Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
Characterized by its careful, deliberate application of color, Open No. 25: In Blue with Variations, 1968, epitomizes the raw, evocative power encapsulated in Robert Motherwell’s acclaimed Open series. In these Opens—which predominantly engaged the artist between 1967 and 1974—the artist transmitted his expressive faculties through a compositional structure typified by its sublime economy of form. This visual clarity is embodied in the present work in the three-sided “U” shape, contoured by straight black and deep green lines, in the upper center of the painterly expanse: a motif which resurfaced, in different manifestations, throughout Motherwell’s oeuvre. While many of the Open works depict this articulation against a monochromatic background, the present work features a two-tone blue surface that is punctuated by a white horizontal line, further complicating the picture’s spatial indeterminacy. In their coalescence of the subjective gesture of Abstract Expressionism and the geometric formalism of Minimalism, Motherwell’s Opens are some of the most emotionally rich of his oeuvre, and a number of them are included in preeminent international collections, such as The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
The present work installed at left in the exhibition Robert Motherwell: “Open” Series, 1967-1969 at Marlborough-Gerson Gallery, New York, May 13, 1969. Artwork: © 2022 Dedalus Foundation, Inc./Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society, New York The genesis of the Open series was in Motherwell’s studio in 1967, when his curiosity was piqued by the resulting shapes of the back of a small painting leaned against the recto of a painted one. After outlining the smaller canvas in charcoal on the larger one, the artist inverted the ensuing compositions so that the rectangle was placed at the top of the surface; thus, according to Motherwell, “the series began as a ‘door’” but was “ultimately reversed into a ‘window.’”i Struck by the metaphorical possibilities of the “window,” and the relationship it evokes between the internality of emotions and the externality of the senses, the artist continued the Open series for almost two decades, until the early 1980s.
"We have only to look at the force of one of the Opens…to feel the complexity of observation the painter requires of himself and the viewer."
—Mary Ann CawsMotherwell was initially unaware that the series had brought his career full circle: after more than a year of producing Opens, the artist rediscovered a painting from almost thirty years earlier—Spanish Picture with Window, 1941, Museum Art Museum of Fort Worth—in which he had depicted a remarkably similar “window” in the upper left hand corner of a field of color. Motherwell subsequently quipped, “There is no escape from one’s individuality!”ii
The notion of an open-ended application of color was also likely prompted by Motherwell’s deep admiration of Rafael Alberti’s 1948 poem cycle A la pintura, whose poetic invocations of color profoundly affected the artist. During the creation of Open No. 25, Motherwell had recently embarked on a four-year-long project, which would last until 1972, juxtaposing Alberti’s poems with his Open prints in his eponymous artist’s book. Of the six colors to which Alberti dedicated odes, three comprise Motherwell’s chosen palette for the present work—blue, the most prominent shade in A la pintura, as well as black and white. “Mainly, I use each color as simply symbolic:…blue for the sky and sea,” the artist elucidating, assigning metaphorical referents to the colors he employed. “I guess that black and white, which I use most often, tend to be the protagonists.”iii
"Blue was; and then painted itself into Time.
How many blues make a Mediterranean?"
—Rafael AlbertiMoreover, the subtle interplay between the line and the symbolic faculty of cerulean, charcoal, and white evokes Joan Miró’s investigation into the graphic power of signs against intense, saturated fields of color. “Miró was the great painter of the generation after Picasso,” Motherwell espoused. “With those incomparably original, emptyish pictures, there was nobody close to him. His art had to do with improvisation, spontaneity, daring juxtaposition, imagery that was metaphorical, not literal. Abstract Expressionism had certain parallel aspirations…”iv
Joan Miró, Bleu II, March 4, 1961. Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. Image: © CNAC/MNAM, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY, Artwork: © 2022 Successió Miró / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris Executed during a time when Minimalism had superseded Abstract Expressionism as the dominant force in the New York art world, Open No. 25 is demonstrative of an aesthetic convergence in Motherwell’s oeuvre. While this union betrays the artist’s awareness and openness to contemporaneous artistic trends, despite being a pioneer of the New York School, the work is a manifestation of far more than an exercise in reducing painting to its essence. Open No. 25 manifests Motherwell’s investigation of painting’s ability to simultaneously engage art history and explore philosophical inquiries. “In the end I realize that whatever ‘meaning’ that picture has is just the accumulated ‘meaning’ of ten thousand brush strokes, each one being decided as it was painted…as the accumulation of hundreds of decisions with the brush,” the artist himself elucidated. “But when you steadily work at something over a period of time, your whole being must emerge.”v
i Robert Motherwell, “Statement of the Open Series” [1969], in Dore Ashton, ed., The Writings of Robert Motherwell, Berkeley, 2007, p. 244.
ii Ibid., p. 243.
iii Robert Motherwell, quoted in An Exhibition of the Work of Robert Motherwell, exh. cat., Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, 1963, n.p.iv Robert Motherwell, quoted in “Pulling Together the Bits and Pieces of Motherwell’s Classic Modernism,” Chicago Tribune, January 27, 1985, online.
v Robert Motherwell, quoted in Robert Motherwell, exh. cat., Albright-Knox Gallery, New York, Buffalo, 1983, p. 12.Provenance
Marlborough-Gerson Gallery, Inc., New York
Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner Hempel, California (acquired from the above in 1969)
Gagosian Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1991Exhibited
New York, Marlborough-Gerson Gallery, Robert Motherwell: “Open” Series, 1967-1969, May 13–June 7, 1969
Literature
Robert Motherwell, "Open No. 25," Art Now: New York, vol. 1, no. 5, May 1969, n.p. (illustrated)
"ART NOW: Color Slide & Lecture series," Artforum, vol. X, no. 2, October 1971, p. 94
Colin Naylor and Genesis P-Orridge, eds., Contemporary Artists, New York, 1977, p. 666
Jack Flam, Katy Rogers and Tim Clifford, eds., Robert Motherwell Paintings and Collages: A Catalogue Raisonné, 1941-1991, vol. II, New Haven, 2012, no. P421, p. 236 (illustrated)Artist Biography
Robert Motherwell
American • 1915 - 1991
One of the youngest proponents of the Abstract Expressionist movement, Robert Motherwell rose to critical acclaim with his first solo exhibition at Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century gallery in 1944. Not only was Motherwell one of the major practicing Abstract Expressionist artists, he was, in fact, the main intellectual driving force within the movement—corralling fellow New York painters such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Hans Hoffman and William Baziotes into his circle. Motherwell later coined the term the "New York School", a designation synonymous to Abstract Expressionism that loosely refers to a wide variety of non-objective work produced in New York between 1940 and 1960.
During an over five-decade-long career, Motherwell created a large and powerful body of varied work that includes paintings, drawings, prints and collages. Motherwell's work is most generally characterized by simple shapes, broad color contrasts and a dynamic interplay between restrained and gestural brushstrokes. Above all, it demonstrates his approach to art-making as a response to the complexity of lived, and importantly felt, experience.
Property from an Exceptional Private Collection
Ο◆42
Open No. 25: In Blue with Variations
signed with the artist's initials and dated "RM 68" lower right
acrylic and charcoal on canvas
68 1/8 x 81 in. (173 x 205.7 cm)
Painted in 1968.
Estimate
$900,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for $2,329,000
Amanda Lo Iacono
Global Managing Director and Specialist, Head of Evening Sale, New York
+1 212 940 1278
ALoiacono@phillips.com
Carolyn Mayer
Associate Specialist, Associate Head of Evening Sale, New York
+1 212 940 1206
CMayer@phillips.com
20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale
New York Auction 15 November 2022
1
Ilana Savdie
Marimonda Desplegada
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $176,400
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
2
Danica Lundy
Miss Fist Kiss
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $189,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
3
Lauren Quin
Arrow
Estimate $70,000 - 100,000
Sold for $163,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
4
Avery Singer
Untitled
Estimate $1,500,000 - 2,000,000
Sold for $1,724,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
5
Rashid Johnson
Standing Broken Men
Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for $1,724,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
6
Pablo Picasso
Mousquetaire buste
Estimate $2,500,000 - 3,500,000
Sold for $2,450,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
7
Julie Mehretu
Tsunemasa (next to Kaija)
Estimate $4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for $4,386,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
8
Cy Twombly
Untitled
Estimate $35,000,000 - 45,000,000
Sold for $41,640,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
9
René Magritte
Le météore
Estimate $4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for $4,265,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
10
Amy Sherald
Pilgrimage of the Chameleon
Estimate $1,800,000 - 2,500,000
Sold for $2,087,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
11
Loie Hollowell
Lick, Lick in Purple, maroon-yellow
Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for $1,361,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
12
Tom Wesselmann
Mouth #14 (Marilyn)
Estimate $3,000,000 - 5,000,000
Sold for $3,236,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
13
René Magritte
Le coup de grâce
Estimate $1,500,000 - 2,000,000
Sold for $1,966,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
14
Anna Weyant
Bum
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $390,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
15
Mark Bradford
He Barked Just Like a Watchdog
Estimate $4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for $4,870,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
16
Mark Grotjahn
Untitled (Circus No. 12 Face 44.30)
Estimate $8,000,000 - 12,000,000
Sold for $9,809,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
17
Marc Chagall
Le Père
Estimate $6,000,000 - 8,000,000
Sold for $7,404,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
18
Marlene Dumas
Snow White in the Wrong Story
Estimate $3,500,000 - 4,500,000
Sold for $3,781,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
19
María Berrío
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
Estimate $500,000 - 700,000
Sold for $1,603,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
20
Alex Katz
The Grey Dress
Estimate $1,200,000 - 1,800,000
Sold for $2,208,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
21
Yayoi Kusama
All The Eternal Love
Estimate $800,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for $1,966,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
22
Alexander Calder
Plutôt jaune
Estimate $1,500,000 - 2,000,000
Sold for $1,482,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
23
Amy Sherald
Madame Noire
Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
24
Jean-Michel Basquiat
To Repel Ghosts
Estimate $7,000,000 - 10,000,000
Sold for $7,862,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
25
This lot is no longer available.
26
Yayoi Kusama
Nets Blue
Estimate $2,500,000 - 3,500,000
Sold for $2,450,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
27
Lucy Bull
Untitled
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $478,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
28
Willem de Kooning
Untitled
Estimate $4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for $4,870,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
29
Milton Avery
Hot Moon
Estimate $1,800,000 - 2,500,000
Sold for $2,208,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
30
Amoako Boafo
Pink Shorts
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
Sold for $403,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
31
Rashid Johnson
Untitled Anxious Collage
Estimate $500,000 - 700,000
Sold for $567,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
32
Joan Mitchell
Cobalt
Estimate $3,000,000 - 4,000,000
Sold for $3,418,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
33
Andy Warhol
Oxidation
Estimate $2,000,000 - 3,000,000
Sold for $2,450,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
34
Alexander Calder
Petite croix
Estimate $3,500,000 - 4,500,000
Sold for $4,023,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
35
This lot is no longer available.
36
Willem de Kooning
Event in a Barn
Estimate $2,500,000 - 3,500,000
Sold for $3,055,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
37
Pablo Picasso
Paysage au pin
Estimate $1,200,000 - 1,800,000
Sold for $1,482,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
38
Mickalene Thomas
I Can’t See Me Without You
Estimate $350,000 - 550,000
Sold for $441,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
39
Balthus
La Sieste
Estimate $700,000 - 1,000,000
Sold for $1,058,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
40
Andy Warhol
Nosepicker I: Why Pick on Me (The Broad Gave Me My Face But I Can Pick My Own Nose)
Estimate $300,000 - 500,000
Sold for $491,400
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
41
Andy Warhol
Living Room
Estimate $250,000 - 450,000
Sold for $315,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
42
Robert Motherwell
Open No. 25: In Blue with Variations
Estimate $900,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for $2,329,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
43
Luc Tuymans
Absence
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
Sold for $453,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
44
Ernie Barnes
Slam Before the Storm
Estimate $300,000 - 400,000
Sold for $604,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
45
Carmen Herrera
Noche Verde
Estimate $500,000 - 700,000
Sold for $567,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
46
Anne Truitt
Autumn Dryad
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
Sold for $567,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.