Untitled

1947

Mark Rothko

Associated Names
Mark Rothko

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

The image contains swirling and overlapping shapes and lines in shades of pale purple, grey, and white, creating an abstract composition. The layered colors and brushstrokes suggest forms such as clouds, feathers, or waves. The abstract nature of the image invites viewers to perceive faces or figures, evoking a dreamlike or cloudy landscape with indistinct boundaries and shapes.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc.

  • Dimensions

    overall: 96.2 x 116.4 cm (37 7/8 x 45 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1986.43.1

  • 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

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. 35, 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. 16, repro.

Bibliography

1991

  • Grunenberg, Christoph. Mark Rothko. Washington, D.C., 1991: 12, fig. 9.

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 309, repro. (reproduction is incorrectly rotated, showing top of painting as the right side).

1998

  • Anfam, David. Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas: Catalogue Raisonné. New Haven and London, 1998: no. 352, repro.

2015

  • Langley, Allison, and Suzanne Quillen Lomax. "Mark Rothko's Multiforms, 1946-1950: Transforming the Painted Surface." Facture 2 (2015): 111-137, Table 1 no. 5.

Inscriptions

upper center reverse: MARK ROTHKO

Wikidata ID

Q20194040

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