Archaic Phantasy

1945

Mark Rothko

Associated Names
Mark Rothko

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

The artwork "Archaic Phantasy" features an abstract composition with a blend of irregular shapes and lines. The central form is composed of swirling and overlapping elements that resemble facial features and limbs. The colors are predominantly muted grays, browns, and yellows, with hints of white and orange adding contrast. The arrangement of forms is fragmented.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc.

  • Dimensions

    overall: 123.1 x 61.4 cm (48 7/16 x 24 3/16 in.)
    framed: 126.4 x 64.9 x 5.1 cm (49 3/4 x 25 9/16 x 2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1986.43.11

  • 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

1947

  • Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1947-1948, no. 126, as Archaic Fantasy.

  • Mark Rothko: Recent Paintings, Betty Parsons Gallery, New York, 1947, no. 3, as Archaic Fantasy.

1978

  • Mark Rothko, 1903-1970: A Retrospective, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Walker Art Cednter, Minneapolis; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1978-1979, no. 35, repro. (shown only in New York).

1986

  • Jung and Abstract Expressionism: The Collective Image Among Individual Voices, Hofstra Museum, Emily Lowe Gallery, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, 1986, unnumbered catalogue, fig. 7.

2012

  • Mark Rothko: Selections from the National Gallery of Art, Academy Art Museum, Easton, 2012, no catalogue.

Bibliography

1988

  • Polcari, Steven. "Mark Rothko: Heritage, Environment, and Tradition." Smithsonian Studies in American Art, 2, no. 2 (1988): 46, repro.

1991

  • Polcari, Stephen. Abstract Expressionism and the Modern Experience. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1991: 137, repro.

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 301, repro.

1998

  • Anfam, David. Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas: Catalogue Raisonné. New Haven and London, 1998: no. 265, repro., as Archaic Fantasy.

Inscriptions

lower left: MARK ROTHKO; center right reverse, sideways: MARK ROTHKO / Archaic Phantasy / 1945

Wikidata ID

Q20193611

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