Robert Motherwell

Acquired directly from the artist

New York, Samuel M. Kootz Gallery, Robert Motherwell, April 1953
São Paulo, Museu de Arte Moderna, II Bienal de Arte, December 1953 – February 1954
Urbana, IL, College of Fine and Applied Arts, 163rd Annual Exhibition: American Oil Painting and Sculpture, February – April 1955, illustrated
Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts, The Collages of Robert Motherwell: A Retrospective, November 1972 - January 1973, cat. no 12, p. 60, illustrated, pl. 6, p. 27, illustrated in color
Düsseldorf, Städtische Kunsthalle; Kulturhuset Stockholm; Vienna, Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts, Robert Motherwell, 1976, cat. no. 17, p. 102, illustrated
Paris, Museé de l'art Modern de la Ville de Paris, Robert Motherwell: Choix de Peintures et Collages 1941-1977, June – September 1977, illustrated

H.H. Arnason, "Robert Motherwell: The Years 1948 to 1965," Art International 10, no. 4, April 20, 1966, pp. 27, 32
Heta Wescher, Collage, New York, 1968, pl. 298, pp. 301-302, illustrated
H.H. Arnason, Robert Motherwell, New York, 1977, pl. 17, illustrated 
Franzke, Andreas, "Städtische Kunsthalle Ausstellung: Robert Motherwell," Pantheon-Internationale Jahreszeitschrift fur Kunst 35, 1977, pp. 64–66, illustrated
H.H. Arnason, Robert Motherwell, New York, 1982, no. 31, p. 39, illustrated
William C. Seitz, Abstract Expressionist Painting in America, Cambridge, 1983, pl. 187, illustrated 
Marcelin Pleynet, Robert Motherwell, Paris, 1989, p. 87, illustrated in color
Corinna Thierolf, Amerikanische Kunst des 20. Jahrhunderts in der Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, 2002, p. 266, illustrated
Mary Ann Caws, Robert Motherwell: With Pen and Brush, London, 2003, pl. 55, illustrated

This work is in very good condition overall. The collaged elements are sound and secure. The right edge of the particle board is slightly uneven. The edges show scattered soft abrasions and spot losses which are likely the result of contact with a previous frame. There are several scattered spots of discoloration which appear to be from the original adhesive for collage and are inherent in the artist's working method. Framed under Plexiglas.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"The Easel No. 1 departs from the contemporary Elegies and Wall Paintings and even from earlier, more expressionistic collages in the centralized focus characteristic of much of Picasso's and Braque's Cubism from the beginnings through the 1920s, but in its large, simple, rectangular structure it de-emphasizes naturalism even more than Cubism in the direction of a schema, which, strangely, has more airiness than the Cubist schema, which tends to be airless, like a stage set."(H.H. Arnason, Robert Motherwell, New York, 1982, p. 39)