In the history of art, only a handful of great artists have been able to articulate the nature of the creative process. Robert Motherwell was one such artist. Not only a seminal painter in the movement eventually referred to as abstract expressionism, he was also a primary theorist and spokesperson for the avant-garde art that developed mainly in New York City during the Second World War. Throughout the formative years of abstract expressionism, Motherwell's presence as artist, editor of a series of pioneering books on modern art, lecturer, and teacher was influential in both illuminating and shaping the development of what he termed "The Enterprise" of abstract art. This book brings together a representative selection of Motherwell's writings about art, dating from 1941 to 1988. It contains more than sixteen essays, a number of pieces from exhibition catalogs, more than a dozen public lectures, and all the artist's vanguard editorial work. The last includes his introductions to several volumes of the pioneering series Documents of Modern Art, which he began directing and editing in 1944; his contribution to possibilities, the first magazine devoted to modern art and culture in the United States, and his work on Modern Artists in America, a book designed to bring balanced attention to modern art in the conservative political climate that prevailed in 1951. Excerpts from four interviews, a number of letters, and lectures, some never before published, bring the collection to within three years of the artist's death. A new chronology and an updated bibliography provide much new information. In a New York Times tribute shortly after Motherwell's death, Hilton Kramer memorialized the artist as the "eloquent and articulate champion of the entire Abstract Expressionist movement, an archivist of the modernist movement as a whole" and expressed regret that Motherwell's "long-awaited" collected works had not yet appeared. Here at last is that definitive collection, nearly eighty pieces by the leading spokesperson for abstract expressionism.

The Collected Writings of Robert Motherwell

Arts & Photography

Motherwell, Robert

Individual Artists

Oxford University Press

In the history of art, only a handful of great artists have been able to articulate the nature of the creative process. Robert Motherwell was one such artist. Not only a seminal painter in the movement eventually referred to as abstract expressionism, he was also a primary theorist and spokesperson for the avant-garde art that developed mainly in New York City during the Second World War. Throughout the formative years of abstract expressionism, Motherwell's presence as artist, editor of a series of pioneering books on modern art, lecturer, and teacher was influential in both illuminating and shaping the development of what he termed "The Enterprise" of abstract art. Bringing together a representative selection of Motherwell's writing about art, dating from 1941 to 1988, The Collective Writings of Robert Motherwell offers more than sixteen essays, a number of pieces from exhibition catalogs, over a dozen public lectures, and all the artist's vanguard editorial work. Definitive and illuminating, this collection of nearly eighty pieces brings to light the prominence of Motherwell, whom The New York Times memorialized as the "eloquent and articulate champion of the entire Abstract Expressionist movement."

History & Criticism

This book brings together a representative selection of Robert Motherwell's writings about art, public lectures, essays, interviews, and letters. Motherwell's writing was invaluable in articulating the intent of the New York School of American artists—Pollock, de Kooning, Gottlieb, Kline, Baziotes, Still, Gorky—during a period when their work was often reviled for its departure from traditional representation. Motherwell was not only the primary theorist of abstract expressionism but also one of its major exponents. As founder of the Documents of Modern Art series (later renamed The Documents of Twentieth-Century Art), he gathered the writings of modern artists to give them a voice at a time when very few people understood their theories or work.

The Collected Writings of Robert Motherwell (Documents of Twentieth-Century Art)

University of California Press

Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), one of the leading American Abstract Expressionist painters, was also a theorist and exponent of the movement. His writing articulated the intent of the New York school —Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Adolph Gottlieb, Franz Kline, Arshile Gorky, and others—during a period when their work was often reviled for its departure from traditional representation. As founder of the Documents of Modern Art series (later renamed the Documents of Twentieth-Century Art), Motherwell gave modern artists a voice at a time when very few people understood their theories or work. This authoritative new edition of the artist's writings about art includes public lectures, essays, and interviews. Impeccably edited, with an informative introductory essay and rigorous annotation, it is illustrated with black-and-white images that elucidate Motherwell's writings.

The Writings of Robert Motherwell (Documents of Twentieth-Century Art)

Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), one of the leading American Abstract Expressionist painters, was also a theorist and exponent of the movement. His writing articulated the intent of the New York school ―Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Adolph Gottlieb, Franz Kline, Arshile Gorky, and others―during a period when their work was often reviled for its departure from traditional representation. As founder of the Documents of Modern Art series (later renamed the Documents of Twentieth-Century Art), Motherwell gave modern artists a voice at a time when very few people understood their theories or work. This authoritative new edition of the artist's writings about art includes public lectures, essays, and interviews. Impeccably edited, with an informative introductory essay and rigorous annotation, it is illustrated with black-and-white images that elucidate Motherwell's writings.

Ashton, Dore

Flam, Jack

Banach, Joan

An examination of the development of abstract expressionism in the United States includes discussions of artists, such as Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, and Robert Motherwell

Abstract Expressionist Painting in America (Ailsa Mellon Bruce Studies in American Art) (The Ailsa Mellon Bruce Studies in American Art)

SEITZ, William C.

Harvard University Press

Presents the pen-and-ink sketches of the abstract expressionist artist

The Dedalus Sketchbooks (Abrams Artists Sketchbook)

Harry N.Abrams, Inc.

Presents the pen-and-ink sketches of the abstract expressionist artist

Robert Motherwell: The Dedalus Sketchbooks (An Abrams Artist's Sketchbook)

Glenn, Constance

Glenn, Jack

Reconciliation elegy

RECONCILIATION ELEGY

Rizolli International Publications, Inc.

Apropos Robinson Jeffers

Ponsold, Renate

Art Museum and Galleries, California State University

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Motherwell, Robert. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Motherwell, Robert

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Motherwell, Robert. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Collected Writings of Robert Motherwell

The Collected Writings of Robert Motherwell

The Collected Writings of Robert Motherwell (Documents of Twentieth-Century Art)

The Writings of Robert Motherwell (Documents of Twentieth-Century Art)

The Writings of Robert Motherwell (Documents of Twentieth-Century Art)

Abstract Expressionist Painting in America (Ailsa Mellon Bruce Studies in American Art) (The Ailsa Mellon Bruce Studies in American Art)

The Dedalus Sketchbooks (Abrams Artists Sketchbook)

Robert Motherwell: The Dedalus Sketchbooks (An Abrams Artist's Sketchbook)

RECONCILIATION ELEGY

Apropos Robinson Jeffers