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Robert Motherwell was born on January 24, 1915 in Aberdeen,
Washington. Motherwell is one of the most recognized of the American Abstract
Expressionist painters.
After receiving a Bachelor's degree in philosophy from Stanford
University, and beginning graduate studies at Harvard, Motherwell set out
in 1938 for a year of travel in Europe. It was during this trip that he began
painting in earnest, holding his first one-man show at the Raymond Duncan
Gallery in Paris in 1939.
Motherwell moved to Greenwich Village in 1941, abandoning his
academic studies to paint full time. In 1942 he met abstract artist William
Baziotes, and was introduced to many of the abstract expressionists of New
York. In abstract expressionism the "act" of painting becomes the
"content" of the painting. Through gestural movements the artist
is attempting to unleash their raw emotions, not paint pretty pictures.
Motherwell created his first collages at Jackson Pollock's Studio
in Greenwich Village and, along with Pollock and Baziotes was invited to exhibit
at the Peggy Guggenheim "Art of This Century" gallery in New York
City. For the next fifteen years he traveled extensively, taught art, and
developed his style of painting, drawing and collage. Motherwell also participated
in one-man and group exhibitions at galleries including The Museum of Modern
Art in New York City.
In 1961 Motherwell began making limited edition prints of his
work. He was the only one of the original abstract expressionists to enthusiastically
embrace printmaking. Motherwell worked with numerous print workshops in the
United States and Europe. These collaborations between the Motherwell and
the printmakers were a source of great satisfaction to the artist. He synthesized
his unique abstract style, and the materials and technical characteristics
of printmaking to create over 200 editions over the next 30 years. Robert
Motherwell died on July 16, 1991.
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