Robert Motherwell Red Sea I 1976 Signed Etching Edition of 100

Artist: Robert Motherwell
Title: Red Sea I, 1976
Medium: Lift-Ground Etching and Aquatint on Arches Cover Paper
Image Size: 23.75" x 19.875"
Sheet Size: 49.5" x 29"
Edition: "Trial", aside from the edition of 100
Year: 1976
Publisher: Abrams Original Editions, Harry N. Abrams, Inc, New York
Inscription: Signed and marked "Trial" on the bottom front
Documentation: It is documented in the literature Engberg & Banach 193, and includes a Gallery Certificate of Authenticity from Modern Artifact

"Red Sea I" (1976) is a significant work by Robert Motherwell, demonstrating his mastery of printmaking and engagement with Abstract Expressionism. Created with lift-ground etching and aquatint on Arches Cover paper, the print combines bold, sweeping black forms with a vibrant red ground. The composition creates rich tonal contrasts, movement, and emotional intensity. Its gestural marks reflect Motherwell's ability to convey urgency, passion, and narrative through abstraction and a limited color palette.

The work is held in the collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) and was exhibited in *Robert Motherwell and Frank Stella: Prints from the Permanent Collection* at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Its museum presence underscores its importance within Motherwell's oeuvre and twentieth-century printmaking. Other Motherwell prints from the 1970s are held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The British Museum.

Robert Motherwell's "Red Sea I" is part of an edition of 100, with 20 artist's proofs. Published by Abrams Original Editions, Harry N. Abrams, Inc, New York, it is documented in the literature Engberg & Banach 193. The work is signed and marked ‘Trial' on the bottom front, and purchase includes a gallery certificate of authenticity from Modern Artifact.

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About Robert Motherwell

Robert Motherwell (American, 1915–1991) was a central figure in the development of postwar American abstraction and one of the leading voices of the Abstract Expressionist movement. Born in Aberdeen, Washington, Motherwell initially pursued studies in philosophy at Stanford University before turning to art, a decision that would shape the trajectory of modern American painting. His early exposure to European modernism during travels in the 1930s and 1940s, particularly the work of Surrealists and Cubists, informed his emerging visual language and helped him synthesize European avant-garde principles with a distinctly American sensibility.

Motherwell is best known for his large-scale paintings that combine gestural brushwork with refined compositional rigor, particularly his signature Elegy to the Spanish Republic series, which he began in 1948. These works are characterized by repeated ovoid forms and bold vertical bands set against contrasting grounds, representing both an emotional and intellectual engagement with history, memory, and political consciousness. Across his oeuvre, Motherwell frequently explored the tension between spontaneity and structure, balancing lyrical brushstrokes with precise geometric forms. This interplay became a hallmark of his style, influencing generations of artists working in abstract and gestural modes.

Throughout his career, Motherwell exhibited extensively at leading galleries and museums. His works are represented in major public collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Tate Modern, London; the Art Institute of Chicago; and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He was the subject of numerous retrospectives, including a landmark exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in 1988, which traced his career from early Surrealist-inspired works to his late abstractions, highlighting the evolution of his formal vocabulary and thematic concerns.

In addition to painting, Motherwell was an accomplished printmaker, essayist, and teacher. He played a key role in advancing the discourse around Abstract Expressionism, editing and contributing to critical texts that contextualized the movement within both American and European art history. As a founding member of the New York School, Motherwell's impact extends beyond his individual works; he shaped the intellectual framework of postwar American art, linking philosophy, politics, and aesthetics. His rigorous approach to abstraction, combined with expressive intensity, continues to influence contemporary artists and solidifies his position as one of the most significant figures of 20th-century art.