Untitled (Seagram Mural)

1959

Mark Rothko

Associated Names
Mark Rothko

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

This painting depicts a large square outline in red against a deep maroon background. The outline is large, with the top and bottom sides almost at the edges of the canvas, while the left and right sides have a maroon border between them and the edges. The borders between the outline and the background are soft and uneven, and the two colors blend together in some places. The lines of the outline are not completely straight, giving a slight impression that the edges of the outline are curving inwards at the center. The two paint colors have both been applied unevenly, creating slight variations in tone.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc.

  • Dimensions

    overall: 269 x 457.8 cm (105 7/8 x 180 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1986.43.167

  • 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

2003

  • Mark Rothko: The Mural Projects, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2003-2007.

2008

  • Rothko: The Late Series, Tate Modern, London; Kawamura Memorial Museum of Art, Sakura-shi, Japan, 2008-2009, unnumbered checklist, repro. (Sakura only).

2012

  • The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection, The Getty Villa, Pacific Palisades; Cleveland Museum of Art; Musée des beaux-arts du Québec, 2012-2013, no. 42, repro. (shown only in Cleveland).

2019

  • Mark Rothko [German title: Mark Rothko: Dramaturg der Form], Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna, 2019, no. 34, repro.

Bibliography

1989

  • Kellein, Thomas. Mark Rothko: Kaaba in New York. Exh. cat. Kunsthalle, Basel, 1989: 81, repro. (repro. is incorrectly inverted, showing top of painting as the bottom).

1991

  • Grunenberg, Christoph. Mark Rothko. Washington, D.C., 1991: 17, fig. 14 (incorrect image, painting reproduced is NGA 1985.38.5).

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 324, repro. (repro. is incorrectly inverted, showing top of painting as the bottom).

1998

  • Anfam, David. Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas: Catalogue Raisonné. New Haven and London, 1998: no. 655, repro.

Inscriptions

lower left reverse: MARK ROTHKO

Wikidata ID

Q20195329

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