Untitled (Black on Grey)
1970 · Acrylic on canvas · 203 × 176 cm
No. 14 (Horizontals, White over Darks)
1961 · Oil on canvas · 228 × 176 cm
White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose)
1950 · Oil on canvas · 206 × 141 cm
No. 61 (Rust and Blue)
1953 · Oil on canvas · 294 × 232 cm
Orange, Red, Yellow
1961 · Oil on canvas · 236 × 206 cm
Mark Rothko (1903–1970) was an American painter born in Latvia, regarded as one of the leading figures of Abstract Expressionism and Color Field painting. He is famous for his large-scale paintings of luminous, hovering rectangles of color that create deeply emotional experiences. He believed art should evoke "basic human emotions — tragedy, ecstasy, doom."
His most celebrated works include Orange, Red, Yellow (1961), which sold for $86.9 million; No. 61 (Rust and Blue) (1953); White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose) (1950); the Seagram Murals (1958–1959); and the Rothko Chapel paintings (1964–1967) in Houston. His mature "multiforms" from 1949 onward are his most recognized works.
The Rothko Chapel is a non-denominational chapel in Houston, Texas, opened in 1971, featuring 14 large-scale paintings by Rothko. Commissioned by John and Dominique de Menil, it serves as both an art space and a place for meditation and human rights advocacy. The dark, contemplative paintings represent the culmination of Rothko's artistic vision.
Rothko died on February 25, 1970, at the age of 66, by suicide in his New York studio. He had suffered from depression, heavy drinking, and an aortic aneurysm. His death came just months before the Rothko Chapel paintings were installed. The subsequent legal battle over his estate became one of the most significant art fraud cases in history.
Rothko insisted his paintings should be viewed up close — ideally 18 inches away — so the color fields fill the viewer's peripheral vision, creating an immersive emotional experience. He preferred dimly lit rooms and asked that his paintings be hung low. He once said: "I'm interested only in expressing basic human emotions," and wanted viewers to weep before his works.
This page features public domain works by Mark Rothko and is not managed by the artist.
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