This illustrated catalogue is published to accompany the retrospective exhibition devoted to American artist Mark Rothko, curated by Suzanne Pagé and the artist’s son, Christopher Rothko. The show will feature over one hundred works. Born Markus Rothkowitz in Latvia in the early 20th century, the man who would soon become known as Mark Rothko began painting in the 1930s. While his early works were influenced by mythology and Surrealism, his first abstract paintings emerged in the 1940s with the Multiform series, followed by his Classic Years and the Black and Gray paintings. A key figure on the New York art scene, Rothko was an uncategorisable artist who deployed an extensive palette of colour and light with a talent that consistently triggers emotion. His great sensitivity shaped a poetic, enigmatic universe that leaves no one untouched. Text in English and French. 

Mark Rothko’s classic book on artistic practice, ideals, and philosophy, now with an expanded introduction and an afterword by Makoto Fujimura   Stored in a New York City warehouse for many years after the artist’s death, this extraordinary manuscript by Mark Rothko (1903–1970) was published to great acclaim in 2004. Probably written in 1940 or 1941, it contains Rothko’s ideas on the modern art world, art history, myth, beauty, the challenges of being an artist in society, the true nature of “American art,� and much more.   In his introduction, illustrated with examples of Rothko’s work and pages from the manuscript, the artist’s son, Christopher Rothko, describes the discovery of the manuscript and the fascinating process of its initial publication. This edition includes discussion of Rothko’s “Scribble Book� (1932), his notes on teaching art to children, which has received renewed scholarly attention in recent years and provides clues to the genesis of Rothko’s thinking on pedagogy.   In an afterword written for this edition, artist and author Makoto Fujimura reflects on how Rothko’s writings offer a “lifeboat� for “art world refugees� and a model for upholding artistic ideals. He considers the transcendent capacity of Rothko’s paintings to express pure ideas and the significance of the decade-long gap between The Artist’s Reality and Rothko’s mature paintings, during which the horrors of the Holocaust and the atomic bomb were unleashed upon the world.

A celebration of Houston's Rothko Chapel on its fiftieth anniversary, featuring work by contemporary artists responding to its continuing impact Artists and the Rothko Chapel celebrates the legacy of the Rothko Chapel in Houston and globally, highlighting how it has inspired artists since its founding in 1971. The catalogue reflects on the Chapel's past while looking toward its future, featuring recent work by four contemporary artists-Sam Gilliam, Sheila Hicks, Shirazeh Houshiary, and Byron Kim-as well as illustrating the 1975 exhibition Marden, Novros, Rothko: Painting in the Age of Actuality shown at Rice University. The volume includes interviews with Brice Marden and David Novros, statements from the artists about their work's relationship to the Chapel, and testimonies by local figures reflecting on questions of spirituality, identity, and equality. With new photography of the installations and of the recently restored Chapel, this vividly illustrated catalogue is a testament to the enduring impact of the non-denominational space Mark Rothko created. Distributed for the Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University Exhibition Schedule: Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University (February 23-May 15, 2021)

A pioneering exploration of Rothko's deep and sustained engagement with the history of art While Mark Rothko (1903-1970) has long been considered a preeminent figure in 20th-century art, few publications have examined his work within the broader context of Western art, even though Rothko himself continuously sought it out as inspiration. Rothko had a profound interest in history and art history-including Greek and Roman mythology, Egyptian fables, Byzantine and early Italian gold-ground paintings, and masterworks of the Renaissance and Dutch Golden Age. He first traveled to Europe in 1950, starting in Paris and winding through Venice, Arezzo, Siena, Florence, and Rome; along the way, he admired frescoes by Fra Angelico and architecture by Michelangelo. This beautiful book examines the influence of the artist's travels on his oeuvre. It presents Rothko's engagement with important classical and Old Master works, highlighting older techniques and ideas that the artist may have sought to emulate. Works representative of Rothko's entire corpus are beautifully illustrated with full-page color plates. The book also contains writings by the artist-selected for publication by his son-that document his appreciation of art history in his own words.