Robert Motherwell (1915-1991)

The Summer Sea

Details

Robert Motherwell (1915-1991)
The Summer Sea
incised with the artist's signature 'Motherwell' (lower left); signed again 'R. Motherwell' (on the stretcher)
acrylic on canvas
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm.)
Painted in 1970.

Provenance

Margaret K. Helmuth, California, circa 1972, acquired directly from the artist
Anon. sale; Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 5 May 1973, lot 111
Private collection
Private collection, Larchmont
By descent from the above to the present owner

Literature

J. Flam, K. Rogers and T. Clifford, Robert Motherwell Paintings and Collages: A Catalogue Raisonné, 1941-1991, Volume Two: Paintings on Canvas and Panel, New Haven and London, 2012, p. 310, no. P595 (illustrated).

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Isabella Lauria

ilauria@christies.com +1 212 492 5484

Lot Essay

"Sitting, dreaming on the steps, I used to be struck by the beauty, the force and the grace, at high tide with a strong Southwest wind of the seaspray spurting up, sometimes taller than a man, above the sea wall. After a time, I began experimenting with painting the seaspray."
Robert Motherwell

The Summer Sea

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Lot Essay

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