Live Auction 18549Post-War to Present
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991)
Lot 53

Robert Motherwell (1915-1991)

The Summer Sea

Closed5 March 2020

Price Realised

USD 137,500

Considering selling a similar item?

Discover its value with a complimentary estimate from our specialists.

More Information

How to sell

Robert Motherwell (1915-1991)
The Summer Sea
incised with the artist's signature 'Motherwell' (lower left); signed again 'R. Motherwell' (on the stretcher)
acrylic on canvas
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm.)
Painted in 1970.

Margaret K. Helmuth, California, circa 1972, acquired directly from the artist
Anon. sale; Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 5 May 1973, lot 111
Private collection
Private collection, Larchmont
By descent from the above to the present owner

Specialist note


"Sitting, dreaming on the steps, I used to be struck by the beauty, the force and the grace, at high tide with a strong Southwest wind of the seaspray spurting up, sometimes taller than a man, above the sea wall. After a time, I began experimenting with painting the seaspray."
Robert Motherwell