Mark Rothko's Mural Commissions

October 12, 2003-May 31, 2004 (extended indefinitely)

Overview: This special installation of 9 large scale paintings by Mark Rothko, 8 from the collection of the National Gallery and No. 9 (White and Black on Wine) from a private collection, marked the centenary of the artist's birth. 8 of the works related to the commission for mural panels for the Seagram building in New York, a project that Rothko never installed. A sketch on canvas for Rothko's Harvard murals also was included. Another exhibition, Mark Rothko: A Centennial Celebration, organized by the National Gallery and presented by the U.S. Department of State, was shown at the State Art Museum at Riga, Latvia, from September 22 through November 30, 2003 and later moved to the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The American premiere of a documentary, Mark Rothko: Abstract Humanist, by French filmmaker Isy Morgensztern, was held 30 November in association with the installation.

The installation was organized by the National Gallery of Art. Jeffrey Weiss, curator of modern and contemporary art at the National Gallery, was curator.

Location: East Building, Concourse

Web site: Related Online Resources

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