ROBERT MOTHERWELL | Three Important Personages

Collection of Jane Bowles, East Hampton
Robert Elkon Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner in November 1975

New York, Art of This Century, Robert Motherwell: Paintings, Papiers Collés, Drawings, October - November 1944
Dusseldorf, Städtische Kunsthalle; Stockholm, Kulturhuset; Vienna, Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts, Robert Motherwell, September 1976 - April 1977, cat. no. 2, p. 98, illustrated
Seattle Art Museum, The Richard and Jane Lang Collection, February - April 1984, cat. no. 32, p. 46, illustrated
Newport Beach, Newport Harbor Art Museum; New York, Whitney Museum of American Art; Minneapolis, Walker Art Center, The Interpretive Link: Abstract Surrealism into Abstract Expressionism: Works on Paper, 1938-1948, July 1986 - April 1987, cat. no. 80, illustrated
Venice, Peggy Guggenheim Collection; New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Robert Motherwell: Early Collages, May 2013 - January 2014, cat. no. 22, illustrated in color

Robert Saltonstall Mattison, Robert Motherwell: The Formative Years, Ann Arbor 1987, fig. 36, p. 103, illustrated
Matthew S. Witkovsky, "Experience vs. Theory: Romare Bearden and Abstract Expression," Black American Literature Forum 23, No. 2, Summer 1989, fig. 2, p. 263, illustrated

This work is in very good condition overall. There are multiple artist pinholes in each corner, obscured by the mat. Under close inspection, the sheet has discolored slightly with age. As a result of a previous matting, the extreme edges of the sheet are discolored, which is also obscured by the mat. The sheet is hinged verso to the mat intermittently along the edges. 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.

"What could be more interesting, or in the end, more ecstatic, than in those rare moments when you see another person look at something you've made, and realize that they got it exactly, that your heart jumped to their heart with nothing in between."
Robert Motherwell

This work will be included in the forthcoming Robert Motherwell Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings being prepared by the Dedalus Foundation.