Robert Motherwell

André Emmerich Gallery Inc., New York
Private Collection, New York (acquired from the above in 1977)
Christie's, New York, May 8, 1984, lot 29
The Keck Collection, Bel Air
Sotheby's, New York, November 14, 1991, lot 317
Private Collection, Michigan
Acquired by the previous owner from the above

Zürich, Galerie André Emmerich, Robert Motherwell: Paintings, April - May 1977, n.p., illustrated (catalogue cover)
Paris, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Robert Motherwell: Choix de peintures et collages, 1941-1977, June - September 1977

This work is in very good condition. Please refer to the following condition report prepared by Amann + EstabrookConservation Associates.
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.

With interlocking rectilinear expanses of earthy green, velvety black and celestial blue, Summer Seaside Night of 1974 is a sublime essay in Robert Motherwell's highly sophisticated and immediately recognizable brand of Abstract Expressionism. It is endemically related to the artist's iconic cycle of Open paintings, which were conceived by chance in the spring of 1967.  After noticing the compositional fulfillment of a small canvas propped against a larger one in his studio, Motherwell was dissatisfied with the apparent 'doorway' shape he had created and its implication of 'closing' the composition. Eventually, Motherwell turned the work upside down, immediately transforming the central rectangle into an "open" window that liberated all elemental characteristics of color, composition, texture, and depth within the canvas.

Summer Seaside Night communicates primarily to the senses. With incomparable architectonic and colorist means Motherwell achieves his career ambition to incite the intensity of feeling totally detached from figurative description, while incorporating his contemporaneous advancements in the possibilities of printmaking and collage.