Untitled (Seagram Mural)

1959

Mark Rothko

Associated Names
Mark Rothko

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

This painting shows a rectangular canvas painted dark red. Towards the edges of the canvas is a rectangular outline in a vibrant orange-red color. The brighter rectangle outline has irregular edges with visible brushstrokes. In the middle of this band and outside of it, the dark red color is visible.”
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil and mixed media on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc.

  • Dimensions

    overall: 265.4 x 288.3 cm (104 1/2 x 113 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1985.38.5

  • 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 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., as Untitled.

1998

  • Mark Rothko, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, 1998-1999, no. 79 (NGA/WMAA cat.) and no. 47 (Paris cat.), repro.

2000

  • Loan to display with permanent collection, Fondation Beyeler, Basel, 2000, no cat.

  • Mark Rothko, 'A consummated experience between picture and onlooker', Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona; Fondation Beyeler, Basel, 2000-2001, no. 45, repro.

  • Farbe > Licht [Color to Light], Fondation Beyeler, Basel, 2000, no. 87, repro.

2001

  • Mark Rothko Rooms, Fondation Beyeler, Basel, 2001-2002, unnumbered catalogue.

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.

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. 47, repro. (shown only in Cleveland).

Bibliography

1984

  • Clearwater, Bonnie. Mark Rothko: Works on Paper. New York, 1984: 45, repro.

  • Allen, Jane Addams. "National Gallery Chosen for Rothko Gift." Washington Times (1984): B3, repro.

1989

  • Kellein, Thomas. Mark Rothko: Kaaba in New York. Exh. cat. Kunsthalle, Basel, 1989: 43, 63, two repros.

  • Gassert, Sigmar. "Mutige, simulierende Kombination." Basler Zeitung. (1989): 45, repro.

  • Kind, Yvonne. "Hoch und Heilig." Schweizer Illustrierte (1989): 118, repro.

1990

  • Grunenberg, Christopher. Mark Rothko: The Spirit of Myth. Early Paintings from the 30's and 40's. Exh. cat. NGA National Lending Service exhibition, Washington, D.C., 1990: 17.

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 323, repro.

1993

  • Breslin, James E.B. Mark Rothko; A Biography. Chicago and London, 1993.

  • Amishai-Maisels, Ziva. Depiction and Interpretation: The Influence of the Holocaust on the Visual Arts. Oxford, 1993: 71, repro.

1996

  • Brady, Joan. Death Comes to Peter Pan. London, 1996: cover repro.

1997

  • Cernuschi, Claude. "Not an Illustration but the Equivalent": A Cognitive Approach to Abstract Expressionism. Madison, 1997: 106, repro.

1998

  • Anfam, David. Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas: Catalogue Raisonné. New Haven and London, 1998: no. 652, repro., as Mural for End Wall {Untitled} [Seagram Mural].

2008

  • Georges Braque. Exh. cat. Bank Austria Kunsforum, Vienna, 2008-2009. Vienna and Ostfildern, 2008: 75 fig. 6.

Inscriptions

lower left reverse, sideways: MARK ROTHKO / 1961 [sic]

Wikidata ID

Q20195310

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