Red on Maroon, 1959
Item
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Title
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Red on Maroon, 1959
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Date created
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1959
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Measurements
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182.9 x 457.2 x 3.1 cm ( 72.0 x 180.0 x 1.2 inches)
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manufacturer
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Joseph E. Seagram and Sons, Inc.
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commissioner
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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.
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Relation
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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).
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Seagram Murals (1958–1959)
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Description
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Red on Maroon is a large unframed oil painting on a horizontally orientated rectangular canvas. The base color of the painting is a vibrant crimson. This is overlaid with a large maroon rectangle, which in turn encloses a smaller red rectangle, suggesting a window-like structure. The maroon paint forms a solid block of color but the edges seep slightly, blurring into the areas of red. Different pigments have been used within the red, blending shades of crimson and carmine. This changing tone gives a sense of depth in an otherwise abstract composition.
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Rights
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IN COPYRIGHT
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© Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko/DACS 2026
Red on Maroon, 1959