Robert Motherwell Black on Black

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Robert Motherwell, Black on Black, (Belknap 222), 1978, Signed, Lithograph in black and chine colle on black paper, Edition 15/58, 21 3/4" x 16 1/2" Sheet Size

Alongside Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell is one of the great American Abstract Expressionist painters. His expressive canvases and collages resulted from a profound dedication to automatism, a method of spontaneous creation that attempts to express the inner workings of the human psyche. Motherwell’s most famous painting series, “Elegies to the Spanish Republic”—which he worked on for over 40 years—features bold, black shapes against fields of color and patches of white paint. His collages often integrated stamps, letters, musical scores, and boxes of Gauloise cigarettes. Motherwell’s work can be found in the public collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Kunstmuseum Basel, and the Tate. The artist has been the frequent subject of solo shows across Europe and the United States. At auction, Motherwell’s works have sold for more than $10 million. Respected as a writer and theorist, Motherwell forged close friendships with the European Surrealists and other intellectuals. He served as a vital link between the pre-war avant-garde in Europe and its post-war counterpart in New York.