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National Gallery presents an exhibition focusing on Rothko’s works on paper
From November 19, 2023, through March 31, 2024, the exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, examines some 100 paintings on paper that the artist viewed as finished works in their own right.
Source: National Gallery of Art, Washington · Image: Mark Rothko, “Untitled”, 1959, oil on paper, private collection. © Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko
By considering Rothko’s work on paper, which is largely unfamiliar to art specialists and the public alike, the exhibition offers a new view of the development of the artist’s oeuvre. Made throughout Rothko’s career, the works in the exhibition range from early watercolors of figurative subjects and mythological and surrealist works to oil and acrylic paintings in the artist’s signature format of soft-edged rectangular fields arranged against monochrome backgrounds. Many of the latter are monumental in scale, measuring up to seven feet tall. The exhibition will travel to the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Norway in 2024, where it will be the first major exhibition of the artist’s work held in Scandinavia.
The exhibition comes as the National Gallery approaches the culmination of a decades-long process of cataloging all of Mark Rothko’s works on paper for a forthcoming catalogue raisonné that will be available as both an online resource and print publication. In February 2019, the National Gallery launched the online resource at rothko.nga.gov. As of February 2022, the resource allows users to browse, filter, sort, and compare 1,903 of the approximately 2,600 works on paper by Rothko held in public and private collections worldwide. Additional content being developed in association with this initiative includes an overarching study of Rothko’s work on paper by the lead author of the catalogue raisonné—Adam Greenhalgh, associate curator at the National Gallery—as well as a robust chronology, a biographical memoir by the artist’s daughter, Kate Rothko Prizel, and studies of Rothko’s materials and process by National Gallery conservators.
“The National Gallery is privileged to hold the largest public collection of works by Mark Rothko, thanks to the Mark Rothko Foundation’s transformative 1986 gift. We are committed to the continued study of the artist’s work and to providing accessible resources through which the public can learn more about this renowned artist,” said Kaywin Feldman, director, National Gallery of Art. “Together with the catalogue raisonné of Rothko’s works on paper, this exhibition of the artist’s paintings on paper will add a new dimension to our understanding of his practice and output.”
In a dazzling spectacle of high-stakes bidding, the illustrious collection of the late Dutch connoisseur-collector Cornelis Paulus van Pauwvliet took center stage at Bonhams New Bond Street on Tuesday, November 21. The auction, a crescendo of anticipation, saw a remarkable total of £2.86 million change hands as passionate art enthusiasts vied for a piece of cultural history.
Van Pauwvliet’s meticulously curated assortment encompassed a symphony of exquisite furniture, silver, ceramics, and clocks, harmonizing in a celebration of Dutch and French Fine and Decorative Works of Art. Assembled with devotion over a span of five decades within the walls of his Amsterdam residence, the collection provided a window into the evolution of Dutch taste from the 17th to the late 19th century.
Bonhams UK Group Director for House Sales and Private and Iconic Collections, Charlie Thomas, beamed with satisfaction as the gavel fell on this exceptional private collection. He remarked, “It represented the very best of Dutch and French Fine and Decorative Works of Art. Diligently assembled by Cornelis Paulus van Pauwvliet over a 50-year period, the works in this sale showcased the evolution of Dutch taste from the 17th century to the late 19th century, and it was no surprise that collectors responded so enthusiastically.”
Among the star performers, Kees van Dongen’s “Deauville, Le Champ de Courses” from 1935 stole the spotlight, commanding a staggering £356,000. Johan Jongkind’s “Sortie du port de Honfleur” of 1866 surpassed expectations, achieving £102,000 against an estimate of £50,000-70,000. An Italian Baroque ormolu-mounted pietra dura inlaid ebony casket, attributed to the grand Ducal Workshops of Florence, exceeded projections by reaching £165,000.
The realm of Dutch silver witnessed a triumph, with an 18th-century Dutch silver tankard by Johannes Schiotling, part of the Rijksmuseum’s seminal Rococo exhibition in 2001-2000, fetching an impressive £108,000. Meanwhile, a fine 18th-century Dutch silver coffee-urn by Joannes Winter of Amsterdam from 1733 brewed up excitement, making £95,650 against an estimate of £30,000 – 50,000.
Clock enthusiasts were not to be outdone, as the extensive Dutch, French, and English timepieces surpassed all expectations. The pièce de résistance was a mid-18th century French ormolu-mounted longcase clock by Julien Le Roy of Paris, soaring to £89,300 against a low estimate of £70,000. An 18th-century ebony table clock by George Graham, London c. 1730, added to the rhythmic beat of success, achieving £82,950 against an estimate of £30,000 – 50,000.
In the aftermath of this extraordinary auction, the legacy of Cornelis Paulus van Pauwvliet lives on, etched into the annals of art history as a testament to a lifetime dedicated to the pursuit of beauty and cultural richness.
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