Untitled (three women)

c. 1935

Mark Rothko

Associated Names
Mark Rothko

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

Various forms and shapes interplay in an abstract composition. Organic curves and lines meld into humanoid figures. The shapes resemble three figures, one in a golden yellow garment, another in white, and a third in brown, all set against a textured blue background. One figure's posture suggests a gesture reminiscent of someone supporting or comforting another. In front of them lies a disordered object on a maroon surface that might evoke the familiar form of a shell or a piece of folded fabric. The arrangement of colors and forms invites contemplation of familial or supportive connections.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc.

  • Dimensions

    overall: 58.4 x 48.3 cm (23 x 19 in.)
    framed: 70.2 x 61 x 6.2 cm (27 5/8 x 24 x 2 7/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1986.43.56

  • 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

1994

  • Against the Stream: Milton Avery, Adolph Gottlieb, and Mark Rothko in the 1930s, Katonah Museum of Art, New York, 1994, unnumbered checklist, pl. 15.

2000

  • Mark Rothko and the Lure of the Figure: Paintings 1933-1946, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, 2000-2001, no. 3, repro.

2001

  • Mark Rothko - The Realist Years: Selected Works, PaceWildenstein, New York, 2001-2002, unnumbered catalogue.

2012

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

Bibliography

1991

  • Grunenberg, Christoph. Mark Rothko. Washington, D.C., 1991: 4, fig. 1.

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 275, repro.

1995

  • Anfam, David, Sumi Hayashi, Nobuyuki Hiromoto, Naoko Seki. Mark Rothko. Exh. cat.,4 venues in Japan. Tokyo, 1995: 24, repro.

1998

  • Anfam, David. Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas: Catalogue Raisonné. New Haven and London, 1998: no. 75, repro.

Inscriptions

lower center reverse: MARK ROTHKO

Wikidata ID

Q20193019

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