Mark Rothko

Biography

Mark Rothko (1903–1970) was a Latvian-born American painter and a leading figure of Abstract Expressionism. Born Marcus Rothkowitz on September 25, 1903, in Dvinsk, Russia (now Daugavpils, Latvia), he moved to the United States with his family in 1913. He studied briefly at Yale University and later at the Art Students League in New York.

Rothko initially painted city scenes, landscapes and portraits, but his style gradually became more abstract during the 1940s. By the late 1940s, he had developed his signature paintings of large, softly edged rectangles of luminous color, which became closely associated with Color Field painting.

His paintings explored deep human emotions and themes such as tragedy, spirituality and mortality. Among his important projects were the Seagram murals, Harvard murals and paintings for the Rothko Chapel in Houston.

Rothko became one of the most influential American artists of the 20th century. He died by suicide on February 25, 1970, in New York City, aged 66. His work continues to be exhibited in major museums around the world.