Robert Motherwell (1915–1991) was one of the defining figures of Abstract Expressionism and the youngest member of what he himself called the “New York School.” In close collaboration with artists such as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, he understood abstract painting as the direct expression of ideas and emotions—conveyed through bold forms, gestural lines, and a powerful visual language.
Trained in philosophy at Stanford University and in art history at Columbia University under Meyer Schapiro, Motherwell combined theoretical reflection with artistic practice. As a teacher at Black Mountain College and later at Hunter College, he influenced a younger generation of artists, including Robert Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly.
His work encompasses painting, collage, and printmaking. Characteristic is his multi-layered use of the color black: in dense, unmodulated areas as well as in transparent veils that both conceal and reveal forms. Overlapping layers of color, differentiated surfaces, and powerful gestures define his compositions, which were often developed over long periods of time. The dynamic nature of this process gives rise to the powerful intensity of his oeuvre.