Black on Maroon, 1959
Item
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Title
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Black on Maroon, 1959
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Date created
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1959
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Measurements
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266.5 x 457 cm (105 x 180 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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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 square, which in turn encloses a narrower maroon square, suggesting a window-like structure. The black paint forms a solid block of color but the edges seep slightly, blurring into the areas of maroon. Different pigments have been used within the maroon, blending shades of crimson and oxblood color. This changing tone gives a sense of depth in an otherwise abstract composition.
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Rights
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© Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko/DACS 2026
Black on Maroon, 1959