Robert Motherwell
1915-1991 · American · Abstract Expressionism, New York School
Auction record: $12.69M
At Five in the Afternoon, 1971 · Phillips, New York · May 17, 2018
Source: phillips.com
Biography
Robert Motherwell (1915 to 1991), born in Aberdeen, Washington, was the youngest founder of the New York School and its main writer and editor, bringing European Surrealist ideas of automatism to American painting. His best known body of work, the Elegies to the Spanish Republic, more than 150 paintings of black ovals and bars begun in 1948, is the core of his market, followed by the Open series of the late 1960s and his collages. His auction record is $12.69 million for At Five in the Afternoon (1971), sold at Phillips New York on 17 May 2018. A large output, including many prints, keeps the market active at every price level, while large Elegies remain scarce.
Recent auction results
| A Sculptor's Picture, with Blue (1958)Phillips, New York | $1.23M | Nov 19, 2025 | phillips.com |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premonition Open with Flesh over GreyPhillips, New York | $572K | May 14, 2025 | phillips.com |
Market
- Liquidity: Medium
Museums
- Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
- National Gallery of Art, Washington
- Tate Modern, London
Sources
- Phillips, lotto At Five in the Afternoon
- Phillips, lotto A Sculptor's Picture, with Blue
- Phillips, lotto Premonition Open with Flesh over Grey
- MyArtBroker, record d'asta di Robert Motherwell
- Wikipedia, Robert Motherwell
Follow the artists and receive alerts in the Unicorn Art Watch app.
Investing involves the risk of losing capital.
© Unicorn Private LLC · Unicorn Private Research