Untitled (still life) [obverse]

c. 1938

Mark Rothko

Associated Names
Mark Rothko

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

The painting features a bust of a figure, a hat, a round object resembling a bowl, and an ornate clock atop a table covered with a striped cloth. The color palette consists of muted tones, including beige, gray, and blue, with accents of yellow and white. The bust is central, with the bowl to the left, the clock slightly to the right, and the hat on the far right. The tablecloth has alternating blue and white stripes. The artist's signature and some numbers are visible in the upper part of the image.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc.

  • Dimensions

    overall: 51.2 x 71.5 cm (20 3/16 x 28 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1986.43.117.a

  • Copyright

    Copyright © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko

Associated Artworks

This is a painting of an abstract figure and geometric shapes. The painting features a roughly sketched figure in profile, likely female, seated or posed beside a set of angled planes or open book-like shapes. The background is a textured gray, contributing to a subdued and rough texture, which emphasizes the muted palette of blues, pinks, and earth tones. The brushstrokes are loose and expressive, adding to the abstract quality of the piece, with a focus on form and texture over detail. The juxtaposition of the organic form with more rigid geometric shapes creates a striking composition.

Untitled (nude) [reverse]

Mark Rothko

1937

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

Bibliography

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 285, repro. ("still life" identified as verso and "nude" identified as recto).

1998

  • Anfam, David. Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas: Catalogue Raisonné. New Haven and London, 1998: no. 124 and no. 142, repros. (no. 124 incorrectly numbered 1986.43.117.a [should be '.b'] and no. 142 incorrectly numbered 1986.43.117.b [should be '.a']).

Inscriptions

upper left: Mark Rothko

Wikidata ID

Q20193184

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