A new exhibit of the works of abstract artist Mark Rothko has opened to rapturous reviews in Paris.
Running until April 2024, the Foundation Louis Vuitton exhibit is the first major Rothko retrospective to be held in France since the 1999 show at the Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris.
More than 100 works from institutional collections across the globe are on display at the exhibition, giving museumgoers a look at one of the US’s foremost 20th century artists.
Rothko, who died in 1970, was known for his “colour field” works, many of which can be seen at the Foundation’s premises.
Paintings have been sourced from institutions such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, the Tate in London, and the Phillips Collection in Washington DC, as well as from private collections, including that of the artist’s family. Overseeing the exhibition is Suzanne Pagé, who also spearheaded the 1999 Rothko exhibition at the Musée d’Art, while the new event is co-curated by Rothko’s son Christopher.
The Times’ Laura Freeman deemed the show “stunning” in a rave five-star review, writing: “Not every picture is a winner, and the abnegating black and grey canvases are hard to love, but this is a show to turn even the most rectangular of sceptics into a raving Rothko convert.”
Among the 115 works on show are a selection of his early figurative works, many of which depict urban landscapes. Rothko was born Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz in Russia, but migrated to the US while still a child. His Stateside surroundings informed much of his early work, with the New York subway featuring prominently in some of his 1930s works.
Opening night at the Mark Rothko retrospective at La Foundation Louis Vuitton, Paris, 17 October— (Getty Images)
The exhibition then transitions to Rothko’s coming of age as an artist, with a swing towards the mythological and surreal during wartime. It wasn’t until after World War II, however, that Rothko truly found his voice, within the loosely defined boundaries of abstract expressionism.
Multi-form is often considered Rothko’s first major abstract work, a series of paintings that were built around patches of colour, utilising watercolour and gouache – a type of opaque paint made with water-soluble gum.
In the 1950s, Rothko refined his style, producing many of his best known paintings, often featuring large rectangular blocks of colour. 1954’s No 9 (Dark over Light Earth/Violet and Yellow in Rose) is one such painting on display at the exhibition, having been loaned from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
Mark Rothko, No. 14, 1960. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Helen Crocker Russell Fund purchase— ( © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko - Adagp, Paris, 2023)
A number of Rothko’s commissions also appear in the gallery, including the wall paintings he made for the original Four Seasons restaurant in New York’s Seagram Building. (Rothko decided against giving these works to the restaurant, ultimately presenting nine of them to the Tate Gallery in 1969.) The permanent “Rothko Room”, which he helped designed for the Phillips Collection in 1960, is also recreated here.
During this period, Rothko would often prioritise warmer colours such as red, orange and ochre. His later work, however, veered into darker territory, including the 1969-70 Black and Grey series, produced at the end of his life.
Many critics have read these artworks as an expression of the artist’s increasing struggles with depression. Rothko took his own life in 1970. However, many have argued against this interpretation of his later work, claiming that drawing a simple link between his colour choices and mental health is reductive.
General view during the Mark Rothko’s Retrospective : Opening Night at La Fondation Louis Vuitton on 17 October, 2023— (Getty Images)
Reviewing the new exhibition, Artlyst described the Louis Vuitton show as “breathtaking”, writing: “Rothko’s work, with its mysterious layers and its refusal to be confined to mere color, finds new resonance within this exhibition.
“Fondation Louis Vuitton, with its meticulous curation, invites viewers on a transformative journey, where art transcends its physical form, becoming a conduit for unspoken emotions and silent conversations between the artist and the observer.”
The deceptive simplicity of Rothko’s signature style has sometimes made him a divisive force on the art scene; at a glance, his striking, colour-based paintings may seem as if anyone could paint them. If the glowing reviews are anything to go by, this extensive, holistic exhibition shows exactly why that’s not true.
Rothko runs at the Louis Vuitton Foundation until 2 April 2024. More information can be found here.
