Black on Maroon, 1958
Item
-
Title
-
Black on Maroon, 1958
-
Date created
-
1958
-
Measurements
-
266.5 x 366 cm (105 x 144 inches)
-
manufacturer
-
Joseph E. Seagram and Sons, Inc.
-
commissioner
-
Almost two years after receiving the commission from Joseph E. Seagram & Sons for $35,000 (roughly $395,000 today), Mark Rothko abruptly returned the money, and withdrew the works.
-
Relation
-
One of nine Seagram Murals presented by the artist through the American Federation of Arts in 1969. Rothko produced 30 works that make up the Seagram Murals (1958–1959).
-
Seagram Murals (1958–1959)
-
Description
-
Black on Maroon is a large unframed oil painting on a horizontally orientated rectangular canvas. The base color of the painting is a deep maroon. As is suggested by the work’s title, this is overlaid with a large black rectangle, which in turn encloses two slimmer, vertical maroon rectangles, suggesting a window-like structure. The black paint forms a solid block of color but the edges are feathered, blurring into the areas of maroon. Different pigments have been used within the maroon, blending the color from a deep wine to a muted mauve with accents of red. This changing tone gives a sense of depth in an otherwise abstract composition.
-
Rights
-
IN COPYRIGHT
-
© Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko/DACS 2026
Black on Maroon, 1958