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Robert Motherwell

Robert Motherwell

American · 1915–1991 · Painter, Printmaker

Robert Motherwell was an American abstract expressionist painter, printmaker, and editor of The Dada Painters and Poets: an Anthology. He was one of the youngest of the New… (Wikipedia)

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703lots offered1995–2026years recorded92%sold (616)$3kSign up free to seemedian price

4 works by Robert Motherwell with an auction history (offered more than once) →

6 works by Robert Motherwell coming up at auction · bid with the house ↓

Record prices

  1. Robert Motherwell, At Five in the Afternoon, 1971, acrylic on canvasAt Five in the AfternoonPhillips · $12,690,000≈ £9,389,567≈ €10,749,682Sign up to see
  2. Robert Motherwell, Untitled (Elegy), 1983-1985, acrylic and charcoal on canvasUntitled (Elegy)Phillips · $4,580,000≈ £3,575,611≈ €4,088,191Sign up to see
  3. Robert Motherwell, Open No. 25: In Blue with Variations, 1968, acrylic and charcoal on canvasOpen No. 25: In Blue with VariationsPhillips · $2,329,000≈ £1,957,801≈ €2,238,562Sign up to see

Robert Motherwell’s highest prices recorded at auction, ranked in US dollars at each sale-date exchange rate and shown in the currency of the sale (with the buyer’s premium where the house publishes it).

Coming up at auction

6 in forthcoming sales · bid with the house

Listed from the auction houses’ own websites; estimates are the houses’ own, not results.

ArtSell has recorded 670 auction results for Robert Motherwell between 1995 and 2026, of which 616 sold (92%). A further 33 lots were offered at auction without a published result. Recorded sale prices range from $45Sign up free to see to $13MSign up free to see. The highest price recorded is $13MSign up free to see for At Five in the Afternoon at Phillips in May 2018. The most common medium is lithographs (289 lots). Most results come from Phillips (219), Rago Auctions (124) and Wright (103).

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  1. Robert Motherwell, Basque Suite #2, 1971, Serigraph
    Basque Suite #2, 1971
    Screenprint · ed. 1/2
    40 1/2" x 28"
    Circle Auction · · Lot 5
    $1,800≈ £1,358≈ €1,579HammerSign up free to seeEst. $2,000–3,000View at Circle Auction ↗
  2. Robert Motherwell, Robert Natkin, Aquatint and line-cut with hand coloring on buff Dewint handmade paper
    Robert Natkin
    Aquatint · Paper
    Sheet: 18.75" h x 21" w
    Clarke Auction Gallery · · Lot 83
    $4,000≈ £2,964≈ €3,451HammerSign up free to seeEst. $2,000–3,000View at Clarke Auction Gallery ↗
  3. Robert Motherwell, Untitled (from the Basque suite), 1971, screenprint in colors on J.B. Green
    Untitled (from the Basque suite), 1971
    Lithograph
    22¼ h x 17⅜ w in (57 x 44 cm)
    Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · · Lot 202
    $2,048≈ £1,515≈ €1,763Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
  4. Robert Motherwell, Untitled (from the X + X (Ten Works by Ten Painters) portfolio), 1964, screenprint in colors and collage on Mohawk Superfine
    Untitled (from the X + X (Ten Works by Ten Painters) portfolio), 1964
    Screenprint
    20 h x 24 w in (51 x 61 cm)
    Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · · Lot 203
    $1,280≈ £947≈ €1,102Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
  5. Robert Motherwell, Untitled (from the Basque suite), 1971, lithograph in colors on J.B. Green
    Untitled (from the Basque suite), 1971
    Lithograph
    22 h x 17⅜ w in (56 x 44 cm)
    Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · · Lot 205
    $3,328≈ £2,462≈ €2,865Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
  6. Robert Motherwell, Black Mountain (State 1), 1983, lift-ground etching and aquatint on white Georges Duchêne Hawthorne of Larroque handmade
    Black Mountain (State 1), 1983
    Etching
    14¾ h x 20½ w in (37 x 52 cm)
    Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · · Lot 206
    $2,560≈ £1,893≈ €2,204Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,500–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
  7. Robert Motherwell, Yellow Chord, 1981, etching and aquatint in colors on German Etching
    Yellow Chord, 1981
    Etching
    27½ h x 10½ w in (70 x 27 cm)
    Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · · Lot 207
    $2,816≈ £2,083≈ €2,424Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $3,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
  8. Robert Motherwell, Untitled (from the Basque suite), 1971, screenprint in colors on J.B. Green
    Untitled (from the Basque suite), 1971
    Screenprint
    22¼ h x 17⅛ w in (57 x 43 cm)
    Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · · Lot 208
    $3,584≈ £2,651≈ €3,085Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $3,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
  9. Robert Motherwell, Summer Sign (E. & B. 494), 1990, Carborundum in colours, on Whatman paper, with full margins
    Summer Sign (E. & B. 494), 1990
    Carborundum in colours, on Whatman paper, with full margins · Paper · ed. 38/38
    I. 45.3 x 60 cm (17 7/8 x 23 5/8 in.) S. 64.2 x 78.7 cm (25 1/4 x 30 7/8 in.)
    Phillips · · Lot 348
    £2,193≈ $2,960≈ €2,548Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £2,000–3,000View at Phillips ↗
  10. Robert Motherwell, Three Forms (E. & B. 469), 1988, Aquatint and etching in colours, on German etching paper, with full margins
    Three Forms (E. & B. 469), 1988
    Aquatint · Paper · ed. 49/50
    I. 29.9 x 60.1 cm (11 3/4 x 23 5/8 in.) S. 50 x 78.9 cm (19 5/8 x 31 1/8 in.)
    Phillips · · Lot 349
    £1,806≈ $2,438≈ €2,099Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £2,000–3,000View at Phillips ↗
Also offered, result not published (33)

Lots by Robert Motherwell that were offered at auction where the house did not publish whether they sold. Not counted in any statistics.

Robert Motherwell paintings (32)Robert Motherwell oil paintings (4)Robert Motherwell acrylic paintings (27)Robert Motherwell works on paper (26)Robert Motherwell drawings (9)Robert Motherwell prints (586)Robert Motherwell etchings (127)Robert Motherwell aquatints (48)Robert Motherwell lithographs (289)Robert Motherwell screenprints (112)

Robert Motherwell: quick facts

What is the highest price paid for a work by Robert Motherwell at auction?

$12,690,000Sign up free to see, for At Five in the Afternoon at Phillips (May 2018) — the highest price in ArtSell’s records.

What is a typical auction price for Robert Motherwell?

The median sale price is $3kSign up free to see across 611 priced sales. Prices vary by medium, size and date — see the price chart & statistics.

How many works by Robert Motherwell have sold at auction?

616 of 670 recorded lots sold between 1995 and 2026. 33 further lots were offered with no published result and are not counted.

Which auction houses sell Robert Motherwell?

Phillips, Rago Auctions and Wright account for the most recorded results. Phillips · Rago Auctions · Wright

About Robert Motherwell

Robert Motherwell was an American abstract expressionist painter, printmaker, and editor of The Dada Painters and Poets: an Anthology. He was one of the youngest of the New York School, which also included Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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