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Robert Motherwell / Selected Artworks
Abstract painting whose black paint consumes the majority of the canvas, aside from small vertical breaks of white, yellow, and red hues; a mass of black paint at the bottom of the composition covers much of these non-black areas of color

Face of the Night (For Octavio Paz)

ca. 1977 - 1979 / 1981

Abstract painting whose black paint consumes the majority of the canvas, aside from small vertical breaks of white, yellow, and red hues; a mass of black paint at the bottom of the composition covers much of these non-black areas of color
Acrylic on canvas
72 ✕ 180 in. (182.9 ✕ 457.2 cm)

Selected artworks

Abstract drawing in black pencil; within a precise rectangular outline are loose, organic shapes and lines varying in width and size

Untitled

1978

Wall Painting with Stripes, 1945, oil on canvas, 54 ✕ 67 1/8 in. (137.2 ✕ 170.5 cm)

Wall Painting with Stripes

1944 / 1945

The Homely Protestant, 1948, oil and casein on Masonite, 97 3/4 ✕ 48 1/4 in. (248.3 ✕ 122.6 cm)

The Homely Protestant

1948

At Five in the Afternoon, 1948-1949, Casein and graphite on paperboard, 15 ✕ 20 in. (38.1 ✕ 50.8 cm)

At Five in the Afternoon

1948 - 1949

Mexican Night, 1979, acrylic on canvas, 48 ✕ 48 in. (121.9 ✕ 121.9 cm)

Mexican Night

1979

Abstract piece on white background with red geometric form beneath organic black, red, and orange forms as well as loose black ink strokes

The Red and Black No. 9

1987 - 1988

The Big 4, 1988, Acrylic and chalk on canvas, 84 ✕ 168 in. (213.4 ✕ 426.7 cm)

The Big 4

1985 - 1986 / 1987 / 1988

Western Air, 1947, oil on canvas, 72 ✕ 54 in. (182.9 ✕ 137.2 cm)

Western Air

1946 - 1947

The Tomb of Cap’tain Ahab, 1953, oil on canvas board, 7 7/8 ✕ 10 in. (20 ✕ 25.4 cm)

The Tomb of Cap’tain Ahab

1953

The Grand Inquisitor, 1989-1990, acrylic and graphite on canvas, 72 ✕ 171 1/8 in. (182.9 ✕ 434.7 cm)

The Grand Inquisitor

1989 - 1990

The Black Sun, 1959, oil on paper mounted on paperboard, 28 3/4 ✕ 22 3/4 in. (73 ✕ 57.8 cm)

The Black Sun

1959 - 1960

Africa, 1965, acrylic on canvas, 81 ✕ 222 1/2 in. (205.7 ✕ 565.2 cm)

Africa

1964 - 1965

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 172 (with Blood), 1989-1990, acrylic and oil stick on canvas, 84 ✕ 120 in. (213.4 ✕ 304.8 cm)

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 172 (with Blood)

1989 - 1990

Abstract collage-painting in various hues of red, blue, and yellow, with two stylized figures separated by juxtaposing colors on the left and right sides of the composition

Pancho Villa, Dead and Alive

1943

Guillotine, 1981, oil and acrylic on canvas, 66 ✕ 50 in. (167.6 ✕ 127 cm)

Guillotine

1966 / 1973 / 1979 - 1981

Open No. 1: In Yellow Ochre, 1967, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, 114 ✕ 84 in. (289.6 ✕ 213.4 cm)

Open No. 1: In Yellow Ochre

1967

Abstract painting with a white background; orange and yellow geometric forms, outlined in black lines, evoke the human figure

Personage, with Yellow Ochre and White

1947

Jour La Maison, Nuit La Rue, 1958, oil on canvas, 69 3/4 ✕ 89 5/8 in. (177.2 ✕ 227.6 cm)

Jour La Maison, Nuit La Rue

1957 - 1958

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 55, 1961, oil on canvas, 70 ✕ 76 1/8 in. (177.8 ✕ 193.4 cm)

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 55

1955 - 1960 /1961 / 1962

An abstract painting featuring shapes in light blue and salmon colors on a white and ochre background

Summertime in Italy No. 28

1962

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 126, 1975, acrylic on canvas, 77 3/4 ✕ 200 1/4 in. (197.5 ✕ 508.6 cm)

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 126

1972 - 1975

Drunk with Turpentine No. 50, 1979, oil on paper, 23 ✕ 29 in. (58.4 ✕ 73.7 cm)

Drunk with Turpentine No. 50

1979

Abstract graphite illustration on white surface that renders fluid and textured organic shapes beneath a long horizontal line

Untitled (Hollow Men Sketch)

1986

Painting with vertical stripes of yellow, grey, and blue; the larger and central blue section contains organic shapes, scraps of ephemera pasted unto the canvas, and pools of red, yellow, and black ink

Mallarmé’s Swan

1942 - 1944

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 100, 1975, oil on canvas, 84 ✕ 240 in. (213.4 ✕ 609.6 cm)

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 100

1962 - 1963 / 1973 - 1975

Abstract illustration on white paper containing organic shapes of black ink with negative space within their forms, along with ink splatters and broad, horizontal brushstrokes

Automatism No. 2A (for Frank O'Hara)

1965

Busy and textured abstract collage with scraps of beige, red, blue, and grey ephemera, as well as black ink lines and paint application throughout

View from a High Tower

1944 - 1945

An abstract painting featuring bright and light blue shapes and black lines on an orange ground

The Poet

1947

Two Figures with Cerulean Blue Stripe, 1960, oil on canvas, 84 ✕ 109 1/4 in. (213.4 ✕ 277.5 cm)

Two Figures with Cerulean Blue Stripe

1960

Illustration on white paper containing black lines, though not perfectly straight, that create a rectangle in the center of the page whose vertical lines extend up to the paper's edge

Open Drawing

1967

Abstract illustration of thin, loose brushstrokes in black atop a white background

Untitled

1976

Elegy to the Spanish Republic XXXIV, 1954, oil on canvas, 80 ✕ 100 in. (203.2 ✕ 254 cm)

Elegy to the Spanish Republic XXXIV

1953 - 1954

Abstract painting showcasing layers of opaque shapes- both geometric and organic, that are colored in hues of black, yellow, violet, and sepia

Wall Painting

1950 - 1951

Je t’aime No. II, 1955 oil and charcoal on canvas, 54 ✕ 72 in. (137.2 ✕ 182.9 cm)

Je t’aime No. II

1955

The Garden Window, 1969, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, 60 ✕ 49 in. (152.4 ✕ 124.5 cm)

The Garden Window

1969 / 1990

Abstract illustration containing broad, encompassing brushstrokes in black ink atop a white background

Untitled (Elegy Sketch)

1977

Mexican Past, 1990-1991, acrylic on canvas, 72 ✕ 144 in. (182.9 ✕ 365.8 cm)

Mexican Past

1990 - 1991

Abstract painting with overlaying rectangles of brown, green and grey hues, as well as a red-pink ovular form on the right and organically patterned rectangle (emphasized by a purple border) on the left

The Pink Mirror

1946

Elegy for the Spanish Republic, XXXV, 1958, oil and Magna on canvas, 80 ✕ 100 in. (203.2 ✕ 254 cm)

Elegy for the Spanish Republic, XXXV

1954 - 1958

Phoenician Red Studio, 1977, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, 86 ✕ 192 in. (218.4 ✕ 487.7 cm)

Phoenician Red Studio

1977

Black ink on white paper loosely configured in the shape of a house, with a triangular roof and two round forms beneath the triangle and within the rectangular base

Dedalus Sketchbook: Mulligan’s Tower

1982

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 78, 1962, oil and magna on canvas, 71 ✕ 132 1/4 in. (180.3 ✕ 335.9 cm)

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 78

1962

A View No. 1, 1958, oil on canvas, 81 1/8 ✕ 104 in. (206.1 ✕ 264.2 cm)

A View No. 1

1958

New England Elegy, 1966, acrylic on canvas, 156 ✕ 180 in. (396.2 ✕ 457.2 cm)

New England Elegy

1966

In Beige with Charcoal No. 1, 1973, acrylic and charcoal on Upson board, 36 ✕ 48 in. (91.4 ✕ 121.9 cm)

In Beige with Charcoal No. 1

1973

Illustration on white paper with black ink evoking an abstracted landscape scene, with stylized foliage and geometric lines that indicate the scene's depth

Mexican Sketchbook (Page 3)

1941

Black ink illustration on white surface with text handwritten below a horizontal rectangle and above a series of vertical rectangles and ovals

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 1

1948

Summertime in Italy No. 7 (in Golden Ochre), 1964, oil and charcoal on canvas, 85 ✕ 69 in. (215.9 ✕ 175.3 cm)

Summertime in Italy No. 7 (in Golden Ochre)

1961 - 1964

Abstract painting

The Hollow Men

1983

Painting with orange background, white and blue horizontal stripes at the bottom of the composition, and a central white rectangle with a scrap of ephemera pasted unto the surface

The French Line

1960

Abstract illustration on a white surface with black ink forming a large teardrop-like shape surrounded by smaller ink splatters

Untitled

1967

Abstract painting bisected (roughly) diagonally between black and white paint, with a round organic form in the center that contains hues of red, yellow, and grey

N.R.F. Collage No. 1

1959 - 1960

Black ink splatters on white surface with a scrap of ephemera pasted in the upper-left corner

Sky and Pelikan

1961

Abstract painting on a cream background with four horizontal brushstrokes of red and black ink; two large pools of black ink overlay these streaks

Lyric Suite

1965

Beside the Sea No. 5, 1962, Oil on paper, 29 ✕ 23 in. (73.7 ✕ 58.4 cm)

Beside the Sea No. 5

1962

Wall of the Temple, 1951, oil on Masonite, 96 ✕ 192 in. (243.8 ✕ 487.7 cm)

Wall of the Temple

1951

Abstract painting of vertical geometric forms colored in black and yellow hues with black, white, and green organic shapes nestled within/between the geometric forms

The Voyage

1949

Collage on opaque black background with semitransparent white material layered centrally; a small black scrap pierces the organic white form in its center

Night Music Opus No. 16

1989

Abstract ink illustration in hues of red and black that evoke three stylized figures with drops of red ink on them

Three Personages Shot (6 June)

1944

Spanish Picture with Window, 1941, oil on canvas, 42 ✕ 34 in. (106.7 ✕ 86.4 cm)

Spanish Picture with Window

1941

Abstract illustration using black ink on cream paper, creating ink splatters and a triangular composition

Untitled (Samurai)

1973

Totemic Figure, 1960, oil and charcoal on canvas, 84 ✕ 109 in. (213.4 ✕ 276.9 cm)

Totemic Figure

1958 - 1960

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 70, 1961, oil on canvas, 69 ✕ 114 in. (175.3 ✕ 289.6 cm)

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 70

1961

Threatening Presence, 1976, acrylic on canvas, 72 ✕ 180 in. (182.9 ✕ 457.2 cm)

Threatening Presence

1976

Elegy to the Spanish Republic, 1961, oil and charcoal on canvas, 68 ✕ 99 1/2 in. (172.7 ✕ 252.7 cm)

Elegy to the Spanish Republic

1958 - 1961

In Plato's Cave No. 1, 1972, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, 72 ✕ 96 in. (182.9 ✕ 243.8 cm)

In Plato's Cave No. 1

1972

Golden Bough, 1986, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, 90 ✕ 216 in. (228.6 ✕ 548.6 cm)

The Golden Bough

1986

The Spanish Death, 1975, acrylic on canvas, 96 ✕ 74 1/2 in. (243.8 ✕ 189.2 cm)

The Spanish Death

1975

Wall Painting No. III, 1953, oil on canvas, 54 1/2 ✕ 72 1/8 in. (138.4 ✕ 183.2 cm)

Wall Painting No. III

1953

Loose brown ink lines and organic shapes amassed in the center of the white paper

Open Forms (from the Joyce Sketchbook)

1985

Je t’aime No. III with Loaf of Bread, 1955, oil and charcoal on canvas, 72 ✕ 54 in. (182.9 ✕ 137.2 cm)

Je t’aime No. III with Loaf of Bread

1955

The Wild Duck, 1974, Acrylic and charcoal on Upson board, 36 ✕ 24 in. (91.4 ✕ 61 cm)

The Wild Duck

1974

Recuerdo de Coyoacán, 1942, oil on canvas, 42 ✕ 34 in. (106.7 ✕ 86.4 cm)

Recuerdo de Coyoacán

1942

Open White and Black, 1969, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, 88 ✕ 122 in. (223.5 ✕ 309.9 cm)

Open White and Black

1969

Abstract painting whose black paint consumes the majority of the canvas, aside from small vertical breaks of white, yellow, and red hues; a mass of black paint at the bottom of the composition covers much of these non-black areas of color

Face of the Night (For Octavio Paz)

ca. 1977 - 1979 / 1981

Abstract painting of a stylized female form perched in a seated position; the background contains hues of navy, while the figure and her dress contain hues of white, grey, yellow, orange, and red.

La Belle Mexicaine (Maria)

1941

The Little Spanish Prison, 1941, oil on canvas, 27 1/4 ✕ 17 1/8 in. (69.2 ✕ 43.5 cm)

The Little Spanish Prison

1941 - 1944 / ca. 1959 / 1969

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 171, 1988-1989, acrylic on canvas, 84 ✕ 168 in. (213.4 ✕ 426.7 cm)

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 171

1988 - 1989

Abstract collage on white surface with scraps of brown, blue, and white ephemera; the blue and white scraps contain both typed and handwritten french text

Histoire d’un Peintre

1956

Abstract illustration on white paper containing horizontal pools of black and blue ink, as well as ink splatters surrounding them; the pools of black ink feather off into an orange hue

Lyric Suite

1965

The Voyage: Ten Years After, 1962, oil and charcoal on canvas, 68 3/4 ✕ 205 3/4 in. (174.6 ✕ 522.6 cm)

The Voyage: Ten Years After

1960 - 1961 / 1962

Abstract collage on white paper with large swabs of black ink and a blue cigarette package pasted off-center

Bastos

1974

Abstract collage with splatters/brushstrokes of black, yellow, green, and purple ink, as well as a scrap of packaging and magenta paper pasted to the surface

Untitled

1943

Abstract illustration on white paper with a continuous, thick line of black ink that roughly creates two triangular shapes beside on another

Stephen's Iron Crown

1981

Fishes with Red Stripe, 1954, oil on paper mounted on board, 42 1/2 ✕ 41 1/4 in. (108 ✕ 104.8 cm)

Fishes with Red Stripe

1952 - 1954

Doorway with Figure, 1949, Casein on paper mounted on Masonite, 48 ✕ 39 3/4 in. (121.9 ✕ 101 cm)

Doorway with Figure

1949

Abstract collage with overlaying geometric forms in black, green. blue, and white hues; the white center rectangle contains a stroke of red ink, and french typography is obscured under the other layers of paper

Port de Boston II

1977

The Emperor of China, 1947 oil on Masonite, 48 ✕ 36 in. (121.9 ✕ 91.4 cm)

The Emperor of China

1947

Interior with Pink Nude, 1951, oil on Masonite, 44 ✕ 55 in. (111.8 ✕ 139.7 cm)

Interior with Pink Nude

1951

Abstract illustration on white paper containing a gestural sweep of black ink splatters in the shape of the letter 'U', which is bisected horizontally with a stroke of red ink

Lyric Suite: Red and Blue No. 4

1965

Open No. 111: Big White and Ochre, 1969, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, 93 ✕ 129 in. (236.2 ✕ 327.7 cm)

Open No. 111: Big White and Ochre

1969

Collage on white background with abstract application of black paint beneath layers of brown and white paper scraps, the foremost scrap reading "Ash Wednesday 1957" in loose penmanship

Ash Wednesday

1957

Abstract collage with a mustard-colored background and a central textured mass of paper scraps (in hues of blue, white, and yellow), as well as drawn black lines and glue residue left from paper being torn off throughout the piece

The Tearingness of Collaging

1957

Open No. 24: In Variations of Orange, 1968, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, 81 ✕ 108 1/4 in. (205.7 ✕ 275 cm)

Open No. 24: In Variations of Orange

1968

Frontier No. 4, 1958, oil and alkyd on paperboard, 15 x 18 in. (38.1 ✕ 45.7 cm)

Frontier No. 4

1958

The Figure 4 on an Elegy, 1960, Oil on paper mounted on Masonite, 22 3/4 ✕ 28 3/4 in. (57.8 ✕ 73 cm)

The Figure 4 on an Elegy

1960

A Sculptor’s Picture, with Blue, 1958, oil on canvas, 70 1/2 ✕ 76 in. (179.1 ✕ 193 cm)

A Sculptor’s Picture, with Blue

1958

Textured beige paper with three vertical lines of white paint connected at their bases by a horizontal line of the same paint, positioned in the upper-right portion of the composition

Open Paper Painting No. 1

1975

Abstract drawing on white surface with wavy lines in black and red hues that evoke architectural forms

Church (from the Joyce Sketchbook)

1985

Collage with red background, thin white vertical lines, and a blue cigarette package pasted in the center of the piece

Gauloises with Scarlet

1972 / 1982

Summer Open with Mediterranean Blue, 1974, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, 48 ✕ 108 in. (121.9 ✕ 274.3 cm)

Summer Open with Mediterranean Blue

1974

Abstract illustration with a background of yellow and black hues, overlayed by various organic shapes and lines containing blue, red, and green hues

The Door

1943

Dublin 1916, with Black and Tan, 1964, oil and acrylic on canvas, 84 1/8 ✕ 204 1/4 in. (213.7 ✕ 518.8 cm)

Dublin 1916, with Black and Tan

1963 - 1964