Game of chance

Robert Motherwell is one of the central figures of American Abstract
Expressionism. His work seamlessly blends painting, printmaking, and collage
with a deep engagement in literature, philosophy, and music. As early as the
1940s, it became clear that the center of modern art was shifting from Paris to
New York. Key American collections and institutions prepared the ground for
this transformation. Bernard Jacobson describes this historical moment as the
point when the essential foundations of Western art transitioned to the United
States, giving rise to a new generation of American artists̶including Helen
Frankenthaler, Barnett Newman, and Robert Motherwell.
The collaboration with partner gallery Jacobson directly connects to this arthistorical
development. Bernard Jacobson has dedicated decades to studying
Abstract Expressionism and has significantly contributed to the reception of
Motherwellʼs work in Europe. An exhibition featuring Robert Motherwell thus
aligns naturally with the galleryʼs focus on classical modernism and post-war
American avant-garde art.
Motherwellʼs work holds particular significance in the fields of printmaking and
collage. His pieces demonstrate how closely these media are intertwined with
his painterly thinking. For him, printmaking was not merely a supplementary
technique but an independent part of his artistic practice. Jacobson emphasizes
that, within the New York School, Motherwell was nearly alone in pursuing
printmaking with the same seriousness and depth as his painting. He began
experimenting with printmaking techniques as early as 1943 and, by the early
1970s, installed his own printing presses in his studio, further intensifying his
work in this medium.
A defining aspect of Motherwellʼs approach is his work in series. One of his
most renowned groups is the Elegy to the Spanish Republic, whose origins are
linked to the cultural journal Possibilities, which Motherwell planned alongside
John Cage. A drawing created for a never-realized second issue later evolved
into the first “Elegy.” The monumental black forms of this series became a
defining element of his oeuvre.
Motherwellʼs encounter with John Cage was also pivotal. Both artists shared an
interest in open structures, fragmentation, and the collage method. Motherwell
viewed Cageʼs working process as a way to connect diverse quotes, ideas, and
found objects, creating complex relationships that defy linear narratives.
Motherwellʼs approach to collage deserves special attention. In his paintings,
works on paper, and prints, he incorporated everyday studio materials̶such as
papers, packaging, or address labels. These fragments became part of a
creative process where memory and perception play a central role. In this
context, Motherwell developed the concept of the “After Image.” This term
refers to hidden layers of meaning drawn from literature, art history, personal
experiences, or other images embedded in his works. His pieces thus engage in
an open dialogue with artists like Picasso, Miró, Matisse, or Frankenthaler.
Motherwellʼs engagement with philosophy and art theory is reflected in his view
of painting as an independent form of knowledge. For him, images were not
linear narratives but places of condensed experience. The influence of
Surrealist automatism is evident in his spontaneous and intuitive working style,
though his work remained consistently shaped by reflection and formal clarity.
Within the New York School, Motherwell occupies a unique position. Through
exchanges with artists like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, he
developed a reduced, highly symbolic visual language characterized by black
forms and gestural structures. Today, his oeuvre is regarded as groundbreaking
for printmaking and collage, offering new perspectives on the relationship
between image, memory, and perception.