Red Band

1955

Mark Rothko

Associated Names
Mark Rothko

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

This painting shows three horizontal rectangular shapes on a deep red background. At the very top is a thin rectangle painted with streaks of off-white paint that allow the underlying red to show through. Below that, a large mustard-yellow block is in the center. At the bottom is a reddish-orange rectangle that is almost the same shade as the red background. The lines are soft and slightly blended.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pigmented hide glue and oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc.

  • Dimensions

    overall: 204.2 x 171.7 cm (80 3/8 x 67 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1986.43.155

  • 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

  • Loan for display with permanent collection, Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, Kansas, 1994-1995.

2005

  • The Art of Mark Rothko: Selections from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, Museo de Arte Moderna, Mexico City; Hong Kong Museum of Art; Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, 2005-2006, brochures, no. 18, repro.

2009

  • Extended loan for use by President Barack Obama, The White House, Washington, D.C., 2009-2012.

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. 33, repro.

Bibliography

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 319, repro.

1998

  • Anfam, David. Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas: Catalogue Raisonné. New Haven and London, 1998: no. 530, repro.

Inscriptions

upper center reverse: MARK ROTHKO / 1955; lower right reverse: MARK ROTHKO

Wikidata ID

Q20194809

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