Mark Rothko, a monumental figure in twentieth-century American art and a founder of Abstract Expressionism, is universally known for his huge paintings depicting floating rectangles of glowing colours. Less well known are his works on paper: he held onto most of these, and they were unavailable and largely unknown during his lifetime and during the long years of litigation that followed his death. Now the finest of them can at last be seen. "Mark Rothko: Works on Paper" presents the intimate legacy of a giant of modern art. As author Bonnie Clearwater writes, 'with the symmetry, tidy execution, and minimal gesture, the small works on paper often seem to be more quintessential Rothko than many of his canvases...They should be appreciated for their subtlety, their directness, and what they disclose about the artist's aesthetic'.

About the Author

Bonnie Clearwater is the curator of the Mark Rothko Foundation. Dore Ashton is a noted art historian and critic.