograph
Summertime in Italy (Blue)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), alongside Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, made up the quartet of American abstract painters that radically defined abstraction and established New York City as the center of the post-war art world. Motherwell was also the unofficial spokesman of the New York School, writing, teaching, and lecturing on behalf of the movement, his fellow artists, and the merits of abstraction. In the 1960s, Motherwell visited Italy on vacation with his then-wife, Helen Frankenthaler. Motherwell was enamoured with the palette of the Italian sky and landscape, specifically in the mountainous Liguria region, which inspired a series of paintings, "Summertime in Italy...
Lithograph
Cor Anglais
By Robert Motherwell
Located in New York, NY
Robert Motherwell Cor Anglais, 1976 acrylic and printed paper collage on paper 22h x 15w in SIGNATURE signed with the artist's initials and dated 'RM 11 Feb 76' (lower left) EXHIBITIONS New Jersey, Montclair Art Museum, Robert Motherwell: The Music Collages...
Acrylic
Untitled (#19)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Untitled (#19) 1976 Etching ink on paper 64.8 x 49.5 cms (25 1/2 x 19 1/2 ins) RM17068
Monotype