Open No. 12 in Raw Sienna with Gray
Date1968
Artist
Robert Motherwell
(American painter, 1915–1991)
MediumAcrylic and charcoal on canvas
Dimensions85 x 200 in. (215.9 x 508 cm)
Credit LineF. V. du Pont Acquisition Fund and Partial Gift of the Dedalus Foundation, 1998
Object number1998-193
On View
On viewCollections
ClassificationsPAINTING
Label TextIn 1967, Robert Motherwell began his Open series of paintings and prints. The series was initiated when the artist noticed the arrangement of forms created by a small rectangular painting leaning against a larger one. Motherwell played with innumerable variations of this simple composition over several years. For the artist, the rectangles referenced windows and doors, suggesting both unbounded space and enclosure.