Untitled (Seagram Mural sketch)
1959
Painter, American, born Russia (now Latvia), 1903 - 1970


East Building Tower Level, Gallery 615-A
Artwork overview
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Medium
oil and acrylic on canvas
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Credit Line
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Dimensions
overall: 183.5 x 152.7 cm (72 1/4 x 60 1/8 in.)
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Accession
1985.38.2
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Copyright
Copyright © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko
More About this Artwork

Article: Artists Who Inspired Mark Rothko
Learn about some of the artists the modern painter was in dialogue with throughout his career.
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 1985 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: The 1958-1959 Murals, The Pace Gallery, New York, 1978, brochure, repro.
1989
Mark Rothko: Kaaba in New York, Kunsthalle Basel, 1989, unnumbered catalogue, repro.
2003
Mark Rothko: The Mural Projects, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2003-2007.
2008
Rothko: The Late Series, Tate Modern, London; Kawamura Memorial Museum of Art, Sakura-shi, Japan, 2008-2009, unnumbered checklist, repro. (Sakura only).
2012
The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection, The Getty Villa, Pacific Palisades; Cleveland Museum of Art; Musée des beaux-arts du Québec, 2012-2013, no. 40, repro. (shown only in Pacific Palisades and Cleveland).
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. 44, repro.
2019
Mark Rothko [German title: Mark Rothko: Dramaturg der Form], Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna, 2019, no. 32, repro.
Bibliography
1979
Ashton, Dore. "Rothko's Passion." Art International 22 (February 1979): 13, repro.
1984
Clearwater, Bonnie. Mark Rothko: Works on Paper. New York, 1984: 44, repro.
1992
American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 322, repro., as Mural Sketch.
1998
Anfam, David. Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas: Catalogue Raisonné. New Haven and London, 1998: no. 649, repro., as Mural Sketch [Seagram Mural Sketch].
Inscriptions
upper left reverse: MARK ROTHKO / 1959; reverse, on original vertical crossbar: 1959 / Mural / Sketch; reverse, on original horizontal crossbar: M.R.
Wikidata ID
Q20195341