Personage Two

1946

Mark Rothko

Associated Names
Mark Rothko

Painter, American, born Russia (now Latvia), 1903 - 1970

The image features various shapes and flowing lines layered on the canvas, creating depth and movement. It is an abstract composition with swirling forms and bold colors. The interwoven elements could resemble organic shapes or figures. The mix of circular and linear forms might suggest a complex machine or map sections. Contrasting hues like reds and grays create dynamism akin to a busy urban landscape.
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On View

East Building Tower Level, Gallery E615

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc.

  • Dimensions

    overall: 142.6 x 81.9 cm (56 1/8 x 32 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1986.43.12

  • Copyright

    Copyright © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist [1903-1970]; his estate; consigned 1970 to (Marlborough Gallery, Inc., New York); transferred 1977 back to the artist's estate;[1] transferred 1979 to The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc., New York; gift 1986 to NGA.
[1] For a detailed discussion of the transactions surrounding the Rothko estate see Lee Seldes, Legacy of Mark Rothko, New York, 1978.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1986

  • Jung and Abstract Expressionism: The Collective Image among Individual Voices, Hofstra Museum, Emily Lowe Gallery, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, 1986, unnumbered catalogue.

1987

  • Mark Rothko 1903-1970, The Tate Gallery, London; Fundación Juan March, Madrid; Museum Ludwig, Cologne, 1987-1988, no. 22 (London catalogue), no. 7 (Madrid catalogue), no. 19 (Cologne catalogue), repros. (shown only in London and Cologne).

1993

  • Extended loan for use by Richard Aaron, U.S. Ambassador to the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris, France, 1993-1997 (withdrawn temporarily for 1995-1996 loan to Musée Rath, Geneva).

1995

  • Les figures de la liberté [mille neuf cent quarante-cinq], [1945 or the Figures of Freedom - New Artistic Expressions of the Immediate Period After World War II], Musée Rath, Geneva, 1995-1996, no. 140, repro.

2012

  • Mark Rothko: The Decisive Decade, 1940-1950, Columbia Museum of Art, South Carolina; Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio; Denver Art Museum; The Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, 2012-2014, no. 25, repro.

2014

  • Mark Rothko: Works from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague; Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center, South Korea, 2014-2015, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

2015

  • Mark Rothko: A Retrospective, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2015-2016, no. 12, repro.

2019

  • Extended loan for use by Ambassador Robert Frank Pence, U.S. Embassy residence, Helsinki, 2019-2020.

Bibliography

1989

  • Strick, Jeremy. Twentieth Century Painting and Sculpture: Selections for the Tenth Anniversary of the East Building. Washington, D.C., 1989: 76-77, repro. 77, 79.

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 305, repro.

1998

  • Anfam, David. Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas: Catalogue Raisonné. New Haven and London, 1998: no. 310, repro.

Inscriptions

upper center reverse: Personage Two MARK ROTHKO / 1946

Wikidata ID

Q20193886

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