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Robert Motherwell Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

American, 1915-1991

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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Artist: Robert Motherwell
Lyric Suite
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Brown ink with orange bleed on rice paper 22.9 x 27.9 cms (9 x 11 ins)
Category

20th Century Robert Motherwell Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink

Lyric Suite: Liberté Toute Entière No. 3
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Black ink with orange bleed on rice paper 22.9 x 27.9 cms (9 x 11 ins)
Category

20th Century Robert Motherwell Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink

Paris Suite (Autumn)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991) is one of the essential American abstract painters that radically defined post-war abstraction in New York City. Today, his work appears in museum collections around the world and is instantly recognizable for its boldness and black forms. His auction record was set in 2018 at $12.6 million USD. In addition to his impressive paintings, Motherwell is also revered as one of the most innovative and prolific printmakers of the 20th century. He was always searching for new techniques, whether at his own printmaking atelier, or collaborating with others, to expand his ideas and express his aesthetic. Created in 1980, "Paris Suite...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Lithograph

Lyric Suite (Brown No. 4)
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Ink on rice paper 27.9 x 22.9 cms (11 x 9 ins)
Category

20th Century Robert Motherwell Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink

Lyric Suite
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Ink on rice paper 27.9 x 22.9 cms (11 x 9 ins)
Category

20th Century Robert Motherwell Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink

Lyric Suite
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Ink on rice paper 27.9 x 22.9 cms (11 x 9 ins)
Category

20th Century Robert Motherwell Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink

Automatism No. 11
By Robert Motherwell
Located in London, GB
Robert Motherwell Automatism No. 11 1965 Ink and oil on paper 67.3 x 61.6 cms (26 1/2 x 24 1/4 ins) Part of the Beside the Sea series, a series of oil paintings influenced by Mother...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink, Oil

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Robert Motherwell drawings and watercolor paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Robert Motherwell drawings and watercolor paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Robert Motherwell in ink, lithograph, oil paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Robert Motherwell drawings and watercolor paintings, so small editions measuring 9 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Mark di Suvero, Carmen Cicero, and Werner Drewes. Robert Motherwell drawings and watercolor paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $6,900 and tops out at $300,000, while the average work can sell for $30,000.
Questions About Robert Motherwell Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
  • 1stDibs ExpertAugust 29, 2024
    No, 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, 2022
    Robert 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.

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