Artist: Robert Motherwell (1915 - 1991)
Nationality: American
Movement: Abstract Expressionism
Media: Painting
Influences:

Biography:
Robert Burns Motherwell studied at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco. He then switched his focus to philosophy, attending Stanford, Harvard, Grenoble, and Columbia universities. Because of his wide span of knowledge, Motherwell was an adept author of modern art theories and helped to found American Abstract Expressionism in the 1940’s. With the influence of Roberto Matta, he took up a full-time career in painting in 1941. Since Motherwell had an interest in Freudian dream and subconscious theories, his paintings are often spontaneous, abstract designs. He helped found the Subjects of the Artist movement along with Mark Rothko and was interested in Symbolism as well.

Artworks in Museum Collections: (100)
Click the artwork titles below to see actual examples of artwork or works of art relevant to works by Robert Motherwell.

-
Robert Motherwell Untitled Collotype with collage 1974
-
Robert Motherwell Capriccio Collotype and photo-screenprint 20th century
-
Robert Motherwell Automatism A Lithograph 1965 - 1966
-
Robert Motherwell Hermitage Color lithograph and screenprint on Arches Cover paper 1975
-
Robert Motherwell Untitled Etching printed in brown-black ink from zinc plate on Rives BFK paper 1965 - 1966
-
Robert Motherwell Untitled, fourth plate from the portfolio,Ten Works x Ten Painters Color screenprint printed in black and ochre with collage of white Arches paper 1964
-
Robert Motherwell - Caprice #4 1962 oil on canvas Swope Art Museum American
-
Robert Motherwell - Blue Air 1946 oil and sand on pape Hirshhorn Museum American
-
Robert Motherwell - Western Air 1946-47 oil and sand on canv The Museum of Modern Art American
-
Robert Motherwell - Collage (17. May 74) 1974 acrylic and paper on Hirshhorn Museum American
-
Robert Motherwell - Elegy Drawing No. 17 1977 acrylic, ink on myla Arkansas Arts Center American
-
Robert Motherwell - Collage (21 April 74) 1974 construction of pape Hirshhorn Museum American
-
Robert Motherwell - Untitled 1974 paper, colored paper Hirshhorn Museum American
-
Robert Motherwell - Drawing with Red and Black Oval 1987 Pencil and Acrylic Arizona State University Museum
-
Robert Motherwell - Elegy To The Spanish Republic #129 1974 acrylic and charcoal Hirshhorn Museum American
-
Robert Motherwell - Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. LV 1955-60 oil on canvas Cleveland Museum of Art American
-
Robert Motherwell - Untitled (Black and White) 1949 oil on board Des Moines Art Center American
-
Robert Motherwell - Running Elegy II, Red State 1983 Etching Arizona State University Museum
-
Robert Motherwell - Untitled from the portfolio New York International 1966 lithograph Hofstra Museum American
-
Robert Motherwell - Harvest, In Scotland (Summer Light Series) 1973 lithograph and colla Des Moines Art Center American
-
Robert Motherwell - Open Number 17 (in ultramarine with charcoal line) 1968 synthetic polymer pa The Museum of Modern Art American
-
Robert Henri - Portrait of Mrs. Robert C. Watts 1926 oil on canvas The Maier Museum of Art American
-
Robert Hennel Egg Cruet Silver, sterling 1852
-
Robert Batty Quedlinburg, plate 23 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Buckeburg, plate 18 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Trendelburg, plate 46 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Hohnstein, plate 3 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Gottingen, plate 30 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Wernigerode, plate 17 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Dresden, plate 35 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Kˆnigstein, plate 4 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Rostrappe, plate 12 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Karlshafen, plate 13 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Hameln, plate 29 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty View from the Pastey, plate 19 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Blaukenburg Hartz, plate 60 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Hoxter, on the Weser, plate 52 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Exchange, Copenhagen, plate 53 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Ilsenburg, Hartz, plate 50 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty St. Andrew's, Brunswick, plate 11 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty St. Nicholas, Hamburgh, plate 20 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Castle of Falkenstein, plate 7 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Port, Hamburgh, plate 42 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Dom Kirche, Lubeck, plate 21 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) book with 61 steel engravings and uncounted wood engravings 1829
-
Robert f. Blum - Studio of Robert F. Blum 1883-84 pastel Cincinnati Art Museum American
-
Robert Cooper Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester 18th - 19th century
-
Robert Batty Ferdinandstein, in Rathewalde Grund, plate 2 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Bridge over the Weser, Bremen, plate 48 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Oker Thal Harz, plate 22 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Chateau of the Prince of Waldeck, plate 24 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Stadt Haus, Wernigerode, plate 27 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Castle of the Hardenberg near Gˆttingen, plate 25 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Kaeblinger Strasse, Hanover, plate 6 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Stadt Haus, Lubeck, plate 28 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Place and Bridge at Munden, plate 36 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Weser, between Herstelle & Karlhafu, plate 40 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Katolische Kirche, Dresden, plate 5 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Palace of the Christiansborg, Copenhagen, plate 38 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The New Market Place, Hamburgh, plate 32 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Lochmueln, in Licbethaler Grund, plate 1 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Stadt Haus, Bremen, plate 33 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Entrance to the Liebethaler Grund, plate 8 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Palace of Gredericksborg, Denmark, plate 49 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Bridge near the Werra, at Munden, plate 9 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Karlshafen, from the Cassel Road, plate 51 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Pirna and the Castle of Sonnenstein, plate 45 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Rocks near the Bastey, Saxony, plate 47 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Town Hall, Copenhagen, plate 59 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Fiefe Grund, Saxony, plate 15 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Church of St. Catherine, Brunswick, plate 57 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Village of Oker Hartz, plate 56 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Palace of Fredericksborg_Entrance Side, plate 55 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Gammel Torv, Copenhagen, plate 54 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts -
Artist: David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson Title: The Reverend Robert Young Date: about 1845
-
Robert Batty Bridge over the Weser, at Nienburg, Hanover, plate 10 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Bridge at the Entrance to the Oker Thal, plate 16 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Banks of the Elbe at Baden, Saxony, plate 37 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Porta Westfalica Looking down the Weser toward Minden, plate 58 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Neustadter Markt & Kirche, Hanover, plate 14 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Watch Tower, formerly St. Nicholas's, Copenhagen, plate 41 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Junction of the Rivers Fulda and Werra, plate 26 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty St. Mary's and St. Peter's Church, Lubeck, plate 44 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Watson Interior oil on canvas 1954
-
Paul Ponce Antoine Robert ( Robert de Seri) Lot and his Daughters Etching 17th - 18th century
-
Paul Ponce Antoine Robert ( Robert de Seri) Femme Vue en Buste Etching and engraving 1723
-
Robert Batty Leibnitz's House in the Schmiede Strasse, Hanover, plate 39 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty The Bode Thal, Looking towards the Ross Trappe, Harz, plate 31 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty Palace Church and Gammel's Strand, Copenhagen, plate 43 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Havell Shane Bwt. 18th - 19th century
-
Robert Batty The Great Fountain in the Garden of the Kings Palace Herrnhausen, plate 61 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
Robert Batty St. Martin's Church, and Part of the Old Stadt House, Brunwick, plate 34 in the book Hanoverian and Saxon Scenery after drawings by Lieut. Col. [Robert] Batty (London: Robert Jennings, 1829) steel engraving 1829
-
James Abbott McNeill Whistler - Robert Barr 1894-95 oil on canvas The Detroit Institute of Art American
-
Jean-Honore Fragonard - Hubert Robert c. 1760 oil on canvas National Gallery of Art French
-
Samuel Lovett Waldo - Robert G.L. De Peyster 1828 oil on wood National Gallery of Art American
-
Jacob Eichholtz - Robert Coleman c. 1820 oil on canvas transf National Gallery of Art American
-
Gilbert Stuart - Robert Liston 1800 oil on canvas National Gallery of Art American
-
Sir Thomas Lawrence - Mrs. Robert Blencowe c. 1792 oil on canvas National Gallery of Art British
-
Thomas Sully - Robert Walsh 1814 oil on canvas National Gallery of Art American
-
Robert Hinshelwood Landscape 19th century

Artnews Articles and Exhibition Information: (16)
Click on any of the links below to read about artnews or exhibitions related to Motherwell

Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts: Robert Motherwell and Jasper Johns: Poetic Works as Metaphor
Motherwell's works are based on poems by Rafael Alberti, and Johns' are collaborations with novelist and playwright Samuel Beckett. Both artists have played dominant roles in the development and maturation of twentieth-century contemporary a...
Orlando Museum of Art: Collector's Choice II: Contemporary Art from Central Florida Collections
Also represented are cutting-edge artists such as Kiki Smith, Suzanne McClelland, Jane Hammond, Brad Kahlhamer and Beth Campbell. In addition, a number of works by Dale Chihuly an...
Art Scene China: Current Directions in Chinese Abstraction
Zhao Biru, who has been making art since she was a young child, studied art at the Wuxi Light Industrial Institute. Both she and Chen Xin Mao use a very thin Xian Chinese ink calligraphy paper, a traditional Chinese medium. Chen, however, comes fr...
Leslie Sacks Fine Art: Works by Helen Frankenthaler
According to the critic, Clement Greenberg, “Mountains and Sea" (1952), Frankenthaler's first “stained painting,” was the 'first monument of Post-Painterly Abstraction,’ and it is certainly one of the most important works in the 'Colour-Field' sty...
Space 12 Gallery: Steel Sculptures by John Kearney
Now 78 years old, John and his wife Lynn founded the Contemporary Art Workshop 53 years ago in Chicago and have contributed through his art to the life and style of the Windy City. Chicago and environs is gifted with many pieces, noteably the city...
Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery: Overview: The Art of Fannie Hillsmith and Walter Kamys
Many life-long artists reach a certain level and remain there, but Fannie Hillsmith and Walter Kamys continue to reinvent themselves, explains Maureen Ahern, director of the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery. Walter Kamys, who liv...
Cobden Club: Richard Stickler - A British Contemporary Abstract Artist and Musician
Digital Abstract Photography A series of Signed Limited Edition photographs is exhibited at Cobden Club London. They are the result of the study of artificial light, and the interaction with its surroundings. Based on the discovery on how ne...
Artlink, Inc.: Workshop: Photographing Your Artwork, Phoenix, January 20, 2001
David Moore, noted art documenter will demonstrate practical issues of making the best transparencies you can make and to develop digital asset management of your art via traditional and digital photographic technologies. He will show the effe...
Gallery KAZE: Artist Network: Here - Now
Austria
Norbert Brunner installation artist
Ona B. installation artist
Brazil
Magda Dejose printmaker
Canada
Sean Caulfield printmaker
Germany
Boris Nieslony perfomance artist
Dagmar Pachtner instal...
Art Gallery of New South Wales: Resonating: Denise Green
Through twenty paintings and sixty-two works on paper Resonating: Denise Green traces the evolution of her work ...
Guggenheim Hermitage Museum: A Century of Painting: From Renoir to Rothko
We are very pleased to present this exhibition of modern masterpieces from the permanent collection of the Guggenheim," said Thomas Krens, Director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. "Renoir to Rothko offers a sweeping overview of painting from th...
Kettle's Yard Gallery, University of Cambridge: Starting at Zero: Black Mountain College 1933-57
Founded in North Carolina in 1933 by John Andrew Rice, a dissident Classical academic, it attracted a star-studded cast of teachers and students who forged a dramatic shift from a Eurocentric art world to a distinctly American one. Rice invited Jo...
Auckland Art Gallery: Max Gimblett: The Brush of All Things
Gimblett's work is rich and inventive. He is known for his great technical and stylistic range: the monochrome, geometric abstraction, the calligraphic and figurative expressionism all find a place in the work. He uses novel shaped supports: ovals...
National Gallery of Art: Best Impressions: 35 Years of Prints and Sculpture from Gemini G.E.L.
From its beginnings, Gemini has introduced cutting-edge methods of fabrication to realize the visions of its invited artists, said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. We are pleased to present these innovative works by some of t...
Fogg Museum, Harvard: Philip Guston: A New Alphabet Brings Pivotal Group of Paintings Together for First Time
The exhibition is co-organized by Harry Cooper, associate curator of modern art at the Fogg Art Museum, and Joanna Weber, acting curator of European and contemporary art at the Yale Art Gallery, with the help of Laura Greengold, a recent graduate ...
Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain (FIAC), Paris Expo: 29th Annual Modern and Contemporary Art Fair Presents 170 Galleries from 23 Countries
This year’s fair includes a rigorous selection of international galleries, focusing on individual and thematic shows, new and previously unseen works, and site-specific installations. The fair will be divided into five sections: Solo Shows; Group ...

Further Artwork and Information:

Robert Motherwell Online
Robert Motherwell | Abstract Expressionist Artist
Robert Motherwell artist portrait, brief biography and art
American Masters . Robert Motherwell | PBS
Robert Motherwell art gallery, signs
Amazon.com: Books Search Results: Robert+Motherwell
HighBeam Research: Library Search: Results
Robert Motherwell - Artist Painting - Artist Summary [AskART.com]
Robert Motherwell
Robert Motherwell - Grandfathers and Influences

Search the Art History Database for artists, titles, media, year, and other indepth information: