Robert Motherwell was born in Aberdeen, Washington in 1915.

He studied art at Stanford and Columbia, completing a B.A. in philosophy from Stanford University.

His career as an American surrealist earned him critical acclaim as a young, promising painter during the 1940s. In the next 50 years Motherwell continued to enhance his reputation as a painter, as well as a fine printmaker, philosopher and critic. As a member of the New York School and as the inadvertent spokesman for his generation of artists he was often referred to as the Dean of American Painters. He received many international awards for his contribution to the artworld and his work was seen in numerous exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad, including a major retrospective exhibition in 1984 at the Seattle Art Museum.

During his career as an artist, Robert Motherwell produced nearly 460 prints, influencing countless artists with his innovative ideas and printmaking techniques. A complete Catalogue Raisonné was published in 2003: Robert Motherwell Catalogue Raisonné, available at the gallery.

He lived and worked in Greenwich, Connecticut; Providence, MA and in New York City. Motherwell died July 16, 1991 at the age of 76. His presence is sorely missed.

Robert Motherwell
The Complete Prints 1940-1991: Catalogue Raisonné
By Siri Engberk, Joan Banach Hardcover, 12.25 x 10.5 x 2 inches, 7 lbs., 431 pages, 500 colorplates, 100 black & white illustrations.

"Throughout his long and prolific career, Robert Motherwell (1915-1991) produced a remarkable body of work that ranks among the most notable achievements in postwar American art. In addition to being one of the most celebrated of the Abstract Expressionist painters, Motherwell was a renowned an innovative printmaker, a distinction shared by few of his New York School contemporaries.

Motherwell produced more than 500 editions, working in collaboration with a host of workshops and printers, and in a broad variety of media. Incorporating many of the motifs set forth in his paintings, drawings, and collages, his prints and illustrated books form an extraordinary compendium of a career spent investigating the modernist tradition and the power of abstraction.

Robert Motherwell: The Complete Prints 1940-1991 presents for the first time a definitive catalogue raisonné of this aspect of the artist’s work, documenting more than 500 editions with all new research, photography, and commentary, and incorporating previously uncatalogued material. In addition the book includes an essay on Motherwell’s printmaking history, an illustrated chronology, a comprehensive bibliography and exhibition history, and a concordance with past catalogues. Supplanting earlier publications as the standard reference on Motherwell’s editioned work, this book is an invaluable resource for scholars, collectors, and general enthusiasts of an artist who made an indelible impression on the history of twentieth-century printmaking."
-Excerpt from frontispiece of the Catalog Raisonné

This is a wonderful achievement in the scholarship on this great 20th century printmaker and painter. Included are illustrations of the last 20 or so prints he made that were not included in the previous catalogue raisonné edition by Dorothy Belknap. This new edition was overseen by Siri Engberk, associate curator of the Walker Arts Center, who worked with Joan Banach, longtime archivist for Motherwell’s prints, and current vice president of the artist’s estate, the Dedalus Foundation.

This is a "must have" book by any fan of this great artist and an essential volume in any serious print collector's library.

Contact us at the gallery to purchase: 206-624-0770