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Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Untitled

1945/1946

Mark Rothko

Associated Names

Mark Rothko

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

The image features abstract shapes and lines, with prominent zigzagging and curving lines intersecting with soft, blurred patches of color. The use of abstract art elements suggests forms such as a silhouette of a human figure and the curvature of a landscape, with central lines resembling a path or dividing line. A bold, curved red line swoops horizontally, while a half-circle black shape at the right is present. Speckles of black and red dots scatter across grayed areas.

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Artwork overview

Medium

watercolor, ink, and black chalk on watercolor paper
Credit Line

Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc.
Dimensions

sheet: 68.9 × 52.39 cm (27 1/8 × 20 5/8 in.)
Accession Number

1986.43.235.b
Copyright

Copyright © 2023 Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko

The image displays swirling lines and shapes intersecting across a textured background. The lines and forms suggest spirals, waves, and arcs, without a clearly defined subject. Prominent red and blue lines contrast with an earthy backdrop, conveying dynamic motion. The familiar shapes and colors evoke dreamlike or surreal landscapes. — Untitled [recto]

Mark Rothko

1903

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

2023

Mark Rothko: Paintings on Paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo, 2023-2024, no repro.

Bibliography

2023

Greenhalgh, Adam.Mark Rothko: Paintings on Paper. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington; National Museum of Art, Architecture, and Design, Oslo, 2023-2024.

Inscriptions

Lower left in black crayon: MARK ROTHKO

Watermarks

Whatman: HAND MADE J WHAT

Wikidata ID

Q64595529

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