Events

Rothko: In Conversation

Location:

Taylor Hall, Room 102

A special loan to the Loeb allows visitors to better understand the development of Mark Rothko’s revolutionary “color field” paintings. The Loeb’s No. 1 (No. 18, 1948) is joined by Untitled, 1947, on loan from Christopher Rothko, the artist’s son. Early in his career, Mark Rothko worked in a figurative, albeit gestural style, but by the end of the 1940s, he had replaced symbols and imagery with varied washes of color. Untitled, 1947 and No. 1 (No. 18, 1948) emerged amid this pivotal transition.

To mark this occasion, we are honored to welcome Christopher Rothko for a public conversation with Loeb Director Bart Thurber about Mark Rothko’s work and the family’s caretaking of his artistic legacy.

A reception follows in the Loeb’s atrium.

This program is an Agnes Rindge Claflin Lecture and is cosponsored by the Loeb and Vassar’s Art Department.

Installation view of three abstract paintings and one abstract sculpture
Installation view of Mark Rothko’s No. 1 (No. 18, 1948), 1948-9, oil on canvas. Collection of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd (Blanchette Hooker, class of 1931), 1955.6.6 and Untitled, 1947, oil on canvas. Collection of Christopher Rothko © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko. Photo: Thomas Barratt