Recto, lower left [painted over]: [RM \ 1965]
Verso, on backing board: "AUTOMATISM # 1" \ For Becky + Bernard \ on their 45th \ Anniversary 1965 \ Robert Motherwell

Private collection

Rebecca and Bernard Reis, 1965; private collection, 1977; [Freeman’s | Hindman, November 14, 2024, lot 17]

This drawing belongs to the 1965 Automatism series (see catalogue raisonné numbers D354–D372). The titling and numbering of this series is inconsistent. Not all of the works were given a specific Automatism series title, or some may eventually have lost that title. Among those that were given a series title, several were given the same number, but with a supplemental alphabetical addition (for example Automatism No. 2, 2A, 2B, and 2C). This drawing shares a title with an acrylic and crayon painting on paperboard from the same year (see catalogue raisonné number W202).

The inscription on the backing board refers to Bernard and Rebecca Reis, who were friends of Motherwell’s since the early 1940s when Bernard became his accountant.