Mark Rothko

Mark Rothko (Dvinsk, Russian Empire, present-day Daugavpils, Latvia, 1903–New York, United States, 1970) was an artist recognized as a central figure in Abstract Expressionism and the New York School. He emigrated with his family to the United States in 1913 and developed much of his career in New York.

His work is known for large fields of color, rectangular forms with soft edges, and a constant focus on the relationship between color, scale, and the viewer’s experience. From the late 1940s onward, Rothko worked with increasingly simplified compositions, in which overlapping layers of color create depth, light, and a strong visual presence.

His work is part of collections such as MoMA, the National Gallery of Art, Tate, SFMOMA, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has presented exhibitions in institutions such as MoMA, the National Gallery of Art, Tate Modern, Fondation Louis Vuitton, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.