Robert Motherwell Art
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.
1990s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Acrylic, Panel, Color Pencil
1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Charcoal, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Charcoal, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Acrylic
1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Conté, Acrylic, Board
1950s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Oil, Board
1970s Robert Motherwell Art
Acrylic
1960s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Oil
1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Robert Motherwell Art
Etching
20th Century Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Lithograph
1960s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Acrylic, Canvas, Charcoal
1960s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Ink, Oil
1960s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Acrylic, Laid Paper, Graphite
1970s Robert Motherwell Art
Paper, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Lithograph
1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Handmade Paper, Lithograph, Linocut
1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Aquatint
1980s Modern Robert Motherwell Art
Paper, Ink, Aquatint
20th Century Robert Motherwell Art
Acrylic, Graphite
20th Century Robert Motherwell Art
Paper, Acrylic
20th Century Robert Motherwell Art
Paper, Acrylic
20th Century Robert Motherwell Art
Paper, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Mixed Media
20th Century Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Mixed Media, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Mixed Media, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Lithograph
Late 20th Century Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Art
Lithograph, Screen
Robert Motherwell art for sale on 1stDibs.
Artists Similar to Robert Motherwell
- How did Motherwell paint?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Robert Motherwell painted using techniques borrowed from action and color field painting. He sometimes dipped thinned paint right onto the canvas. In other works, he soaked paints into an unprimed work surface. Find a variety of Robert Motherwell art on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertAugust 29, 2024No, Robert Motherwell was not a Surrealist painter. The American artist was the youngest member of the New York School, a group of Abstract Expressionists working in art, dance, poetry and music in the 1950s and '60s. However, Motherwell did meet a group of exiled Parisian Surrealists while attending Columbia University to study art history in the 1940s. This encounter proved influential in his style. Inspired by their work, 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. On 1stDibs, find a selection of Robert Motherwell art.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Robert Motherwell was a part of the art movement called Abstract Expressionism. Artists who participated in the movement sought to express emotions through abstract forms. You'll find a range of Robert Motherwell art from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.