In Plato's Cave No. 1

1972

Robert Motherwell

Associated Names
Robert Motherwell

Painter, American, 1915 - 1991

This painting is mostly black and gray, with a strong, black outline near the center showing the bottom and sides of a square. The right side of the painting is mostly light stone-gray, while the left side is black or very dark gray. The colors blend together in thick brushstrokes and vertical drips. The gray section is textured with thick brushstrokes and dots of paint.
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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist; his estate; Dedalus Foundation, Inc., New York; purchased 13 January 1999 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1983

  • Robert Motherwell, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; San Francisco Museum of Art; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1983-1985, no. 58, repro.

1989

  • Robert Motherwell, Padiglione d'arte contemporanea, Milan, 1989, no. 11, repro.

1990

  • Robert Motherwell 1969-1990, Centre d'art plastique contemprain, Paris, 1990, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

1996

  • Motherwell, Fundació Antoni Tàpies, Barcelona; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, 1996-1997, no. 45, repro.

2016

  • Abstract Expressionism, Royal Academy of Arts, London; Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 2016-2017, no. 127, repro.

Inscriptions

upper right reverse, the last line in red: Robert Motherwell / 19 August 1972 / NOT FOR SALE; upper center reverse, the "I" a Roman numeral: "In Plato's Cave I" (19. Aug. 72)

Wikidata ID

Q20197391

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