Untitled

1969

Mark Rothko

Associated Names
Mark Rothko

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

This painting shows a large rectangle divided into two horizontal sections. The upper section is dark, almost black, while the lower section is a lighter, earthy tan tone with swirls of gray and darker brown. Brushstrokes are visible in both sections, although the ones in the top section appear more horizontal, while the ones in the bottom are swirling.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    acrylic on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc.

  • Dimensions

    overall: 177.17 × 158.12 × 5.08 cm (69 3/4 × 62 1/4 × 2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1986.43.163

  • 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

1978

  • Mark Rothko, 1903-1970: A Retrospective, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1978, not in cat., (not shown in New York).

1985

  • Mark Rothko: The Dark Paintings 1969-70, The Pace Gallery, New York, 1985, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

1987

  • Mark Rothko 1903-1970, The Tate Gallery, London; Fundación Juan March, Madrid; Museum Ludwig, Cologne, 1987-1988, no. 85 (London catalogue), no. 47 (Madrid catalogue), no. 61 (Cologne catalogue), repros.

1993

  • Mark Rothko: The Late Years, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, 1993-1994, no cat.

1999

  • Cosmos: From Romanticism to the Avant-garde, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal; Centro de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona; Palazzo Grassi, Venice, 1999-2000, no. 254, repro., as Untitled (Black and Grey) (shown only in Montreal and Barcelona).

2003

  • Mark Rothko: A Centennial Celebration, State Museum of Art, Riga; State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, 2003-2004, unnumbered brochure.

2005

  • The Art of Mark Rothko: Selections from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, Museo de Arte Moderna, Mexico City; Hong Kong Museum of Art; Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, 2005-2006, brochures, no. 24, repro.

2008

  • The Hidden Trace. Jewish Paths through Modernity, Kulturgeschichtliches Museum Osnabrück/Felix-Nussbaum-Haus, Osnabrück, 2008-2009, no. 66, repro.

2011

  • Van Gogh and Gauguin's Journey (Van Gogh e il viaggio di Gauguin), Palazzo Ducale, Genoa, 2011-2012, unnumbered catalogue, 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. 60, repro.

2018

  • The Moon: From Inner Worlds to Outer Space, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark; Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Oslo, 2018-2019, no. 142, repro. (shown only in Humlebaek).

Bibliography

1983

  • Ashton, Dore. About Rothko. New York, 1983: fig. 12.

1984

  • Clearwater, Bonnie. Mark Rothko: Works on Paper. New York, 1984: 53, repro.

1987

  • de la Plaza, Fransisco Prados. "El Arte en Madrid." Goya 201 (1987): 186, repro.

1989

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

1990

  • Anfam, David. Abstract Expressionism. London, 1990: fig. 149.

  • Wolf, Brian. "What the Cow Saw, or, Nineteenth Century Art and theInnocent Eye." Antiques 137 (1990): 280, repro.

1991

  • Grunenberg, Christoph. Mark Rothko. Washington, D.C., 1991: 19-21, fig. 17.

  • Glimcher, Marc, ed. The Art of Mark Rothko: Into an Unknown World. New York, 1991: 148, repro.

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 327, repro.

  • Taylor, Mark C. Disfiguring: Art, Archtecture, Religion. Chicago and London, 1992: fig. 13.

1994

  • "Exhibition Series: Focus." Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin 54 (1994): 9, repro.

1998

  • Anfam, David. Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas: Catalogue Raisonné. New Haven and London, 1998: no. 817, repro.

Inscriptions

upper left reverse: MARK ROTHKO / 1969; on original crossbar member: M. Rothko

Wikidata ID

Q20197056

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